From: "Friends of Transit" To: Subject: Buses would span Valley - First-time intercity routes part of measure’s $2.7 billion Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 10:38 AM P R O P O S I T I O N 4 0 0 Buses would span Valley First-time intercity routes part of measure's $2.7 billion By GARIN GROFF TRIBUNE Half the time a bus driver on the Valley's busiest bus route rolls east from central Phoenix to the Scottsdale city limits, he makes a maneuver bound to upset some passengers: He turns around and stays in Phoenix, heading back along Thomas Road. Though the Valley's grid system of roads allows drivers to seamlessly cross from city to city, bus passengers often don't enjoy the same privilege. Bus service is funded at different levels in Valley cities, which has meant Phoenix and Tempe provide better service than Scottsdale and the rest of the East Valley. Voters could change that on Nov. 2 with Proposition 400, a $15.8 billion transportation plan that would for the first time fund bus service across the Valley. About 17 percent of the plan, or $2.7 billion, would go toward bus service, paid for by extending a 20-year, half-cent sales tax in Maricopa County. The proposition's funding for bus service has drawn criticism from opponents who say transit doesn't work in sprawling places with few centralized job centers. Plan supporters say a boom in Phoenix bus ridership is proof that transit will work if voters give it a chance. That city's voters approved a transportation sales tax in 2000, which resulted in a 40 percent ridership jump in the last three years. "That's the biggest increase in transit ridership in any large city in the United States," said city transit director Ed Zuercher. "The message to me is when you put reliable service out there at regular intervals that can be depended on, people will respond and use it." The proposition aims to attract more riders by funding: 2,100 new buses. 1,000 new Dial-A-Ride vehicles. 1,200 new bus pullouts. 32 new bus transit centers. Enhanced service on 30 existing routes and 10 new routes. Proposition 400 puts 8 percent of the money toward bus maintenance and operation, and 9 percent to buying buses. As with other elements of the plan, it would take 20 years to roll out all components. Valley communities would still have to pay for their own basic bus programs. Money from the proposition would improve the frequency of existing routes and add new ones so the region would have a network of bus lines on arterial streets. In Mesa, the plan would mean new Sunday service. The city of 430,000 has no buses running on Sundays and limited evening service. Transportation officials said more frequent service and longer hours will make bus service something more than an option of last resort for those without cars. "The impression that people won't ride because they can afford another alternative doesn't necessarily reflect other desires, like the ability to make an environmental choice or to reduce a car or just to cut trips," said Mary O'Connor, Scottsdale's transportation general manager. Proposition 400 opponents say the plan's transit funding is too much, given the Valley's reliance on autos. No on 400 chairman Dave Thompson said buses should get perhaps 10 percent of funding, with the rest going to freeways. Thompson argues that Valley residents will continue to drive cars because of the area's low density and scattered job centers. An East Valley lawmaker also wants less transit funding and more freeways. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, said the East Valley needs to improve bus service, but not as the plan outlines. "I'm not convinced that what we're doing in the bus section is that great," Biggs said. "Smaller buses and more routes would be more efficient than extended buses that largely go empty." The proposition would also add service in places where few if any buses run now. This includes regional routes on Shea Boulevard, McKellips Road, Queen Creek Road, Ray Road and Greenfield Road. The plan attempts to boost bus ridership for commuters on long trips by offering express or rapid bus service on freeways and along other major corridors. This allows passengers to reach downtown Phoenix with routes on U.S. 60, state Route 51, Interstate 10, Loop 101 and Loop 202. But as major employment hubs expand outside Phoenix, other rapid routes will take passengers to such places as Williams Gateway Airport, the Scottsdale Airpark and Chandler's high-tech corridor along Price Road. The regional express routes would allow passengers to take a nonstop or a limited-stop bus from, say, east Mesa to a job in Chandler. These growing job centers are part of why Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn said regional bus funding was one of the things East Valley mayors fought hard to get in the plan. "Chandler really has no bus or mass transit system in place," Dunn said. "Proposition 400 would allow a significant improvement on bus transportation through Chandler." Plan supporters say changing demographics will boost demand for transit. The Valley's elderly population will triple in 20 years, compared with a doubling of the overall population. Backers also say the disabled population needs significantly better bus and Dial-A-Ride services. The plan would provide 1,000 new vehicles for this. "If you live in the East Valley and you take Dial-A-Ride to work and you go into Phoenix, you have to plan three hours each way," said Mary Hartle-Smith of the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona. Hartle-Smith, who is blind, said problems with the service limit her social and professional life because of the time required to reach friends or a workplace. She gave up a fulltime job helping other blind people because long travel times made it difficult to reach appointments on time. Many riders who use Dial-A-Ride refer to it as Dial-A-Wait because it's so slow, Hartle-Smith said. "It really precludes a lot of people with disabilities from taking employment, especially if they're required to travel for the job," Hartle-Smith said. _____ To Unsubscribe, Please Click Here