March 6, 2008

Friends of Transit 6^th Annual Conference: Ready, Set, GO!
Join us for our 6^th Annual Conference on Friday, March 21, 2008. Registration deadline has been extended to March 10! Remember, last year the conference sold out! Click here for details.

Friends of Transit Tuesdays:
March 11, 2008 lunch location
March 4, 2008 drawing winners

In the News:
Mesa speaks: Light rail, Waveyard split Mesans, East Valley Tribune, March 5, 2008
Scottsdale joins light rail group, East Valley Tribune, March 4, 2008

Valley cities considering new commuter systems, The Arizona Republic, Feb. 29, 2008
Commuters have chance to impact transit options, The Arizona Republic, Feb 28, 2008

Upcoming Events:

Association for Commuter Transportation: You Are What You Breathe: Air Quality and Your Health, Thursday March 20, 2008

Don’t forget to visit Friends of Transit on the web at www.friendsoftransit.org!

On Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Friends of Transit Tuesday
is proud to feature:
Duck and Decanter
3111 N. Central Ave, Phoenix

The first 100 customers will receive half off their lunch bill (up to $5)!

Discount offered 11:00am – 2:00 pm
Please present this email to receive discount. Valid at this location only.

Plus, don’t forget to put your name into this week’s prize drawing box– over $500 in prizes will be given away! Win one of these great gift certificates:

● $100 to Ide Mania Salon, 3825 N. Central Ave, Phoenix (2 chances to win)
● $50 to Movies on Central, 4700 N. Central Ave, Phoenix (4 chances to win)
● $25 to Green Woodpecker, 3110 N. Central Ave, Phoenix (4 chances to win)

Duck and Decanter, affectionately known as “The Duck” is a specialty food, beverage and retail pioneer and has become a monument in the lives of many Valley residents. Providing fresh sandwiches, salads and soups in a unique environment surrounded by specialty foods, cheeses, wine, beer coffee, gift baskets, tea, and giftware. Over the years, the Duck has earned over fifty prestigious awards from local and national periodicals and associations such as Mobil Travel Guide and Zagats.

View Duck and Decanter’s Menu

See you Tuesday! Tell your Friends!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for on March 4 at:
Switch
2603 N. Central Ave, Phoenix

We gave away $500 in prizes in our weekly drawing! The winners are:
Tina Bakalis and Michael Crowley- $100 to Home Again Antiques, 4302 N. 7^th Ave, Phoenix
Judy Sutton, Janet L. Darcey, Irma Carrasco, and David Pedroza- $50 to Body Soul Printing, 1806 W. Camelback Rd, Phoenix
Michelle Kinkead, Faye Hooks, Shelly Stein, and Caroline Attee - $20 to Macayo’s Restaurant, 300 S. Ash, Tempe

Friends of Transit 6^th Annual Conference
Friday, March 21, 2008
METRO Operations and Maintenance Center
605 S. 48^th Street, Phoenix

7:15 am – 8:00 am Registration / Continental Breakfast
8:00 am – 1:30 pm Conference Program:

“State of Transit” Address
Panel Discussions:
“Economic Impact and Development Along the Light Rail Line”
“A Balanced Statewide Transportation Plan”
Sixth Annual “Friend of Transit” Award and Luncheon

Plus, Conference participants will have the opportunity to ride on the light rail vehicle!

Conference fee is $100 per person. Space is limited- registration on a first come, first served basis.
Registration deadline extended to March 10! Register now before the Conference sells out!

Visit www.friendsoftransit.org for a registration form.
Contact Megan Casey at 602-818-1024 or megan@goodmanschwartz.com for more information.

Valley cities considering new commuter systems
Glen Creno
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 29, 2008 12:00 AM

Plans for passenger rail in Arizona are moving forward, but significant hurdles remain before any system is built.

The Maricopa Association of Governments has released a long-awaited draft of its commuter-rail study, which outlines three options that would haul commuters from Phoenix suburbs into job centers in the central city. At the same time, key players in developing high-speed rail between Phoenix and Tucson have joined together to seek money to plan a system.

These efforts come at a time when state and local planners are looking at major improvements to Arizona's transportation system. Rail is receiving particular attention as a way to ease congestion.

Some critics say rail won't significantly reduce freeway backups. Others say not enough roads can be built to handle the onslaught of cars in the growing Phoenix area. Construction costs are soaring, as are gas prices, and some of the city's freeway corridors are bracketed by development, leaving no room for expansion.

City leaders, politicians, railroad companies and rank-and-file commuters will have a chance to voice their opinions on MAG's recommendations. MAG's Regional Council, a collection of Valley mayors and other officials, eventually will vote on the plan.

"We have lots of transportation challenges," said Kevin Wallace, MAG's transit-program manager. "Commuter rail been talked about for a long time but has never risen to the top of solutions. . . . There's a lot more interest and energy to include this as a solution."

The new MAG plan lays out three ways to launch a commuter-rail system: A single-line system with an estimated daily ridership capacity of 10,100; a multicorridor starter system with estimated ridership capacity of 20,200; and a comprehensive regional system with ridership capacity of 141,000 a day.

The trains would run in existing freight-rail corridors, primarily sections of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe along Grand Avenue and the Union Pacific paralleling Interstate 10 in the West Valley and angling southeast into Pinal County. Union Pacific branch lines could serve riders from Tempe and Chandler.

Employment in the area is expected to nearly double from 1.8 million in 2005 to nearly 3.6 million in 2030, according to MAG's study. The region's rail lines run through some of the most congested commuting corridors.

"Without transportation, we don't have an economy," said Bill Lindley, director of the Arizona Rail Passenger Association. "We have to do something to relieve the growing 'time tax' of people stuck in traffic."

MAG's rail report also breaks down the challenges to creating a commuter-rail system. Among them: funding, possible conflicts with freight railroads and working out who controls and operates the system.

The railroads have monitored the development of the commuter-rail report. Officials say their Phoenix lines are getting increasingly busy as demand for freight delivery increases. Burlington Northern said new tracks would be needed in the Grand Avenue area for commuter rail.

"The track on the ground today would not support a fully functional commuter-rail program, a full schedule of commuter-rail trains," said LaTonya Finch, regional manager of economic development for the railroad. "There's no way you could make that program work in conjunction with our business on the line today and what's coming on the line very shortly."

Finch, though, said the railroad has worked with other states to establish commuter rail on its lines. She said that the railroad has been talking to MAG and the Arizona Department of Transportation about passenger rail but that no specific plans have been presented.

Funding remains the biggest obstacle in creating passenger rail.

Last week, ADOT and several agencies, politicians and railroad representatives gathered to discuss the issue. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., urged them to apply for new federal grant money to plan a high-speed passenger line between Phoenix and Tucson.

ADOT, which is in the process of updating its 1998 high-speed-rail study, is coordinating the effort and will ask for a $3 million grant. Any grant money must be matched by local funds. The deadline is March 18.

The new federal program has $30 million available this year and is expected to grow to $100 million next year.

Mark Yachmetz of the federal Railroad Administration told the crowd last week that states that have won rail money in the past have put together effective organizations with strong leadership.

That leadership will be important in developing a rail system needed to deal with the state's growth, officials said. Shannon Scutari, an aide to Gov. Janet Napolitano, said new roads alone cannot solve the region's congestion problem. "We can't freeway ourselves out of this," she said.

Commuters have chance to impact transit options
Dolores Tropiano
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 28, 2008 10:15 AM

Nearly 250,000 people use Interstate 10 West each day and 550,000 are expected to travel on the road daily by the year 2030.Now transportation officials want the public's comments on improving one of the busiest stretches of the freeway in Phoenix. Many of the solutions involve options other than driving your own car to work.

The I-10 West, for example, is wide enough to put in light rail or bus service in the median.

Phoenix commuters have the chance to have their say at two meetings next week.

Open houses will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Carpenter's Union Training Center,4547 W. McDowell Road., No. 2, Phoenix and 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Phoenix City Hall, 112 W. Second St.

Those attending Metro's public meetings will be able to review the potential routes and transit possibilities being considered for the I-10 West extension.

"We are trying to get community input of what they would like their routes to be," said Hillary Foose, public information officer for Metro. "We have several options including rapid transit, light rail or even buses traveling on the HOV lanes."

Public input will help determine what routes, station locations and transit modes are best within the defined corridor from Loop 101 on the west, Seventh Street on the east, Thomas Road on the north and Buckeye Road on the south. Possible connections to the 20-mile light rail starter line in downtown Phoenix are also being evaluated.

The Valley of the Sun

Presents

You Are What You Breathe: Air Quality and Your Health

An educational forum for employer transportation coordinators and transportation demand management professionals to learn more about local air quality, associated health risks and new Clean Air campaign.

“State of the Air Report & Health Hazards of Exhaust Emissions”, speaker Corey Woods, American Lung Association

“Running Out of Air”, speaker Holly Ward, Maricopa County Air Quality Department

When: Thursday, March 20, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 pm.
Registration begins at 11:00 a.m.

Where: Fiesta Resort Conference Center – Encantada Ballroom
2100 South Priest Drive, Tempe, AZ
$35 ACT members, $40 non-members

Sign-up: RSVP by March 12^th to Barbara Disser at (480) 891-0850 or barbara.l.disser@boeing.com

Menu: Crisp Field Greens Salad with Raspberry or Ranch Dressing, Assorted Rolls & Butter Chicken Marsala or Pasta Primavera (Vegetarian Option) , Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Chocolate Mousse
Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee and Iced Tea

Please pay at the door; make checks payable to VS-ACT
Our Mailing address is P.O. Box 1217, Phoenix, AZ, 85001-1217.
No-shows will be billed. Sorry, we are unable to accept credit cards.

Scottsdale joins light rail group

Brian Powell

East Valley Tribune

March 4, 2008

Scottsdale has joined the regional agency responsible for light-rail planning, a move intended to give Scottsdale an opportunity to participate in a study that will look at the merits of running light rail, streetcar or other transit uses through the city.

The City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to join Valley Metro Rail, or Metro, once again opening up the light-rail debate that has surfaced numerous times since the transportation master plan update was launched in 2005.

In December, the council as part of its discussion on the transportation plan agreed to become the seventh city to join Metro. Councilman Bob Littlefield cast the only dissenting vote at the time.

In Tuesday's vote that made the decision official, Littlefield was joined by Councilmen Jim Lane and Tony Nelssen in dissenting.

Supporters of joining Metro said this was being done to keep options open and have a seat at the table with neighboring communities as transit decisions are made that will affect Scottsdale. They stressed that a vote of the public would be held before light rail were ever approved in Scottsdale.

"There will never, ever be a light-rail project ever in the city without all of us voting as a community," Mayor Mary Manross said.

But those opposed said the vote was one more step toward bringing light rail or streetcars to Scottsdale.

"This is symbolic because what this is about is getting Scottsdale committed to light rail," Littlefield said.

The city's cost to join Metro will be $50,000 a year. The city will pay $16,667 for the remainder of this fiscal year, plus $50,000 for 2008-09. Scottsdale will join Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, Chandler and Peoria as members of the board.

Metro spokesman John Farry said Scottsdale would have about a 3 percent weighted vote, like Chandler and Peoria. There are no approved extensions into the three cities, but each borders a city where a current line or extension is approved.

Farry said a discussion about Scottsdale's wishes will take place once the city joins. The next Metro meeting is scheduled for April.

Today, the Tempe South study, which includes Tempe and Chandler, is under way.

Scottsdale needed to join Metro if there was any chance the study was to be amended to include Scottsdale, or a new one created specifically for the city.

Today, the study is limited to an area south of the Red Mountain Freeway stretch of Loop 202.

It will study a number of transit options, including light rail, streetcars, bus rapid transit and commuter rail in the area where voters have already OK'd an extension.

The initial 20-mile light-rail line through Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa is scheduled to open in December.

Mesa speaks: Light rail, Waveyard split Mesans
East Valley Tribune
Sonu Munshi
March 5, 2008

Mesa residents are divided on extending Metro light rail and providing tax incentives to Waveyard, but they support improving the Fiesta Mall area and developing an urban core around Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, an exclusive Tribune poll revealed.

A tight city budget notwithstanding, most residents also still want the city to maintain the Mesa Arts Center and other recreational venues, according to poll results.

Nearly 49 percent of the 400 city voters polled in late February expressed support for the light-rail extension along Main Street, 37 percent opposed it and about 15 percent said they didn't know or would not answer.

Phoenix-based Behavior Research Center polled Mesa registered voters on city issues, including economic development concerns. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Behavior Research Center president Jim Haynes said the results indicate a clear lack of consensus on the benefits of light rail.

"It may be that people are skeptical about what's gone on to this point and want to see how it works in the first place," Haynes said.

The initial 20-mile rail line into west Mesa is set to begin operations this December. A proposed extension could run through downtown along Main Street, or with a diversion to nearby First Avenue or First Street.

Tom Rex, associate director at Arizona State University's Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research, said the number of people who would actually use light rail is still up in the air, hence the divided results.

"Many people believe in mass transit," Rex said. "Yet, if they're honest in their response, they'd say, 'It's good but I'm going to use my car.'"

Not so for Mesa native Kimela York. The 37-year-old homemaker said she thinks a "convenient" light-rail extension would be a boon for commuters, given the high cost of gasoline.

York said she regularly drives to Phoenix to take her 12-year-old daughter to doctor's appointments.

"That's a lot of gas and a lot of wear and tear," she said.

Support for a voter-approved sales tax rebate for the Waveyard water sports park, to be developed near loops 101 and 202, was almost evenly divided. About 43 percent said they want the city to support the park with tax incentives, 49 percent were opposed and slightly more than 8 percent weren't sure or did not answer.

St. Elmo Waddell, an east Valley resident since 1969, scoffed at Waveyard or "any other amusement park in Arizona."

"These places are just drying up precious resources we need to save for our future generations," said the retired 63-year-old, who voted against the incentive package last year.

Overall, Mesa voters supported the tax rebate by more than 65 percent in a special election in November. But Haynes said the city's worsening budget problems might explain some poll respondents' change of heart.

"Waveyard is a 'nice to have' but not a 'gotta have,'" Haynes said. "Those who may have voted for it are now thinking it's something they could give up on."

York, who voted for the park last year, said she has changed her mind since learning more about the city's budget woes. She'd rather have the city focus on other youth-oriented programs.

"Educating our kids against drugs and alcohol abuse is more important than developing an adventure park," said York, adding she was upset about cuts in city youth programs her teenage son attended.

Poll respondents overwhelmingly rejected a suggestion the city should close and sell facilities such as the Mesa Arts Center and city libraries and parks.

Central Mesa resident Lou Coopey, 65, said his family frequents the arts center and other public arenas. He believes such activities should not be taken for granted.

"People should not have to struggle to put together a Veterans Day parade or a Christmas festival," Coopey said. Instead, he said he would be willing to pay additional taxes to help the city pay for such services.

More than two-thirds of respondents said they favor redevelopment of the struggling Fiesta Mall area around Southern Avenue and Alma School Road.

Haynes attributes that to resident's recognition of the area's past glory.

"It was a real anchor for Mesa, and people are saying we need to get it back where it was," he said.

Dobson Ranch resident Elie Georges blamed Fiesta's current state on its second-class treatment by past city officials, a problem newer competitors haven't experienced.

"Our planners let Riverview build a sign as high as the Himalayas, but Fiesta Mall could barely get one 33 feet high for those driving on the (U.S.) 60 to know it exists," said Georges, 55.

The notion of developing an urban core around Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport also found favor with about 69 percent of the respondents.

Haynes said he didn't find that surprising.

"That part of Mesa is the best hope in economic development, and people have shown a fair level of sophistication in recognizing that," he said.

Three-fourths of the respondents below age 35 supported it, revealing their desire for good jobs in the area, Haynes noted.

Rex, a west Mesa resident, agreed the airport would be a magnet for technology companies offering high-paying jobs because of its mix of education centers and commercial aviation.

But others were skeptical about the Gateway area's prospects.

Waddell said given the number of empty homes right now, additional development in an "overstretched East Valley" may not be fruitful at this time.

"I would love to see jobs and growth there, but I don't think it will happen," Waddell said.

A 55 percent majority disagreed with the idea of reducing city involvement in the airport, while about 34 percent felt government should stay away from managing an airport.

About 67 percent of those polled were against scaling back economic development and neighborhood revitalization programs, with about 27 percent in favor.

Georges said the overall focus needs to be on spending the money "right."

"While my city here has been digging up Main Street and putting in trees that don't give shade, other cities have been putting in freeways," Georges said.