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Councilman Greg Stanton's
Arcadia News Column
January 2001
Happy New Year and here’s to a happy, healthy 2001!
Improving our streets and public transit are key priorities for our community. In March, Phoenix residents approved the Transit 2000 initiative, providing for improved bus service, expanded Dial-A-Ride hours, additional bus pullouts, development of a light rail rapid transit system and much more. Already, significant progress has occurred with many more improvements to come in the near future.
One of the most immediate benefits of the initiative is improved bus service. Before the vote, no Sunday or holiday service was available. Now Phoenix is proud to offer bus service from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday and holidays. Residents who depend on public transportation can now attend church, go to the grocery store, visit family members or conduct other important activities on Sunday and holidays.
Additionally, Dial-A-Ride hours have expanded and the service is now available from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Dial-A-Ride is an essential city service, as many disabled and senior residents depend on it as their only source of transportation. Transit 2000 also includes other improvements such as additional bus pullouts, new park-and-ride facilities, more left-turn arrows, better express bus service and increased hours of operation for most of the bus routes.
The development of a light rail system is another key element of the transit initiative, and recently the Phoenix City Council approved recommendations from the Citizens Transit Commission for the first leg of the system. The rail alignment will follow existing traffic patterns and will run from Priest Drive and Washington Street, west to downtown Phoenix. From Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street in downtown Phoenix, the alignment will go north on Central Avenue to Camelback Road, west on Camelback Road to 19th Avenue, then north on 19th Avenue to Chris-Town Mall. This first leg of light rail will be operational by 2006.
I would like to thank Councilwoman Peggy Bilsten and the Citizens Transit Commission for all of their hard work and leadership in improving Phoenix’s transit system. For more information about Transit 2000, call (602) 253-5000 or my office at (602) 262-7491 or e-mail me at gstanton@ci.phoenix.az.us.
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