Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/593526
78 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 I don't remember much from the one semester of Latin I took in college, but I did learn that many of our words can be broken down based on their roots in Latin. Take the word "Locomotion." The first part of the word comes from the Latin word "locus" for place. The second part from the Latin word "motio," meaning to move. So therefore locomotion is about moving from place to place. An apt word for use in any discussion about Idaho Falls because we owe our founding to not just location (Latin root of locus, you'll note), but also to the locomotives that were able to open up the area to settlement. Today, where the Internet brings the world to us with just a few keystrokes, we often forget the importance of being able to get around or motate (there's a Latin root somewhere in there). Our American Manifest Destiny was all about mobility (more Latin!). Being able to control your movement was seen as being able to control your destiny. If you travel the world there are some easy-to-spot symbols of Western culture such as McDonalds or Starbucks signs, but one symbol that is increas- ingly easier to see but far less noticed is the single-occupant vehicle. Nothing says "I've arrived," like being able to drive somewhere on your own. The problem with this mental- ity is that the mobile part of the American Outdoors by Gregg Losinski foster increased usage and not enough usage without expanded routes. All the bureaucratic hoops limit publically funded transportation, whereas private transport is more flexible and has really stepped up to fill the intense but locally sporadic demand. Watching the Salt Lake Express function reminds me of how public transportation works in Europe. If only a few people are travelling from Point A to Point B, they send a van. The next day the load doubles, so they break out a small bus with a trailer. If things get really hectic, they roll out the coach buses. Steady routes but flexibility with vehicle sizes allows them to offer affordable rates for individual riders. If more than one person in a group or family is heading to Boise or Salt Lake, then taking a car is a viable economic option. Otherwise it is cheaper to hop on the SLASH bus. The first bridge that spanned the Snake River at Taylor's Crossing at what was to become Idaho Falls wasn't a municipal one built with state or federal funds; it was a private citizen taking a risk. Sometimes the individual out to make a buck for them- selves can actually benefit society. Who knows where we'd be today if we waited for the government to build that bridge. By the way, the word entrepreneur has Latin roots too. It means to swim out and grasp. Hey, swimming is a form of locomotion too! Dream isn't as affordable as it used to be. Many people today are economically forced to consider other transit options or do so willingly out of social conscience. Taxi service, an older method of transpor- tation, is making a comeback in Idaho Falls due to being linked to a new technology. Not that taxis ever entirely disappeared here, but Uber brings the concept to a whole new level of accessibility. If you've never Ubered, I suggest you download the app and give it a try. I'm not attempting to slight traditional taxis but the difference is night and day, sort of like the difference in getting a school bond passed in District 91 versus District 93. While once upon a time locomotives were key to bringing humans to the area; that era appears to be gone for good. Today the iron horses are relegated to moving freight except for the occasional high-dollar American Orient Express theme train that rolls through. Speaking of horses, stage coaches were a part of our local transit history, but they too have vanished. Their successors, the motor coaches, are seeing a resurgence in popularity. This is not out of a sense of nostalgia but of simple economics. The folks at TRPTA (Targhee Regional Public Transportation Authority) do a good job of trying to provide basic public trans- portation, but they are trapped in a chicken and egg situation. Not enough routes to Getting Around IF