June 26, 2008

Friends,

Today’s Weekly Update has an article announcing an updated MAG map showing the Valley’s over 2,500 miles of bicycle paths.  The new map also shows the light rail route- this is a great reminder that the light rail vehicles will have bike racks and is an excellent example of the integration between the transit community and the bicycle community. Click here to read the full article, and visit http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/maps.cms to download a copy of the new bicycle route map.

In the News:
Chandler bus service to grow by 50%, The Arizona Republic, June 19, 2008
Officials say light rail will be a mixed blessing, Tribune, June 20, 2008
City representatives help draft light-rail ordinances, The Arizona Republic, June 20, 2008
Surprise to fund bus route to alleviate overcrowding, The Arizona Republic, June 20, 2008
Tempe celebrates arrival of light rail, The Arizona Republic, June 20, 2008
Board OKs transit projects that rely on 1-cent sales tax, Arizona Daily Star, June 20, 2008
Bike map for region unveils access to light-rail service, The Arizona Republic, June 24, 2008
Signature-collection goal met for transit initiative, The Arizona Republic, June 25, 2008

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

 

Chandler bus service to grow by 50%
by Edythe Jensen
Jun. 19, 2008 09:25 AM
The Arizona Republic

A 50 percent expansion of city bus service with links to light-rail stops in Tempe and Mesa will give Chandler commuters more options - and relief from soaring gas prices - by year's end.

"People are getting very concerned about gas prices, but we've been planning this for years," city transit manager Mike Normand said. "Nobody anticipated fuel prices going up as much as they did as quickly as they did."

When light rail starts Dec. 29, "Chandler residents will be able to get almost anywhere in the Phoenix metro area by mass transit," he said. Buses on Chandler's major north-south thoroughfares will carry passengers to light-rail stations, and some of those routes will be extended July 28 to reach south Chandler, Tempe and Scottsdale.

They include new service on south Dobson and Kyrene roads and an express route from downtown Chandler to Scottsdale Airpark. Most of the $5 million annual cost for the expanded service comes from a voter-approved transportation sales tax; the city's share this year is $650,000, Normand said.

The number of miles buses travel in the city every day will increase next month to 1.1 million, from 704,648, and annual passenger boardings are expected to nearly double - to 1.3 million, from 690,000. Residents can expect a bus rapid transit line along Arizona Avenue by 2010, Normand said.

The city is seeking public suggestions for its transportation future at a 6 p.m meeting Wednesday in City Council chambers, 22 S. Delaware St. Information: 480-782-3440.

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Officials say light rail will be a mixed blessing
Transit system notes safety concern along with convenience
By MIKE BRANOM
TRIBUNE
6.20.08

Hooray! Light rail has come to Tempe!

Look out! Light rail has come to Tempe.

That dual message came during a ceremony at a downtown rail station Thursday morning that was half celebration over a public transit milestone and half public service announcement for safety.

Although Metro’s passenger service isn’t set to begin until late December, earlier this week the rail line through Tempe into Mesa saw its first train.

It was a test run, one of many scheduled over the coming months.

“You’re going to start seeing trains here on a very regular basis, so get used to it,” said Rick Simonetta, Metro chairman.

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman later added: “Trains are heavy. You don’t want your car or body or bicycle to meet one.”

Metro officials and the Tempe City Council came to the ceremony via a train from the light-rail system’s maintenance yard in east Phoenix. It took about 10 minutes to make the trip from 48th Street south of Washington Street to the station at Third Street and Mill Avenue.

Disembarking first was Hallman, dressed in the garb of an old-time train engineer: blue pinstriped cap and denim overalls, whistle in a chest pocket, while carrying a lantern.

“We’ve suffered through the construction, and now is the first day of the celebration of a great transportation system,” Hallman said.

Of the 20-mile Phoenix-to-Mesa line, about five miles are located in Tempe.

But, as Hallman noted, it was the city’s residents who jump-started the concept of light rail in the Valley. In 1996, voters approved a half-cent transportation tax with some funding made available for rail studies, making Tempe the region’s first municipality to get on board.

Hallman, while touting light rail as part of an integrated transportation system, took the opportunity to voice support for commuter rail.

Commuter rail is a transit alternative that would be part of a $42 billion transportation ballot initiative that may go before Arizona voters in November.

Business leaders and Gov. Janet Napolitano are pushing a 1-cent increase in the state sales tax to fund a wide range of transportation improvements. Some of the money would be used for high-speed intercity and urban commuter rail services.

“There’s not a reason in the world we should not have commuter rail connecting at the historic depot in downtown Tempe,” Hallman said.

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City representatives help draft light-rail ordinances
by Dianna M. Náñez
Jun. 20, 2008 06:46 AM
The Arizona Republic

With the arrival of light rail comes a list of rules for people who travel near or on the trains. And cities have a message for those who fail to follow those rules - be prepared to pay a ticket.

In Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa where the 20-mile light-rail line will initially run, cities are preparing a package of light-rail specific city ordinances, said Hillary Foose, a Metro spokeswoman for light rail.

Foose said the ordinances are focused on controlling behavior on the trains, as well as ensuring drivers and pedestrians are safe. She said they would allow public safety officials to ban users who repeatedly do not pay fares.

"They cover general categories . . . like if someone's music is too loud, if a person is intoxicated . . . skateboarding or bicycling in the track," she said.

A committee of representatives from the three cities helped develop the ordinances. The group, she said, included public safety officials from city police departments, city streets and transportation staff and Metro officials.

The ordinances are now with each city's legal department for review, and then will be referred to the city councils for approval. Metro hopes to have the ordinances ready in plenty of time to ramp up its public education efforts before the light rail opens in December.

Tempe hopes to have its ordinances ready by August when Arizona State University's fall semester starts, said Roger Austin, a Tempe police homeland security and light-rail liaison. He said residents will still only see tickets if their behavior is excessive.

"If someone's just outside of the crosswalk, we'll ask them to please use the crosswalk," he said. "If you start skateboarding along it and ignore a police officer's command, then, yes, we'll ticket you."

Austin said the tickets would mostly be civil violations and cost about $50. "Light rail is important for our community," Austin said. "We want people to be safe on and around the light rail system and we also want them to feel comfortable."

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Surprise to fund bus route to alleviate overcrowding
by Tony Lombardo
Jun. 20, 2008 08:30 AM
The Arizona Republic

Surprise park-and-ride users now begin lining up nearly 30 minutes before pickup time in hopes of scoring a seat on either of two express buses that arrive each morning.

Those who arrive late to the pickup spot at Bullard Avenue and Tierra Buena Lane have to stand for the trip to downtown Phoenix, which can last about an hour. The ride home from Phoenix poses the same problem.

Park-and-ride buses and lots Valleywide are experiencing overcrowding, with more residents hoping to save on fuel costs. The good news for Surprise residents is that a third bus is expected to begin making the trip next month.

In what Valley Metro spokeswoman Susan Tierney described as a rare move, the city is planning to fund the third express route. The expected cost to operate the bus is about $70,000.

The Surprise City Council is expected to vote next month on the route, Community Initiatives Director Dan Lundberg said.

Surprise resident Paulette Reid, 57, started using the park-and-ride in May.

"It just seems that every day we're seeing more and more new people," she said.

Express route 571 leaves the park-and-ride each weekday morning at 5:35 and 6:20. At the end of the workday, buses leave Central Station in Phoenix at 4:14 and 5:14 p.m. The cost is $1.75 one-way or $3.50 for a daily pass. The monthly pass is $68.

The departure times for the third bus will not be determined until present riders are surveyed, Lundberg said.

He warned residents that the third bus may not resolve the overcrowding, however.

"With the continued increase in gas prices, it is only going to get worse - and all of the bus routes in current budgets will continue to be over-utilized," he said.

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Tempe celebrates arrival of light rail
by Dianna M. Náñez
Jun. 20, 2008 06:46 AM
The Arizona Republic

Light rail's official welcome to Tempe created a buzz Thursday along Third Street and Mill Avenue where members of the Tempe City Council rode the train into the city and spoke about the significance of the rail line.

People stepped outside of businesses along Third Street and lined up on the sidewalk to catch a glimpse of the metallic silver and teal train's arrival.

Brie Smith, 28, works at an architect firm across from the Third and Mill light-rail station.

"I live off of Central (Avenue) - it gives me door-to-door service," she said. "I could sit and read rather than have to deal with traffic."

As the train arrived safely, Mayor Hugh Hallman stepped off dressed in full conductor garb.

He tipped his cap to the crowd, stuck his thumb in his blue and white overalls and thanked the community who helped make light rail in Tempe a reality.

"This is a day to celebrate a huge amount of teamwork. This has been a communitywide effort," he said. "When you're sitting at the pump paying $4 a gallon, recognize you have an alternative."

Tempe residents Leslie Langston, 36, and Holly Hovland, 16, said they would take the train to concerts or sporting events in downtown Phoenix.

"I think it's going to be really big, not just because of gas but because of parking, too," Langston said. "Why pay $10 to park when you can get on this?"

It is long past time a transportation system like light rail arrived to the Valley, Councilman Ben Arredondo said.

"I think we're about 20-30 years behind Chicago, D.C. and New York," he said. "We should really focus on educating the youth on how to use it."

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Board OKs transit projects that rely on 1-cent sales tax
By Andrea Kelly
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.20.2008

A long-range plan that can be accomplished only if a 1-cent sales tax makes it to the ballot and gets voter approval in November was approved Thursday by the State Transportation Board.

While the approval is for a government plan separate from a citizen initiative that may appear on the ballot later this year, the state will not have enough money to pay for the projects in Thursday's plan unless an outside funding source is available. That's where the 1 percent sales-tax proposal comes in.

Backers have until July 3 to gather more than 150,000 signatures to get the initiative on the ballot, and if voters approve it, the money would pay for the projects in the plan approved Thursday.

During a public hearing about the government plan here Thursday, two dozen people spoke, and less than a handful were opposed to it.

Most of those in favor of the plan were assorted local government officials from Southern Arizona.

Elected officials and staffers from Oro Valley, Casa Grande, Yuma, Pinal County, Pima County, the Central Arizona Association of Governments, the city of Maricopa, Tucson and Gilbert spoke in favor of the government plan.

It would would supplement the Regional Transportation Plan approved by Pima County voters in 2006, said John Bernal, deputy county administrator for public works.

He also said he appreciated the state routes in Pima County that were included in the plan, including the eastern extension of Barraza-Aviation Parkway and better connection between other state routes and Interstate 10.

One man suggested an alternate plan that would spend $27 billion on transit over a 10-year period. The state's plan is expected to cost about $43 billion over 30 years, and would be spent on local projects, state highway projects and transit.

The alternative takes into account the slower production of petroleum around the world and reduces pollution, said William Gaither, the civil engineer who proposed it.

The ever-present issue of a proposed I-10 bypass was not on the agenda for the meeting, but it worked its way into two public comments.

Catherine Gorman, of the Winkelman area, said she might be able to support the Statewide Transportation Investment Strategy, which is the state's name for the long-term plan, if it doesn't include the bypass. It currently does not, said Victor Mendez, state transportation director.

Janice Przybyl, who spoke on behalf of the Sky Island Alliance, said she wanted assurance the money that could pay for the long-term project plans would not be used for other projects, such as the bypass.

The majority of the comments were in support of the plan, including praise for the revisions added after the three other public hearings this month. The State Transportation Board approved the plan and the associated revisions unanimously.

If the separate initiative for funding makes it to the ballot and is approved by voters, the board would have to approve the plan again and the 1-cent sales tax collection wouldn't start until 2010.

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Bike map for region unveils access to light-rail service
by Kerry Fehr-Snyder
Jun. 24, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Regional transportation planners have updated the Valley's ballooning map of bicycle routes to help two-wheel travelers better navigate city streets and canal paths to get to work or to school, or for exercise.

The new map is the first to include routes tied to the light-rail system. Riders of bicycles will be able to take their bikes aboard when trains start running Dec. 27.

The map is the first update in three years. Since 2001, the number of bike lanes, bike routes, undesignated routes and paved and unpaved trails has grown to 2,522 miles.

Maureen DeCindis of Tempe, an avid cyclist, is happy that the Valley's bicycling scene is improving.

"I'm trying to make people get out there," said DeCindis, who often bicycles 13 miles from Tempe to her office in downtown Phoenix.

"People always say they can't ride to work or to get groceries or whatever," she said, "but what I always tell them is to take the easy way."

DeCindis is a transportation planner for the Maricopa Association of Governments, a regional group responsible for Valley-wide transportation planning, including the new regional map of bicycle routes. The agency's offices are at First Avenue and Van Buren Street.

The map is available on the association's Web site, www.mag.maricopa.gov/ maps.cms. Printed versions will be available by calling 602-254-6300 starting in middle to late July.

A glossy, printed version is expected to be distributed to bicycle shops, grocery stores and neighborhood meeting places, among other sites, DeCindis said.

Bike paths, routes, paved and unpaved multiuse trails have grown steadily since 2001. The number of miles expanded 67 percent, to more than 2,522 this year from 1,510 in 2001.

The map includes popular undesignated bike routes, which often have exceeded the number of paved multiuse trail miles since 2001.

Besides the new routes, the map contains information about bicycle safety, including riding defensively, obeying traffic signals, wearing proper equipment and sharing the road with motorists.

"I think the increase in bike lanes and infrastructure is very important to make bicycles a viable alternative mode of transportation," said Brian Smith, a resident of Ahwatukee Foothills and a competitive cyclist. "That's the biggest complaint I hear from people who want to commute to work or even for pleasure rides; there aren't enough designated bike paths."

Smith, a pilot for United Airlines, is vice president of a non-profit youth cycling organization called Racelab U-23 Cycling Team. He said driver awareness needs to improve.

"One of the reasons Tempe or Ahwatukee is more comfortable to bike is there are more cyclists there, motorists are more aware, and they're most used to having cyclists on the road," Smith said.

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Signature-collection goal met for transit initiative
by Glen Creno
Jun. 25, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

The group pushing a $42.6 billion statewide transportation initiative says it has collected enough signatures to put it on the November ballot.

A coalition of business, economic and political interests called TIME, or Transportation & Infrastructure Moving AZ's Economy, organized the initiative.

It calls for a 1-cent increase in the state sales tax to fund roadway and transit projects.

TIME must file 153,365 signatures with the secretary of state to make the ballot.

A spokesman for the group, Tom Ziemba of Ziemba Waid Public Affairs , estimated TIME collected about 250,000 signatures.

The deadline for filing is July 3.

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