Mass transit plans could help Ahwatukee Foothills

For years it was assumed that the Valley of the Sun was a giant auto-zone, with one driver motoring in one vehicle on some of the widest surface streets in the nation, or on the newly expanded freeway system.

Mass transit was considered a giant boondoggle: a waste of public money that could better be used to fund more freeway miles.

• Read Part 2 of the AFN's series on transportation: Fuel prices push drivers to rethink how they get around

But then came $4-a-gallon gasoline and, suddenly, mass transit is looking pretty good.

On Tuesday night more than 50 people came out to the Tempe Public Library to find out the status of high capacity transit improvements in south Tempe and Chandler that could help Ahwatukee Foothills commuters get to and from work without relying on the ubiquitous automobile.

South Tempe/Chandler study zone

Roughly $90 million has been earmarked from the 2004 voter-approved Proposition 400 to build a mass transit system that would connect in Tempe with the 20-mile light rail line running from Mesa, through Tempe and into Phoenix.

Called the Tempe South Study area, it is bordered by the Union Pacific Railroad tracks that run north and south just east of Interstate 10 and the Loop 101, from roughly Chandler Boulevard north to the Salt River. The area already carries a large amount of traffic to downtown Tempe and Arizona State University.

By 2030 it's projected that 51,000 Ahwatukee Foothills residents will be commuting to Tempe each day with 25,000 Tempe residents coming into Ahwatukee Foothills to work or play.

Creating a high capacity mass transit system in the study area would provide local residents with a fast way to connect with the light rail system or to reach downtown Tempe and the Arizona State University campus. It would also eliminate vehicles clogging surface streets and freeways, as well as saving consumers money. But it won't be easy.

"Rural Road is where the demand is," said Marc Soronson, the corridor planning manager. He also admitted that Rural Road, and all the urban areas, have space problems when it comes to adding high-capacity mass transit to existing streets.

Mass transit options

Metro Light Rail is looking at three possibilities when it comes to establishing a high capacity system to link up with downtown Tempe and the light rail system, each with park-and-ride lots to allow commuters to leave their cars all day in a secure parking facility when using the mass transit.

- Bus Rapid Transit: Similar to Phoenix's Rapid, the specially designed buses can carry 1,000 passengers an hour and would be the easiest system to implement and expand or modify based upon demand. Planners are looking at several possible routes, including along the Union Pacific line from Chandler Boulevard to downtown Tempe, along Kyrene Road to Mill Avenue, and from around Kyrene Road and the Loop 202 to Rural Road and north to downtown Tempe.

To help speed the buses along surface streets long bus pullouts would be built at intersections so the buses wouldn't get hung up in traffic and intersections during rush hour.

- Light rail or streetcars: Light rail or modern streetcars are also options for Mill Avenue or Rural Road from roughly Baseline Road north to downtown. They can carry more people than a bus, but operate along a fixed route with overhead power lines, which would reduce flexibility as commuter demands change.

The light rail would carry 5,000 people an hour with limited stops on tracks separated from existing traffic. The modern streetcar would operate on the street with traffic, carrying 1,300 people an hour and operate more like a bus.

- Commuter Rail: The final option is for a heavy commuter rail route along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks from around Chandler Boulevard north to downtown Tempe. It could carry 2,000 passengers an hour with limited stops at park and ride lots at Elliot Road and South Avenue.

Soronson said that the goal is to have the system up and running by 2015, with a route and transit system selected by the end of this year.

For more information visit www.metrolightrail.org.

Contact writer: (480) 898-7914 or dmurphy@ahwatukee.com.

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series on how commuters and planners are dealing with the rising cost of fuel. Other stories will focus on alternatives to the automobile, mass transit options, including those planned for the future and how to get the absolute best mileage from a vehicle.