Tales from the Phoenix light rail
The city of Phoenix recently completed a 5.5-mile extension of the Valley Metro light rail, connecting South Phoenix to Downtown Phoenix. The city can now brag about having a “two-line system” where the A line goes east/west and the B line goes north/south. Previously, the rail line was an L-shaped system that connected North Phoenix to Downtown Phoenix to the East Valley.
I live in South Phoenix, so I was excited for this project to be finished. Yes, I was looking forward to riding the light rail. But mostly I was ready for the construction to be over.
In 2019, some businesses along South Central Avenue put up a fight to stop the light rail construction before it started. The businesses didn’t want their street to be torn up for years. The measure that got on the ballot, however, was a proposal to stop all light rail extension projects across the Valley. The proposal was soundly defeated by Phoenix voters.
And so the construction happened. Five years and $1.3 billion later, the project is finished.
The promise of the South Central Extension is one of revitalization. Historically, South Phoenix was divided from Central Phoenix, both geographically by the Salt River and demographically by race and socio-economic status. The rail connection holds a symbolic importance, one of unity, even as it also represents the new problem of gentrification.
I am generally skeptical of the need for light rail in Phoenix. Our rail system runs on the street level next to regular traffic, which makes it slower than a subway or elevated system. Also, our streets are organized as a neat grid. A good bus system would be adequate for us.
Still, the light rail is useful sometimes. There is a park-and-ride lot in South Phoenix that allows drivers to save money on parking when going downtown to eat or watch a ball game.
You can find the light rail schedule on the Valley Metro App. If you type in your destination, it will tell you the best routes and departure times to get there.
This is the sad part of the story, at least for me.
When I open my Valley Metro App and enter a downtown destination, the light rail schedule doesn't even show up.
That’s because, from where I live, less than two miles away from a light rail station, my fastest route downtown is the same as it was before.
My fastest route is to take the bus.
The light rail extension has been operating for about three months now.
The businesses along Central Avenue were understandably concerned about the construction of the light rail. What do they think now that the project is complete?
Fox 10 News interviewed several business owners to get their perspective. The business owners said they are still losing customers:
The biggest change some of these business owners noted is the inability to make a turn across Central Avenue. If customers want to go to any businesses on the left-hand side of Central, they have to drive down to a place where they can turn around. Business owners say it eliminates a sizable portion of their customers.
The owners of a plant nursery, who have been in the same location for 16 years, are worried they will go out of business. One of the owners said, “Who's going to buy a tree and take it on the light rail? Nobody.”
The Fox 10 report is a snapshot view from a handful of business owners. Time will tell what the full impact will be.
Most likely, there will be a disruption where some businesses will close and others will move in and try to take advantage of the new traffic patterns.
One example of this disruption: Azukar Coffee was an iconic South Phoenix coffee shop that closed after the one-two punch of Covid and light rail construction.
There is a new coffee shop opening up in the old Azukar building that has been vacant for years. The grand opening is October 1.
I have taken three rides on the new light rail extension. Two times for dinner and once to attend a Diamondbacks game.
My first ride was almost the last. Before I describe it, I should say that the other two were perfectly fine.
Ride 1: The train was late to arrive, and several would-be passengers walked away instead of waiting any longer. The delay was announced on social media and the Valley Metro App, but the expected arrival times are not shown on the digital screens at the stations. Once aboard, there was a visibly intoxicated passenger sprawled out across two seats. Soon after departure, the intoxicated man began an argument with another passenger that almost escalated into a physical fight. On the ride home, the passenger car smelled strongly of marijuana. On neither trip did I see any security on board the train cars.
Because I was planning to write about the light rail, I rode again for comparison. And I was pleasantly surprised.
Rides 2 & 3: On subsequent trips, I encountered no problems at all. The trains were on time. The cars were clean. No drama. There were security officers visible on the platforms and even on the passenger cars. I saw families wearing jerseys on the way to a ball game. I saw people wearing work clothes scrolling on their phones.
When I left the Diamondbacks game, the Phoenix Mercury fans were leaving at the same time. The A line passes directly in front of the ballpark and the arena. There were crowds of fans waiting to board at the A line stations. There weren’t as many people at the B line station down the road, but still, the rail car was almost halfway filled at about 9:00 pm.
While there are more light rail extensions in the works, I can’t help thinking about a different future of transportation: the dawn of self-driving taxis.
I haven’t yet traveled in a self-driving taxi. My natural instinct is to be wary of new technologies, and I don’t like how the doors lock automatically. I am less worried about a wreck than I am of getting stuck in a parking lot.
However, I am growing more comfortable with the idea of self-driving cars. I think I am ready for them to take over the roads. I’m glad that Phoenix is a city of innovation.
In a world of self-driving cars, the light rail system might become more useful, not less.
The reason why the Valley Metro App tells me to take the bus downtown is because the bus stop is closer to my house than the light rail station.
This is a classic example of the “last-mile problem” that is common with transit systems. Unless you live within walking distance from a station, you are going to need another form of transportation to get there.
If the fares of self-driving taxis are low because they’re everywhere, more people will use them to solve the last-mile problem.
Phoenix doesn’t have a stellar public transportation system. Anyone who can afford a car is going to buy one to get around. The light rail system is more of an adornment than a critical piece of the transit puzzle.
As we trek into the future, self-driving technology is a potential game changer. If anything is going to cause Valley residents to give up their cars, it’s going to be robots.
In a place like Phoenix (and the Valley), fixed rail has never made practical or economic sense, especially as implemented here.
The only possible exception would be the extension between Tempe and downtown, because it connects the two ASU campuses - but, even on that, I have heard there are significant public health and safety issues, especially as the light rail authority apparently hands out free tickets while not providing adequate security). By contrast, I am reading that not only will Robo taxis be ubiquitous soon (as Waymo already is in my area of Phoenix and throughout the east Valley) but there are already prototypes for Robo mini buses that can be deployed where and as and when needed.