Quote:
Originally Posted by Leo the Dog
Yeah just imagine all of the urban in-fill, TOD that could occur after the modern street car opens to the public. Tucson should create a network of modern streetcar transit to improve transportation needs instead of focusing on roads/frwys like Phoenix did for decades.
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Honestly, Tucson needs to focus on both. It's foolish to believe that Tucson will ever develop a light rail so extensive that it will eliminate the need for Tucsonans to be auto dependent. It's also foolish to think that not developing freeways will force people to ride public transit. No. The only thing not building a crosstown freeway will do is force every major arterial in Tucson to undergo widening projects every 15 years. Projections from PAG (Pima Association of Governments) show that the population of Tucson proper could reach 1 million by 2040, with more than 2 million people in the metro area. Tucson having no crosstown freeway with 1 million people in city limits would be an absolute nightmare.
If I live at the intersection of Sunrise and Sabino Canyon and need to go downtown, automobile is the form of transportation I'll use. Tucson developed around the automobile and it is impossible for public transportation, especially light rail, to be effective throughout the entire metro area of Tucson. Downtown should focus on its redevelopment, including the streetcar, but there should be more realistic transit options for areas outside of downtown.