This February, Valley Metro is asking residents to “Try 1 in 5” , share the ride via carpool, vanpool, bus or light rail at least one day a week. It reduces pollution, eases traffic congestion and saves money. They also want to help residents find a commuting partner using their new Share The Ride ride-matching system.

As a thank you to residents who are sharing the ride, Valley Metro will be giving out pairs of ASU Baseball and Basketball tickets to their fans and followers this month. They will announce via Twitter (@ValleyMetroRPTA) and Facebook (Valley Metro RPTA) ways that fans can win the tickets, and where they will be to give them out. Valley Metro staff will look for people with transit passes on hand or who are tweeting pictures of themselves on the bus.

I’ll be seeing you on either the light rail or the bus!

-Edward Jensen

GOLDEN PASS PROMOTION

Ala Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, METRO will specially mark “golden” transit passes in station fare vending machines along the line.  With more than 100 machines, METRO wants to help increase your odds.  Visit any or all of the following stations and their on-platform fare vending machines for your pass purchase and chance to win.

• Montebello/19^th Avenue
• Central Avenue/Camelback
• Roosevelt/Central Avenue
• Van Buren/Central Avenue and Van Buren/1^st Avenue
• Mill Avenue/3^rd Street
• Veterans Way/College Avenue
• Price-101 Freeway/Apache Boulevard
• Sycamore/Main Street

The 50 “golden” transit pass recipients will be entered into a raffle to receive one of 30 pairs of US Airways Center event tickets – either to a regular season Phoenix Suns home game or a family-friendly event, Disney on Ice or Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus – or one of two “Grand Golden VIP Experiences” that include:

• Four lower-level tickets to a Phoenix Suns home game
• Seats on the Suns bench during pre-game warm-ups
• Suns locker room tour
• Suns autographed memorabilia

For additional information, including rules, regulations and eligibility details, visit www.metrolightrail.org.   Platinum Pass and U-Pass cardholders have also been integrated into this program.

RIDER APPRECIATION DISCOUNTS

To sweeten the anniversary celebration, more than 45 gracious retailers along the line will offer special discounts or deals to anyone who presents a valid transit pass on December 19.  Riders will enjoy substantial savings such as two-for-one deals or as much as 30% off at these one-of-a-kind businesses.

The Suns are also offering a great deal extended through the holiday season. Present a valid transit pass at the US Airways Center ticket office between December 19 – 31 and receive $20 off lower level tickets or $10 off upper level tickets for any January 2010 game.  Great seats are still available.  Give a gift that will make your favorite Suns fan cheer!  The offer may be redeemed at the US Airways Center ticket office during normal business hours while supplies last.

For a complete list of businesses and their discounts, visit www.metrolightrail.org.

About METRO

METRO is celebrating it first year of operation having served more than 10.3 million riders through November 2009.  With the community’s support, METRO’s weekday ridership is 34 percent greater than projected, with Saturdays and Sundays fairing even better.  METRO will continue to look for ways to refine its 20-mile operation and level of customer service, while also planning for 37 miles of future extensions. Go to the www.metrolightrail.org site and click on Metro Turns One.  At Events to Enjoy there are lists of activities in the areas around Metro stations.

Preface given. Back a couple of weeks in the Dean’s Office of the College of Public Programs, friend and colleague Lonni Summers were discussing this same thing. Where’s the METRO light rail gift shop? Where can I buy a bumper sticker that says, “My other car is METRO light rail”? Or what about a keychain with a model of the trains?

The Phoenix METRO’s success isn’t really hinged on how many people ride it during the week. A recent New York Times article posited that it was the weekend users that make our light rail a success. My point here is that Phoenicians do it differently.

Why just limit this to the light rail? Who wouldn’t want a little replica of Her Secret is Patience (the art installation hanging over the Civic Space park) sitting on their desk? (I do!) Yes, the Grand Canyon might be the most clichéd and tourist-exploited place here in Arizona, but what about for urbanistas?

The economy is bad. Cities need to be creative in generating new revenue. So why not start here? And I really want my light rail tchotchkes.

-Edward Jensen

Our leaders think that we’re going to grow, and to satiate that growth, they’re calling for 400 miles (!!!) of new highways in the metro area over the next four decades. (In fairness, the plan does call for 320 miles of rail.)

What a boondoggle. What an environmental calamity. What an incredibly short-sighted 1950′s solution to a 21st century problem. What a waste of money.

Plus, how can we sustain that growth? I’m thinking in terms of water. With more growth comes the increased demand for more water. Water that is incredibly under-priced for desert living.

Do I need to remind you what happens when a region puts its entire economic development’s eggs in one basket? Phoenix was hit the hardest during this economic recession because our economy was because we had a growth-centric economy. Yeah, it provided fantastic revenues for the state when it was going gang-busters, but now that it isn’t, well…you know where I’m going.

Here’s my bold proposal: let’s institute a growth boundary around Phoenix. Like Portland, Oregon, for instance. Let’s force the 25 municipalities to play nice together and act in the region’s best interests. There’s minimal growth happening now, so this is the perfect wake-up call. Plus, there’s plenty of virgin land that’s been leapt over during the region’s explosive expansion. And there are a lot of places in Central Phoenix that desperately need attention.

Oh, wait, fixing what’s already here isn’t politically sexy.

-Edward Jensen

Since I don’t have a car (or a license for that matter, but by personal choice), I’m limited to public transport, walking, biking, friends, and the parents.  Which is fine.  But a Segway, I feel, would complement this repertory of mobility extensively.

So yesterday, I sent out the following tweet on Twitter (as a complete aside, if you’re on Twitter, follow me: I’m @edwardjensen):

Does anyone know if Metro will allow Segways on its trains? If I get one, it better be able to go on the Metro… #raillife #phx

And I get the following tweet back in response from @PhoenixMetroBus, the Twitter account for Valley Metro (spelling, punctuation, etc. retained from the original):

@edwardjensen If u push it to the platform and onto the train, yes, Segways are allowed on the train. #raillife #phx

I should also thank @michichan for her reply tweets offering a clarification (again, spelling, punctuation, etc. retained):

@edwardjensen you can take a segway on board. you can’t ride it on platforms or trains unless it’s a mobility aid and it is marked as such … the only major restriction is on gas powered devices (including gas powered motorized bicycles) #raillife

Next, I have to figure out where I can park my hypothetical Segway on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus…

To do list: i. figure out where to park the Segway on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus, and ii. raise capital to purchase a Segway. Then have lots of fun…

-Edward Jensen

But in this time of change, I’ve been doing a little bit of thinking on the new pricing scheme.  To summarize, the card will now cost $40 for a semester (August-December or January-May) or $80 for the entire year (August-May).  If you’re taking a summer class and require a pass earlier, then you can do that (still paying $40 or $80, depending on what you want).

From 1 July 2009, an all-day local pass (local bus + light rail) is $3.50 if purchased at a fare vending machine.  To justify spending $40 on a semester pass, one would have to use the bus and/or light rail 12 days (i.e. purchase 12 one-day passes) before spending more than $40.  If one were to buy the yearlong pass, that figure is 23 days (i.e. purchase 23 one-day passes).

Yes, this is a shock that this program now costs money, but if one is going to ride the light rail practically every day (as I do), this is an incredible bargain.  It would be really worthwhile if, during the semester, Metro doesn’t use any one-car trains…

Food for thought.

-Edward Jensen

Valley Metro will implement a 40 percent fare increase effective July 1. Consequently, the cost of the U-Pass program to PTS also increases. In charging $40 per semester, PTS continues to subsidize the majority of the cost to students for the transit pass. While PTS pays for each U-Pass boarding, students who purchase U-Passes pay the fixed $40 and can then ride METRO light rail or Valley Metro buses an unlimited number of times throughout the semester.

“Parking and Transit Services is pleased that we have been able to provide this valuable service to our community members,” PTS director Theresa Fletcher says. “We are not aware of any other university comparable in size to ASU that has been able to financially sustain a free transit pass program for their students and employees for as long as we have. We are proud that the program’s goals of offering multi-modal transit options to the ASU community were met.”

To assist students who are required to attend classes at the Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses, PTS is enhancing its free West-Tempe intercampus shuttle service. Beginning fall 2009, all buses on the West-Tempe intercampus shuttle route will make a stop at the Downtown Phoenix campus.

The U-Pass program was introduced as a pilot program in the fall of 2005. In its inaugural year, the U-Pass program cost PTS $600,000. The program’s expenses increased in each of the following years, with PTS seeing a price tag of $1.3 million in 2007-08. For the first three years, PTS paid for the program in full, without any contributions from ASU students or employees. As a self-funded auxiliary department of ASU, PTS does not receive any tuition, student fees or state money to support its operational costs. In July 2008, PTS began charging employees $10 per pay period for a local U-Pass ($15 per pay period for an express transit pass). PTS projects the U-Pass program costs for 2008-09 to reach between $1.5 million – $1.8 million.

PTS and university officials carefully examined a number of options with respect to the administration of the U-Pass program for the upcoming school year. One option was to discontinue the U-Pass subsidy altogether. Additional proposals included implementing a mandatory student transit fee aimed at $50 per academic year, or requiring a lower mandatory student fee with the option to purchase the U-Pass at a significantly higher rate per semester. After thorough consideration, PTS is pleased to provide students the lowest cost alternative in adopting the $40 per semester charge for an ASU U-Pass.

Student U-Passes will be available for students enrolled in Summer Session II to purchase at any ASU campus permit sales office beginning June 29. Students who are not enrolled in classes until the fall 2009 semester may purchase their U-Pass beginning Aug. 10.

View Student Frequently Asked Questions, including including eligibility requirements for purchasing a Student U-Pass, payment options and refund policy.

This is a textbook example of how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, colloquially known as the Stimulus Package, is supposed to work.  These are shovel-ready projects that can be started earlier with the help of matching Federal funds.

The largest mass transit project in the country got under way Monday with the help of federal stimulus dollars, as public officials broke ground on a second passenger rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River.

The new tunnel will link New Jersey with New York and eventually will double capacity on the nation’s busiest rail corridor, running from Washington to Boston, Massachusetts, officials said.

Officials participated in the groundbreaking for the $8.7 billion project as commuter trains passed behind them in North Bergen, New Jersey, before entering the existing train tunnel, which went into operation in 1908.

[more at CNN]

It will be interesting to see how this progresses. I’m definitely going to keep track of this. Thank goodness for Google Alerts!

-Edward Jensen

I am undoubtedly one of your biggest fans.  Since you’ve been open for business, I think there have only been 15 days where I haven’t boarded one of your trains.  So there’s just one question I must ask:

What’s with these one-car trains?

This week (through last night), I have been on a Metro train eight times, and all during peak travel times (morning, lunch, evening).  Of those eight times, six trips have been on a one-car train.  Of those six trips, the train has been packed, standing room only.  When there is demand for people to ride the Metro, why cut capacity?

I understand that you’re trying to save some money, and given the current economic climate, it’s necessary.  But in reality, how much does it cost to operate a one-car vs. two-car train?  It would seem like the biggest cost – the operator’s salary – is the same whether they are driving a one-car train or a fifteen-car train.  Is the electricity to power a second car that much?  Or the maintenance costs?  If you planned your rolling stock purchase right, you should have enough cars to take one or two out of service while maintaining enough cars to keep two-car trains along the entire route.

If we look at wasteful spending on the Metro, it would be having the driver open all doors when it’s hotter than Hades outside when the air conditioning is running full blast to keep the cars comfortable.  Isn’t that what those yellow buttons on the doors are for: for people to open the train’s doors as they need while keeping the hot outside and the cool inside?  I know that when you tested that out in the winter, few people figured out that that’s what the yellow buttons were for.  So then, put a little sign on the outside of the trains to tell people to push the yellow buttons to open the doors.

When the infrastructure of the Metro was built for three-car trains (e.g. platform length), running one-car trains seems and looks silly.  I hope that you reconsider this, because you’re just reinforcing the notion that “buses can do everything trains can do,” which you and I know is completely not true.

-Edward Jensen

In the days since Metro’s been operating, I have heard drivers that have sounded the bell along the entire route without interruption.  For those who live along the route and for those who are on the train, this is rather annoying.  (If you’re on a train and you hear a clicking noise, that’s the bell ringing.) The standard procedure for Metro is to ring their bell once upon crossing an intersection, arriving a station, and again when departing a station.

Here’s what you do: if you’re on a train where the driver is bell-happy, send a tweet with the train’s number (e.g. 132B), where you are (e.g. Palm Ln/Central Ave), direction of travel (east- or west-bound), and, if not posting in realtime, the time (May 7th, 7.30am).  If you live near the Metro line, getting the time is incredibly important since you might not get the car/train numbers.  Most important, though: put the hashtag “#metrobell” so we can easily identify these tweets and pass along the drivers to Metro.

Please share (and retweet!) so this becomes most effective!

-Edward Jensen

For those familiar with Downtown Phoenix, there are two free shuttles that connect various parts of the area: the Downtown Area Shuttle, or DASH. One travels from Central Station to the Arizona State Capitol (Government Loop) and the other meanders around the area, traveling to the two stadia and up to Roosevelt St (Downtown Loop). Both shuttles operate from 6.30a-6.30p. For the Government Loop, this may make sense since that’s when state offices are open. But it doesn’t make sense for the Downtown Loop: the areas served by the Downtown Loop start to come alive after that shuttle service is finished for the evening.

Here’s the proposal: get rid of the DASH Downtown Loop and replace it with a free-ride zone on the Metro Light Rail that extends from the Roosevelt St/Central Ave station to the 3rd St/Washington & Jefferson St stations.  Most major downtown areas have a free-ride zone to encourage people to take public transport to get from one part of the downtown to the other.  Phoenix should not be different.

It would work by not having fare enforcement officers check between the Roosevelt/Central Ave station and the 3rd St/Washington & Jefferson St stations.  There would still be ticketing machines at those stations so people who need to go outside of the free-ride zone can buy their tickets.

-Edward Jensen

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Phoenix City Council members today to announce two projects that will bring thousands of jobs to Arizona.

Secretary LaHood presented a $10.5 million check to the Mayor for the completion of a taxiway reconstruction project on the northwest side of the Airport. This project will create 285 construction jobs.

The U.S. Transportation Secretary, Mayor Gordon and Phoenix City Council members also broke ground and unveiled the name of Sky Harbor’s automated train: the PHX Sky Train. Stage one of the PHX Sky Train will connect with METRO light rail and transport passengers and employees between 44th Street and Washington, East Economy Parking and Terminal 4. Stage one, which will be completed in 2013 is creating 5,900 jobs.

Mayor Gordon has been meeting with leaders in Washington D.C. to discuss the acceleration of the PHX Sky Train construction to Terminals 3 and 2. An additional $200 million in federal stimulus funding would create thousands of additional jobs and serve all three terminals at Sky Harbor seven years earlier than originally planned.

“We are grateful to our partners in Washington for recognizing the ongoing infrastructure needs at one of the nation’s ten busiest airports,” said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon. “We are also excited that the Recovery funding for taxiway improvements is putting nearly 300 Arizonans back to work.”

While in Phoenix, Secretary LaHood also visited Sky Harbor’s Air Traffic Control Tower and spoke at the 18th Annual Phoenix International Aviation Symposium.

So, in 2013, we can transfer from the Light Rail to the PHX Sky Train and get to our airport even faster! This is exciting.

-Edward Jensen

“The creation of good-paying jobs is a major goal in this national recession,” Frank Busalacchi, coalition chair, said. “Additionally, the public demand for expanded passenger rail service is high, and our goal is to meet that demand as quickly as we can. I applaud Congress and the Obama administration for creating this significant pool of important, new funding.”

The coalition, formed in 2000, has grown to include 31 states and two public authorities. At least 35 states are developing plans for expansion of services or new services.

The projects identified by state coalition members are spread out geographically, bringing a significant number of new jobs to many regions.

The projects will also draw on a wide range of labor categories, and will provide operational and capacity benefits to passenger and freight operations. Proposed projects include:

• Track improvements, such as double tracking, welded rail and tie replacement to increase capacity and reliability;
• Sidings to allow fast passenger trains and slower fright trains to pass each other.
• Universal crossovers to provide capacity for shared-use corridor passenger and freight operations.
• Grade crossing improvements such as gates and lights.
• Advanced signal and train control systems to increase safety and operational efficiency of both passenger and freight rail operations.
• Station improvements.
• Equipment rehabilitation and acquisition.

“These projects require not only a large number of workers, but call on a wide range of skills,” Chairman Busalacchi said. “They will put people to work, and create significant improvements in passenger and freight operations across America.”

Busalacchi also is secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and was a Congressional appointee to the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission.

[press release source unknown, found on Trains for America blog]

So I read an article from the online Arizona Republic that reported that Glendale, one of the partners in the metro area’s light rail system, is considering changing its route from serving its historic downtown to serving Westgate and the University of Phoenix Stadium.  The route that Glendale wants would be an extension of the I-10 West route, traveling up SR-101 to the area.

Glendale is pushing to change the route of the first light-rail line planned for the West Valley, seeing greater value in taking the line to the city’s bustling stadium district than its quaint downtown. But it’s likely an uphill battle, as Phoenix officials say they can’t provide the financial support that Glendale needs from them.

Building the alternative rail route would cost hundreds of millions of dollars more, require months of extra planning and support from other Valley cities. Backers of the new line argue it would boost regional economic growth and reduce the crush of rush-hour traffic along congested stretches of freeway. It could also ferry football fans to University of Phoenix Stadium, as well as hockey and baseball fans to nearby games.

[source: Rebekah Sanders and Scott Wong, The Arizona Republic]

The success of this line lies in having Phoenix fund the portions of the extension that are in Phoenix (from the 79th Ave/Interstate 10 station until SR-101 and Camelback Road, about six miles) fund the remaining two miles.  Mayor Gordon and the City of Phoenix have said that there is no money for this extension.

I bring this up to go back to a post I wrote on 28 February 2009 – “Contemplating METRO’s extensions” – about a light rail extension that connects the existing twenty-mile line to both Downtown Glendale and Westgate/University of Phoenix Stadium.  The key to linking Downtown Glendale and Glendale’s stadia lies in utilizing Grand Avenue as a principal corridor.  This 14.5-mile link would also connect the state government offices via Washington and Jefferson Streets: 7.3 miles would be in Phoenix while the other 7.2 miles would be in Glendale.  To illustrate the line, I created a map (click here).

I encourage you to read the full article by Rebekah Sanders and Scott Wong.  Their article also reports on a proposal by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon to link the light rail to ASU’s West campus.  I don’t see how that will work, but then again, I haven’t seen any proposals on that suggested route.

At the least, it will be interesting to see how this turns out.  I’ll be watching…

-Edward Jensen

Those frightening experiences are all too common. But it doesn’t have to be that way, as anyone who’s ever strolled down a tree-lined sidewalk or ridden on a well-designed bike lane can attest.

We have a chance right now to get Congress to change those old road-building habits and make sure our streets are safe and inviting for everyone who uses them – not just those driving cars.

Make sure your representatives and senators become co-sponsors of “complete streets” legislation.

One-third of Americans either can’t drive or choose not to. Yet, most communities around the country are laced with roads that are inhospitable, at best, to people traveling by foot, bicycle, or public transportation. For older Americans, children, and people with disabilities, these kinds of streets are especially dangerous.

Complete streets dramatically change the fabric of a community, making it possible for children to walk and bike to school safely, giving seniors more security traveling to appointments, and providing everyone with safer, greener and more convenient ways of getting around without their cars – a smart option, considering almost half of all our trips are under three miles.

Local governments are already leading the way. More than 80 state and local governments have passed ordinances mandating that new road construction provide a full menu of transportation options to meet the needs of everyone using the road. Now we need Congress to take the next step.

This week, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa and Congresswoman Doris Matsui of Sacramento introduced legislation into Congress that would require all state and metropolitan transportation authorities to adopt and begin implementing complete streets policies within two years.

But they won’t be able to make complete streets into law without more co-sponsors on Capitol Hill.

Ask your representative and senators to become co-sponsors of this bold national complete streets initiative.

Complete streets are cost-effective, allow people to fight climate change by leaving their cars at home, improve safety for everyone using the road, and encourage active lifestyles that will reap benefits for a generation. We must change the status quo and make our streets safe and accessible for everyone, and that change can start with this complete streets legislation.

[source: Ilana Preuss (Outreach and Field Director, Transportation for America)]

Valley Metro and METRO Light Rail, the operators of the new twenty-mile line that opened up in December, have provided a ride guide with some basic policy instructions, like how to purchase your fare, what you can and can not bring/do onboard the trains, and so forth. I wish to call that information “how to board Light Rail.”

But nobody really has given you instructions on how to ride in a moving train. For instance, if you have to stand, how should you stand to keep your balance? What is proper etiquette for passengers? In this post, I hope to share those things with you.

First, keeping your balance. There is no way to stand on the moving trains that doesn’t require you to hold on to a handrail. Always hold on to a handrail. But make sure that you stand perpendicular to the direction of motion (see diagram). Very rarely does the train change direction. It usually accelerates or brakes. Standing perpendicular to the direction of motion allows you to shift your balance to either of your legs depending on how the train moves.  If you have to move, do something that I call “the Light Rail Shuffle.”  When walking, drag your feet across the train car floor; if you have to lift your feet to move, the lower, the better.

Second, etiquette. The thing that drives me crazy is when people will flood onto the train right after the doors open. This creates a problem for those who want to get off the train because they have to fight a flood of people who want to get on and also get through that same pack of people. So first, allow passengers to exit before boarding. If you’re on the platform when the train arrives, you won’t be denied boarding. Trust me.

When you’re on the train, do not stand next to the doors or in the doorway area. Stand in between the seating area, but make sure to stand perpendicular to the motion of the train so that you don’t lose your balance so easily (see above). Standing in that middle area allows for people who need to get off at the next station to do so without having to fight a crowd.  Also, occupy only one seat.  If you have bags or such, don’t put them on the seat next to you.  You can use the space under your seat if you want.  This gives cause to traveling light.

Also, remember that you’re in a public place when you’re on the trains or on the station platforms.  When you’re on your mobile phone, don’t talk so that everyone on the platform or in the train can hear you.

-Edward Jensen

[this blog is not affiliated with Valley Metro or METRO Light Rail]

Thanks!

-Edward Jensen

In the interest of fairness, I am going to repost Ms. Lazich’s comments (in blockquote and italic format) with my comments at the end.

Governor [Jim] Doyle’s (D) proposed 2009-11 [Wisconsin] state budget includes a provision that would allow southeastern Wisconsin, Dane County and the Fox Valley to develop regional transit authorities (RTA’s). The RTA’s would administer bus systems and commuter rail lines and be funded via local sales.

Last month at a meeting in Milwaukee, the governor informed business leaders that federal stimulus money might be used to construct a high-speed passenger rail system linking Chicago to Minneapolis with stops at Milwaukee, Madison and possibly Green Bay.

Who knows? There might even be talk in the not too distant future about light rail.

I would caution that before the state gets into a mass transit frenzy, a review of a column written for Caranddriver.com by Patrick Bedard during October 2008 is in order. Bedard correctly pinpoints what he calls the “intractable” problems with mass transit.

The most problematic aspect of mass transit is the cost and its funding source. Transit systems carry an expense that is far and above what participating riders are ready and willing to pay. Bedard writes, “Think of it this way. Every time a Los Angelino gets on the Metro Rail, he lays out a buck and a quarter, more or less, depending on his destination, and the taxpayers kick in about three and a half bucks. Next time you ding your credit card for gas at $4 per gallon, imagine getting back a check from the government for almost $3 a gallon.” He cites a Cato Institute study that finds three of every four dollars spent on transit comes from taxpayers.

Other mass transit problems: users fail to value the service to pay the full tab, the lure of federal funds generally results in construction of costly projects, and systems rarely stop at desired destinations.

Even if more riders materialize during, for example, a huge spike in gas prices, remember that mass transit has operating costs, too.

Here is Bedard’s column.

The Cato Institute is one of this nation’s leading conservative think-tanks.  Their policy proposals tend to favor the so-called “American Dream”: suburban living that requires the use of an automobile.  Anyway, the study in question, “A Desire Named Streetcar” by Randal O’Toole (one of the nation’s leading anti-transit advocates) contains many statements left out completely or contrary to reality.  The Center for Transportation Excellence (did a response to Mr. O’Toole’s article, and you can read it here.  So if it true that transit is subsidized by the taxpayers, what about your coveted highway system?  What reinvestment does a highway system bring to the community? Whereas a transit system brings money back, a highway system brings nothing back.

Mr. Bedard’s column, summarized, is an application to the customary anti-transit talking points brought up in Mr. O’Toole’s report.  He lists three of his “concerns” about mass transit, the last of which is that transit “never stops by the supermarket to bring you and the groceries back to your driveway.”  If one lived in a true urban environment, one would find that they would not need to travel to the supermarket because they could walk from their residence to a market to pick up their goods.

I think that something the anti-transit spokespeople are trying to do is apply the suburban lifestyle to urban living.  The two, while they do share some similarities, are different.  There is the market example I gave above, but other things come to mind.   An example of the above: Before moving to Midtown Phoenix in 2006, I lived a typical suburban neighborhood in Glendale.  There is a niche townhome development that is located near the intersection of 51st Ave and Olive Ave but is completely designed away from that intersection.  (I should note that there are two supermarkets at that intersection, a couple restaurants, movie-rental places, etc.)  Straight line from the edge of the development to the intersection is 470 feet.  Google Maps returns the driving directions to get from the edge of that development to that intersection as 0.6 miles (about 3,100 feet, or 6.5 times farther).

I bring this up to show that smart urban development does not solely requre the automobile to get from point A to point B.  Suburban development faces away from the main artery streets thus requiring an automobile to travel down to the neighborhood market, urban living is mixed-use (i.e. private residences above businesses/shops) and oriented toward the major arteries thus making things accessible.

Another thing: Consider the environmental aspects of transit.  This is a no-brainer: the emissions from fifty people in fifty separate cars is significantly greater than either those fifty people in a bus (one vehicle on the road instead of fifty) or in a train (electrical power).

Food for thought.

-Edward Jensen