112 replies to this topic

[traal]

The reports of objections from merchants along Main Street in Mesa about routing the light rail down their street might have been overblown. According to this message in the Southwest Rail Advocates (swrail) Yahoo message group:

Quote

For every neigh sayer [merchant], there is at least one strong proponent of getting the tracks on Main St.

[MJLO]

Mesa, will one day have 600,000 residents, and the tax base of a city with 150,000.  Gotta love Mesa residents, maybe it's the water that keep them so anti-anything.

[clarebear]

how much is it going to cost to ride the light rail?

[traal]

Valley Metro says Light rail fares will be the same fare as the local bus fare. The local 1-way bus fare is currently $1.25. In the future, they want to replace free transfers with a $2.50 all-day pass.

There are also reduced fairs for children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

[MJLO]

dumb question, but when will it initially be up and running for actual transit?

[traal]

December 2008. Construction is probably mostly done by now, but they scheduled a really long testing/break-in period.

[colin]

Construction isn't done, but it's close.
Apache Blvd in Tempe still has cones and such up, as do most of the streets Downtown where it's running.

[MJLO]

Check this out  

The light rail track has broken in like seven places.  They say it's normal, will it delay the opening of the LRT do you think?  I'm real excited for light rail to finally open, it will be interesting to see the actual impact it has on the center city.  Maybe we'll see some long delayed projects actually happen.  Of course it's got to be in one piece before that can even happen.

[silverbear]

I was lucky enough to receive a free pass to the sixth annual of Friends of Transit Conference. This event is for organizations, businesses, and individuals concerned with expanding public transit options in the Phoenix Metro Area. This year's conference took place at the Light Rail Operations and Maintenance facility, located on 48th Street just east of Sky Harbor Airport. Given the location, the focus was understandably on light rail, which is scheduled to begin service December 27 of this year. Nevertheless, trains were not the only focus. There was ample discussion about bus service, commuter rail, and economic development issues as they relate to transit availability.

The event started with brief welcoming remarks from Tom Simplot, member of the Phoenix City Council and Chair of Metro Light Rail, and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. Mayor Gordon has just returned from a visit to Dubai and noted that the Middle Eastern city had chosen the same type of Kinkisharyo cars for its light rail system. It was followed by a "State of Transit" address delivered jointly by David Boggs, the executive director of Valley Metro, and Rick Simonetta, the CEO of Metro Light Rail. This speech covered a lot of ground, with the following highlights:

--"Super grid" bus routes -- The light rail project gets the most publicity these days, but the 2000 and 2004 transit referenda also included funding for extensive improvements to bus service. One improvement is "super grid" service in which routes operate seamlessly across city lines. Right now, several lines stop at city boundaries on some runs because one city has chosen to fund service at a lower level than another. With super grid service, regional funding sources are used to allow uniform service levels across boundaries. Several routes have already been upgraded to super grid status, and many more will follow in the near future.

--Bus and rail combination -- Good bus service is critical to a successful rail transit system. Bus service feeds rail, allowing rail to serve passengers who may not live within walking distance of a rail station. Some bus routes will be rerouted, in some cases up to 1.5 miles, to serve light rail stations. (I would have liked more detail about this point.)

--Light rail extensions -- The light rail starter line scheduled to open in December 2008 is 20 miles long and one of the longest starter lines ever opened in a rail transit system. The project won't stop at the starter line, however. Projected extension lines will take the system to 57 miles by 2025.

--Starter line construction -- 96% of the track is in place with less than one mile of track still to be laid. Construction of the starter line is 83% done. All vehicles have arrived at the operations and maintenance center. Testing will move to Downtown Tempe this spring, with testing in Central Phoenix and Mesa following in the summer.

--Western extension -- The I-10 median is almost a given as the route for the future light rail line heading west from Downtown. The 50-foot median is too good an opportunity to resist, especially since light rail construction could be combined with ADOT's scheduled improvements to the freeway. The major advantage of this approach will be faster rail service since trains will not have to intersect with car traffic; the major disadvantage will be less opportunity for transit-oriented development.

The next event was a panel discussion on economic development along the light rail line. Grady Gammage, Jr., facilitated this discussion, and set a great tone with his own insightful remarks.  Gammage's thoughtful comments were generally matched by interesting contributions by Randy Levin of Suncor, Jeff Moloznik of RED Develoment, and Debra Friedman of the ASU Downtown Campus. Key insights included the following:



--CityScape is proceeding with the following tenants confirmed: AJ's, P.F. Chang's, Wachovia, and the Kimpton Palomar Hotel. The AJ's design will differ from other AJ's locations. It will be a two-story store with groceries and prepared foods on the first floor and a wine bar and cafe on the second floor. --CityScape's park will accommodate up to 10,000 for special events. The water features will use the same space when events are not in progress. CityScape's design will emphasize shade close to the street, allowing pedestrians to find shelter from sun and heat without retreating from streetscape.

--Both CityScape and Hayden Ferry Lakeside (Suncor's project in Tempe) will incorporate enough garage and underground parking to match normal suburban parking expectations. Despite the proximity to light rail, both developers feel that tenant resistance to limited parking would be insurmountable at this point. This is contrast to the Newman Center project at ASU in which parking is being omitted due to transit availability.

--The success of ASU's Downtown Campus is predicated on a seamless transit link to the Tempe Campus. Without a transit link, it would be necessary to duplicate programs at both campuses. Friedman noted that issue was a problem at her previous institution, University of Washington, which had to replicate programs at three Seattle-area campuses due to a lack of transit links.

--Both RED and Suncor were candid in saying that their projects probably would not have proceeded without city incentives. Grady Gammage offered a very interesting perpsective on this issue, noting that although Arizona has low residential property tax rates, it has some of the highest commercial property tax rates in the nation. In his view, this sends the message to the outside world that new houses are valued more than corporate headquarters. I thought this comment by Gammage was probably one the single most insightful remarks of the entire conference.



The second panel discussion, which focused on statewide transportation planning was not as interesting, and I therefore did not take detailed notes. I was pleased to see hear some frank remarks directed toward the Arizona legislature, which is notorious for favoring unlimited road building over transit in addressing transportation issues. After a nice catered lunch and an awards presentation, the conference ended with a preview ride on two light rail cars. The free train ride was incredible culmination to the conference. The cars look as clean, new, and high-tech inside as outside. They are amazingly quiet with none of the clackety-clack associated with the NYC Subway or the Chicago El. The train operator took us around the rail yard, reaching a maximum speed of 43 miles per hour. We then proceed up a track running alongside the 202 Freeway, stopping just short of Washington Street, which is where the actual rail line will run. I was disappointed that we did not continue along the test track from 44th Street to 56th Street, but still in awe of the experience we had the opportunity to enjoy. Photos are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/silverbearphx/LightRailPreview

[colin]

Thanks for posting. The whole light rail thing is pretty exciting when you think that it's only a few month until the whole thing comes to fruition.

silverbear, on Mar 23 2008, 06:51 AM, said:

--Bus and rail combination -- Good bus service is critical to a successful rail transit system. Bus service feeds rail, allowing rail to serve passengers who may not live within walking distance of a rail station. Some bus routes will be rerouted, in some cases up to 1.5 miles, to serve light rail stations. (I would have liked more detail about this point.)

I'm not really sure why Valley Metro hasn't seen this before. It's a pretty piss-poor system and having such a piss-poor system is only going to hurt ridership. You can't rely solely on park & ride people in the suburbs. I hope to (and expect) see increased service and new routes, not just realignments.

silverbear, on Mar 23 2008, 06:51 AM, said:

--Western extension -- The I-10 median is almost a given as the route for the future light rail line heading west from Downtown. The 50-foot median is too good an opportunity to resist, especially since light rail construction could be combined with ADOT's scheduled improvements to the freeway. The major advantage of this approach will be faster rail service since trains will not have to intersect with car traffic; the major disadvantage will be less opportunity for transit-oriented development.

This optimism about the light rail system, seemingly in all stakeholder organizations, has impressed me. I'd love to see a line running out to Avondale.

[colin]

With the light rail opening date approaching, I thought I'd post this.
Probably some have seen this before, but this is a compilation of accidents involving Houston's METRO Light Rail train. It's a very small system, with one line running only 7.5 miles, but they initially had many, many problems with car-train accidents. In almost every case, as is demonstrated in the video, the driver of the car was at fault.


Phoenix is building a similar system where track shares road. Could we see the same problems when it opens?

[traal]

I don't know about Houston, but there are a LOT of crazy drivers in Austin. On Ed Bluestein Boulevard, which normally got backed up during rush hour, every morning I would see a few people racing down the shoulder and the grassy median. Out of uncongested lanes? Make your own!

If Houston drivers are the same, it's no wonder the light rail is a car magnet. Apparently, that system gets many times its fair share of accidents.

I'm sure Valley Metro Rail will be involved in accidents from time to time, but probably nothing like Houston's accident rate.

[MJLO]

Based on sheer mass ignorance of them all I have no doubt that the bulk of Phoenix drivers will have an awful hard time adjusting to light rail.  Add in the snow birds and it could be mayhem.  I'm sure in time things will settle in.  

However I have never seen drivers as they are in Texas, Traals example of Austin I have experienced first hand in a few of Texas' major cities.  I have sat not moving on Houston freeways, while watching people exit the freeway where ever they see fit. Not to mention that traffic lights tend to be more of a suggestion for Houston drivers, as the speed limit is in rural AZ eesh!