For the first time, Arizona's State Transportation Board approved a state rail plan which includes connecting the major metropolitan areas of Phoenix and Tucson by passenger rail. In a state known for its reliance on single-occupant vehicles and its lack of good public transportation, this is a crucial step forward for providing Arizonans with better transportation options.
Over the past few decades, Arizona's population has skyrocketed, but our population growth hasn't been matched by an investment in public transportation, leaving most Arizonans to rely on their cars to get around.
Most Arizonans make daily trips for work, school or other responsibilities such as getting to doctor's appointments and visiting family members. Unfortunately, our current transportation system has many of us stuck endlessly waiting in traffic, spewing pollution into the air and paying more and more at the gas pump to fill our tank. There has got to be a better way.
Arizona needs a transportation system that meets the needs of the 21st century - one in which public transportation plays a much bigger role than it does today. Connections developing between businesses, the universities and individuals are causing Phoenix and Tucson to become increasingly dependent on one another. But while three-quarters of Arizona's residents live in the "Sun Corridor" - the areas around and connecting Phoenix and Tucson - there are no public transportation options between Arizona's two largest cities.
It seems like no matter how many times we expand the I-10, it's nearly impossible to drive between Phoenix and Tucson without getting stuck in traffic. There are also some horrific accidents that occur on that stretch. Future population growth will increase the demands on our current transportation infrastructure. We cannot continue to rely on pavement alone to connect the Sun Corridor.
The State Transportation Board took a big step forward by approving a state rail plan, which prioritizes connecting Phoenix and Tucson by passenger rail and eventually expanding the rail to reach even more parts of the state. The Arizona Department of Transportation is now moving forward with a study to determine the best corridor for the Phoenix-Tucson intercity rail. Having a state rail plan also puts Arizona in a position to apply for federal passenger rail dollars.
Rail between Phoenix and Tucson will significantly reduce the strain on the I-10, reducing congestion and improving our safety. Passenger rail will improve economic productivity by reducing travel time between the two urban areas and allowing people to work while they travel.
Passenger rail connecting our state's two largest cities is essential for Arizona's future. Business relies on the efficient movement of people and goods. Students need to get from their homes to the universities. All of us deserve a better way to go - one that helps to reduce congestion and air pollution and that gets us where we need to go safely and efficiently.
While it's exciting to see that some important progress is being made, there are still a lot of steps ahead to bring passenger rail to Arizona. It's now up to our state's leaders to make it happen so Arizonans can have better transportation options.
• Serena Unrein is a public interest advocate for the Arizona Public Interest Research Group Education Fund which conducts research and education on public interest issues.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 6:25 pm on Thu, Apr 28, 2011.
you sometimes wonder why they aren't teaching courses in "common sense 101" in these colleges (sorry only poor people go to colleges...lol) and universities ???
from reading this article, anyone who has ever been forced to take the bus here in the valley when it is 122f and your sweat is sweating knows that this "public interest advocate" has never taken a bus in her life. there are very few shaded bus stops so you can't sit on the bench (if there is one) because your "patootie" would get 3rd degree burns if you did. you can't drink water fast enough to replace the sweat that is sheeting off your body.
as for a ....trillion dollar train to nowhere (in case you haven't ever been to tucson....it is nowhere...except for a few mexican restaurants on speedway). there is nothing, nothing in tucson that phoenix does not have in spades. i guarantee you the only ridership you would have would be illegal aliens trying to sneak past pinal county sheriffs at the casa grande checkpoint. you would look in the passenger cars and it would be a sea of baseball caps from 99cents store and women who are about to give arizona another "anchor baby". illegal immigration costs the arizona citizens enough already. why should they be saddled with a "trillion" dollar fast-rail bond cost too ???
Dale Whiting posted at 10:23 am on Fri, Apr 29, 2011.
Serena,
If and when we do have rail passenger service between Pheonix and Tucson, let's have it be a high speed rail powered by solar cells. No sense using old technology when Southern Arizona is supposed to be the solar energy captial of the nation.
But please address for me one concern. We developed a fairly decent county highway system, Routes 101, 202, 303, 51, etc. which had the effect over the last 30 years of growing a large, disbursed population of modest to low density and made us dependent not upon public transportation [ read Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Boston and even D.C.] but upon gasoline. Wouldn't we have been better off today with fuel economy standards with teeth and urban renewal? When was the last time you drove through South Phoenix on say Broadway, University or Southern?
DesertDweller posted at 3:33 pm on Fri, Apr 29, 2011.
Leon,
Clearly, you haven't ridden public transit, or have a vested interested in stopping it for some reason. Personally, I rely on public transit daily, even when it's "122F" outside. Except for the poorest parts of the city, bus stops at major intersections are actually quite nice, generally well shaded, and (frankly) a lot nicer than what I've seen most cities provide. The major problem I have with public transit here is that it's costly, and too infrequent for service. Public transit is a lot more relaxing, in general, than sitting in traffic. Some time ago, the last time gas was up to $4/gallon, I started riding my bike everywhere, and when I got caught in a pretty terrible storm, I took the bus for my first time. I now drive so seldom, I'd give up my car if I wasn't such a weekend road-tripper. Before you call me a fluke in the city, you should try getting onto the light rail sometime, particularly at rush hour. It's packed. Most people I talk to on the bus take the bus because they prefer it as their mode of transportation, and not simply because they need it.
Second, you bash Tucson as if it has no intrinsic value, yet I think about a million people living with you would disagree. Also, I can think of a 9,000 ft reason Tucson has something Phoenix doesn't. Not to mention the thriving art scene and a distinct, old town character missing in the valley. Mind you, it's too "small town" for my preference, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy going down for a visit a few times a year. Get out more. You'll thank me later.
On your 3rd point about "illegal immigrants avoiding checkpoints," what makes you think that would ever occur? I can think of no situation where a person would be more helpless to escape authorities than on a train. Knowing this state, there would probably be a police officer at both ends inspecting passports before boarding. Furthermore, I've never once in all my times to Tucson been caught in a border patrol checkpoint. Further down the road to Nogales, sure, but not between Tucson and Phoenix.
Finally, I encourage you to read up more about the importance of interconnecting regional metropolitan areas as a means of staying relevant in an increasingly urbanized world. Establishing links between Phoenix and LA is probably more critical, but given how close Tucson is, high speed rail between cities might be a great way to start. When you also consider that Phoenix to Tucson and vice versa would only be about an hour on HSR, it also starts to become a viable commuter option for people who would prefer to live in on city, but work in another. If you see this as unlikely, consider that my former colleague drove from Queen Creek to the Biltmore area via motorcycle daily. The distance? 48 miles one way. At one point, I used to drive from my former home in North Phoenix to over near ASU Polytechnics campus for work. The distance? 56 miles one way.
ted newcomb posted at 4:01 am on Sat, Apr 30, 2011.
What we call light rail is more like a Disneyland ride, it won't get to Ahwatukee for another 12 years and our Park and Ride is conveniently located on Pecos, about as far away as possible.....It takes about 2 hours to use a bus to get anywhere else in the Valley....Rapid Transit????
Cerulean posted at 9:26 am on Sat, Apr 30, 2011.
Think ahead, not in the direction of Mexico but right here in the east valley.
I read a report that said, Apache Junction is expected to grow by 20,000 or more people in the next 10 years. Pinal County’s population, as a whole, will grow at an even greater pace. Already, I hear complaints about the traverse between communities near the San Tans in Pinal County and greater metro as an impossible trek. If this rail system were planned to transport through these growth corridors, the Phoenix AMA (Active Management Areas), Pinal AMA and Tucson AMA which are expected to increase in population by over 8 million people by 2030, then that would be good planning.
sockratties posted at 9:42 am on Sat, Apr 30, 2011.
Dessertdweller...
Your comments are polite and well written and in my opinion accurate. Unfortunately you were "suckered" by leon who is a fake. If you read through his history of comments you will see that he was not commenting on transportation. He only has one subject and that is immigration and his fear of Hispanics. He just used this topic as another way to get to his only subject. He obviously is a fake because no one can be that obsessed, narrow, iniformed or socially disoriented and still operate a keyboard, although he usually gets the shift key stuck. leon is kind of like a mascot that you can't get rid of so you have to watch where you step because you might get something disgusting on your shoe.
Accuracy posted at 8:02 pm on Sat, Apr 30, 2011.
The first 20 miles of light-rail in Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa cost $1.4 billion.
“PHX Sky Train”, the 4.8 mile Sky Harbor train project [at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport] between the light-rail station at 44th Street and Washington and the airport, will cost $1.1 billion. The system will be up by 2020.
Mesa’s 3 mile light-rail extension, including plans to narrow Main Street through downtown and removing part of the sidewalks, is said to have a price tag of $227 million. Construction is set to start in 2013 and the line is set to open in 2016.
Now, according to Serena Unrein there are plans for developing a long-range metropolitan transportation from Phoenix to Tucson. The approval from the Transportation Board allows a group to move forward with a three-year environmental study, which is required for the project to be eligible to apply for federal grants. A Hypothetical Train plan . . . and with funding unclear.
k33j88 posted at 4:03 am on Sun, May 1, 2011.
Just what we need----more federal intrusion of states rights. Let's get our fiscal house in order before we take a giant plunge into the money pit. It's a great idea in a sound economy. Now is not the time.
manini posted at 10:06 am on Mon, May 2, 2011.
How about levitation, hmmmm???...LOL!!!
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