Californians don’t love their cars; many have no choice. July 1st, 2007
RailPAC editorial by Noel Braymer… about housing, zoning, walkability and transportation –
In mid June of this year there were several news stories about a U.S. Census survey which showed that Americans, particularly Californians where driving alone more than ever. This is despite millions of dollars being spent to encourage car-pooling and ride sharing. Many of the stories in the papers harped on the old clichés about peoples so called “love affair†with their automobile and so on. One newspaper, the Los Angeles Daily News got it right. Their headline for the story by Brent Hopkins on June 13th said it all: Southland drivers are the loneliest in the U.S.; jobs, housing key reason.
Hybrid Technology for Railroads July 1st, 2007
RailPAC’s Paul Dyson explains how hybrid technology can save 20% or more fuel compared to traditional diesel-electric in this article on the RailPAC site.
Sky Harbor buys into ‘people mover’ June 20th, 2007
by Kerry Fehr-Snyder in The Arizona Republic, Jun. 17, 2007
Phoenix is picking up on the popular “people mover” idea and will build an automated train to shuttle passengers from the eastern edge of Sky Harbor International Airport to its three terminals and its western end…
The train is expected to start operating in 2013 to Terminal 4…
The people mover would run along Arizona 153, also known as Sky Harbor Expressway, which the Arizona Department of Transportation wants to give to Phoenix… The Maricopa Association of Governments plans to delete [Route 153] from the Regional Transportation Plan…
The train will share part of the existing road with motorists, Simeone said, and tie into the light-rail station being built at 44th and Washington streets…
Rest of the story in the Arizona Republic
Mr. Farley goes to Phoenix June 14th, 2007
From the Tucson Daily Star’s Political Notebook by Daniel Scarpinato [emphasis added -- AzRail Ed.]
A recent posting on Craigslist caught the attention of a few politicos: Read the rest of this entry »
Tempe Pushes for Commuter Rail June 8th, 2007
from the Arizona Republic
In February 1980… then-Gov. Bruce Babbitt had declared a state of emergency to get Amtrak passenger trains to shuttle workers and others throughout the Valley after massive flooding destroyed highway bridges.
Fast forward to 2007 and once again, shuttle-train service is being weighed to solve the state’s traffic woes.
This time, Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman is at the head of a line of leaders pushing for commuter rail service…
Rest of the story:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/0606tr-commuterrail0607.html
