| |
Posted Oct 28, 2008, 3:05 PM
|
 |
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Country Club Park, Greater Coronado, Midtown, Phoenix, Az
Posts: 4,610
|
|
The Republic has been running a light rail related article seemingly every day, here's a few:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...ngasu1028.html
Quote:
Lighting up Tempe's hopes for the future
Students, businesses look forward to light-rail launch
by Chad Graham - Oct. 28, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Tempe is putting its economic hopes into light rail. Just look at the bridge over Tempe Town Lake to see.
Each time a Metro light-rail train crosses into Tempe, it will set off a Vegas-style light show on the $22 million span.
The lights will be a continual reminder of how charged the city is about the $1.4 billion, 20-mile transportation system that launches Dec. 27.
Light rail could simplify the lives of Arizona State University students, reinvigorate the Mill Avenue business district and transform the Apache Boulevard area, once a bustling neighborhood but now troubled by crime and urban decline.
"The effect of the light rail all along the corridor in Tempe has been so dramatic, and it has been unabated," said Chris Salomone, Tempe's community-development manager. "It's all been incredibly fortunate for the city."
Many of the mixed-use projects planned along the light-rail route in Tempe are forging ahead despite the credit crisis that has stalled other Valley projects, officials said. Light rail has provided a bit of a buffer against the downturn.
Student benefit
Students, faculty and staff who travel among ASU's campuses in Tempe, central Phoenix, west Phoenix and Mesa hope light rail will make their daily routine more convenient.
Ram Pendyala is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at ASU who has spent much of his career studying how and why people use transportation systems. He believes students will be critical first-adopters of the system.
ASU now uses a system of free shuttles to transport students such as Mallory Kydd among campuses. The sophomore rides from Tempe to the new Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in downtown Phoenix.
Kydd said the shuttle is a better alternative to driving, but there are drawbacks.
The buses can be packed and sometimes make her late to class.
Light rail should fix that problem.
Shuttle buses run every half-hour, but light rail will operate every 10 minutes during daytime hours.
The trip between Tempe and Phoenix is projected to take about 20 minutes, whereas the bus can take upward of 40 minutes during rush-hour traffic.
"I'm looking forward to the light rail coming every 10 minutes, and it'll make more stops where I need to be," said Sharon Ponce, a faculty associate at ASU's College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation. She takes the free shuttle between Tempe to Phoenix three times a week.
Shuttles will transport riders from light-rail stations to the Polytechnic campus in Mesa as well as to the West campus in Phoenix.
Light rail also could mean savings for those able to park in a light-rail lot instead of parking on the Tempe campus. ASU charges $210 to $780 a year to park at its Tempe campus. Students holding a U-Pass card can ride the light rail, as well as take the Valley Metro bus, for free at all times. Faculty and staff can buy a U-Pass that can save them money on public transportation.
"Once people try it out, they're going to see the benefit of it," said Shereen Saurey, spokeswoman for ASU's Parking and Transit Services.
Beyond ASU
The Tempe Mission Palms Hotel is just one of the businesses along Mill Avenue that hopes to see a spike from light rail.
If a large convention coming to Phoenix needs to find additional hotel rooms in other Valley cities, for example, "we would become a natural for that because of the light rail," said Chris Kenney, director of sales and marketing. "It is really a benefit to our community."
Mill Avenue's restaurants and shops have not only taken a hit during the downturn as consumers cut spending but also from competition from Tempe Marketplace, an outdoor entertainment and shopping mall.
"Right now, it is going through a period of struggle," said Vic Linoff, who operated an antiques and bookstore on Mill Avenue for 35 years. The store recently closed. "It is struggling to find its appropriate identity in these changing times."
Linoff, who has already ridden the light rail, praised the system and believes it'll draw more visitors to Mill, especially those who are leery of the area's limited parking.
It could help develop future independent businesses that offer an alternative to chain stores found in a shopping mall.
City leaders and developers hope that the dozen or so projects planned for Mill Avenue, when combined with light rail, will give the area more of an urban-living vibe.
Light rail is a big part of establishing Mill and downtown Tempe as a place people want to live, said Casaundra Brown, spokeswoman for Downtown Tempe Community Inc., a non-profit that manages the area.
"People want to be able to leave their cars, hop on public transportation like the light rail and go to a game or maybe go to Mesa and be able to come back here and walk home," she said.
The trains, for example, will connect sports fans to Sun Devil Stadium and theatergoers to Gammage Auditorium.
Apache to benefit most
The biggest economic-development benefit of light rail in Tempe may come to Apache Boulevard.
For decades, the route southeast of downtown was a part of the old U.S. 60, which connected travelers to Phoenix, Tucson and Prescott. Tourist traps, gas stations, motor lodges and restaurants sprang up along the busy route. It spurred the development of Tempe's first subdivisions in the 1940s.
The area, however, began to decline in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was bypassed by Interstate 10 and the Superstition Freeway. The properties along Apache Boulevard were zoned for commercial highway development and were narrow and therefore difficult to redevelop. The area began its decline and became a place known for prostitution.
In the mid-1990s, Tempe officials launched a redevelopment plan.
Farouk Almarayati, owner of Haji-Baba International Foods near Apache Boulevard and Loop 101, said the area has seen improvements, but the turnaround has been slow.He hopes the light rail speeds that process. He also hopes that the street feels more connected to downtown Tempe and that businesses have nice storefronts that let people window-shop. "But that's long-term," he said. "We're going to have to wait and see."
During the past handful of years, as the transportation system became a reality, city officials saw property values triple, said Salomone, Tempe's community-development manager.
Even in the downturn, which has dropped prices, about 10 projects are still being built in the Apache corridor.
"The flattening of the economy did cause some readjustments along Apache Boulevard," he said. "In particular, we saw more of the dense condominium projects convert to student-housing projects, which are more recession-proof.
"The few projects that have been stalled will come back sooner because of the light rail."
|
From: http://www.azcentral.com/community/p...riefs1025.html
Quote:
Briefs: Light-rail volunteers sought
Oct. 23, 2008 04:48 PM
With celebrations across the 20-mile alignment and more than 200,000 people expected, Metro light rail is seeking volunteer support for the launch of Arizona's light-rail system Dec. 26-28.
Volunteers, or "Metro Ambassadors," are needed to support the many aspects of a launch party this large. Ambassadors will be asked to greet and queue passengers at platforms, provide information about the day's events and how light rail works, assist in set-up and breakdown at events and monitor for safety.
To sign up, visit www.metrolightrail.org/grandopening for an application and more details on Metro's grand opening. The deadline to apply is Nov. 14.
|
from: http://www.azcentral.com/community/p...tions1022.html
Quote:
Light-rail stations reflect neighborhoods
by Ron Sanzone - Oct. 21, 2008 11:45 AM
The Arizona Republic
Each of Metro light rail's 28 starter line stations has a unique design, with special efforts taken to reflect the neighborhoods where stations are located.
Mike James, who spent seven years working for Metro as a station planner and architect, spoke to The Republic about the stations, which will be in full operation Dec. 27 when light rail begins running between north-central Phoenix and Mesa.
Question: How do the stations reflect the neighborhoods they're in?
Answer: Before we started the station design process, we had a designers meeting in each neighborhood. People were asked how the stations could reflect the neighborhoods. We didn't want to distract from the architectural character of the existing buildings. We wanted to fit in the context of the area. The scale is one way. . . . A lot of the art reflects back to surrounding types of activities going on there. Color is another way. It reflects adjacent buildings.
Q: If you had had an unlimited budget, is there anything you would have done differently with the station design?
A: In the past, someone said let's put these stations indoors and air-condition them. It would have been nice to have a water feature like a cool wall, but there were budget issues with that. As we looked at it, the maintenance costs were quite high. . . . While some water features would have helped a little bit, the maintenance and the costs would have been really tough.
A few stations' unique features
• Encanto Central station (Central Avenue and Encanto Boulevard). The station art reflects the nearby Heard Museum with pre-Columbian, Indian and modern motifs used. One section of the art has towers, which reflect high-rises on both sides of the station.
• Downtown Tempe/Town Lake station (Mill Avenue/Third Street). The station is adjacent to what used to be a large park area. In the future, that site will be developed, so the design team wanted to retain the concept of a green space, an oasis within the downtown Tempe area. The south side of station incorporates windows allowing a rider to stand on the platform and look out from the station. Green trellises are also on the outside of the station platform, not just in the middle as is the case with all the other stations. There is an etched glass piece depicting canopies of the trees in the nearby green space. It will be a permanent reminder of what was there in case the trees are someday cut down.
• GateWay Community College station (38th Street/Washington). One of the themes of the station, not far from Sky Harbor Airport, is the evolution of airplanes. There are art pieces that look like 12 airplane wings. The wings have cutouts in them that direct the sunlight going through them to specific spots on the ground. This enables the creation of a sundial calendar.
• Downtown Phoenix station (northbound platform on Washington/Central Avenue). There is more urban hardscape than at other stations, which works well with an adjacent plaza. The station has historical artwork of downtown Phoenix.
• Third Street and Jefferson station. Not only is artwork integrated into design, so are things like lights. At this station, the sleek modern lights herald the many cultural events nearby.
|
From: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...trail1024.html
Quote:
Metro light rail to expand testing to entire line
Oct. 24, 2008 03:05 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
Metro light rail will expand testing across all 20 miles of the line starting next week.
Until now, tests have been limited to the track south of McDowell Road, in downtown Phoenix, along Washington Street and through Tempe and Mesa.
Vehicles will now begin regular testing on Central AvenueIn addition, some trains will go all the way to the end of the line in Phoenix at 19th Avenue and Montebello.
Testing primarily occurs during the day. However, in coming weeks testing will also take place at night to simulate service.
Expect a train anytime, from either direction, according to Hillary Foose, spokeswoman for Metro light rail. She says testing will continue to ramp up and become more recurring in the weeks leading up to the system's grand opening on Dec. 27.
Testing will become so regular, in fact, it will appear as though Metro is in service, she said.
Each train is required to travel 1,000 miles during testing before it can be placed into regular service. Testing also helps Metro coordinate the various systems needed for light rail to run.
With trains testing at such a regular pace, Metro offers these guidelines to staying safe around light rail:
• Light rail is quiet; look and listen for the train.
• Obey the traffic signals; stop on red.
• Use the crosswalks and obey all signals.
• Stay off the trackway; never drive, bike, walk or skateboard on the tracks.
• Stay clear of the overhead wires; they are energized.
So far, Metro has not had a serious accident. For more on how to ride and ways to be safe around light rail, visit www.metrolightrail.org.
|
They weren't kidding about the trains running quite often. I had to go to Lux yesterday and I drove along the line from Tempe to Midtown and saw quite a few trains. I tried to snap a few photos while I was driving:
Also I didn't get a picture of it, but I noticed at one of the downtown stations the dot matrix video screen had little flames on it and it said "Yes we know its hot, but its a dry heat!" I suppose this bit of helpful understanding is in lieu of installing misters at the stations. 
|
|
|
Prev
Linear Mode
