April 13, 2010

Friends,

In our Weekly Update last week we brought you information on the budget cuts to transit and the effects that are being felt around the Valley.  In an effort to restore the LTAF and LTAF II lottery funds that were permanently repealed by the State Legislature in March, the Center for Law in the Public’s Interest has submitted to the State a Notice of Intent to Sue under the provisions of the Clean Air Act. To view the Notice, visit the Friends of Transit website at www.friendsoftransit.org. 

Upcoming Events:
Get geared up for Bike Month – the City of Tempe Transportation Division is holding several events in April to celebrate its 19^th Annual Bike Month. Click here for more details.

In the News:
Avondale considers adding shuttles, transit center, The Arizona Republic, April 6, 2010
Phoenix light rail system see record ridership in March, The Arizona Republic, April 7, 2010
Lottery money needed for local transit, Arizona Capitol Times, April 9, 2010
Chandler transportation upgrades won’t happen soon, The Arizona Republic, April 9, 2010
Transit services for elderly, disabled at risk in Surprise, The Arizona Republic, April 9, 2010
Tempe transit services face chopping block amid cuts, The Arizona Republic, April 10, 2010
Peoria sorting out mass transit options, The Arizona Republic, April 12, 2010

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

 

Get geared up for Bike Month
The City of Tempe Transportation Division, Tempe in Motion, will hold its 19th annual Bike Month in April to encourage people to use bikes as an alternative mode of transportation.  This year the city of Tempe will collaborate with Tempe Bicycle Action Group to host a variety of bike related events and activities. 

Bike Hero Award – April 22
Join Mayor Hugh Hallman as he announces the 2010 Tempe Bike Hero Award recipient at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 8 at the Tempe City Council Chambers, 31 E. Fifth Street.

Bike to Work Day – April 22
Join us Thursday, April 22 from 6:30 – 8 a.m. for a celebration of the bicycle.  All riders receive free breakfast snacks and the first 50 riders at each breakfast site location will receive free T-shirts.  Vice Mayor Shana Ellis and the Tempe Bicycle Action Group will lead community rides from each breakfast site location to the Transportation Center.  All rides will depart at 7 a.m. Tempe breakfast site locations include:

· Back East Bagels (northwest corner of Southern Avenue and McClintock Drive)
· Berning’s Fine Jewelry (southwest corner of McClintock Drive and Warner Road)
· IKEA (northwest corner of Warner Road and Priest Drive)
· REI (southwest corner of Southern Avenue and Priest Drive)
· Transportation Center (northwest corner of Fifth Street and Forest Avenue)
· Wildflower Bread Company (southwest corner of McClintock Drive and Guadalupe Road)
· Whole Foods Market (northwest corner of Rural and Baseline roads) 

The Bicycle Cellar Grand Opening – April 22
In conjunction with Bike to Work Day, the Tempe Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. for the Bicycle Cellar, the Valley’s first indoor, secure bicycle facility, at the Transportation Center, 200 E. Fifth Street.  The Bicycle Cellar will be offer discounted tune-ups for the month of April in honor of Bike Month.  Please call (480) 219-7225 for more information.

Tempe Bicycle Action Group will hold other Bike Month events including, REI Bike Drive, TBAG’s First and Third Fridays rides and Bike to BBQ at Papago Park. 

For more information about Bike Month events, please visit, www.tempe.gov/tim or www.biketempe.org or call (480) 858-2215.

back to top

Avondale considers adding shuttles, transit center
City wants alternatives to deal with bus-route cuts
by David Madrid 
Apr. 6, 2010 10:08 AM
The Arizona Republic

Facing more transit cuts, Avondale is asking residents to come to a public meeting Wednesday and help it figure out alternatives to lost bus routes.

The city will discuss starting community shuttles and creating a transit center.

City staff and project team members will give a presentation that will include an overview of the January transit-survey results, potential transit-circulator routes and transit-center designs.

With limited Valley Metro bus routes and future service cuts, including the elimination of another bus route, Avondale is studying whether a transit circulator, or community shuttle, would benefit residents. A community shuttle uses smaller buses to connect riders to neighborhoods, jobs, existing transit service and local destinations such as shopping centers, libraries and schools.

The city also is considering building a centrally located transit center, similar to a park-and-ride facility, which would serve as a hub for transit services within the community.

"The whole reason we're even doing the circulator study is because we're hoping we can get some grants to cover (routes)," said Kristen Sexton, Avondale's transit coordinator. "Circulators get people to work, get people to school, and so that's what we're trying to focus on to get the study done so that we can go after some federal money."

The transit center would be along Avondale Boulevard in the City Center.

Avondale applied unsuccessfully for federal stimulus dollars to design the transit center. So the Maricopa Association of Governments is paying for the site-selection study and the circulator-route study, Sexton said.

The city needs feedback from residents on the potential shuttle routes and conceptual transit center layouts and design.

Avondale has taken several hits on bus service.

In January, the city closed Route 41A and made START Route 131 a local route because of a loss of federal grant dollars and declining sales-tax revenue. Assistant City Manager Rogene Hill at the time warned the city could lose all its bus routes in 2012.

START Route 131 was adjusted so that it begins and ends at the Avondale Civic Center, and went from 70-minute to 60-minute service. To continue to Desert Sky Mall, at 7611 W. Thomas Road, residents must transfer to Route 29A. That route goes from Desert Sky Mall to Avondale Boulevard to the Civic Center.

But Route 29A is going away in July because the Legislature swept $440,000 in Local Transportation Assistance Funds from Avondale. Route 29A costs the city about $300,000.

"When 29A goes away, you will have to get off 131 and get on 3A to go to Desert Sky Mall," Sexton said. "Route 3A will be going to Desert Sky Mall, we're hoping."

The city also hopes that the federal money it depends on to keep what's left of its transit service running will be extended beyond 2012.

"We're assuming, and we're hoping that that (federal money) will get extended, but we don't know for sure," Sexton said.

The uncertainty and continued loss of bus routes make it even more important that residents show up to the public hearings, Sexton said.

"Once we cut the 29A, all we will have is the 131, the 3A and the 17A, so we'll have three routes," she said.

A community shuttle would expand on current bus service by connecting neighborhoods to local destinations and existing bus routes.

Cuts to transportation funding are affecting cities across Arizona.

Local Transportation Assistance Funds, established in 1981 to help cities with transportation needs by providing a share of Lottery revenue, were permanently eliminated in March. Gov. Jan Brewer used the money - $23 million - to fill a $1.1 billion budget shortfall.

back to top

Phoenix light rail system sees record ridership in March
Sean Holstege
LIGHT RAIL BLOG
The Arizona Republic
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 02:11 PM 

Metro posted its busiest month on record in March, with 1.16 million boardings.

Metro carried more than a million riders for the third straight month, despite many students taking time off for spring break.

The most significant figure, average weekday ridership, slipped from an all-time high in February. But at 41,413, that metric continues a trend in 2010 of 20 percent ridership gains over the same month a year earlier.

Weekend ridership appears more erratic, but it’s starting to look like a typical Saturday sees around 30,000 riders and Sunday usage is starting to level off just shy of 20,000  during high season.

 

It’s too soon to know how long Metro can sustain its growth, particularly amid a tough economy. Ridership is expected to drop in the summer, and service cuts are expected in July. Metro watchers won’t know until the fall if the system can continue attracting new riders.
 

back to top

Lottery money needed for local transit
Guest Opinion by Bryan Jungwirth
Published: April 9, 2010 at 7:44 am
Arizona Capitol Times

For 30 years, Arizonans have benefitted from a state lottery. The revenue from lottery ticket sales helps pay for a broad range of local transit services. Dollars from lottery ticket sales provides bus
service and specialized transit services for seniors and persons with disabilities in Arizona. These designated transit dollars help with essential transit services that take students to school, employees to work, and job seekers to potential employers.

As of March 18, the state’s primary source of transit operating money and federal matching dollars for expensive and specialized capital equipment was permanently repealed as part of the state’s budget solution. Oddly, not a penny of that money came from tax dollars or the state general fund, yet it was redirected so that the state could capture the already-designated revenue.

We understand the need for a temporary sweep of money from local infrastructure for state spending in these difficult times. But we don’t understand why the decision was made permanently. This elimination of funding will further harm job creation, job attraction, mobility, health, air quality and access to education.

Additionally and most troubling, it will leave thousands of Arizona seniors with no or extremely limited transportation options for vital needs such as shopping for food and medical appointments.

We must find a way to put this decision behind us and now act quickly to develop a way to work collaboratively to find a constant, stable and efficient source of revenue for these critical services.

The Arizona Lottery has enjoyed strong public support due to the benefits the program gives back to communities across Arizona by using revenue from lottery ticket sales in place of taxing residents. To see this creative funding option removed from the table is painful, but we feel it is necessary to start over by welcoming all ideas to provide this vital public service in a cost-effective manner.

Transit helps the economy in many ways because, especially in Arizona, it is one of the most privatized industries in the public sector. Like many public services, a partnership between the public and private sectors creates a viable synergy for transit. Public transportation requires intense capital, public support and strong financial accountability from our elected officials. This integrated approach
has resulted in progress that all Arizonans can be proud of.

Unfortunately, because of the state’s budget deficit, permanent sources of revenue that pay for van transit for our senior and disabled citizens, as well as local and express bus routes that keep cars off the freeway during rush hour and help those without cars get to work, will be reduced or eliminated.

Governments and nonprofit organizations are often asked to think creatively and “out of the box” about finding non-tax dollars to pay for services needed by residents. The lottery is such an avenue.
Removing this funding as a source for basic community services will have long-lasting impacts on Arizona’s quality of life.

During difficult times, many important services are being drastically reduced or temporarily shut down. Shouldn’t we avoid proposals that permanently alter our ability to address how we get to our jobs, our school and our medical appointments?

The choices we now face are not comfortable or ideal, but it is essential to address our present so we can ensure a solid future for all Arizonans. Now is not the time to give up. Let’s keep Arizona
moving toward a better future.

- Bryan Jungwirth is president of the Arizona Transit Association

back to top

Chandler transportation upgrades won't happen soon
by Edythe Jensen 
Apr. 9, 2010 12:18 PM
The Arizona Republic

Chandler got a new transportation plan this week, but given the state of the economy it's more wishful thinking than a project schedule.

The plan, which has been billed as the most extensive in city history, was approved by the City Council Thursday. It calls for $409 million in road improvements, expanded bus service and additional bicycle and pedestrian trails - if and when the money is available.

Plummeting property values, low sales-tax revenues, stagnant construction activity and a state sweep of lottery transit funds leave Chandler with no choice but to defer nearly all the recommended improvements, Public Works Director R.J. Zeder said.

The city also will likely have to cut bus service in the immediate future instead of expanding it, he said.

Even a bus rapid-transit line on Arizona Avenue that is under construction and set to become Chandler's link to light rail in July might be delayed, Zeder said. That's because the route depends on links in Mesa and Gilbert and transportation officials in those cities are having their own budget shortfalls.

The transportation plan, which was prepared by consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff after months of public meetings, recommends where and when the city's arterial streets should be widened, which bus routes should be added or extended and how the city can enhance paths to encourage bicycling and walking from neighborhoods to commercial and employment centers.

It marks the city's first attempt to combine the future of roads, mass transit, and paths for bicycles and pedestrians in one document, Zeder said. The last transportation plan focused only on streets and was completed in 2001.

The plan maps roads that are likely to become very congested without improvements, including South Gilbert Road and East Chandler Heights Road. It also recommends extending bus service to southeast Chandler on Gilbert and Riggs roads but that will likely not happen anytime soon, Zeder said. There is only one bus route that travels south of Loop 202 on Dobson Road.

Mayor Boyd Dunn said the city built roads aggressively during economic boom times, which will soften the negative impact of putting future projects on hold. Dunn also said it is unlikely the City Council will seek voter approval for a transit sales tax - a move that was defeated in 1999.

back to top

Transit services for elderly, disabled at risk in Surprise
by Lily Leung 
Apr. 9, 2010 11:38 AM
The Arizona Republic

Transit services that serve many of Surprise's elderly and disabled are in danger of being cut. City officials say the potential reductions are spurred by severe state budget cuts.

The state's budget for fiscal 2011, which starts July 1, eliminated more than $20 million in transportation funding to cities, including Surprise.

That means the city will do without an estimated $470,000 for transit services. Such services include express buses that go to downtown Phoenix and Dial-a-Ride, which serves mainly seniors and those with medical conditions, said Michael Celaya, the city's intergovernmental-relations director.

"Currently, the city is looking at all their options, and that may include suspension of some transit services," Celaya said. "All options are on the table for discussion, and that includes the Dial-a-Ride program."

It's still too early to say what and how much would be cut. Those decisions hinge on two things: what's in the city's draft fiscal 2011 budget, slated for release today, and three public hearings in which residents can express their concerns about budget proposals.

Dial-a-Ride use in Surprise has ballooned over five years. The program's clientele grew from 330 in September 2005 to 3,300 to date, said David Golder, Surprise transit operations supervisor.

The annual budget for the program is about $600,000, Golder said. If the program is eliminated, that would mean cutting about 100 trips for patients who need critical care such as dialysis and chemotherapy.

Its elimination could mean the loss of city jobs. Ten employees operate Dial-a-Ride, Golder said.

"I was devastated," Golder said. "The residents, they rely on us, not just the critical-need patients. There are people who need to use it to shop for groceries."

Resident Sabra Van Cleef is one of those people. She takes Dial-a-Ride every week for groceries.

Doing away with Dial-a-Ride would not only hurt seniors, but also young mothers, Van Cleef said.

"They're trying to do grocery shopping, there are people going to jobs from here. There are too many of us," she said.

Council members say they will pay close attention to residents during the budget hearings before making decisions on cuts at the council budget retreat April 23-24.

"There are going to be some tough choices ahead," Mayor Lyn Truitt said.

Republic reporter Casey Newton contributed to this article.

back to top

Tempe transit services face chopping block amid cuts
by Dianna M. Náñez 
Apr. 10, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

In 1996, Tempe spurred a Valley-wide investment in public transportation when the city's voters became the first in the state to pass a sales-tax increase dedicated to boosting transit.

Now, as the city struggles to survive the lingering effects of a recession, Tempe is leading the Valley-wide charge to cut transit services, including bus routes, shuttles and light rail.

People like Alina Echemendia, who have come to depend on the city's transportation, say they are distraught. Her disability restricts her to a wheelchair and prevents her from driving.

"My family lives in Chandler, but I moved to Tempe because of the bus system. It allowed me to be independent. They may seem like small cuts . . . but they are huge to me," Echemendia said.

The cutbacks affect a relatively small portion of the city's population, but ridership has grown steadily over the years. Tempe's annual boarding for its public-transportation services increased to 11.8 million last year, up sharply from from 1.2 million in 1996.

Tempe is slicing about $14 million from its transportation budget over the next three years. Cuts could include eliminating service before 5:30 a.m. for Valley Metro buses, reducing Sunday bus service, eliminating a bus route to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and cutting service for the Orbit, the free neighborhood circulator.

If the economy doesn't begin recovering by fiscal year 2011-12, even more cuts will be needed.

The services on the chopping block this year will be decided by the council in May.

Tempe leaders say the cuts are deep because the city invested so extensively in public transportation. Sales-tax collections have plummeted, and Tempe is left with no choice but to shrink its transit system, said Tempe Vice Mayor Shana Ellis, who serves on the city's transit committee.

"We're having to cut more transit services because we offered more to begin with," she said. "But we're doing this as prudently as possible and with as much community input as possible."

Transit experts say Tempe's difficulties reflect a regional and national trend toward limiting public transportation. Phoenix is making cuts to its bus system and could make cuts to its Dial-A-Ride service for seniors and people with disabilities. Mesa and Phoenix will join Tempe in light-rail cuts. Glendale is cutting two bus routes, and four more will see reduced hours. Chandler is recommending the elimination of an express route to downtown Phoenix.

The outlook for the Valley's transportation system is far from what Tempe leaders had in mind when voters passed the sales tax. The vote sent a message: Residents wanted more buses. They wanted light rail. More importantly, they wanted to get out of their cars, and they were willing to pay.

Within days of the Tempe tax passing, then Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza touted a plan for a quarter-cent transit sales tax. His counterpart in Scottsdale, Mayor Sam Campana, said she would follow Phoenix's lead and ask voters for a tax to support more buses.

The tax sparked a steady public-transportation revolution for the Phoenix region. It made it OK for city leaders to ask residents for a tax increase in a state where such a notion could amount to political suicide. For Tempe, it solidified the city's reputation as a transportation leader, providing funding for a light-rail line and making it possible for Tempe to offer more transit services per mile in 2009 than Scottsdale, Chandler and Glendale combined.

Transit experts say the Valley's transit cuts reflect today's economic reality.

"When there are good times, you can certainly subsidize a higher level of transit service . . . but when times are tough, it is almost inevitable that cities make cuts," said Ram Pendyala, professor of transportation systems at Arizona State University.

Still, Pendyala said there are lessons to be learned.

The system is too dependent on sales taxes, he said. "Maybe if you take a penny from gas tax, a penny from vehicle registration and take a little from property (tax) . . . you may be able to avoid such drastic cuts in the future."

Cities should ask the federal government for funds to sustain bus transportation, he said.

If the cuts are too deep, it is difficult to bring back frustrated riders let down by the system.

Anthony Seebek of Tempe could be one of those riders. He cannot drive because he is blind. He uses a 5 a.m.-hour bus to get to work in Phoenix by 6 a.m. That early-morning service could be cut.

"I'll lose my job if I can't get there by 6 a.m. I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.

back to top

Peoria sorting out mass transit options
by Lesley Wright 
Apr. 12, 2010 10:10 AM
The Arizona Republic

Peoria residents have a chance to help decide how public transit will grow in their city. Transportation officials have enough data to know the city needs more public transit. Now they need to know the details - who would use it, where they want it and what they want it to look like. Many of the ideas could be carried out within five years.

The city has set two open houses to hear residents' views: at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Pine Room at City Hall, 8401 W. Monroe St., and at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Community Room of Sunrise Mountain Library, 21109 N. 98th Ave. For details on the study, go to: www.peoriaaz.gov/transitstudy.

These are some of the topics being debated:

CREATE PEORIA'S MASTER TRANSIT PLAN
The plan would include recommendations for all of the options, as well as details on how to put it into action and how to pay for it.

CONSIDER LOCAL AND REGIONAL OPTIONS
Peoria lies just to the west of Valley Metro's bus grid, which limits city service to two major roads. The city could fund extensions of the Valley service, create local circulator and loop routes or develop a hybrid system of bus routes and Dial-a-Ride services. A combination of all these and other options is possible.

DECIDE ON THE LOOK OF BUS STOPS
Residents will be asked to review artwork at bus stops in other cities and to consider the cost of maintenance and other issues. In another scenario, bus stops could carry advertising.

DESIGN OLD TOWN TRANSIT CENTER
The transit center would need to support local bus routes in the short term and accommodate potential light rail, commuter rail or bus rapid transit systems in the future. The city has penned out three options for locating the center: Peoria Avenue in front of Zocalo Mall, 83rd Avenue between Grand and Peoria avenues or on Market Street between Cotton Crossing and 83rd Avenue.

back to top