Ten questions about light rail, answered

It's the tenth anniversary of the completion of metro Phoenix light rail (WBIYB). I'll have a history of the project in a special insert of the Arizona Capitol Times. In the meantime, some common questions and answers.

1. What decided the route of the starter line? It was a combination of demand, available right-of-way, and cost. The line follows the route of the old Red Line bus, which was at 125 percent of capacity by 2000. This ensured high ridership and a favorable outcome in federal funding (with an invaluable assist from the late Rep. Ed Pastor).

2. Why was it built at grade rather than as a subway or monorail? Cost. While both those modes — especially a subway — would have been preferable to street running, the funding was not available. The federal government once spent heavily for such subways as the D.C. Metro and Atlanta's MARTA (originally meant for Seattle), but that aid largely ended by the 1980s. Monorails also have the problem of controversy about being unsightly to some, although the Skytrain in Vancouver, B.C., part overhead and part subway, is highly successful.

3. Did Mesa almost miss out on light rail? Yes. The most conservative big city in America was especially wary of the project, and the starter line might have ended at McClintock Drive in Tempe. If so, it would have been very expensive to eventually build into Mesa. Mayor Keno Hawker played a leading role in securing city council approval of the line to Sycamore. This set the table for extending light rail deep into downtown Mesa under Mayor Scott Smith (now Valley Metro CEO). With Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa on board, this helped the metro area rise in the national competition for federal assistance.

4. How much opposition did the light-rail plan encounter? A huge amount. Phoenicians don't get out much, so they weren't aware of thriving modern systems in Denver, Dallas, San Diego, much less Melbourne. Conservative politicians, including in the Legislature, fought it and tried sabotage. They wanted all transportation money for roads and freeways and more sprawl. Opponents also included suburban developers, such powerful behind-the-scenes players as the Arizona Rock Products Association, the "Goldwater" Institute. Then there were the thugs who spread lies about the "trolley" being so slow one could walk faster than light rail, or that the catenary would be a huge eyesore, bullied supporters. Scottsdale wanted to preserve its exclusivity, so vehemently opposed the system. Some of these, who argued in bad faith, are the "bastards" in "We Built It, You Bastards" (WBIYB). They were among those who pressured the Republic to show me the door because of my support for LRT and other heresies. The fight was worth it.

5. Who supported light rail? Political leaders such as Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano, Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza, Hawker, majorities on the city councils (including Phil Gordon and Peggy Bilsten), and Pastor led the way. Behind the scenes were the city officials, such as now City Manager but then Transit Director Ed Zuercher, who attended to the scores of details to make the most complex engineering project since the CAP a reality. Majorities of voters in Tempe and Phoenix backed light rail. So did the Greater Phoenix Chamber. Finally, Michael Crow saw light rail's potential in linking the ASU Tempe campus with the new campus in downtown Phoenix. These were true visionaries, willing to stake political capital.

6. Why didn't the starter line go through Sky Harbor? In theory, this might have provided a sweet spot for passengers to and from downtown. But when the line was being planned, downtown was not what it's become, with more hotels, a new convention center, etc. Also, it would have required a costly and complex detour to thread the terminals. The PHX Sky Train, connecting with light rail at 44th Street, provides a much more elegant solution.

7. Did the starter line fulfill its ambitions to spur transit-oriented development? Yes, although the process has been much slower than in, say, Seattle, which opened its first line soon after Phoenix. Apartments are sprouting along the line that otherwise never would have been built. Density is increasing. The redevelopment of Park Central was keyed to light rail. So is the greater development in and around Roosevelt Row. And ASU's second-largest campus, downtown, was made possible by convenient train service. More needs to be done. Phoenix lacks the urban developers found in cities such as Denver. But more are coming. The new breed realizes that transit-oriented development can pay big dividends.

8. Is light rail safe? Yes. When the project was beginning, former Mayor Terry Goddard told me that poor people ride transit in Phoenix — the question was whether more than the poor would ride LRT? That's happened, especially during peak commutes, sports events, and with students going to and from ASU campuses in Phoenix and Tempe. Poor people still ride the trains, especially during summer. Those who are unaccustomed to transit can be uncomfortable. But crime and problems are rare (although some tell me the situation is more dodgy on 19th Avenue). Valley Metro needs more of a police presence on trains (Seattle has a transit police). But the train is my primary mode of getting around and I always feel safe. That said, the commons always are at risk, and keeping them clean and safe is everyone's duty.

9. Does light-rail expansion have a future in Phoenix? The metropolitan area is mostly car-dependent and destinations are highly (and inefficiently) decentralized. The Real Estate Industrial Complex keeps pumping our sprawl. And the original opponents helped by the Koch brothers are hoping to kill further LRT lines. This would be a historic mistake, especially for the south Phoenix and west lines. You can't fix stupid (car-dependent sprawl). But light rail has performed much better than expected. Phoenix desperately needs this transportation alternative and the infill it will bring, especially with climate change. A new chapter of political battles is opening. I hope the Phoenix City Council has the kind of visionaries it was blessed with in the early 2000s.

10. What would I like for light rail? I want a pony — LRT to 24th Street and Camelback and on to Scottsdale. Commuter rail to the farther suburbs (Seattle has the Sounder trains) with Union Station as the hub. I'd like to see the south line jog over to Third Avenue next to Union Station. I want more infill. We need more shade trees — many more shade trees — planted downtown and near stations. Greater frequency of trains. On a simpler note, the announcement for McDowell and Central should say, "Phoenix Art Museum, Burton Barr Central Library" rather than the amorphous "cultural district." Similarly, Roosevelt should be "Roosevelt Row arts district" rather than "arts district."

Ten years of success. Phoenix beat the odds and ferocious opposition and ignorance to create a civic good for generations to come. We built it.

 

Comments

[drifter]

Dallas is a sprawling urban environment but they have embraced light rail.

[Dave]

Add my name to the volumes who are ignorant. Dave Parish

[El Kabong]

I voted for light rail, then hated it as it was being built, but now love it again.

[Anon]

I went without a car for six months July to December using both light rail and buses. There were bottom feeders on both but I never felt uncomfortable. I suppose middle class types might feel uncomfortable and the car centric metro Phoenix doesn’t allow for much human interaction between people in general and different socioeconomic classes in particular.

The heat was simply overwhelming and on the buses the passengers badly abused the bus drivers. I don’t like to drive but there is no way I would live in Phoenix without a car.

Metro Phoenix is a sprawling, auto reliant place that has to die. Its problems run far deeper than insufficient light rail. The bottom feeders on the buses and light rail are so badly abused by the system it’s little wonder they act out.

The animals who run the state should be chained and frog marched in the middle of July from Phoenix to Florence.

[soleri]

I wonder how Phoenix would have fared with "sky trains" in the '89 Val Trans proposal, which was borrowed from Vancouver's famous system. My worsening memory seems to recall a hub (downtown) and five spokes radiating out from there. The cost sank the proposal just as it did Rio Salado. Sun City, in particular, voted overwhelmingly against it, which was predictable. https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/valtrans-derailed-6412784

The larger problem is Phoenix with its weak core and low-density sprawl. It's hard to imagine another city less amenable to mass transit. Val Trans, I suspect, would have worked better than the current system if only because it would cover a lot more territory with greater speed.

Phoenix light rail was a second-best application in a city hostile to any real solution for its drive-everywhere urban form. We built it you bastards but the worst bastards are the low density and hot temperatures.

That said, I'm glad it's there if only to give a large middle finger to the bastards in the real-estate industrial complex. Phoenix is a catastrophe in the making. It's fair to ask what the end game is for a city in one of the planet's most sizzling climates, where water resources are now imperiled by increasing temperatures, a worsening drought, and overpopulation.

Vancouver is well served by its sky trains along with its sprawling metroplex. The city proper has no freeways and is situated on a magnificent harbor, much like Seattle. Outside its city limits, it's rather less magical. If you could afford to live there, like my twin sister, you would be a fool to ever leave, which she did.

Ultimately, there's no ideal refuge from climate change. I moved to Portland because living in Phoenix felt almost like the impending doom in Neville Shute's On The Beach. But the last three summers in Portland have been hellish. I won't live to experience the worst of it but the writing is on the wall.

[Cal Lash]

Read todays Republic by Allhands,
Pinal County is about to use a lot more water and that is worse than it sounds.

[Joe Schallan]

Link to Allhands' story here.

[Cal Lash]

Jon has a good Seattle Times article in the Front pages

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/economy/after-the-events-of-2018-climate-change-should-be-our-biggest-priority/

[Benny]

Let’s wait for a light rail train in the middle of the street with traffic going 45 to 50 miles per hour right in front of us. Who thought this was going to work? Then we get on the train and it is basically a “free for all” because the driver is on the other train and you are basically trapped if there is a homeless nut job having a meltdown because they bought some bad crack. Wow ! The money would have been better spent buying the homeless nut jobs some $800 government approved toilet seats that they could then sell on the street corner for some good crack.

[Wamblin]

We need more routes!!! Light-rail needs to go to Westgate, reducing Cardinals/Coyotes traffic, needs to go south and further east and north!! Wish we had Sounder-like options here.....

And why the HELL are the Koch Bros inserting themselves into our light-rail conversations???

[Joe]

I think some opposition comes from the fact that transportation technology is changing so rapidly that financing light rail is a misallocation of public money. Self driving vehicles and larger bike lanes would be what I expect to see in 30 years.

[Ted C]

I lived in Phoenix for a very long time, moved to DC right after 9/11. I came back to attend some buisness and used the light rail a few times. It always reminds me of the cantina scene in Star Wars. I would never suggest my wife or my mom use the light rail. I am sure a bunch of people made a ton of money off building it, and some made money from appreciation of real estate they bought next to it, but the low density of Phoenix makes mass transite problematic. I think a lot of people who support light rail never use it themselves, they want other people to get their cars off the road.

[Rogue Columnist]

For the record, I use light rail all the time. I haven’t owned a car in 10 years. Cantina scene? You must get uneasy around anyone who doesn’t look like you. DC sniper operated from a car.

[Lisa Jackson]

I am from Chicago been in Arizona 4Years. I am a former employee of Valley Metro giving transit information and taking complaints from customers. I have been on both sides of the spectrum. I took the LTRL for 3 years straight even in summer. Always air conditioned and on time very convenient and efficient. You can always call for arrival time. Have seen a lot of things on the LTRL some good and some bad. Overall the security has been upgraded and I feel completely safe. The upside you get to meet all different type of people. I Enjoy riding the LtRl and Enjoyed being a Employee of Valley Metro. I suggest anyone take a ride you may just enjoy it also. Good for the economy,air quality and the Convenience appreciate the LTRL and Valley Metro Awesome Sauce. 👍 Lisa J

[Susan Nobley]

I have always supported public transportation. I utilized the bus system for many years, when I did not have a car. I am somewhat “bomb proof” when it comes to the characters you encounter on the light rail. My biggest concern is the displacement of low income individuals. When you head west out of Mesa, which is where I live, you travel down Apache which use to be lined with trailer parks and Route 66 era old motels. Yes, the neighborhood was seedy, but it did provide low income housing. Most of that has been replaced with loft style apartments, which look to be expensive. Not sure were the people from the trailer parks and cheap motels went to live. Not the best situation, but beat being homeless. I think there should be some low income housing requirements for developments along the light rail. JMO