This edition of the Friends of Transit Weekly Update is sponsored by:

August 25, 2010

In the News:
Phoenix transit union workers protest outside City Hall, The Arizona Republic, August 19, 2010
Survey: Surprise residents want better transit, more retail, The Arizona Republic, August 21, 2010
Valley bus ridership shows sharp decline, The Arizona Republic, August 22, 2010
Scottsdale bus-shelter design offers more shade, cooling, The Arizona Republic, August 23, 2010

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Phoenix transit union workers protest outside City Hall
by Lynh Bui 
Aug. 19, 2010 11:43 AM
The Arizona Republic

Employee unions representing bus drivers, engineers and maintenance crews have been protesting outside of Phoenix City Hall this morning.

The unions are in contract negotiations with Veolia Transportation Services, which provides a bulk of the transit services for the Phoenix metropolitan area.

About 50 unionized employees circled around Washington Street near Second Avenue with signs. They were chanting, "United we stand" and "Don't take our sick pay."

The deadline for contract negotiations for two of the unions, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 428 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 104, are set to expire Aug. 31. If there is no agreement, workers could go on strike or Veolia could bring in other drivers to take over routes.

Jerry Ienuso, a representative for the Teamsters who was marching with others on Thursday, said the union wants to continue contract negotiations and avoid a strike if employees and Veolia are still deadlocked after Aug. 31. He said one of the sticking points of negotiations are over whether employees would still be compensated for accrued sick days.

Contract negotiations are also moving ahead with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1433, which represents bus drivers. ATU already had an extension, set to expire Sept. 30.

Phoenix contracts with Veolia to operate 33 out of 99 bus routes in the Valley Metro system. The city has no direct control over contract negotiations or whether there would be a work stoppage because the negotiations are between Veolia and the three labor unions representing bus employees.

City officials, however, are developing contingency plans in case bus service is disrupted. By contract, Veolia must provide at least 60 percent of the bus service it normally provides, which would be similar to service that is provided on Sundays.

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Survey: Surprise residents want better transit, more retail
by Dustin Gardiner 
Aug. 21, 2010 08:29 AM
The Arizona Republic

Buses, shopping centers and jobs.

That's what Surprise residents say their city lacks most, according to a recent mail-in survey of 409 households.

The National Citizen Survey, the first of its kind to be conducted in Surprise, found that while residents are satisfied with life in the city, they agree a few aspects are sorely missing.

The survey rates municipalities in dozens of categories and compares the rate of public satisfaction. In most categories, especially quality of life and city services, people in Surprise view their community more highly than most.

About 87 percent of respondents said quality of life in Surprise is good or excellent, which is above average for the 378 cities surveyed nationwide. And 74 percent said the overall quality of city services is good or excellent.

Respondents "thought in general that we're going in the right direction," City Councilman Skip Hall said.

The areas where survey takers said the city needs to improve have been perennial concerns for city leaders, including public transportation, better and more retail options and the availability of high-paying jobs.

Sharon Podlasek, who lives in the Northwest Ranch neighborhood, agrees with the general findings of the survey, particularly about the absence of a local job market.

"We definitely need more jobs," she said. "They're trying, but it's not happening fast enough."

On transportation and retail options, Podlasek said arterial streets, such as Bell Road, are overcrowded. And, people have to drive too far to shop at Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale.

To read the full survey results, go to www.surpriseaz.gov/ncs.

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Valley bus ridership shows sharp decline
High unemployment, lower gas prices are among reasons cited
by Art Thomason 
Aug. 22, 2010 07:45 PM
The Arizona Republic

A year after bus use followed gasoline prices to record highs, ridership has fallen by the millions on the Valley's most extensive mode of public transit.

In the last fiscal year, 10 million Valley Metro fares were lost as bus riders returned to their cars or found other forms of transportation, according to figures released by the agency that oversees public transit throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.

The decline is part of a nationwide downturn of 4 percent in bus ridership during the first quarter of this year, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

Transit officials attributed the Valley-wide drop to high unemployment, a fare increase, adjusted schedules that produce longer waits at some bus stops and gas prices that have stayed below $3 a gallon since October 2008.

While bus ridership was down, more and more commuters climbed aboard light-rail trains in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, sending ridership numbers above 12 million for fiscal year 2010. The system had 5.6 million riders for the first six months of its operation, which began in January 2009.

"Gas prices have hovered around $2.60 to $2.70 a gallon for quite awhile," said Linda Gorman, director of public affairs for AAA of Arizona. "But when they go above $3 you're likely to see more people riding buses again, carpooling and riding bikes to commute. People seem to feel the pain much more when gas is higher than $3 a gallon."

Bus use peaked with 65,670,807 fares during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2009, and then began a descent during the 2009-10 fiscal year, topping out with 55,580,265, said Susan Tierney, Valley Metro spokeswoman.

For riders like Zadonna Harbin, a 34-year-old Mesa high-school cafeteria worker, remaining an everyday bus rider boils down to keeping fares reasonable.

"The only thing I'm concerned about is the price" she said, standing under a metal canopy at Superstition Springs Transit Center, a sprawling park-and-ride facility near U.S. 60 and Power Road in Mesa.

Tierney said Valley Metro's reaction to lower ridership numbers is not based on comments from passengers.

"We don't do onboard surveys each year," she said. "It's hard to survey people who are not riding anymore."

Ridership declines were reported in every Valley municipality served by Valley Metro.

Phoenix incurred the most dramatic drop, from 45,198,721 to 37,102,153, while Mesa saw a slight decrease, from 4,106,396 to 4,044,692.

Tempe's numbers took a downturn, 9,146,693 to 8,278,864, despite high ridership by Arizona State University students, and Glendale ridership dropped from 2,783,517 to 2,302,017.

Ridership in Scottsdale declined from 2,877,954 to 2,466,449.

Beverly Reed, a licensed practical nurse, said she doesn't understand why so many people have dropped the bus.

"It saves me a lot of money," she said.

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Scottsdale bus-shelter design offers more shade, cooling
by Jane Larson 
Aug. 23, 2010 09:10 AM
The Arizona Republic

Scottsdale has come up with a new design for bus shelters that will provide more shade throughout the day and cost less to build and maintain.

The city has had more than 26 bus shelter designs in its history, ranging from public-art works to generic blue canopies to shelters designed by architects to match nearby buildings. But few of them meet the two criteria most important to desert dwellers, which are shade and air circulation, city transit supervisor Madeline Clemann said.

Scottsdale has about 560 bus stops, but only 243 have shelters to shield riders from wind, rain and sun. Shelters also make transit more appealing to residents, increasing transit use, Clemann said.

The new shelter design, produced by an employee of the city's Capital Projects Management group, features:

• A curved roof over seating areas that are shaped like double Ls. The combination can be installed in a north-south or an east-west direction and will provide shade all day, tests show.

• Metal mesh panels, which allow more air flow than solid panels and help bus drivers see waiting passengers.

• A modular design, so if the shelters are damaged, individual components can be easily replaced.

New shelters also will be equipped with solar lights, trash receptacles and bicycle racks.

Scottsdale's Transportation Commission unanimously approved the new design Thursday. It next goes to the city's Development Review Board.

While praising the new design, some commissioners said the bus shelters should allow for public art, which is popular in Scottsdale.

"It's a great standard design, but do we want standard?" Chairman Bill Howard said. "Maybe variety is good."

Transit staffers hope the design can be varied somewhat, particularly to match streetscape projects, Clemann said. But many of the blue canvas-covered shelters installed around the city are different sizes, so "variety is a real maintenance nightmare now," she said.

Howard said materials that are cooler alternatives to concrete pads and steel frames should be investigated as well.

The new design does not include panels for advertising, which some residents and policymakers have suggested as a way to raise city revenue. Solid panels would block air circulation, Clemann said.

The city estimates the cost of the new shelters at between $14,000 and $17,000 each, less than the current per-shelter cost of $24,000.

The current standard has a blue-green peaked roof, rust-colored posts and panels, and one seating area facing the street.

City transit employees have identified 45 stops as good locations for the new shelters. They prioritized the locations based on ridership projections, key transfer points and their proximity to destinations such as senior and community centers, hospitals, libraries and senior housing.

The city plans to install 15 of the new shelters each year over three years beginning in 2012.

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This edition of the Friends of Transit Weekly Update is sponsored by:

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