July 21, 2010
Friends,
This is a reminder that on Monday, July 26, 2010 there will be changes on 27 Valley Metro bus routes including elimination of service, weekday and weekend schedule adjustments and route changes. METRO light rail service will also be experiencing changes to the peak hour service schedule. The transit system will also be implementing Sunday service schedules on five additional holidays.
Passengers can find out more by going to the Transit Book Supplement available on buses this week or by going to ValleyMetro.org. The full Transit Book will be available online at ValleyMetro.org by July 26.
Changes to service are due to a loss of funding revenues and are determined by ridership and effectiveness of the routes. Consider options to transit service by seeking a carpool partner or starting a vanpool. For more information, go to: www.valleymetro.org.
In the News:
Mesa bus, light-rail riders face budget cutbacks, The Arizona Republic, July 16, 2010
Effects of light rail on businesses mixed, The Arizona Republic, July 16, 2010
660 bus route schedule from Wickenburg to Glendale to change, The Arizona Republic, July 17, 2010
Massive transit cuts set to impact Valley commuters, Tribune, July 20, 2010
Mesa seeking to identify historic buildings in path of light rail, The Arizona Republic, July 21, 2010
Dont forget to visit Friends of Transit on the web at www.friendsoftransit.org!
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| Mesa bus, light-rail riders face budget cutbacks
by Gary Nelson
Jul. 16, 2010 12:35 AM
The Arizona Republic
Arizona's budget crisis hits Mesa streets in the form of bus and light-rail service cuts beginning July 26.
The changes are part of a Valley-wide overhaul of mass-transit schedules as a result of legislative action earlier this year. Lawmakers eliminated a program that pumped $22 million a year from the state Lottery into local transportation, and cities don't have the cash to make up for the loss.
Jodi Sorrell, Mesa's transit outreach coordinator, said the timing of the service changes is not unusual because Valley Metro usually makes schedule changes twice a year, in January and July. This round is more sweeping than most because of the massive loss of state funding.
Although Valley Metro usually updates its printed book of bus schedules twice a year, that's not happening this time. The book issued in January will stay on the streets, but the new schedules will be posted online beginning Friday at www.valleymetro.org.
Here's a rundown of the changes affecting Mesa:
LIGHT RAIL
Weekday peak service times are now 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. That will be reduced by two hours a day: 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Weekday peak service frequency will be 12 minutes instead of 10 minutes (non-peak frequency is 20 minutes).
Five more days will be considered "transit holidays," with service matching that of a normal Sunday. Those days are Christmas Eve, the day after Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day and Veterans Day.
BUSES
LINK service between the Sycamore light-rail station and the Superstition Springs park-and-ride is eliminated on weekends.
Route 536, from Power and McDowell roads to Arizona State University via Loop 202 is discontinued.
Route 61, Southern Avenue: Sunday service will be 60 minutes. Weekday service before 5 a.m. is eliminated.
Route 136, Gilbert Road: Saturday service before 8 a.m. is eliminated.
Route 156, Williams Field Road to ASU Polytechnic: Saturday service before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. eliminated. Sunday service before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m. is eliminated.
Route 535, northeast Mesa to downtown Phoenix: Trips that began at Power and McDowell roads now will begin at the East Mesa Service Center park-and-ride on the southeastern corner of Decatur Street and Power Road. Buses will still stop at Power and McDowell but the temporary park-and-ride there is being eliminated. A permanent park-and-ride at Power and Loop 202 is still planned to open next year.
People who have bought transit passes and can't use them because of the schedule changes are not eligible for refunds, according to Valley Metro's website. | Effects of light rail on businesses mixed
by Derek Quizon
Jul. 16, 2010 04:29 PM
The Arizona Republic
At the eastern end of the light-rail line in Mesa, Omar Torres and Howard Gaebel sell hot dogs, snacks and drinks to passersby in the summer heat. Their business, a hot-dog stand called Metro Dog, owes its existence to the light-rail system.
Torres and Gaebel brag that they have hundreds of customers a day, most getting on and off the train.
Metro Dog is an example of the positive impact the system has had on local businesses, something its advocates at Valley Metro have talked up since the beginning of construction in 2005.
A fast, affordable mass-transit system, they argued, would help make metro Phoenix a more pedestrian-oriented city. Rather than driving in their cars, riders could get off at different destinations and explore stores, restaurants and bars along the line.
"People who (only) visited businesses close to their home and stayed within a 5-mile radius of their home and their work (are) using light rail as a convenient way to connect to, say, if they live in Tempe, new restaurants they hadn't explored in Phoenix," Valley Metro spokeswoman Hilary Foose said.
For every success story, there is a business that struggled to regain customers it lost during construction when roadwork made it difficult for people to find their way into the parking lots. Business owners in lesser-heralded locations say light rail simply funnels its riders to sought-after destinations such as Tempe's Mill Avenue.
Jacob Johnson, co-owner of Watson Flowers in Tempe, said the rail has had a mixed effect on his business. It increases the shop's visibility to commuters who take the light rail. But Johnson said the drop in traffic on Apache Boulevard during construction still lingers.
"There's traffic that has not returned," he said. "It's not the major thoroughfare it was before."
Johnson said the construction hurt his business severely, but he does not believe it has had a positive impact on sales since completion. He is hopeful that it will help the area in the long run by increasing property values.
Homa Mamnoon, owner of the Tasty Kabob restaurant in Tempe, believes the rail could have a bigger impact if officials did more to promote businesses in lesser-known areas. Her restaurant is at the Dorsey stop of the rail line, just east of Arizona State University's main campus, but the rail hasn't done much to bring in more customers, she said.
Mamnoon participated in METRO Max, a Valley Metro promotion that provides deals to people who download a free membership card off its website. Participating businesses are required to give a 25 percent discount, or similar offer, to customers who show their cards.
In return, those businesses are mentioned in Internet alerts to members. This year, she left the program because the discount requirement was unreasonable. She thinks METRO Max alerts don't pay enough attention to businesses outside of high-profile areas.
"If they are really promoting all the restaurants and just (routing) people other places besides the (downtown) Phoenix area or Mill Avenue, people will stop there," she said.
Foose said discrepancies in the way businesses are promoted are based mostly on which ones are the most active online. Businesses that promote themselves heavily with Facebook and Twitter make themselves more visible to Valley Metro and the public, she said.
The next light-rail extension, scheduled to open in 2016, would go from the Sycamore station in Mesa to Main Street and Mesa Drive. Jim Minch, who owns the Milano Music store near Main and Center streets, said he is not worried about the construction because parking is behind the building. He said he is still unsure of light rail's impact.
"I'm hoping it'll bring more customers to the area," Minch said. "I'm hoping it's not going to take our customer base, who might get on the train and go to Tempe."
Johnson said it is best for business owners along light rail to find a way to minimize the impact of construction and try to maximize potential benefits of having the rail nearby.
Johnson's father, former co-owner of Watson Flowers, was a vocal critic of the rail when it was being proposed, but he was unsuccessful in preventing its construction.
"You could try fighting it like we did, but once it's there, make the best of it," he said. | 660 bus route schedule from Wickenburg to Glendale to change
by Kiah Haslett
Jul. 17, 2010 07:35 AM
The Arizona Republic
On July 26, the 660 bus route connecting Wickenburg West Plaza to Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale will change. A new stop will be added at the Bell Recreation Center, but Saturday service will be cut.The route travels from Wickenburg with multiple stops along U.S. 60/Grand Avenue, then on Bell Road.
Changes to Route 660
The route will add the Bell Recreation Center at 99th Avenue and Bell Road in Sun City to its stops beginning July 26.
Due to infrequent use, Saturday service will be eliminated. The last Saturday service is July 24.
New stop
The transportation committee of the Sun City Homeowners' Association asked Valley Metro to add the recreation center stop for Sun City residents, said Jim Powell, chairman of the committee.
The stop is an experiment to see how many residents without cars or who don't like to drive outside of Sun City will use it.
"The price was very economical. We'll just have to wait and see if we do have a ridership," Powell said.
New times
The bus stop times Monday through Friday at the Bell Recreation Center are:
Eastbound: 9 a.m., 12:54, 4:49 and 8:38 p.m.
Westbound: 5:57 a.m., 9:44 a.m., 1:38 and 5:32 p.m. | Massive transit cuts set to impact Valley commuters
Posted: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 2:40 pm | Updated: 7:06 am, Wed Jul 21, 2010.
Garin Groff
Tribune
Transit users will find the deepest transit rollbacks in Valley history on Monday, when 27 routes will be cut back or cut entirely.
The cost-cutting move includes changing how often light-rail trains run in peak hours.
Metro trains will run the same hours as they do now, but commuters will have to wait a bit longer.
The area thats going to require more planning on the customers part is for the people who commute in the morning, Metro spokeswoman Hillary Foose said.
The trains will run every 12 minutes instead of every 10 minutes during the peak period. Plus, the peak period is getting shorter, staring at 7:30 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. It will end at 6:30 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. Outside of that, trains run every 20 minutes.
Metro had considered other cuts to save money, such as eliminating late-night service on weekends.
Based upon public input, there are so many people who enjoy the late-night service or what it meant to economic development in the region, they wanted it to stay, Foose said. So it is staying.
But bus service cuts include reducing hours on some routes. Some buses also will run less often, on weekdays only or will have shorter routes to save money.
The East Valley will lose one line, Route 536, an express bus from northeast Mesa to downtown Tempe.
The bus changes could prove more difficult to navigate than those in the past, as transit authorities arent issuing a new transit book at the same time. Instead, a supplemental book will feature only the changes. A new book likely will come out in January, said Valley Metro spokeswoman Susan Tierney.
Valley Metro has plastered signs in buses to let commuters know about changes. Passengers seem to know whats coming, she said.
We feel like the information is out there and there has been notification, so people are prepared, she said.
SERVICE CHANGES
East Valley transit service changes taking effect Monday
Route 40, Apache/Main Service to Sky Harbor Airport has been eliminated and route will end at Tempe Transportation Center. Service in Tempe before 5 a.m. and Sunday service after 10 p.m. has been eliminated.
Route 48, 48th Street Schedule adjustments. Service before 5 a.m. has been eliminated. After 10 p.m., buses will not service the Arizona Mills bus stop. Buses will stop at Priest Drive and Baseline Road for passenger transfers.
Route 52, Roeser Frequency has changed to 60 minutes on weekends.
Route 56, Priest Drive Schedule adjustments. After 10 p.m., buses will not service the Arizona Mills bus stop. Buses will stop at Priest Drive and Baseline Road for passenger transfers.
Route 61, Southern Sunday service in Mesa has changed to 60 minutes. Weekday service before 5 a.m. and Sunday service in Tempe after 10 p.m. has been eliminated.
Route 62, Hardy/Guadalupe First weekday and Saturday southbound trips have been eliminated before 5 a.m. The last Saturday northbound trip at 12:32 a.m. has been eliminated.
Route 66, Mill/Kyrene South extension now serves Lone Butte Casino. Service north of McKellips Road has been eliminated.
Route 72, Scottsdale/Rural All trips have been extended to Thompson Peak Parkway. Frequency has changed to 20 minutes. Some service in Chandler has been eliminated: weekdays before 5:45 a.m. and after 10 p.m.; Saturday before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.; Sunday before 8 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
Route 76, Miller South portion of route has been restructured and will now end at McKellips Road.
Route 77, Baseline Schedule adjustments. Service in Tempe before 5 a.m. has been eliminated. After 10 p.m., buses will not service the Arizona Mills bus stop. Buses will stop at Priest Drive and Baseline Road for passenger transfers.
Route 81, Hayden/McClintock Service in Tempe before 5 a.m. has been eliminated. Every other weekday peak northbound trip will turn around at 90th Street and Shea Boulevard. Frequency has been increased to 30 minutes all day in Chandler.
Route 96, Dobson Service in Chandler has changed: Weekday peak service has been reduced to 30 minutes; Weekday service after 10 p.m. has been eliminated; Saturday service before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m. has been eliminated. Sunday service before 8 a.m. and after 7 p.m. has been eliminated. Weekend service now ends at Chandler Regional Hospital.
Route 108, Elliot Road Schedule adjustments. After 10 p.m., buses will not service the Arizona Mills Mall bus stop. Buses will stop at Priest Drive and Baseline Road for passenger transfers.
Route 122, Cactus The portion south of Metrocenter has been eliminated and will no longer travel on 3. Gilbert Road. Service to Chandler Gilbert Community College has moved to Gilbert Road. Service now extends south to Crossroads Shopping Center. In Chandler, weekday service before 5:45 a.m. has been eliminated. Earlier northbound trips available at Gilbert Road and Chandler Boulevard as early as 4:24 a.m. In Chandler and Mesa, Saturday service before 8 a.m. has been eliminated.
Route 156, Chandler Boulevard/Williams Field Road Service to Chandler Fashion Center moved from Frye Road to Chandler Boulevard and service to Chandler Gilbert Community College has been eliminated. Service on Saturday before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. has been eliminated; Service on Sunday before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m. has been eliminated.
EXPRESS AND RAPID ROUTES
Route 511, Tempe/Scottsdale Airpark Express The portion of the route south of the park-and-ride lot at Apache Boulevard has been eliminated.
Route 535, Northeast Mesa/Downtown Express Trips that began at Power Road and McDowell Road will now begin at the East Mesa Service Center park-and-ride at the Decatur Sreet and Power Road.
Route 536, Northeast Mesa/Tempe/ASU This route has been eliminated.
Route 540, Chandler Express Route now begins at Dobson and Ray roads.
Route 542, Chandler Express One inbound trip and one outbound trip have been added. | Mesa seeking to identify historic buildings in path of light rail
by Jim Walsh
Jul. 21, 2010 08:31 AM
The Arizona Republic
The environmental assessment that is under way for the central Mesa light-rail extension may prove to be a way to save several historic properties.
A Phoenix architect who specializes in historic preservation found 22 buildings, 10 objects and one home that he considers historically significant along the planned 3-mile extension.
Metro light-rail planners say they will do everything possible to avoid disturbing the properties and to mitigate any disturbances as design work starts on the $200 million extension, which is expected to open in 2016.
That includes not disturbing residents of Mesa's Temple Historic District near the planned site of a park-and-ride lot.
"By and large, throughout the three miles, there is very little property and sidewalk impacts," said Ben Limmer, a Metro planner.
With architect Don Ryden's historical survey in hand, "we kind of have an idea of what's in our alignment so we can avoid, as best we can, impacting that property."
Ryden's survey is essentially a list of recommendations on historic properties that should be spared, said Robert Forrest, an environmental planner.
Ryden's suggestions still must be approved by the state's Historic Preservation Office before they are incorporated into the design process.
Mike James, Mesa deputy transportation director, said the environmental assessment is more than just federal red tape. He said the assessment is a form of protection for Mesa's cultural resources.
"It's really a way to do no harm," James said.
The environmental assessment is required because 60 percent of the funding for the central Mesa extension is from federal sources.
The remaining 40 percent is from Proposition 400, a sales-tax increase approved by Maricopa County voters for transportation improvements in 2004.
"We are looking at options where we can modify left-turn lanes and shift alignments to the north and south," James said.
"You don't want to disturb these historic properties."
He said the Landmark Restaurant, at Main Street and Extension Road, is the only historic property along the alignment that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Other properties that could be listed are being avoided.
"We shift the alignment and curve it around so we don't impact the Landmark," he said.
The Landmark was the home of the Alma Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It later was the first home of Mesa Community College.
Properties that could qualify for the National Register of Historic Places include a former Atlantic Richfield gasoline station on the south side of Main Street and Country ClubDrive that is now home to a small Mexican restaurant.
The gasoline station's architecture may be considered historically significant.
Forrest said the environmental assessment includes archeological resources, air-quality issues and even potential wetlands.
Archeological resources pose a greater challenge to planners because they are more difficult to locate, Forrest said.
"We have an idea there are some canals out there, but we don't know exactly where they are located," he said.
James said a HoHoKam village was found under parking lots at the East Valley Institute of Technology during the planning phases for the park-and-ride lot at the Sycamore Station.
The station was moved to the north side of Main Street to avoid disturbing the ruins.
He said it wouldn't be surprising if canals were found under Main Street that served the village during bygone times.
If canals are found during construction, an archeologist will be sent to document the find, and engineers would consider ways to avoid destroying the ruins.
"It will be interesting to see what we will find," James said. |
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