Arizona Rail Passenger Association

Full story by Sean Holstege in the Arizona Republic, 14 April 2010

Changing demographics, ridership patterns point to different lines in future

Regional planners are mapping new light-rail lines in places that were inconceivable a few years ago, as they grapple with how urban Arizona takes shape in the coming half-century.

Preliminary studies show that sufficient demand will exist for light rail to succeed on 44th Street, Camelback Road, south Central Avenue, Bell Road and other routes not previously planned, building a web far more expansive than what is currently envisioned…

Proposed METRO Rail Station Name Changes.

Transit systems in every city in America and across the world have stations named for landmarks, to help visitors and residents find their way. If Washington DC named their stations the way the Phoenix stations are named, they would have a station called “12^th Street and Independence Avenue SW” instead of “Smithsonian.”

Phoenix’s Metro, for unknown political reasons, has utterly failed to name their train stations. Stations need proper names to establish a sense of place, foster community pride, and make the system easy to talk about.

I served as a volunteer on opening day. On that day and ever since, tourists have asked me what station the Airport is at, and does the train go to Sun Devil Stadium? Even Congressman and former Tempe Mayor Harry Mitchell didn’t know what “Veterans Way and College Avenue” was – it needs to be the Sun Devil Transit Center. Worringly, Metro has issued safety alerts about the “Tempe Transportation Center” but without explaining that is the same as the  “Veterans Way and College Avenue” station.  Two different names for the same station! The same problem exists with Central Station, the downtown bus terminal, which also has the redundant train station name of “Van Buren and Central Avenue.”

Short, simple station names help riders find their destinations quickly. They help tourists know what is along the line. They make maps easier to read. Stations become sources of neighborhood identity. Naming stations after street addresses is cold, confusing and unhelpful. When riding the #17 bus, the announcements say, “Approaching 16th Street” and “Approaching 24th Street” — not “Approaching 16th Street and McDowell” and then “Approaching 24th Street and McDowell” — the McDowell part is obvious because that’s the bus you are on. Repeatedly saying “…and Central” on the train is silly and pedantic.

Worse, announcements talk about eastbound and westbound trains, but the platforms are not signed that way, unlike other transit systems. Nor do Metro’s maps point out east and west (it is not obvious to everyone.)

Furthermore, the stations with two platforms need to be named as one station. Signs there should be updated to, for example, “For Dobson, use platform on 1st Avenue.” Boston eliminated confusing one-way station names (Milk one way, Water the other) in the 1960s.

These station names must be changed as soon as possible.

Even more bizarrely, scrolling signs on the platforms read “Thank you for riding Metro” while on the trains they read “Thank you for riding the Metro” — pick one, folks!  And “light rail” is an adjective — METRO is a light rail line operating light rail vehicles to light rail platforms.  You do not ride “the light rail” any more than you ride “the diesel.” The rails sit firmly in the streets.  METRO trains are trolleys, just like in San Diego.  Or “trams” to use the British word, but “trolley” is simpler and historically correct to Phoenix.

The entire line should then resume the Red Line name, as it replaced the (pre-metro) Red Line bus… and before that, the Washington Street #1 streetcars which carried red marker lights since the 1920s at least… giving the Red Line an eighty-plus year history. As other lines are built, they should resume the color line names (Green Line on Thomas — not Highway 10!, Blue Line northeast on Highway 51, etc.)

– William Lindley, Arizona Rail Passenger Association. 2010-02-25.

PHOENIX: “Metro will start late night service on weekends in July… [using] some of the savings that cities accrued when the feds paid back early… [this is about double the cost of] Owl trains… about $256,000 a year… Metro won’t run a one-year experiment. [Huzzah!] Late trains will be part of service from now on. That means the last train will cruise through downtown Phoenix and downtown Tempe just after 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday…”

Also: “planners told the board that the economic slump will force Metro to delay by one-to-two years the upcoming extensions and that plans to extend light rail toward Paradise Valley Mall may have to wait until voters adopt a new sales tax. The problem is the last transportation tax, Prop. 400, is bringing in billions of dollars less than expected. No decision was reached. A vote is scheduled for June 17…”

Rest of the story: http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/lightrailblog/53722

A Resolution of the ARPA Board of Directors, approved 2009-1-17.

On behalf of the Members of the Association the the Citizens of Arizona, ARPA opposes and finds it unacceptable to interrupt regularly scheduled rail service for marathons, parades, or similar events which transit should serve.

These events must be routed to permit regular rail operation.

(On 18 January, METRO rail service was truncated north of the McDowell station for a marathon until at least 10am — inconvenicing passengers and disabling anyone from using METRO to travel to the event.)

Construction on the 3.2-mile northwest extension of the Metro light rail line could start by April if everything goes according to plan.

The only caveat is the price tag, which won’t be known until late January or early February…

[Meanwhile in Mesa]

…Although the final reports have yet to be written, Mesa is leaning toward extending the light rail line from its current origination point at Sycamore and Main streets east to Power Road, according to Mesa Deputy Transportation Director Mike James.

“In general terms, our findings about ridership and demand are that light rail would be better (than other transit options), and extending it down Main Street would make for a more seamless trip,” James said.

Rest of the story in the Business Journal of Phoenix, 26 December 2008.