SO CAL "Out Migration" heads to AZ (Particularly PHX) (Phoenix: middle-class, sale)

[BGS91762]

Originally Posted by LeavingCA2016

You could honestly have been describing LA or OC. Our public transportation is a joke, hence the insane traffic. There is so much sprawl here that you could spend hours trying to cobble together trains and busses combined with a lot of walking, it is inefficient and thus not utilized by "most" middle class people. I've never heard anyone accuse it of being adequate. Especially when they have to live over an hour or more away just to find an area they can afford. Many people cross 2 or 3 county lines to get to work and back.

Have you ever tried Metrolink or LA Metro? It's not the greatest system but beats anything in Phoenix. I live in the IE and take the train 50 minutes to my job. I'm lucky that it works for me. Thousands of people use the trains daily in the LA area and its only getting better. Phoenix has one light rail line that doesn't even reach most suburban areas.

[LeavingCA2016]

Originally Posted by BGS91762

Have you ever tried Metrolink or LA Metro? It's not the greatest system but beats anything in Phoenix. I live in the IE and take the train 50 minutes to my job. I'm lucky that it works for me. Thousands of people use the trains daily in the LA area and its only getting better. Phoenix has one light rail line that doesn't even reach most suburban areas.

No because it is horribly lacking in OC. We have like, what, 4 stations in the whole county, and not one of them is near a major business area. I've taken it, for the fun of riding the "train" down to San Juan for lunch and to visit the Mission, for the kids. It is hardly useful if you live is most of OC and need to commute

[LeavingCA2016]

Originally Posted by BGS91762

Have you ever tried Metrolink or LA Metro? It's not the greatest system but beats anything in Phoenix. I live in the IE and take the train 50 minutes to my job. I'm lucky that it works for me. Thousands of people use the trains daily in the LA area and its only getting better. Phoenix has one light rail line that doesn't even reach most suburban areas.

Also, I'll take Phoenix traffic over OC/LA any day. My husband used to commute 11 miles and it took about an hour each way, or just shy of it. We actually drove his morning rush hour commute in Phoenix this week and it was less than an hour but 40 miles door to door.

[BGS91762]

Originally Posted by LeavingCA2016

No because it is horribly lacking in OC. We have like, what, 4 stations in the whole county, and not one of them is near a major business area. I've taken it, for the fun of riding the "train" down to San Juan for lunch and to visit the Mission, for the kids. It is hardly useful if you live is most of OC and need to commute

I agree it's mainly for those working in LA or Irvine, It works great if you work in Downtown LA or Wilshire, etc. But I don't understand that Tustin,Irvine, Anaheim, Fullerton are not business areas. Each has a station that is well utilized.

[LeavingCA2016]

Originally Posted by BGS91762

I agree it's mainly for those working in LA or Irvine, It works great if you work in Downtown LA or Wilshire, etc. But I don't understand that Tustin,Irvine, Anaheim, Fullerton are not business areas. Each has a station that is well utilized.

It's just so spread out here, ok the metro stops at the stadium/arena in Anaheim, and there are a few businesses nearby, but the stops are miles and miles apart so that you have a substantial walk or super long unreliable bus ride that still may or May not get you to your block. They aren't useful for the vast vast majority of people here, unless you are lucky enough to work near a station and live near a station (or have one close enough it makes sense to park and ride). There is not one walkable, dense business area with multiple metro stops. And huge concentrated business areas are totally left out, the airport, spectrum, south coast metro area, fashion island, Santa Ana/Orange area, anything up and down PCH or the 405, etc

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by LeavingCA2016

Also, I'll take Phoenix traffic over OC/LA any day. My husband used to commute 11 miles and it took about an hour each way, or just shy of it. We actually drove his morning rush hour commute in Phoenix this week and it was less than an hour but 40 miles door to door.

Just one thing. What you see today in OC/LA is what you are going to see in PHX in 10-20 years. Maybe sooner.

If I move to PHX you'll find me on the east side and I'll probably never travel west farther than downtown, and downtown only if I have to. When I travel it will be mostly up I-17 to the beautiful country I love.

[phenomenon]

Originally Posted by New Horizons

I heard that in some cities in CA, the HOV lane is reserved for three+ people during rush hour. They could do that here, that would clear up the lane for shuttle vans and transit busses. Plus you have to enforce the rule, 400$ fine like the sign says.

The HOV lanes in Phoenix are a joke. Every morning I sit in traffic watching solo drivers cheating the system driving in the HOV lanes. They then clog the HOV lane for the genuine carpoolers which defeats the whole purpose of it existing in the first place. I wish there was a phone number we could report the license plates of cheaters to. In an ideal world there would be a camera and infra red sensor system that could detect the number of bodies in your vehicle and take a pic of your license plate to send you a fine if you're cheating.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by phenomenon

The HOV lanes in Phoenix are a joke. Every morning I sit in traffic watching solo drivers cheating the system driving in the HOV lanes. They then clog the HOV lane for the genuine carpoolers which defeats the whole purpose of it existing in the first place. I wish there was a phone number we could report the license plates of cheaters to. In an ideal world there would be a camera and infra red sensor system that could detect the number of bodies in your vehicle and take a pic of your license plate to send you a fine if you're cheating.

I believe I said much the same thing earlier in the topic. It's just not practical to police the HOV lanes during periods of congested traffic. Even if you could make a report to the police, the police would have to find them, and in heavy traffic there is no way for them to position a patrol car to pull over the single driver and give them a ticket.

Photo enforcement wouldn't work because there is no way a traffic cam could spot perhaps a baby in a carrier in the back seat.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Lovehound

I believe I said much the same thing earlier in the topic. It's just not practical to police the HOV lanes during periods of congested traffic. Even if you could make a report to the police, the police would have to find them, and in heavy traffic there is no way for them to position a patrol car to pull over the single driver and give them a ticket.

Photo enforcement wouldn't work because there is no way a traffic cam could spot perhaps a baby in a carrier in the back seat.

I see it patrolled pretty heavily by motorcycle cops in the morning. I see at least 4-5 people pulled over every week on I10 for going solo in the HOV lane.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

I see it patrolled pretty heavily by motorcycle cops in the morning. I see at least 4-5 people pulled over every week on I10 for going solo in the HOV lane.

Well I'm glad to hear that. I usually manage to avoid commuter hours when I'm in PHX, and when I'm where I want to go I usually hang round the neighborhood, go only a few ramps on the freeway when expedient.

Here in SoCal the freeways are a lot more congested and I see HOV violators all the time. Even when home I try to avoid any freeway trips. I live in a nice area that rarely sees traffic congestion on surface streets, and spend most of my time within a dozen miles from home.