Light rail ridership exceeds expectation (Phoenix, Tempe: how much, hotel, buy)

[silverbear]

Interesting discussion about rail vs. bus. The experience of 2009 so far has demonstrated once again why buses never attract discretionary riders at the same rate as rail. There are huge legions of potential passengers who find buses too noisy, too uncomfortable, and too stigmatized to ride, but these same passengers embrace rail. Nevertheless, I disagree that buses run empty. For the most part, they're full -- especially at rush hour. What's different is the type of passengers on each mode of transport. When I use light rail, the trains are nearly full with a cross section of the Phoenix population, but the bus I sometimes transfer to is skewed more toward the working poor. In other words, many rail passengers ride by choice, but many bus passengers ride by necessity.

All in all, I don't think there's much that can be done to change this, and I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Keep in mind the following:

- Rail opponents consistently make up a bus vs. rail competition for funding that doesn't really exist. Of the local funds generated by Transit 2000, the referendum the authorized the light rail starter line, more than half have gone to bus improvements.
- The recent cutbacks in bus service are attributable to the City's budget problems. They most likely would have occurred with or without rail.
- The light rail starter line is logically placed because it follows the route of the most popular bus route, the Red Line. Light rail captures the passengers from the Red Line, along with a whole lot more who never took the bus.
- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is sometimes touted as a lower cost alternative to rail. It features specially branded buses making limited stops and tries to make the bus more train-like. At the end of the day, though, it's still just a bus and doesn't attract discretionary riders and doesn't catalyze economic development the way rail does. BRT is fine as an interim solution while new rail lines are built, but it's not a long-term alternative.
- Some might argue that all transit should focus on the working poor and not even try to court discretionary riders. I don't agree. If transit is 100% bus and perceived as the option of last resort, it will never attract the political support needed to grow. It will also have virtually no benefits in terms of reduced environmental impact or traffic congestion because it won't take cars off the road.

[observer53]

The RAPID buses are in that BRT mode. They aren't conveniently located for me, but I've ridden them a few times while housesitting. They are fast with the limited stops, but not really as comfortable for a tall person like me as the regular buses, which ARE conveniently routed for me. I'll use the light rail and park and ride when I need to stay downtown after work.

[Valley Native]

It will be interesting to see if light rail continues to be a success from late May to October when temperatures regularly soar to well over 100 degrees in the shade. Speaking of shade, the problem I see with the rail stations and the park & ride lots is the LACK of shade. What were the planners thinking??? Personally, I refuse to park my car in an open lot, or stand outside in the blistering summer heat. Where I work, I have garage parking. It's much more convenient for me to drive in an air conditioned car and park in a garage (both home & work). Direct sun exposure does too much damage to human bodies and vehicles here.

Regarding buses vs. light rail: if light rail could eventually be a feature on all the main arteries, then more of us will probably use it. However, I don't see that happening any time in the near future. For one thing, the second phase of light rail is basically an extention of the current starter line. Phoenix alone has endless miles of sprawl and lots of east/west/north/south thoroughfares. I can't see every main aterial street being equipped with light rail in my lifetime. Although I will admit that the trains are a nice feature along Central Avenue.

[pbenjamin]

Shade at a light rail station is a tricky proposition. Anything that is built needs to remain clear of the overhead wires, and any trees have to be positioned so that they don't grow into them. The shade at the stations is essentially vertical with canopy over the platform itself, which should mean that one side or the other of the platform will typically be in shade. You don't have to wait on the same side of the platform as the train that you are waiting on. The shade issue has been a common criticism but let's see how it works out.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

It will be interesting to see if light rail continues to be a success from late May to October when temperatures regularly soar to well over 100 degrees in the shade. Speaking of shade, the problem I see with the rail stations and the park & ride lots is the LACK of shade. What were the planners thinking??? Personally, I refuse to park my car in an open lot, or stand outside in the blistering summer heat. Where I work, I have garage parking. It's much more convenient for me to drive in an air conditioned car and park in a garage (both home & work). Direct sun exposure does too much damage to human bodies and vehicles here.

Regarding buses vs. light rail: if light rail could eventually be a feature on all the main arteries, then more of us will probably use it. However, I don't see that happening any time in the near future. For one thing, the second phase of light rail is basically an extention of the current starter line. Phoenix alone has endless miles of sprawl and lots of east/west/north/south thoroughfares. I can't see every main aterial street being equipped with light rail in my lifetime. Although I will admit that the trains are a nice feature along Central Avenue.

And I especially agree with the parts of your post that I bolded

[silverbear]

The rail stations actually have good shade -- when it's most needed. I'd caution against making judgments based on how things look during the winter. In the summer, when the sun is higher in the sky, the canopies throw shade over most of the station platform at the hottest times of the day. They're actually pretty well designed.

As for parking, there is a garage at McClintock & Apache. Another one, with room for 1000 cars, will be built at 19th Ave & Dunlap when the line is extended north. Nevertheless, it's unrealistic to expect free shaded parking at every rail station. VN is lucky to have free garage parking. Not everyone gets that, so the tradeoffs are different for each commuter.

[zenkonami]

Of course, waiting in the sun for a few minutes for a train that (presumably) will run close to on time shouldn't be too big a deal. If you live in Phoenix, you already deal with the heat unless you never go outside. It's part of the culture and nature of the Valley.

So if the trains run on time, then the trick is just to not show up to the stops too early.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by zenkonami

Of course, waiting in the sun for a few minutes for a train that (presumably) will run close to on time shouldn't be too big a deal. If you live in Phoenix, you already deal with the heat unless you never go outside. It's part of the culture and nature of the Valley.

So if the trains run on time, then the trick is just to not show up to the stops too early.

As you stated.

I remember back in Wash DC waiting for the bus (both summer and winter) and it was no fun at all. Phx is no worse in the summer.

[buckeyenative01]

The light rail system in Phoenix is designed not so much as to have rail lines running up and down each main road in the Valley, but rather as a connector to those living in the suburbs (via Park-n-Rides and the Rapid bus lines) to the rest of the city. City planners/developers were smart enough to realize that this town is never going to be New York City or Chicago in terms of rail development and that we can't, and won't, get rid of our cars altogether in favor of alternative methods of transportation.

In a perfect world, the train routes would terminate at Westgate in Glendale and there'd be a connector line running up Scottsdale Road since those are a few of the areas left in the Valley with heavy foot traffic that aren't currently served by the rail lines. There's plans for it in the future, but who knows how long it will be before the primary route is extended.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by buckeyenative01

The light rail system in Phoenix is designed not so much as to have rail lines running up and down each main road in the Valley, but rather as a connector to those living in the suburbs (via Park-n-Rides and the Rapid bus lines) to the rest of the city. City planners/developers were smart enough to realize that this town is never going to be New York City or Chicago in terms of rail development and that we can't, and won't, get rid of our cars altogether in favor of alternative methods of transportation.

In a perfect world, the train routes would terminate at Westgate in Glendale and there'd be a connector line running up Scottsdale Road since those are a few of the areas left in the Valley with heavy foot traffic that aren't currently served by the rail lines. There's plans for it in the future, but who knows how long it will be before the primary route is extended.

I think a lot of the LR expansion will be predicated on how well the starter line is accepted.

Judging by news reports; apparently LR ridership has already exceeded expectations