Metro Phoenix Transit/Transportation Developments

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Obadno

Not surprising given the rise of electric scooters.

Yep, the scooters being electric and not requiring return to a specific docking station were the death of the bikes. Just look at what e-bikes are doing within the mountain bike industry as prime example.

[biggus diggus]

The bikes seemed like dated technology the day they came out. People aren't excited about using bicycles that place so many restrictions about when/where you can pick up and drop off.

In most cities I visit those kind of bikes seem to be used predominantly by tourists (either from other places or locals having a day downtown with the family) who had no real strict plan. We use them when we travel quite frequently but I never used one in a city I've lived in, know plenty of people who can say the same.

[combusean]

That streetsblogs article doesn't discuss the nuances of having a conurbation of 6 million people divided by a 6-mile wide bottleneck between South Mountain and the Salt River tribe that the 10 has to deal with through the broadway curve.

Last I checked, Valley Metro is looking at that rail alignment a mile to the east, and let's be honest, this isn't a 1950's urban renewal project through downtown, practically nobody is on foot where this is.

And I hate it when Phoenix, whose residents voted 62-38% in favor of light rail only, gets blamed for its suburbs and the highways-only bureaucracy of ADOT.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by combusean

I'm in San José which is very similar to Phoenix in the urban form in and around downtown and the Lyft bikes are well in use still. I suppose this is because Lyft has the capital to burn while GRID floundered with the difficulties exit2lef mentioned.

Did GRID have any corporate partnerships? Lyft bikes here are extensively sponsored by Alaska Airlines with monument signs next to the stations. Also the bikes here can be left anywhere (which of course blocks the sidewalk) and I know Phoenix had crazy regulations for scooters.

There is advertising for APS at the dock outside my office. I don't know if that's uniform throughout the city, though.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by combusean

That streetsblogs article doesn't discuss the nuances of having a conurbation of 6 million people divided by a 6-mile wide bottleneck between South Mountain and the Salt River tribe that the 10 has to deal with through the broadway curve.

Last I checked, Valley Metro is looking at that rail alignment a mile to the east, and let's be honest, this isn't a 1950's urban renewal project through downtown, practically nobody is on foot where this is.

And I hate it when Phoenix, whose residents voted 62-38% in favor of light rail only, gets blamed for its suburbs and the highways-only bureaucracy of ADOT.

Today I learned a new word; "conurbation" is an interesting addition.

If it's 'political' or has an agenda, you can count on things being conflated. They obviously refer to both the metro and the city depending on which paragraph you read.

Just the same I did find this interesting:

2020 Acti​ons
Reduce Urban Heat Island:

• Developing an Urban Heat Mitigation and Adaptation Plan
• Developing a “HeatRe​ady” certification for Cities (pilot testing to begin in Phoenix in 2020)
• Building a “WalkShed” tool to identify priority areas to add shade in vulnerable neighborhoods.
• Accelerating the Tree and Shade Master Plan with a goal to plant 5000 trees in 2020​

Air Quality:

• Building a state and regional network with dozens of stakeholders to address reduce pollutants. Possible strategies may include supporting programs to increase EV adoption and reduce miles traveled per capita through employer trip reduction programs and incentives.

Seems like a perfectly good plan to me! The City also lists recent accomplishments.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

The bikes seemed like dated technology the day they came out. People aren't excited about using bicycles that place so many restrictions about when/where you can pick up and drop off.

In most cities I visit those kind of bikes seem to be used predominantly by tourists (either from other places or locals having a day downtown with the family) who had no real strict plan. We use them when we travel quite frequently but I never used one in a city I've lived in, know plenty of people who can say the same.

In more urbanized settings, locals will use these bikes. They're a big hit among tourists though.

[exit2lef]

I've also found bike share most helpful when traveling in other cities. Here, I tried it a few times but usually found I'd rather have my own bicycle, which is accessorized just how I like it.

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

I've also found bike share most helpful when traveling in other cities. Here, I tried it a few times but usually found I'd rather have my own bicycle, which is accessorized just how I like it.

This 100% for me too. Never really used Grid because I'd rather have my bike. But was really glad to use bike share in Chicago.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by combusean

The FHWA grant is interesting ... wouldn't mind reading the award statement. I'm guessing it's there to upgrade ancient Central Ave bridge and underpass?

Could be. they will upgrade the bridge and underpass, too. They will make a wider.

[CrestedSaguaro]

The Phoenix streets department has been busy this year! 590 miles of repaving, 40 miles of new bike lanes, 30 miles of upgraded bike paths, 3000 ADA compliant curb ramps and 30 miles of cool pavement. I can attest to this as it seems everywhere I go, there is detours, lane closures, etc..

https://ktar.com/story/3735254/nearly-60...ets-received-pavement-treatment-in-2020/

[Phxguy]

Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro

The Phoenix streets department has been busy this year! 590 miles of repaving, 40 miles of new bike lanes, 30 miles of upgraded bike paths, 3000 ADA compliant curb ramps and 30 miles of cool pavement. I can attest to this as it seems everywhere I go, there is detours, lane closures, etc..

https://ktar.com/story/3735254/nearly-60...ets-received-pavement-treatment-in-2020/

Cool update! I’m curious where else buffered bike lanes have been added in town outside of the upcoming 3rd Ave upgrades. I seem to remember only a few years ago, Phx had no real buffered bike lanes, so any amount is a step in the right direction!

[Phxguy]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

I've also found bike share most helpful when traveling in other cities. Here, I tried it a few times but usually found I'd rather have my own bicycle, which is accessorized just how I like it.

Found myself renting one of the grid bikes last night.

Agreed, would rather have my own bike but it’s a great last mile solution. Trouble is, those bikes are more struggle than it’s worth. I don’t think there’ve been any updates on them so the screens are burnt out or impossible to read. Most of the buttons don’t work to enter the pin to unlock the bike. Aside from the convenience of electric scooters, the poor maintenance of them I’m sure contributed to it’s own downfall.

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Phxguy

Cool update! I’m curious where else buffered bike lanes have been added in town outside of the upcoming 3rd Ave upgrades. I seem to remember only a few years ago, Phx had no real buffered bike lanes, so any amount is a step in the right direction!

If you're talking about buffered bike lanes in the sense of a sort of painted demilitarized zone between bikes and cars, those have existed for a while on Central Avenue between Camelback and Bethany Home. If you're talking about protected bike lanes, with some sort of physical barrier between cars and bikes, those exist currently only on a small section of 15th Avenue near downtown. Phoenix has been dragging its feet on protected lanes, so I'm glad to see the progress on 3rd Avenue.

Originally Posted by Phxguy

Found myself renting one of the grid bikes last night.

Agreed, would rather have my own bike but it’s a great last mile solution. Trouble is, those bikes are more struggle than it’s worth. I don’t think there’ve been any updates on them so the screens are burnt out or impossible to read. Most of the buttons don’t work to enter the pin to unlock the bike. Aside from the convenience of electric scooters, the poor maintenance of them I’m sure contributed to it’s own downfall.

Agreed. I've never had a problem with the bikes per se. They're sturdy machines with low-maintenance internal gear hubs. The problem is with the electronic accessories that manage rentals. Those were clunky to begin with and got worse with age.

[PyroD]

Super interesting video on the history of our local freeways.

https://youtu.be/DK5t0FaUYLc

[TakeFive]

Awesome

Originally Posted by PyroD

Super interesting video on the history of our local freeways.

https://youtu.be/DK5t0FaUYLc

Interesting how all of our attention spans have changed; not used to watching a 25 minute video but that is really well done. It's entertaining; makes good use of visuals and is historically interesting. It even added a few details I wasn't aware of. I do recall driving along various streets to check out construction of the 51 back in the 1980's.

Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro

The Phoenix streets department has been busy this year! 590 miles of repaving, 40 miles of new bike lanes, 30 miles of upgraded bike paths, 3000 ADA compliant curb ramps and 30 miles of cool pavement. I can attest to this as it seems everywhere I go, there is detours, lane closures, etc..

https://ktar.com/story/3735254/nearly-60...ets-received-pavement-treatment-in-2020/

Since I've been mostly 'safe at home' this year I haven't noticed. But I did last year when I was 'out and about' doing rideshare. It makes a huge difference.

[TakeFive]

Question: Is rail transit a financial train wreck?
Answer: In many cities and urban areas it sure has been this year (and next year).

ICYMI, Laura Bliss, my favorite writer at CityLab has a recent update of the carnage in many cities (and props to Bloomberg for rescuing CityLab by bringing it into the Bloomberg family).

“We’re talking about debilitating the major economic centers of activity in the U.S. if we let this happen.”

Sounds like this is mostly a NE urban story - or not?

Mid-size cities are also previewing their doomsday transit plans in the absence of relief. In Denver, RTD brass have said they are likely to keep the 40% service cuts that were made at the start of the pandemic to close the $215 million shortfall the agency faces in 2021. In Atlanta, MARTA officials have said they cannot restore most of the 70 bus routes that were cut in spring until conditions change.

Question: Is Phoenix living a charmed life?
Answer: Sort of...

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Question: Is rail transit a financial train wreck?
Answer: In many cities and urban areas it sure has been this year (and next year).

ICYMI, Laura Bliss, my favorite writer at CityLab has a recent update of the carnage in many cities (and props to Bloomberg for rescuing CityLab by bringing it into the Bloomberg family).

Sounds like this is mostly a NE urban story - or not?


Question: Is Phoenix living a charmed life?
Answer: Sort of...

It's a good article, like most of what Laura Bliss writes. Nevertheless, I don't see the emphasis on rail transit suggested in your first sentence. It seems to suggest that transit of all modes is hurting.

To answer some of your questions, the problem seems to be especially bad in the Northeast and the Bay Area. If I were to speculate as to why, I'd suggest a few reasons:

1) Those regions locked down harder and longer than much of the nation's interior, resulting in much greater erosion of ridership in those coastal cities.

2) In those cities, there is more discretionary transit use by white collar workers who were able to shift to driving or working from home. In places like Phoenix, a larger fraction of riders are either so-called "essential workers" who have to be on site or transit-dependent passengers who can't shift to driving.

3) Back in the spring, when NYC was the place experiencing the worse of the pandemic, there was a lot of misguided blaming of the city's density and public transit. Now that the virus is spreading rapidly in places like the Dakotas, that seems pretty well disproved. Nevertheless, the perception of the subway as an unsafe space persists to this day.

Although I wouldn't go so far as to say Phoenix is charmed, it has fared much better than many other cities. Ridership fell about 50% at the height of the stay-at-home order. That's certainly not good, but it's nowhere near as bad as the numbers given for other cities in Bliss' piece. Thankfully, construction has continued on the South Central and Northwest Phase II extensions and has probably been less disruptive than it could have been due to less traffic on the streets.

[combusean]

It's hard to call some of the pre-pandemic transit usage here discretionary, in nearly all cases transit was cheaper and faster than driving in and parking. The people that struggled with it had young kids in day care.

I know writing prophetic articles generates ad revenue, but what transit looks like in the future is anyone's guess. Let's not forget that many of these systems were at or exceeding capacity before, so the only given, some conversion to permanent telework for some people, could be a reprieve for crush loads and expensive equipment orders.

[PHXFlyer11]

I'm sure transit is hurting here just as much if not more. But the difference is because we don't have such a massive system that moves so many people the losses while significant for the transit operation don't have the same impact on a city budget as they would like in New York or San Francisco when a much greater % of their budget is spent on transit. So we might be losing tens of millions, but they're losing billions due to the larger and more expensive systems they operate.

[PHXFlyer11]

Wow, not sure how this didn't make the news today. Maybe tomorrow. Southwest is adding a new international flight from PHX, going to Cancun once per day.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-airlines-new-routes-houston-long-beach/

My mistake, this is on AZCentral as of now: https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/a...nix-cancun-flights-fare-sale/3879893001/