The Legacy Parkway and Preserve between Farmington and North Salt Lake is a nice drive-time alternative to the old I-15 parking lot. But it does not provide a faster route if one obeys the respective speed limits.

To the untrained eye, which is shared by probably 95 percent or more of the people who drive this Parkway, the marshes and swamps through which it runs offer up a variety of weeds and a few pretty winged birds. Though these weeds and birdies aren’t dissimilar to those along I-15, the traveler theoretically has more time to observe them since the speed there is set 15 mph lower than on the freeway.

When Parkway travelers aren’t otherwise enjoying the splendor of weeds, birds and occasional pole lines, they can observe happy people running, jogging, bicycling or walking along the adjacent “independent multi-use and equestrian trails”. Though it’s difficult to detect the ecstasy on faces when passing them, even at the legal speed limit, they should be happy. Those very, very, very few people who do use this trail definitely should appreciate the benefits of this very expensive and lightly-used trail; after all it was provided to them by other taxpayers.

In genuflection to the disingenuous “greenies,” and in accordance with today’s all too common politically correct language, the Parkway speed limit was set at 55 mph. This was done to maintain the specious illusion that asphalt, fencing and signage can somehow be “green” contributors. Parkway travelers readily observe that the real speed simply mocks the signage, and, that the higher realistic speed really doesn’t present any clear and present danger to travelers . . . or to users of their independent trail. Again, to the untrained eye, it appears that Legacy Parkway and Preserve was properly engineered and built to similar standards as is I-15. That being the case, and the fact that restricting the speed along this Parkway is purely political and serves no practical purpose, it appears that reality should rule and the speed limit should be raised to 65 or 70 mph.

Leaving the speed limit on Legacy Parkway at the unnecessarily low 55 mph makes I-15 a more attractive route for anyone who doesn’t really want to observe the birds, weeds and strollers.

If Legacy is an alternative highway to I-15 let’s be honest and make it a practical alternative. Let’s be honest, it is a highway; not a park.