Not an appropriate use for light rail

On Saturday, I was out on Interstate 10 west of central Phoenix and I was looking how we can move people efficiently from the exurbs to downtown Phoenix. Right now, the freeway is being widened west of the Loop 101 interchange.

Anyway, on my journey on I-10, I was thinking that the proposals to put light rail as part of the freeway are completely misguided. This is not an appropriate use for light rail. This is an appropriate use for commuter rail.

First, let's look at traffic patterns for those who commute into Phoenix. Almost all seem to travel all the way into downtown Phoenix. Commuter rail stops less frequently than light rail and would serve this task more efficiently.

Second, the stations. One proposal for building light rail calls for building the guideway in the median of the freeway. How are you going to get people from the trains to the stops? And also, why would people want to stop and explore around one of these stations?

Third, precedent. Commuter rail is to light rail as freeways are to urban streets. To build light rail within a freeway doesn't seem to follow precedent nor make sense. The route through Phoenix seems to make sense. Someone in downtown Phoenix might travel north to run an errand on METRO.

So here's my two cents: let's get Phoenix on track to the future. Let's use this as a stepping stone to making Phoenix Union Station a rail hub for Phoenix, the state, and the region. Let's make Phoenix transportation truly multimodal and integrate rail with road.

Cheers-
Edward Jensen