One thing we're struggling with in Phoenix is that the lights are set up to have predictive signaling for the light rail; however, the city of Phoenix refuses to activate them. Our light rail could be immensely quicker, but the city is choosing not to. The city is choosing not to prioritize the light. Additionally, another challenge we face is the constant attack on our public transit from legislators and outside sources. Despite these attacks, we have managed to keep our transit system, which gives me hope that Phoenix residents are more supportive of transit than it might appear! Specifically one legislator Jake Hoffman wants to make intercity rail illegal in Phoenix, which would hurt our goal of Phoenix to Tucson.
@@TransitAndTeslasthat’s good to hear, but why wasn’t it enabled in the first place? Especially if the infrastructure is there already? Do we have a Katie Hochul in our state?
@@CJbrinkman602 It is enabled but it’s turned down. The software dates back to 2005, so it’s really just a time to upgrade more so than it not being enabled.
"Not aesthetically pleasing" Oh but yeah all the fucking Walmarts and their mile wide parking lots and stroads are just gorgeous ehh? What's the ratio of non-blind and blind Arizona politicians?
There are so many points politicians can and should discuss when it comes to transit, such as noise emission, environmental protection, construction time, use of space, long-term cost, etc. But no, they choose the dumbest argument I've ever heard
It's that way where light rail is running on the streets in Los Angeles. But the problem is the trains still need to cross streets/intersections in places. With how streets in Los Angeles get congested, train trips also are slow.
the main hurdle Phoenix has to overcome is a very pedestrian hostile walking environment in much of the city... it is not just the stroads, so many areas are just barren, with no shade and wide empty car-oriented spaces simply bad for walking... and to those who tell me you cannot build a pedestrian friendly urban sprawl in the desert, I live in Israel, and there are urban areas in the desert here that are pretty spread out, and yet, where walking between neighborhoods still feels natural. OK, it might get somewhat industrial, & you avoid the hot parts of the day, but... with the open views, a late afternoon walk or a morning walk is rather nice, because there are pedestrian oriented walkways separate from the places where cars are.
Had to make an (illegal?) left on 7th ave during rush hour delivering for amazon flex. Its absolute INSANITY especially since delivery routes will make you stick around the main road for a little while, so i ultimately had to make several more lefts off 7th
I went to MacAlpines Soda Fountain and came across that drag strip unknowingly... WTF. Was literally a shooting range firing cars down the street. Traffic engineers have blood on their hands.
That would be great! Especially with the pseudo entertainment district being built there with the addition of Andretti’s and VAI/Mattel Adventure Park.
Awesome video, Ethan! I love that you talked about the original Streetcar network (RIP :’() and the buses that feature the Tico mascot on them. Im excited most for the downtown hub / south Phoenix extension that will bring us two light rail lines (finally!). There are so many exciting projects planned, though, like the Mesa Streetcar Extension and the City’s first BRT line on Van Buren Street and 35th Avenue.
It has been crazy here in Phoenix to see the small wealthy groups launching all these campaigns against light rail. Thankfully most citizens see through the propaganda and have voted to continue improving light rail and other transit systems here, not just more roads. I have ridden the light rail a few times, it's pretty nice. It would be nice to get more trains running to shorten the times when going a long distance on the light rail if that's possible, or some type of express line during rush hour. I don't know if that's been thought of or is even an option.
This is an awesome video -- thank you for covering the amazing work being done in the Phoenix metro! I ride Light Rail and am sitting at my desk writing this and looking at a Light Rail station. The system is far from perfect, but it's really a great connector to key destinations (the airport, sport and recreation venues, restaurants and entertainment, and one of the nation's largest Universities). I cannot wait to see the network continue to build-out! ...also, loved seeing the cameo of Tico!! 😃
I like the light rail here it is so much easier to deal with when going to baseball games. What i would love to see is a tempe like street car line linking downtown Mesa to Chandler.
@7:29 Objections to public transit over aesthetic concerns are always hilarious because the alternatives are vast parking lots and massive roads, which of course are well known to be TRUE aesthetic beauties 🙄
In 2013, I had the chance to tour the Valley Metro maintenance facility and speak with some of the people there. There was generally an air of enthusiasm and momentum that I believe to be critical to the success of Valley Metro, and lots of excitement for the future. One interesting thing we discussed in depth (this was for a traffic engineer conference) were the roundabouts along the rail alignment that they had to figure out how to run light rail through. For example, see Main St/Horne in Mesa.
Thanks for the video! I am born and raised here in Phoenix, and can agree with all the points you made. The only time I've left is to go to college in NYC. I have dreams that one day AZ and Phoenix will have a state and regional rail network on par with states like NY and Pennsylvania. It would make our state a national force to be reckoned with.
I visited Phoenix last year and as a hardcore native New Yorker I only got around with walking and public transportation. Not once did I use an Uber during my short stay there (4 days) I went hiking, to the zoo and visited a couple museums by bus/light rail. To be extremely fair I was staying in the heart of downtown near central avenue. Forgot the number of the bus but one brings you all the way south along central Ave by baseline road which is where I walked from to get to south mountain ⛰️ park to do my hiking. I heard they’re extending the light rail south along central Ave which would be dope ! I like their light rail system for a car centric city because it has a unique feature that our nyc subway system doesn’t have and that’s a 1 seat direct rail link from their airport to their city center/downtown and it’s a quick ride ! Took me only about 15 minutes. Our subway system does not directly connect with the terminals at JFK airport and LGA airport is only connected via bus. Grant it it’s a small system but if it’s extended even more I can see hope for PHX in the future transportation wise. You can live there without a car but of course that’s if you work in downtown and live in downtown or extremely near it. They’re also gentrifying the downtown area and areas near it with those luxury high rise apt buildings (same thing going on here in Brooklyn,NY) and they’re expensive. Idk how people do it out there man with the rapidly high cost of living. Also took a bus East to the zoo which also allows access to trails in Pago Pago park where I also did some hiking. Hopefully they can have a light rail line built to service that area directly as well.
Watched this one on Patreon. I love your Phoenix coverage, as most transit UA-camrs seem to skip over our city! I am glad you cover it, so people know we DO have trains out here!
There are also plans to expand the Tempe Street Car to Sloan Park in Mesa and then south on to Dobson. They are planning on stopping the line at the Dobson/Main light rail station, but it would be nice if they brought it a couple miles further south to Mesa Community College/Banner Desert Medical Center
Good, I'm a big streetcar fan but I rode it several times and was the only one on it and was thinking "what's the point" given how much overlaps with light rail
too soon for high speed rail, lets get the Amtrak train like you see in the San Juaquin that does top speed of 79 between Phoenix and Nogalas AZ. with stop in Chandler, Casa Grand, Tucson, Sahuarita, and then Nogalas.
I went to high school in Tolleson and lived in Avondale AZ, in the heart of the west valley, for 8 years. The west valley needs transit VERY BADLY. Regional rail connecting Desert Sky to DTPHX would be absolutely massive. Running along I-10 really isn’t that much of an issue considering the main arterial streets thru the west valley feel like 8-one freeways of their own anyway. It’s truly miles better than what exists now; buses that are often late, run every 30+ minutes and stop running in the evenings. This would change the game!
Very exciting! I had no idea Phoenix was so progressive on transit. There is always inertia and retrograde forces to be overcome, but it looks like rail transit in Phoenix is winning.
As someone living in the Tucson area visiting Phoenix is always exiting seeing how their transit systems are being built out. It's very different compared to Tucson which has been trapped in dated car culture and urban sprawl since the 1970s.
I go to ASU and I use the light rail to go to downtown phoenix pretty often. One issue though is that countless times the line stops running a good hour before it says it does (which is already pretty early compared to other cities ive been to). This makes it hard to use it to go to concerts or other things that typically end late. The Tempe streetcar is such a gem and I use it all the time but with about 20 minutes between each car, and the fact that it still a generally pretty sprawled out area, it often is faster to just drive
Two things to add. A light-rail or commuter should go to State Farm stadium but some years ago the Glendale city council opposed the light tail going through their town. There should also be a commuter line connecting Phoenix to Tucson coming out of the Amtrack station in downtown Phoenix. However, this is just another transit dream as it's in the endless study loop.
You forgot to talk about the new proposed extension that was approved back in May by the city council. The Indian School extension would take light rail all the way down to 75th ave turn south to Thomas and connect to the Desert Sky transit center. So the west valley is looking at 2 light rail lines! On top of that the area of Grand/Indian School/35th ave is getting a completely new layout to make it safer.
Not to mention a new BRT line in 35th Ave that would ultimately connect the new northwest extension to downtown plus potentially the new Indian School route. Valley Metro and PHS Streets are definitely making strides and building excitement but they've got a steep hill to climb.
This reminds me that 1. my sister lives here, 2. I have hope that you will do a Rocky Mountain city tier list after you did all the other regions, and 3. Phoenix is about on par with San Diego and Albuquerque, above Las Vegas and Houston and below Dallas in terms of combined walk/transit/bike scores. I would put Phoenix in the C tier. Yeah, it's still practically dystopian in some areas, and in some ways as a certain cartoon said, should NOT exist ("it is a monument to man's arrogance!")... but like Los Angeles one cannot say they are not trying to make some effort to move away from their car-centric past, difficult as it may be, with the light rail being a sign of this progress.
There are many great things happening in Phoenix! We just built the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S. off the light rail in Tempe :)
If anyone wants to see the benefits aestheticly among other actually important things such as business development; check out street view in Mesa where the light rail is versus what was there, and what still is after the end of the line.
The extension I'm most excited about is the I-10 West Extension because I live close to one of the future stations. Also there are TOD Workshops currently happening this year. Also the Phoenix BRT will be the first BRT line in Phoenix.
I live in Phoenix, not too far from the light rail station at 19th Ave and Dunlap. I like the light rail. I'm happy they built it. I ride it occasionally, but my biggest complaint is that its just too slow. There are too many stops. About one every mile or so, and it seems as if a lot of the stops are not heavily used at all. It takes me 45+ minutes to get to the airport, 60+ minutes to get to Tempe. Maybe we need an express train!
Great video covering the existing and future projects of Phoenix’s public transportation! Another project is the bus rapid transit route that will be on 35th Ave in west Phoenix proper. It’s meant to connect the light rail from Van Buren St to the Metro Center Station.
The 1988 Valtrans proposal was basically that, elevated rapid transit, plus a regional rail line. Got shot down by the voters. To think what could have been😢
I grew up in Phoenix and escaped to Flagstaff. What is not addressed is how unlivable Phoenix heat is. I just went to the Harris Rally in the Phoenix area, and I was reminded of how horrible the heat is. I will do damn near anything to avoid walking in the heat, and so I can't imagine taking transit, unless it deposits me within a half block of my destinations.
Phoenix native here, 25 + years under my belt! You non natives think that "not asthetic enough" is a stupid reason for pushing back against public transportation that would reduce traffic & benefit thousands? Well you should see how those politicians vote on spending our preciouse diminishing water! I swear, there is so much corruption & ass backwards voting here. Its very frustrating when alot of the opposition is steep in classism & racism
I live in peoria. The only time I take light rail is when I am going to sky harbor. Get dropped off at metrocenter, and take it the rest of the way . I see a line to arrowhead mall as really useful. Go from Metrocenter, to 43rd, down to tbird, and hit ASU West, and the hospital there, then go to 59th then go to bell and then down to arrowhead, I think that would be a very useful line. Another line I see as something to help with major events would be to go to westgate, so if there is an even in downtown phoenix people could park at westgate and go to the event, and when there is a game at westgate they could park downtown and travel to westgate. During events they would run many many extra trains, as many as one every 2 minutes or so. They could also make the station at the airport bigger and make line that starts there and goes to scottsdale fashion square and then up scottsdale rd to the 101 or so. Another very useful line.
I've ridden the system from Downtown Mesa to just north of Downtown Phoenix. It is alright, but pretty underwhelming, especially considering the size of the city. Walkability and connections are really poor outside of Tempe and Downtown Phoenix. VM didn't have tap to pay until just earlier this year. The mostly street running nature of the system limits traveling speeds to 35mph which seems slow considering the sprawl. It's definitely better than nothing, but probably shouldn't be a model for other cities. Props to the airport connection though, that is way better than most US cities.
I lived in Tucson 2006-2017, but was frequently in Phoenix. Has the best highway network in the country, and if light rail and proposed regional rail is built out, Phoenix would be up there with top US cities when it comes to its entire network. Still too hot IMO 🌵
Agree about the need for regional rail to complement light rail given the insane distances of the region. I visited Phoenix and used transit to get around but had to make one trip by Lyft when i was out at Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, took transit there but took a Lyft back downtown... would have been 1 hr 30min vs 20 min Lyft. Its deep in sprawl but the same applies if you are in suburban downtowns of Mesa and Gilbert.
They just need to keep extending the lightrail and add more as many lines as possible. It would be nice if the lightrail went to Downtown Chandler and Gilbert as well. Eventually it should also go near Westgate in Glendale.
All these planned extensions for light rail and hopefully regional rail is exciting. There will just be greater hurdles for rail project funding due to the amendments made in Prop 400e that is on the ballot in November. The update Prop 400e that will likely pass excludes all public transit funding from that tax to go to rail projects. I think it is still possible to get funding we will just have find new ways of funding them. The one positive in it is that more funding is available for the Bus Rapid Transit lines that they plan to build in the coming years.
They need to eventually expand it as far west as they have east, with it reaching some of the fastest growing cities in the entire NATION, like Goodyear, Surprise and Buckeye (which was recently the #1 fastest growing U.S. city)!
The Valley Metro bus coverage is massive. It’s not great and is definitely spotty but I can’t help but be quite surprised and happy that we have bus service so far out in the suburbs. It can’t be cheap.
We definitely need commuter rail our city is too big for only light rail also elevate the light rail so that it can move across the city more efficiently no street lights cars etc great video I use valley metro daily and been riding public transportation my whole life all across the country
The Capitol Extension now has different alignments due to the fact that the Capitol doesn’t want light rail to be right at it. My opinion is I want it along the Van Buren alignment since it’d serve the Asian Arts Center, help withe the redevelopment projects along that street, and also provide better connections to that end of Grand Ave which has many local businesses that deserve better transit near them For the I-10 West extension luckily only 1 station will be in the median the rest will be on the northern side of the highway, not that much better but it definitely improves access. Looking at the files for the project too now further down the road the stations will be heavily engineered for countering the highway’s noise and general pollution so I’m excited to see how it turns out. Gone are the days where we build lines like the LA C/Green Line these stations will actually have some thought put into them But yeah those are just some notes I had with your video. Still a great video overall and thank you for continued positive feedback for Phoenix!
I can't wait for both of them! Van Buren will be a good option because of the future BRT line. I live in Maryvale and I'm excited for the I-10 West Extension.
Another example of a city jettisoning something important, and decades later realizing that restoring it at great expense is just what is needed to solve the problem they created.
Why can’t Union Station be cleaned up and reopened for light rail operations including Amtrak. Has anyone visited Denver lately and seen what’s happened to downtown Denver as a result of utilizing their original railroad station, namely Union Station. Phoenix should do the same thing. Make Union Station the hub of Phoenix transportation.
One idea I have is making a commuter train from Avondale through downtown phoenix below the airport to Tempe for Tempe I suggest an underground station like the metro stations in dc. where the light rail connects to commuter rail then down to mesa and making a turn and ending in Gilbert or Chandler this way you won’t have to be sitting in traffic for an hour instead the trip would take 30 to 45 minutes
I lived in Phoenix for a few months without a car, and the light rail was my primary way of getting around. I had to use a bike for my last mile connections, though. Still wish that Phoenix did something similar to Seattle’s light rail where they made the downtown core of the system grade separated. Seattle’s light rail is underground for downtown core and through its university district. I don’t know if the topography of Phoenix allows for tunneling, but fully grade separated, either underground or above ground through the Phoenix downtown, would make service a lot faster. That and priority lights/signaling at the at grade sections.
5500 people and multiple streetcar lines. This is the kind of shit that makes me furious when people say “oh, the U.S. is just too spread out” or “well, our cities just aren’t big enough for transit”. Then why didn’t work so well in the freaking 1880’s with waaaaay fewer people!?
The piece you're missing in all of this is Scottsdale. It's that Northeast hole in your rail map, and is where the rich people who don't want public transit all live.
I want to see a new Amtrak station for the Phoenix metro area with cross-platform transfers. Hope there is an easy way for Amtrak to enter the city without a problem.
A train could really compliment the existing light rail serving as an express. The rail corridor is almost parallel and transfer stations to light rail are in almost strategic locations in downtowns and the airport station.
It would be more effective off the surface, I feel the VM LR is more useful for local neighborhood movement but not necessarily from one side of the city to another as it takes forever being that it stop at every single stop and interacts with car traffic I wish they would have used subways instead or a commuter system using the freeways medians to avoid the surface streets and then use the LR as a complimentary service.
@@danielportillo9266 yes! But some cities like Gilbert don’t support it even though they already have developments like Verde at Cooley station designed around a potential station. It’s unfortunate the lack of support for it :/
I would love rapid transit from downtown Gilbert to downtown Phoenix, but Gilbert town council keeps saying no. I would love a faster commute where I can browse the Internet and relax instead of right traffic and use a bunch of gas
The name of this channel is "Climate and Transit" but you didn't talk about the Phoenix climate. I think it's like two months of 110+ degree days (and even 120 degree days) during the summer, and it's getting worse. The human body isn't designed for this, and is the reason why I don't live there and haven't visited in while. People could perish waiting for their trains in this heat.
People live and walk in hot cities like Phoenix and freezing cities like Nuuk Greenland. Our cities can adapt to our changing climate and if we want to mitigate our climate emergency we need to go multimodal. On top of this I talk heavily about how good Phoenix station design is to deal with hot summers.
@@highway2heaven91 if I had the place a bet on where the next Brightline west expansion after LA Union, it would be Phoenix. It just makes the most since
@@danielportillo9266 yup that's kind of what I was getting at in a positive way - in 20 years Valley Metro could start to look a lot more like the LA Metro, especially with the ambitious new expansion plans. I hope a Regional Rail system ends up getting built out for the region since it's so sprawling
@@himbourbanist Gotcha I would love to see a regional rail system here in Phoenix. I can't wait until the light rail has multiple lines and the new BRT system by the City of Phoenix.
It’s unfortunate Scottsdale city council refuses to do much, especially with them complaining about not getting much from Prop 400. I mean, they refuse a lot of projects that would warrant the money in the long run.
They should do what should always be done listen to the local residence and their concerns as it’s their decision it’s their city it’s their taxes no one else’s. Then maybe just maybe if they listen to resident concerns they can try to resolve them and then they can build it with the support of the community.
Great Video ! LA and California shut down rail and replaced the rail with a lane of Concrete ! A two-way transit line can carry the same traffic as an eight lane highway ! Power the light rail with clean GREEN Nuclear Power then the riders who park there cars and use the light rail can clean the air ! Does the light rail service the University who say they like being GREEN ! Connect the light rail with the High Speed Brightline rail system ! tjl
Downtown is dead because most a good number of the entertainment districts are scattered all over the valley. In places like Tempe, Mesa, even Glendale has some good spots.
Downtown is dead because a good number of entertainment districts are scattered all over the valley. In places like Tempe, Mesa, even Glendale has some good spots.
Phoenix needs way better land use around stations, because there's little reason to take transit in such a hot, sprawling mess. There are some promising transit oriented developments, but they never properly utilize the transit enactment area of stations - they're all low rise and have ample parking in all directions. I'd also love to see some sort of an express regional rail system developed in the future, as there are ample unutilized ROW's and the sprawl of greater Phoenix would greatly benefit from that kind of a service. Finally, I think Phoenix needs some sort of downtown transit hub, like Union Station, where the surrounding area is made to be dense, mixed use, walkable and bikeable. Also they should grade separate their light rail as much as possible in the future, as there is quite a bit of room for viaducts.
@@danielportillo9266 I'm probably biased because of my own city's TOD policy, but I can't help but notice almost no buildings over six stories adjacent to the LRT. In my city, we've enacted zoning laws for 20+ story towers within a quarter mile of every station, and 8+ story buildings within a mile of every station. Obviously, Phoenix probably doesn't need to go that far as there's lots of land, but having so many short buildings near stations seems like a lost opportunity. It's like 2-6 stories on prime transit oriented land. They can at least build some decent 12+ story buildings near stations.
New development is poor at creating destinations and place. At best its just soulless cheap apartment buildings designed by pro forma and that's the best we can get for 'TOD', barely a single decent ground floor retail space. New development is a fraction of what development was a century ago when things were well designed and built.
I-10 west expansion is a terrible plan as it straight up ignores Maryvale to serve... the freeway, I guess? It really should go through Thomas Road or Indian School Road as there are several schools and A community college that would benefit the residents west Phoenix massively
@@gascencio94 that one is not the official one technically, it's a proposed route that will need surveying and community input. As of now, the I-10 one is going to be the one to get approval if Indian School Rd is not accepted.
I do like the light rail and want to see it expand. I am however very disappointed in the overall valley metro transit system. I dislike the current system because of the buses, specifically because they run very slow. The buses run 30 minutes to an hour, often times the bus ride will take longer because of how bad we have a shortages on bus drivers. They often times arrive late when taking over as the new driver. Now having to Wait for thirty minutes would not be nearly as bad if we did not live in state/city that is very hot during the summer. The bus stops often have no shading, so you have to wait in the blistering heat for thirty minutes. Once you get on the bus, half the times the machine does not work so you can't get a bus pass. The phone scanner that allows you to pay using your phone works pretty well, but this does not accommodate riders with no access to a smart phone. My grand father uses a flip phone so this would not work for him. I do have hope. I think if the people who work on the transit system actually plan the system well the lives of many could be greatly improved. I look forward to the future and a better tomorrow.
Increasing bus frequencies would do wonders, imagine 10 min headways... Would vastly improve the usability of the entire system. The grid layout of Phoenix does work for transit even if the stroad street design, land use and weather doesnt.
@@Ponchoed There are 15 minutes headways on a couple routes in Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and Chandler. Also, TOD plans are currently happening or are being planned right now.
Apparently the Capitol extension part is only to the left of the vertical line. Everything to the right of it is part of the I-10 plan. So really it’s just two stops which is fine. vulcan-production.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/projects/downloads/capitol-extension-project-may-2024_presentation_5.18.24_for-website-capex-only.pdf
As a 60-year resident of Arizona Phoenix is the best example of how horrible car centric urban sprawl turns out. And too hot to walk outside 6 months a year anyway. Phoenix is built for the car not for people.
I voted no on prop 400 because I would have preferred more freeway transit. I do like trains but it isn't practical in a city like this. I think if most voters at the time knew that the average speed was going to be 15MPH and that the trains would also have to stop a red lights along with traffic it wouldn't have passed. That being said the people spoke and we have it now. I've used it for sporting events and getting to the airport from park and ride lots but would have much rather that funding have been used on more freeways and improvement projects.
@@danielportillo9266 Bla Bla Bla always the same reply to something that happened in the past with the support of the voting public to something you want imposed by fiat.
Should have build Vegas and Phoenix like Saudi Arabian style cities in the desert instead of hulking suburbs in the heat 😂 Could've done it with Native American Cliff houses too
truw its not the best but at least i can leave the airport and go from phx to mesa in no time for cheap too its like 1$ and they have an all day pass so its honestly better. i find it funny there concernd about aesthetics even though roads are hardly aesthetic even if they put pictures on them. if they dont wanna see the light rail maybe they should invest in a undergroumd subway system afterall its not like arizona has to worey about sea lvl or what ever plus ypu can have the subway lines conect to the light rail lines
It’s encouraging to see how much they’re investing in rail… but discouraging when you remember that’s it’s in an extremely hot and arid environment that should NOT have anywhere near that many residents in the region. Hopefully they abandon most of the metro area and return to help revitalize the Rust Belt soon. 😢
Were doing just fine here and only have about 3-4 months of hot temperatures and the rest of the year is climate haven for the most part, its much better than the cold depressing winters of the rustbelt and there are beautiful mountains here that surround us and even some that are right in the middle of the cities, not plains for hundreds of miles, and if we want to have snow in the winter all we have to do is drive 2 hours north to our beautiful mountains, so no one is gonna want to leave this region when the rust belt is way worse as well as ugly its up to the people that live in the rust belt to revitalize it, not us honey.
One thing we're struggling with in Phoenix is that the lights are set up to have predictive signaling for the light rail; however, the city of Phoenix refuses to activate them. Our light rail could be immensely quicker, but the city is choosing not to. The city is choosing not to prioritize the light.
Additionally, another challenge we face is the constant attack on our public transit from legislators and outside sources. Despite these attacks, we have managed to keep our transit system, which gives me hope that Phoenix residents are more supportive of transit than it might appear! Specifically one legislator Jake Hoffman wants to make intercity rail illegal in Phoenix, which would hurt our goal of Phoenix to Tucson.
Good news! I am on the VMAAG board at Valley Metro, and there is a study going to enable TSP for all Valley Metro vehicles across the board!
The only thing Jake Hoffman should worry about is his lawyers
Luckily the bill he proposed was stalled
@@TransitAndTeslasthat’s good to hear, but why wasn’t it enabled in the first place? Especially if the infrastructure is there already? Do we have a Katie Hochul in our state?
@@CJbrinkman602 It is enabled but it’s turned down. The software dates back to 2005, so it’s really just a time to upgrade more so than it not being enabled.
"Not aesthetically pleasing" Oh but yeah all the fucking Walmarts and their mile wide parking lots and stroads are just gorgeous ehh?
What's the ratio of non-blind and blind Arizona politicians?
There are so many points politicians can and should discuss when it comes to transit, such as noise emission, environmental protection, construction time, use of space, long-term cost, etc. But no, they choose the dumbest argument I've ever heard
The entire Phoenix metro area is not aestheticly pleasing. It's a bunch of disposable 1960s strip malls on stroads in a desert with barely any trees.
@@Ponchoed Not really there are more things to do now than before
I love the curb protected light rail tracks. Thats how at grade/street running tracks should be, not sharing a lane with car traffic!
Just gotta get some transit signal priority running on the line and that will make things even better
It's that way where light rail is running on the streets in Los Angeles. But the problem is the trains still need to cross streets/intersections in places. With how streets in Los Angeles get congested, train trips also are slow.
the main hurdle Phoenix has to overcome is a very pedestrian hostile walking environment in much of the city... it is not just the stroads, so many areas are just barren, with no shade and wide empty car-oriented spaces simply bad for walking...
and to those who tell me you cannot build a pedestrian friendly urban sprawl in the desert, I live in Israel, and there are urban areas in the desert here that are pretty spread out, and yet, where walking between neighborhoods still feels natural. OK, it might get somewhat industrial, & you avoid the hot parts of the day, but... with the open views, a late afternoon walk or a morning walk is rather nice, because there are pedestrian oriented walkways separate from the places where cars are.
I live in Phoenix and I use Valley Metro to get where I need or want to go!
We call 7th St and 7th Ave "Suicide Lanes". It's pure insanity during rush hour.
Had to make an (illegal?) left on 7th ave during rush hour delivering for amazon flex. Its absolute INSANITY especially since delivery routes will make you stick around the main road for a little while, so i ultimately had to make several more lefts off 7th
When I've HAD to go up there (Tucson) it looked more like...rush hours...Kleenex...you can have it
I seriously don't understand how people condone 7th St and 7th Ave. Even the most avid of car enthusiasts must see just how idiotic of a design it is.
I went to MacAlpines Soda Fountain and came across that drag strip unknowingly... WTF. Was literally a shooting range firing cars down the street. Traffic engineers have blood on their hands.
If Glendale gets regional rail then it should also get a streetcar line from Glendale Station to State Farm Stadium.
That would be awesome
That would be so awesome
That would be great! Especially with the pseudo entertainment district being built there with the addition of Andretti’s and VAI/Mattel Adventure Park.
This dude is a genius, the entertainment district is right there too so people commuting to and from work potentially have a cheaper travel method
how about a monorail that connect the topgolf state farm stadium, VA REsort, and the shopping center on Norther ave by the 101
Awesome video, Ethan! I love that you talked about the original Streetcar network (RIP :’() and the buses that feature the Tico mascot on them. Im excited most for the downtown hub / south Phoenix extension that will bring us two light rail lines (finally!). There are so many exciting projects planned, though, like the Mesa Streetcar Extension and the City’s first BRT line on Van Buren Street and 35th Avenue.
It has been crazy here in Phoenix to see the small wealthy groups launching all these campaigns against light rail. Thankfully most citizens see through the propaganda and have voted to continue improving light rail and other transit systems here, not just more roads. I have ridden the light rail a few times, it's pretty nice.
It would be nice to get more trains running to shorten the times when going a long distance on the light rail if that's possible, or some type of express line during rush hour. I don't know if that's been thought of or is even an option.
Yeah the NIMBYs will not control the City anymore we the voters want light rail. The light rail will also split into two lines next year.
This is an awesome video -- thank you for covering the amazing work being done in the Phoenix metro! I ride Light Rail and am sitting at my desk writing this and looking at a Light Rail station. The system is far from perfect, but it's really a great connector to key destinations (the airport, sport and recreation venues, restaurants and entertainment, and one of the nation's largest Universities). I cannot wait to see the network continue to build-out! ...also, loved seeing the cameo of Tico!! 😃
Tico FTW!
@@SarahSkitchKitchen yesssss!!!!
We love the light rail too! We're excited to see it expand and enable more walkable development like Culdesac Tempe :)
I like the light rail here it is so much easier to deal with when going to baseball games. What i would love to see is a tempe like street car line linking downtown Mesa to Chandler.
@7:29 Objections to public transit over aesthetic concerns are always hilarious because the alternatives are vast parking lots and massive roads, which of course are well known to be TRUE aesthetic beauties 🙄
In 2013, I had the chance to tour the Valley Metro maintenance facility and speak with some of the people there. There was generally an air of enthusiasm and momentum that I believe to be critical to the success of Valley Metro, and lots of excitement for the future. One interesting thing we discussed in depth (this was for a traffic engineer conference) were the roundabouts along the rail alignment that they had to figure out how to run light rail through. For example, see Main St/Horne in Mesa.
Thanks for the video! I am born and raised here in Phoenix, and can agree with all the points you made. The only time I've left is to go to college in NYC. I have dreams that one day AZ and Phoenix will have a state and regional rail network on par with states like NY and Pennsylvania. It would make our state a national force to be reckoned with.
i think Phoenix could use more giant iconic landmarks. the city is too easy to get lost in because most of the streets look alike !
wym. we have South Mountain, North Mountain, Piestewa Mountain. That's your South, Central, and North Phoenix lol.
@@RealRidersAlso, Superstitions, Camelback, etc. But he's not wrong.. although that's a problem with the whole country!
I visited Phoenix last year and as a hardcore native New Yorker I only got around with walking and public transportation. Not once did I use an Uber during my short stay there (4 days) I went hiking, to the zoo and visited a couple museums by bus/light rail. To be extremely fair I was staying in the heart of downtown near central avenue. Forgot the number of the bus but one brings you all the way south along central Ave by baseline road which is where I walked from to get to south mountain ⛰️ park to do my hiking. I heard they’re extending the light rail south along central Ave which would be dope ! I like their light rail system for a car centric city because it has a unique feature that our nyc subway system doesn’t have and that’s a 1 seat direct rail link from their airport to their
city center/downtown and it’s a quick ride ! Took me only about 15 minutes. Our subway system does not directly connect with the terminals at JFK airport and LGA airport is only connected via bus. Grant it it’s a small system but if it’s extended even more I can see hope for PHX in the future transportation wise. You can live there without a car but of course that’s if you work in downtown and live in downtown or extremely near it. They’re also gentrifying the downtown area and areas near it with those luxury high rise apt buildings (same thing going on here in Brooklyn,NY) and they’re expensive. Idk how people do it out there man with the rapidly high cost of living. Also took a bus East to the zoo which also allows access to trails in Pago Pago park where I also did some hiking. Hopefully they can have a light rail line built to service that area directly as well.
@@BK_718 Thanks for visiting Phoenix. The bus you took was Bus 0A.
@@danielportillo9266 I believe so yes 🙌🏼😄
@@BK_718 :)
@@danielportillo9266 wow... that's a weird numbering system to have that kind of a bus designation!!!!
@@stanislavkostarnov2157 Yeah there's Bus 0 and 0A one goes North and one goes South
Aesthetics is a really dumb argument to oppose a transit project.
Welcome to Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, AZ
Nooo. Cause GOLD AND GREEN OR Greyb. and brown, or yellow or blehh or mehb
Well Phoenix might be late to the party but Vegas hasn’t even gotten off the couch to get ready to leave for the party yet.
WHAT I'M AT THE PARTY IT'S BY THE SLOTS DUHH
Watched this one on Patreon. I love your Phoenix coverage, as most transit UA-camrs seem to skip over our city! I am glad you cover it, so people know we DO have trains out here!
There are also plans to expand the Tempe Street Car to Sloan Park in Mesa and then south on to Dobson. They are planning on stopping the line at the Dobson/Main light rail station, but it would be nice if they brought it a couple miles further south to Mesa Community College/Banner Desert Medical Center
I agree that would be a critical place to connect
Good, I'm a big streetcar fan but I rode it several times and was the only one on it and was thinking "what's the point" given how much overlaps with light rail
There should also be high-speed rail between Phoenix, Tucson and LA
Regular Speed Rail first
@@IndustrialParrot2816 What is regular speed?
@@RailMan102_Productions 80 mph
@@IndustrialParrot2816 let me ask you this. Should they be running on their own dedicated line or riding onfreight tracks?
too soon for high speed rail, lets get the Amtrak train like you see in the San Juaquin that does top speed of 79 between Phoenix and Nogalas AZ. with stop in Chandler, Casa Grand, Tucson, Sahuarita, and then Nogalas.
I went to high school in Tolleson and lived in Avondale AZ, in the heart of the west valley, for 8 years. The west valley needs transit VERY BADLY. Regional rail connecting Desert Sky to DTPHX would be absolutely massive. Running along I-10 really isn’t that much of an issue considering the main arterial streets thru the west valley feel like 8-one freeways of their own anyway. It’s truly miles better than what exists now; buses that are often late, run every 30+ minutes and stop running in the evenings. This would change the game!
Exactly I can't wait to see it especially because I live in the Westside of Phoenix
Very exciting! I had no idea Phoenix was so progressive on transit. There is always inertia and retrograde forces to be overcome, but it looks like rail transit in Phoenix is winning.
As someone living in the Tucson area visiting Phoenix is always exiting seeing how their transit systems are being built out. It's very different compared to Tucson which has been trapped in dated car culture and urban sprawl since the 1970s.
As a visitor to Tucson seems everything I'd want to see, do, eat is along the streetcar. Everything else there seems like mind-numbing sprawl.
I go to ASU and I use the light rail to go to downtown phoenix pretty often. One issue though is that countless times the line stops running a good hour before it says it does (which is already pretty early compared to other cities ive been to). This makes it hard to use it to go to concerts or other things that typically end late. The Tempe streetcar is such a gem and I use it all the time but with about 20 minutes between each car, and the fact that it still a generally pretty sprawled out area, it often is faster to just drive
This is an important thing to tell our leaders that we want transit to run more later
Ha ha
Two things to add. A light-rail or commuter should go to State Farm stadium but some years ago the Glendale city council opposed the light tail going through their town.
There should also be a commuter line connecting Phoenix to Tucson coming out of the Amtrack station in downtown Phoenix. However, this is just another transit dream as it's in the endless study loop.
You forgot to talk about the new proposed extension that was approved back in May by the city council. The Indian School extension would take light rail all the way down to 75th ave turn south to Thomas and connect to the Desert Sky transit center. So the west valley is looking at 2 light rail lines! On top of that the area of Grand/Indian School/35th ave is getting a completely new layout to make it safer.
Not to mention a new BRT line in 35th Ave that would ultimately connect the new northwest extension to downtown plus potentially the new Indian School route. Valley Metro and PHS Streets are definitely making strides and building excitement but they've got a steep hill to climb.
It is only study yet... right? Nothing concrete has happened yet
Whenever I go to DTPHX for myself, I often take the light rail. I park at Brown and Main and hop on the train. Never a problem for me.
This reminds me that 1. my sister lives here, 2. I have hope that you will do a Rocky Mountain city tier list after you did all the other regions, and 3. Phoenix is about on par with San Diego and Albuquerque, above Las Vegas and Houston and below Dallas in terms of combined walk/transit/bike scores. I would put Phoenix in the C tier.
Yeah, it's still practically dystopian in some areas, and in some ways as a certain cartoon said, should NOT exist ("it is a monument to man's arrogance!")... but like Los Angeles one cannot say they are not trying to make some effort to move away from their car-centric past, difficult as it may be, with the light rail being a sign of this progress.
Some seriously cool developments, very needed in such a hot city!
There are many great things happening in Phoenix! We just built the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S. off the light rail in Tempe :)
Connecting the Airport to all of the stadiums/arenas, colleges and tourist destinations in the Phoenix area
If anyone wants to see the benefits aestheticly among other actually important things such as business development; check out street view in Mesa where the light rail is versus what was there, and what still is after the end of the line.
The extension I'm most excited about is the I-10 West Extension because I live close to one of the future stations. Also there are TOD Workshops currently happening this year. Also the Phoenix BRT will be the first BRT line in Phoenix.
I live in Phoenix, not too far from the light rail station at 19th Ave and Dunlap. I like the light rail. I'm happy they built it. I ride it occasionally, but my biggest complaint is that its just too slow. There are too many stops. About one every mile or so, and it seems as if a lot of the stops are not heavily used at all. It takes me 45+ minutes to get to the airport, 60+ minutes to get to Tempe. Maybe we need an express train!
This is a good thing to tell our leaders that we want the light rail to run more faster
Great video covering the existing and future projects of Phoenix’s public transportation! Another project is the bus rapid transit route that will be on 35th Ave in west Phoenix proper. It’s meant to connect the light rail from Van Buren St to the Metro Center Station.
I live in northwest suburbs and I use the metro to go downtown for baseball games and concerts. It's pleasant, fairly quick and cheaper than parking
Not the Suburbs any more.. Nor are you north west.. I think ye hast been eaten but More homes
@AMPProf I live in Glendale (nw of Phoenix) I drive to camelback and 19th to catch the metro.
You’re way more positive than I on Phoenix. Did Phoenix ever propose true heavy rail subway?
The 1988 Valtrans proposal was basically that, elevated rapid transit, plus a regional rail line. Got shot down by the voters. To think what could have been😢
@@CJbrinkman602The late 20th century wasn’t a good era for transit.
@@highway2heaven91 nope, besides Great Society transportation funding other than road was bleak
I actually looked at this. The light rail is somewhat following that plan@@CJbrinkman602
I grew up in Phoenix and escaped to Flagstaff. What is not addressed is how unlivable Phoenix heat is. I just went to the Harris Rally in the Phoenix area, and I was reminded of how horrible the heat is. I will do damn near anything to avoid walking in the heat, and so I can't imagine taking transit, unless it deposits me within a half block of my destinations.
The City of Phoenix is working on that by adding more trees.
Summers sucks, but the rest of the year is great. You outta know this.
Phoenix native here, 25 + years under my belt! You non natives think that "not asthetic enough" is a stupid reason for pushing back against public transportation that would reduce traffic & benefit thousands? Well you should see how those politicians vote on spending our preciouse diminishing water! I swear, there is so much corruption & ass backwards voting here. Its very frustrating when alot of the opposition is steep in classism & racism
The West expansion would be great for me I literally lived next to desert sky mall and also work in downtown this would be so convenient
Same I live in the Southside of Maryvale and I can't wait until it opens
I live in peoria. The only time I take light rail is when I am going to sky harbor. Get dropped off at metrocenter, and take it the rest of the way .
I see a line to arrowhead mall as really useful. Go from Metrocenter, to 43rd, down to tbird, and hit ASU West, and the hospital there, then go to 59th then go to bell and then down to arrowhead, I think that would be a very useful line.
Another line I see as something to help with major events would be to go to westgate, so if there is an even in downtown phoenix people could park at westgate and go to the event, and when there is a game at westgate they could park downtown and travel to westgate. During events they would run many many extra trains, as many as one every 2 minutes or so.
They could also make the station at the airport bigger and make line that starts there and goes to scottsdale fashion square and then up scottsdale rd to the 101 or so. Another very useful line.
So you take a car about halfway to the airport.
Glendale city voted not to connect Westgate to light rail... which is absolute stupidity to me
Ohh wow i just rewatched your video on the northwest extension opening 2 days ago😂😂😂😂😂
I've ridden the system from Downtown Mesa to just north of Downtown Phoenix. It is alright, but pretty underwhelming, especially considering the size of the city. Walkability and connections are really poor outside of Tempe and Downtown Phoenix. VM didn't have tap to pay until just earlier this year. The mostly street running nature of the system limits traveling speeds to 35mph which seems slow considering the sprawl. It's definitely better than nothing, but probably shouldn't be a model for other cities. Props to the airport connection though, that is way better than most US cities.
It should be a model for smaller mid-sized cities, not one of the largest cities in the US.
I lived in Tucson 2006-2017, but was frequently in Phoenix. Has the best highway network in the country, and if light rail and proposed regional rail is built out, Phoenix would be up there with top US cities when it comes to its entire network. Still too hot IMO 🌵
Great video - that Montreal Expressway appears in other urbanist videos btw.
Agree about the need for regional rail to complement light rail given the insane distances of the region. I visited Phoenix and used transit to get around but had to make one trip by Lyft when i was out at Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, took transit there but took a Lyft back downtown... would have been 1 hr 30min vs 20 min Lyft. Its deep in sprawl but the same applies if you are in suburban downtowns of Mesa and Gilbert.
Exactly hopefully we get a Regional Rail/Commuter Rail in the future and light rail gets signal priority.
They just need to keep extending the lightrail and add more as many lines as possible. It would be nice if the lightrail went to Downtown Chandler and Gilbert as well. Eventually it should also go near Westgate in Glendale.
Gonna need expresses if they keep extending the existing lines
Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale and a few others don't seem interested in light rail at all... they would do anything to be not connected by light rail
All these planned extensions for light rail and hopefully regional rail is exciting. There will just be greater hurdles for rail project funding due to the amendments made in Prop 400e that is on the ballot in November. The update Prop 400e that will likely pass excludes all public transit funding from that tax to go to rail projects. I think it is still possible to get funding we will just have find new ways of funding them. The one positive in it is that more funding is available for the Bus Rapid Transit lines that they plan to build in the coming years.
Valley Metro can fund the projects with federal funds and City funds also.
@@danielportillo9266 Yeah not saying it's not possible to fund it. Just will be harder with out MAG's support.
@@ethanduncan157 The FTA could help us with grants.
They need to eventually expand it as far west as they have east, with it reaching some of the fastest growing cities in the entire NATION, like Goodyear, Surprise and Buckeye (which was recently the #1 fastest growing U.S. city)!
nOO GOOD YEAR IS IMAGINARY FANTASY
The Valley Metro bus coverage is massive. It’s not great and is definitely spotty but I can’t help but be quite surprised and happy that we have bus service so far out in the suburbs. It can’t be cheap.
We definitely need commuter rail our city is too big for only light rail also elevate the light rail so that it can move across the city more efficiently no street lights cars etc great video I use valley metro daily and been riding public transportation my whole life all across the country
Infra in the US is crazy expensive... cost per mile goes over 250 mil
I love valley light rail all we need is free wifi
We love the light rail too!
The Capitol Extension now has different alignments due to the fact that the Capitol doesn’t want light rail to be right at it. My opinion is I want it along the Van Buren alignment since it’d serve the Asian Arts Center, help withe the redevelopment projects along that street, and also provide better connections to that end of Grand Ave which has many local businesses that deserve better transit near them
For the I-10 West extension luckily only 1 station will be in the median the rest will be on the northern side of the highway, not that much better but it definitely improves access. Looking at the files for the project too now further down the road the stations will be heavily engineered for countering the highway’s noise and general pollution so I’m excited to see how it turns out. Gone are the days where we build lines like the LA C/Green Line these stations will actually have some thought put into them
But yeah those are just some notes I had with your video. Still a great video overall and thank you for continued positive feedback for Phoenix!
I can't wait for both of them! Van Buren will be a good option because of the future BRT line. I live in Maryvale and I'm excited for the I-10 West Extension.
So nice I had to watch it thrice 👌
There is an effort to bring Amtrak service into downtown Phoenix, so folks don’t have to go out to Maricopa for it.
Another example of a city jettisoning something important, and decades later realizing that restoring it at great expense is just what is needed to solve the problem they created.
That effort has been going on since 1998. So in 30 years from now you will still be going to Maricopa for it.
Why can’t Union Station be cleaned up and reopened for light rail operations including Amtrak. Has anyone visited Denver lately and seen what’s happened to downtown Denver as a result of utilizing their original railroad station, namely Union Station. Phoenix should do the same thing. Make Union Station the hub of Phoenix transportation.
Hopefully soon the train to Tucson can use it and yes to a Denver Union Station inspired reactivation of the station
High speed rail from Tucson to Phoenix, then split for Vegas, LA, and East to Texas
One idea I have is making a commuter train from Avondale through downtown phoenix below the airport to Tempe for Tempe I suggest an underground station like the metro stations in dc. where the light rail connects to commuter rail then down to mesa and making a turn and ending in Gilbert or Chandler this way you won’t have to be sitting in traffic for an hour instead the trip would take 30 to 45 minutes
That would be awesome I would like to see it happen
I lived in Phoenix for a few months without a car, and the light rail was my primary way of getting around. I had to use a bike for my last mile connections, though. Still wish that Phoenix did something similar to Seattle’s light rail where they made the downtown core of the system grade separated. Seattle’s light rail is underground for downtown core and through its university district. I don’t know if the topography of Phoenix allows for tunneling, but fully grade separated, either underground or above ground through the Phoenix downtown, would make service a lot faster. That and priority lights/signaling at the at grade sections.
Very good video
5500 people and multiple streetcar lines. This is the kind of shit that makes me furious when people say “oh, the U.S. is just too spread out” or “well,
our cities just aren’t big enough for transit”. Then why didn’t work so well in the freaking 1880’s with waaaaay fewer people!?
I just wish the west valley can get this type of transport,
The piece you're missing in all of this is Scottsdale. It's that Northeast hole in your rail map, and is where the rich people who don't want public transit all live.
Yep... it is these people that not only want light rail but derail other cities too
Then that means you don’t need to build a line to there.
It would be super great if the light rail would connect with Tucson...
The way you say Maricopa is so different.
It would be a better experience if the light rail wasn't full of transient and unstable people all the time
There are more security guards now
great video!
Thanks!
7:00 -- 15th Avenue, rather than 15tn Street
I want to see a new Amtrak station for the Phoenix metro area with cross-platform transfers. Hope there is an easy way for Amtrak to enter the city without a problem.
A train could really compliment the existing light rail serving as an express. The rail corridor is almost parallel and transfer stations to light rail are in almost strategic locations in downtowns and the airport station.
Great video. Public transpo in phx is so ridiculous it has to be a joke.
It's going to get better with BRT and Commuter Rail
It would be more effective off the surface, I feel the VM LR is more useful for local neighborhood movement but not necessarily from one side of the city to another as it takes forever being that it stop at every single stop and interacts with car traffic
I wish they would have used subways instead or a commuter system using the freeways medians to avoid the surface streets and then use the LR as a complimentary service.
ADOT is currently working on a commuter rail study.
@@danielportillo9266 yes! But some cities like Gilbert don’t support it even though they already have developments like Verde at Cooley station designed around a potential station. It’s unfortunate the lack of support for it :/
@@geodavras If they don't want it that's there decision they will get stuck behind while other cities and towns improve.
@@danielportillo9266 I hope you’re right and we get commuter rail asap 😭
@@geodavras Yeah same imagine the ease of traveling from Downtown to different parts of the region.
I would love rapid transit from downtown Gilbert to downtown Phoenix, but Gilbert town council keeps saying no. I would love a faster commute where I can browse the Internet and relax instead of right traffic and use a bunch of gas
I’d love to visit Phoenix and their light rail real soon, plus Tempe for Arizona Mills
If you're looking for walkable places, come visit Culdesac Tempe! We have a café, a Northern Mexican restaurant, Busan Mart, and much more.
The name of this channel is "Climate and Transit" but you didn't talk about the Phoenix climate. I think it's like two months of 110+ degree days (and even 120 degree days) during the summer, and it's getting worse. The human body isn't designed for this, and is the reason why I don't live there and haven't visited in while. People could perish waiting for their trains in this heat.
People live and walk in hot cities like Phoenix and freezing cities like Nuuk Greenland. Our cities can adapt to our changing climate and if we want to mitigate our climate emergency we need to go multimodal. On top of this I talk heavily about how good Phoenix station design is to deal with hot summers.
I forget the name of the city councilman years ago who aptly called the main roads in Phoenix "sewers for cars." Somebody help me out.
If Brightline becomes more successful, we could see more lines connecting to Phoenix from LA and LV!
@@highway2heaven91 if I had the place a bet on where the next Brightline west expansion after LA Union, it would be Phoenix. It just makes the most since
That will happen before the Phoenix to Tucson line will be built.
NO WE WILL SE PRESCOTT VALLEY AREA.. Cause it has watter and phoenix about to crash
this seems like Valley Metro is something like ~20 years behind the LA Metro. I think the future looks bright for this system and the city as a whole
Yes because Valley Metro started later than LA Metro. I'm excited for the future extensions.
@@danielportillo9266 yup that's kind of what I was getting at in a positive way - in 20 years Valley Metro could start to look a lot more like the LA Metro, especially with the ambitious new expansion plans. I hope a Regional Rail system ends up getting built out for the region since it's so sprawling
@@himbourbanist Gotcha I would love to see a regional rail system here in Phoenix. I can't wait until the light rail has multiple lines and the new BRT system by the City of Phoenix.
Yeah I don't see any of this ever coming up to the NW Valley, unfortunately
at 1:05 you wrote 1983 instead of 1893, just wanted to let you know!
I wish there should be rail in Scottsdale.
It’s unfortunate Scottsdale city council refuses to do much, especially with them complaining about not getting much from Prop 400. I mean, they refuse a lot of projects that would warrant the money in the long run.
Noo
They should do what should always be done listen to the local residence and their concerns as it’s their decision it’s their city it’s their taxes no one else’s. Then maybe just maybe if they listen to resident concerns they can try to resolve them and then they can build it with the support of the community.
Great Video ! LA and California shut down rail and replaced the rail with a lane of Concrete ! A two-way transit line can carry the same traffic as an eight lane highway ! Power the light rail with clean GREEN Nuclear Power then the riders who park there cars and use the light rail can clean the air ! Does the light rail service the University who say they like being GREEN ! Connect the light rail with the High Speed Brightline rail system ! tjl
I loved the weather in phoenix but its essentially one giant sprawling suburb with a dead downtown i could never live there
You LIKE 115 degree weather?!
@@Anant-ik2lw with no humidity? Sure
Downtown is dead because most a good number of the entertainment districts are scattered all over the valley. In places like Tempe, Mesa, even Glendale has some good spots.
Downtown is dead because a good number of entertainment districts are scattered all over the valley. In places like Tempe, Mesa, even Glendale has some good spots.
Phoenix needs way better land use around stations, because there's little reason to take transit in such a hot, sprawling mess. There are some promising transit oriented developments, but they never properly utilize the transit enactment area of stations - they're all low rise and have ample parking in all directions. I'd also love to see some sort of an express regional rail system developed in the future, as there are ample unutilized ROW's and the sprawl of greater Phoenix would greatly benefit from that kind of a service. Finally, I think Phoenix needs some sort of downtown transit hub, like Union Station, where the surrounding area is made to be dense, mixed use, walkable and bikeable. Also they should grade separate their light rail as much as possible in the future, as there is quite a bit of room for viaducts.
Yeah Phoenix is currently working on TOD around the stations around different parts of Phoenix.
@@danielportillo9266 I'm probably biased because of my own city's TOD policy, but I can't help but notice almost no buildings over six stories adjacent to the LRT. In my city, we've enacted zoning laws for 20+ story towers within a quarter mile of every station, and 8+ story buildings within a mile of every station. Obviously, Phoenix probably doesn't need to go that far as there's lots of land, but having so many short buildings near stations seems like a lost opportunity. It's like 2-6 stories on prime transit oriented land. They can at least build some decent 12+ story buildings near stations.
@@RoboJules Yes that's the plan around Central Station
New development is poor at creating destinations and place. At best its just soulless cheap apartment buildings designed by pro forma and that's the best we can get for 'TOD', barely a single decent ground floor retail space. New development is a fraction of what development was a century ago when things were well designed and built.
@@Ponchoed It's getting better though it will take time to work.
Get rid of the suicide lanes and we’re golden!!!
Speed and throughput is the only thing that matters to traffic engineers, that profession has blood on its hands
I-10 west expansion is a terrible plan as it straight up ignores Maryvale to serve... the freeway, I guess? It really should go through Thomas Road or Indian School Road as there are several schools and A community college that would benefit the residents west Phoenix massively
The official blueprints run trough Indian school road
@@gascencio94 that one is not the official one technically, it's a proposed route that will need surveying and community input. As of now, the I-10 one is going to be the one to get approval if Indian School Rd is not accepted.
I do like the light rail and want to see it expand. I am however very disappointed in the overall valley metro transit system.
I dislike the current system because of the buses, specifically because they run very slow. The buses run 30 minutes to an hour, often times the bus ride will take longer because of how bad we have a shortages on bus drivers. They often times arrive late when taking over as the new driver. Now having to Wait for thirty minutes would not be nearly as bad if we did not live in state/city that is very hot during the summer. The bus stops often have no shading, so you have to wait in the blistering heat for thirty minutes.
Once you get on the bus, half the times the machine does not work so you can't get a bus pass. The phone scanner that allows you to pay using your phone works pretty well, but this does not accommodate riders with no access to a smart phone. My grand father uses a flip phone so this would not work for him.
I do have hope. I think if the people who work on the transit system actually plan the system well the lives of many could be greatly improved. I look forward to the future and a better tomorrow.
Valley Metro is replacing the old fareboxes. Also you can help your Grandpa apply for a Reduced Fare Copper Card online.
Increasing bus frequencies would do wonders, imagine 10 min headways... Would vastly improve the usability of the entire system. The grid layout of Phoenix does work for transit even if the stroad street design, land use and weather doesnt.
@@Ponchoed There are 15 minutes headways on a couple routes in Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and Chandler. Also, TOD plans are currently happening or are being planned right now.
7:00 for a 3/4 mile extension, that is a lot of stops
Apparently the Capitol extension part is only to the left of the vertical line. Everything to the right of it is part of the I-10 plan.
So really it’s just two stops which is fine.
vulcan-production.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/projects/downloads/capitol-extension-project-may-2024_presentation_5.18.24_for-website-capex-only.pdf
The link I have in the comment above also shows they’re moving the light rail to be several blocks away from the Capitol now! 🤦♂️
@@pizzajonaYeah because the Republicans didn't want the light to go to the Capitol.
1:58 Why is the map missing Loop 202 around South Mountain to I-10?
That's imaginary.. It's so hot You only thinkingg it's real.. But noo
As a 60-year resident of Arizona Phoenix is the best example of how horrible car centric urban sprawl turns out.
And too hot to walk outside 6 months a year anyway.
Phoenix is built for the car not for people.
I voted no on prop 400 because I would have preferred more freeway transit. I do like trains but it isn't practical in a city like this. I think if most voters at the time knew that the average speed was going to be 15MPH and that the trains would also have to stop a red lights along with traffic it wouldn't have passed. That being said the people spoke and we have it now. I've used it for sporting events and getting to the airport from park and ride lots but would have much rather that funding have been used on more freeways and improvement projects.
Future extensions will run along the freeway.
Its all great fun as long as there is other peoples money to spend.
That's so like freeway spending as well we need to move across the city
@@danielportillo9266 Bla Bla Bla always the same reply to something that happened in the past with the support of the voting public to something you want imposed by fiat.
Could never hear phoenix and transit in the same sentence this is crazy
Should have build Vegas and Phoenix like Saudi Arabian style cities in the desert instead of hulking suburbs in the heat 😂
Could've done it with Native American Cliff houses too
truw its not the best but at least i can leave the airport and go from phx to mesa in no time for cheap too its like 1$ and they have an all day pass so its honestly better. i find it funny there concernd about aesthetics even though roads are hardly aesthetic even if they put pictures on them. if they dont wanna see the light rail maybe they should invest in a undergroumd subway system afterall its not like arizona has to worey about sea lvl or what ever plus ypu can have the subway lines conect to the light rail lines
Phoenix transit Would've been way cooler if they built elevated metro system
Got a bit of a typo there at 1:05 lol.
Phoenix = Los Angeles in a more unforgiving climate and environment. They need not just light rail tramways and regional rail but also subways!
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It’s encouraging to see how much they’re investing in rail… but discouraging when you remember that’s it’s in an extremely hot and arid environment that should NOT have anywhere near that many residents in the region. Hopefully they abandon most of the metro area and return to help revitalize the Rust Belt soon. 😢
Were doing just fine here and only have about 3-4 months of hot temperatures and the rest of the year is climate haven for the most part, its much better than the cold depressing winters of the rustbelt and there are beautiful mountains here that surround us and even some that are right in the middle of the cities, not plains for hundreds of miles, and if we want to have snow in the winter all we have to do is drive 2 hours north to our beautiful mountains, so no one is gonna want to leave this region when the rust belt is way worse as well as ugly its up to the people that live in the rust belt to revitalize it, not us honey.
@@annedebratto2361 your grandparents are rolling in their graves honey 🙄