Other than being — and light (commuter) rail certainly is that, I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around the plans which I'm only vaguely familiar with admittedly.
The existing LRT has been wildly successful and I wouldn't doubt if ridership is higher than any of Denver's lines. Even if it's significantly a glorified streetcar, who cares? It works. In hindsight it was a stroke of genius.
The extension down Central which I know is a priority does intrigue. An extension to GCU seems like a no-brainer. But beyond that I'm scratching my head.
I know that central Phoenix neighborhoods, historic neighborhoods have become more popular places to live. But until downtown Phoenix can double its employee base which will happen some day, I think the priority should be on attracting more residents. At least in Denver and I assume Tempe is similar the millennials pouring into downtown is helping to attract more employers. I guess the question is what is the best way to improve the appeal of downtown as well as other neighborhoods.
In spite of what has been done in other places, Phoenix doesn't have the density, either residential or employment (that I can think of) to make obvious connections with other than what has already been done. To spend $80 million (and up) per mile you better hope the results are very positive. I'd want to take a look at more cost effective alternatives in combination with rail transit.
Last edited by TakeFive; Mar 13, 2015 at 4:46 AM.
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