Will Scottsdale Ever Get Onboard With Light Rail? (Phoenix: costs, bus)

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by observer53

The construction process certainly does, but I don't see a huge issue once it's built. It restricts turns in some areas, and gets a little complicated on the one way streets downtown, but otherwise I don't see it as taking away traffic lanes.

Actually, it does reduce the number of traffic lanes. Central Avenue prior to light rail was three lanes in each direction with a concrete median. The median was removed when construction began, and the center of the street needed to be wide enough for a two way track ... therefore, the number of lanes on Central Avenue (and Camelback, and 19th Avenue for that matter) are now only two in each direction.

[cjseliga]

So I asked Valley Metro if they have thought about what to call future light rail lines and spurs off of the original line and here is their response:

Valley Metro is definitely considering nomenclature of the different lines and will make a recommendation to the Valley Metro Rail Board at a future date.

I figured it would be something vague, since it is years down the road until that first "spur" opens.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by cjseliga

So I asked Valley Metro if they have thought about what to call future light rail lines and spurs off of the original line and here is their response:

Valley Metro is definitely considering nomenclature of the different lines and will make a recommendation to the Valley Metro Rail Board at a future date.

I figured it would be something vague, since it is years down the road until that first "spur" opens.

I'm not surprised they're giving you vague answers. Even after the big tax increase that was approved by the voters last year to spark additional light rail development, the city somehow can't get their act together & manage the money well enough. As a result, they're delaying light rail extension unless they can get their hands on more of our money ... just like what has happened with ADOT & the freeways. These are good examples of what happens when we let the government run & manage these things.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by cjseliga

So I asked Valley Metro if they have thought about what to call future light rail lines and spurs off of the original line and here is their response:

Valley Metro is definitely considering nomenclature of the different lines and will make a recommendation to the Valley Metro Rail Board at a future date.

I figured it would be something vague, since it is years down the road until that first "spur" opens.

Again, I still expect it will be colors, with the first two lines most likely being Red and Blue. I don't think they would go straight to letters or numbers, since colors are used by the majority of transit systems unless there are too many lines to represent with colors. However, it remains to be seen if the Tempe Streetcar would be considered part of the system or entirely separate. In my dream system, the Tempe Streetcar would be the Green Line, since I associate the City of Tempe with the color green due to all the trees and the city's environmental actions.

As a side note, as an interesting detail that I wanted to share, if anyone remembers, I have my Chandler/Williams Field/Power light rail line idea serving Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert, and East Mesa as the Pink Line. In addition to the reason I have mentioned in past threads that I assigned that particular line the color pink, coincidentally, Valley Metro Route 156 serving Chandler Blvd/Williams Field is shown in pink on official Valley Metro maps, so in a way it makes sense for the rail line serving Chandler Blvd/Williams Field to be the Pink Line.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Again, I still expect it will be colors, with the first two lines most likely being Red and Blue. I don't think they would go straight to letters or numbers, since colors are used by the majority of transit systems unless there are too many lines to represent with colors. However, it remains to be seen if the Tempe Streetcar would be considered part of the system or entirely separate. In my dream system, the Tempe Streetcar would be the Green Line, since I associate the City of Tempe with the color green due to all the trees and the city's environmental actions.

As a side note, as an interesting detail that I wanted to share, if anyone remembers, I have my Chandler/Williams Field/Power light rail line idea serving Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert, and East Mesa as the Pink Line. In addition to the reason I have mentioned in past threads that I assigned that particular line the color pink, coincidentally, Valley Metro Route 156 serving Chandler Blvd/Williams Field is shown in pink on official Valley Metro maps, so in a way it makes sense for the rail line serving Chandler Blvd/Williams Field to be the Pink Line.

Do you know when the Tempe streetcar will ever get underway?

I remember reading something back in 2012 about construction scheduled to begin in 2014 and service beginning in 2016.

Here it is 2016 and nothing has happened, not even any groundbreaking.

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

Do you know when the Tempe streetcar will ever get underway?

Supposedly construction will be 2017-2019, with a 2019 opening (not sure when).

Tempe Streetcar

Similar construction to the light rail, where all of the utilities will be moved/relocated from where the tracks will be laid, the only difference with the streetcar, no dedicated ROW, just sharing a lane of traffic with the cars.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by cjseliga

Supposedly construction will be 2017-2019, with a 2019 opening (not sure when).

Tempe Streetcar

Similar construction to the light rail, where all of the utilities will be moved/relocated from where the tracks will be laid, the only difference with the streetcar, no dedicated ROW, just sharing a lane of traffic with the cars.

I wonder if those dates are definite.

The article I saw in 2012 gave 2014 for work to start and 2016 for service to start.
Initial streetcar work begins Monday in Tempe - East Valley Tribune: East Valley Local News

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

I wonder if those dates are definite.

The article I saw in 2012 gave 2014 for work to start and 2016 for service to start.
Initial streetcar work begins Monday in Tempe - East Valley Tribune: East Valley Local News

Here's some info. Providing Public Transportation Alternatives for the Greater Phoenix Metro Area | Valley Metro | Project Detail

[HTY483]

Needs to go all the way to Bell Rd. IMO, or at least up to Kierland.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by HTY483

Needs to go all the way to Bell Rd. IMO, or at least up to Kierland.

That is exactly what my Brown Line idea would do.