Regional planners weigh emerging transportation technologies, highlight advanced air mobility and planning needs

The Wasatch Front Regional Council on May 15 outlined how emerging transportation technologies could affect travel demand, safety, energy and funding and asked regional officials for priorities and concerns as staff prepares RTP guidance.

Shay Mosqueda, a WFRC transportation planner, summarized technologies and external forces that the regional transportation plan should consider — including autonomous vehicles, e-bikes and micromobility, transit innovations and advanced air mobility (AAM). "As technology changes, we try to account for this in a regional transportation plan," Mosqueda said.

Advanced air mobility: Mosqueda and others described AAM as a complex issue that includes vertiports, airspace, zoning, passenger and cargo use, and energy infrastructure. The transcript includes a reference to a recent legislative directive: "during the legislative session, there was Senate Bill 96, which had UDOT create a policy toolkit" to assist local planning and zoning for AAM, Mosqueda said. Senator Wayne Harper, who attended the meeting, said Utah is actively pursuing AAM planning and outreach: "Utah has been leading the way on advanced air mobility," Harper said, calling for inclusive, public-facing work and a policy toolkit and community outreach effort.

Local planning and equity concerns: committee members raised practical questions about how AAM would integrate with land use and existing transit — for example, where vertiports might land, how many people would use these services, whether adoption would be concentrated among higher-income users, and how privacy and constitutional concerns would be managed. Mayor Monica Zoltanski said planners should focus on convenience, cost, privacy and alignment with existing systems; she noted that transfer points and connections to existing transit networks will be critical.

Modeling and uncertainty: WFRC and state staff acknowledged that conventional travel-demand models do not yet capture many of the potential impacts of new technologies. Andrea Olsen (UDOT) and other staff said the agencies will need new tools and scenario work; Reid Ewing (University of Utah) and other participants noted alternative outcomes are possible and policy choices will help shape whether technologies reduce vehicle travel or simply add new trips.

Next steps: staff asked committee members for feedback and said they will continue outreach, share learning opportunities and convene technical seminars. Mosqueda invited the committee to provide priorities via email so staff can refine exploration and scenario work ahead of the RTP.