Friday, November 21, 2008

METRO SAFETY BY DESIGN

· Improved pedestrian signals – Improvements include countdown signals, new walkways and landscaping to reduce jaywalking. Special attention has been given to safety in school zones with the installation of new signals at some crossings.

· Protected turn lanes – Automobiles may turn across the METRO tracks only from designated turn lanes controlled by red and green arrows.

· Train-only guideway – METRO travels in its own guideway, separated from traffic by six inch curbs. Auto traffic may cross only at controlled locations, and special traffic signals and warning signs activate when train approaches.

· Station design – Stations are designed to discourage jaywalking. Each station has two access points, reachable be signalized crosswalk. Station platforms and vehicle floors are the same height, providing passengers with a no-step entry.

· Signals at frontage roads – Frontage roads near the tracks are controlled with traffic signals and are designed to handle large trucks and emergency vehicles.

· Vehicle design – Cameras inside and outside allow METRO operators to ensure that passengers clear the doors while boarding and deboarding. Doors must close before the vehicle can move. Smooth stops mean that no wheelchair tie-downs are needed.

· Light rail coupler design – To minimize injuries in the event of a collision, the couplers that connect the light rail vehicles are covered in an energy absorbing material. This cutting-edge design is likely to be used nationwide on future light rail systems.


Source: Metro Light Rail via Phoenix Police Department - Squaw Peak Precinct

Friday, November 14, 2008

METRO plans for system-wide parties on Dec. 27

PHOENIX — Come celebrate METRO light rail’s grand opening with several unique, community-inspired station celebrations in Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 27.

While METRO’s grand opening is that entire weekend, Saturday is for those who like celebrations. You’ll find something of interest at every METRO station, including nine large-scale station celebrations at locations across the 20-mile alignment.

The current station celebration closest to the Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association's boundaries and its respective party theme is identified below. METRO is grateful to its station celebration sponsors who are also listed and key to the creation of these events.

Thomas and Central Ave. – Health and Wellness
Sponsored by St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, enjoy entertainment and educational activities that will help you safeguard and improve your health.

Source: Metro Light Rail

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Phoenix to Reduce Valley Metro Bus Service in December

Early Morning and Late Night Weekday Trips as Well as Saturdays Affected

The city of Phoenix Public Transit Department received approval from the Phoenix City Council to make cuts to its Valley Metro bus service in December because of rapidly declining sales tax revenues. The move will save the city $7.4 million dollars over the next 18 months. More service cutbacks are expected in July 2009; but city council hopes to restore service in better economic times.

On Dec. 29, 2008, cuts will be made to all Monday through Friday bus trips that start within Phoenix before 5 a.m. and after 10 p.m. Effectively, that eliminates 172 weekday trips during non-peak times impacting an estimated 3,600 daily passenger boardings. Phoenix buses carry about 161,000 daily boardings or about 70% of all bus riders in the Valley.

Included in the service changes, are a reduction of trip frequencies on Saturdays to match Sunday service levels, which run less often.

A trip is one-way travel from beginning to end of a route, which is the bus’s designated path. Frequency is the number of trips a bus makes in an hour.

Other changes effective on Dec. 29, that were approved previously by city council, will reconfigure or eliminate certain Phoenix bus routes to complement light rail service: the Red Line is eliminated and replaced by rail service; the Blue Line south of Camelback is eliminated; and Route 15-15th Avenue is extended to serve both the Metrocenter Transit Center and Sky Harbor.

The bus schedule changes will be available in the December 2008 edition of the Valley Metro Transit Book and on-line at ValleyMetro.org.

Source: ValleyMetro.org