Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Fares needed on board METRO tomorrow, Jan. 1, 2009

After five successful days of free rides, carrying upwards of 280,000 people on board METRO, tomorrow begins revenue service. Fares will be required with the rollout of service on Thursday, Jan. 1 at 4 a.m.

Fares can be purchased from METRO fare vending machines – a minimum of two per station area – or existing bus fare media can be used. Because METRO and bus service share the same fare system, pricing and passes are also the same and can be use interchangeably from bus to rail, rail to bus.

Fares start at $1.25 for a single ride (on bus or rail, not both) and up to $45 for a 31-day pass. Passes must be activated before boarding.

An all-day, 3-day, 7-day or 31-day pass only needs to be activated once; with activation, the pass will be stamped with its expiration date. If you have a platinum pass (or plastic bus card), you must tap this card on the orange validator pad located on the fare vending machines before each boarding.

And make sure to keep your pass handy as METRO works on a proof-of-payment system; you are likely to run into a security officer who will ask to see your valid transit pass. If you cannot present a valid pass, citations can be issued ranging from $50 - $500.

Source: Metro Rail

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

METRO station celebrations on Dec. 27

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

While METRO’s grand opening is that entire weekend, Saturday is for those who like celebrations. Please join us for any of the following station celebrations occurring across the METRO line from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

In addition to the following attractions, all station celebrations will include exhibitions from local businesses and community groups.

Thomas and Central Ave. – Health and Wellness

· Sponsored by St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center


· Health and wellness fair including the MOM (or women’s health) Mobile

· Live entertainment with performances by Jonnie and Brookie, Billy Cioffi Band and David Bernstein

Source: Metro Light Rail

3rd Street Promenade (Meeting Notes)

The following information constitutes a description of items discussed at the November 25, 2008 meeting between the Community of 3rd Street and Otak:

Pedestrian Friendly

· West side is hard to walk

· Not comfortable to stroll, not exciting

· Parts are good

· North of Thomas is hot and dusty

· Traffic is bad and mean

· South of Thomas, several locations where there are no sidewalks. Lovely.

· No – not a comfortable street to stroll along – gaps, not as exciting on Central

· Some places, north of Thomas, facilities but not friendly, south of Thomas, attractive but lack facilities

· Best way to get Downtown increasing access from the east to freeway

· Less car friendly not so much; make it less car friendly to improve it, less cars

· Not too much commercial

· Needs shade and multi-family

· Lack of sidewalk is a huge problem

· Virginia and 3rd is dangerous; lots of student traffic on Virginia – intersection is a difficult pedestrian crossing

· Hard to find n/s bike routes east of central

· Nice street to walk on compared to other streets

· Sometimes there are trees and buffers and these are great

· Like to see more mixed-use

· Encourage multi-family use and more sidewalks

· South of Palm Lane and McDowell – No sidewalk – historic house has a fence almost to curb

· Don’t see many pedestrians, not adequate for school foot traffic

· Lots of student traffic along Virginia but the crossing is not safe

· Most intersections lack ramps

· Not comfortable to bike

· Public art along 3rd would be nice

· Nice to be a parade route

· Sea of asphalt north of Thomas

· Might not be one ADA ramp on the west side of the street

· Street lights are not uniform and not as many as needed for pedestrians; old style

· Need wider sidewalk to encourage seniors safety

· East side has moot businesses

Greatest Asset

· Historic neighborhoods and their residents

· Mature trees, especially around the historic corridors and older areas

· Schools

· Vehicular circulation and direct access Downtown

· Historic neighborhoods

· Cultural/urban identity

· It doesn’t go anywhere – lends itself to slower traffic

· Wider lanes – limited visual clutter is good for cars

· Less congested, less stress with vehicles than other streets

· No visual distractions

· Turn lanes are more controlled

· Residential character

· Buildings at Earll and 3rd are assets

· China Chili is an asset

· Area north of McDowell is great

· Public art opportunities

· Parks

· Possible tie to Roosevelt District and Urban Form Project

· Street has a distinct beginning and end

Barriers

· Money

· Property owners giving up some property; maybe some won’t cooperate

· Maintenance is needed and no money is designated

· Need to move too many cars in the downtown area

· More land doesn’t make it nicer

· R.O.W.

· Traffic speed

· Lack of shade

· Flat suburban street

· Utilities – overhead wires/poles conflict with footpaths and street character

· Sidewalk connectivity has gaps

· Historic properties

· Palm and 3rd is accident prone

Vision

· Tree-lined street

· Urban residential feeling

· Park Central Mall to be really interesting

· Building are not too tall/high

· 3rd and Elliott – become focal area

· Traffic circles with art

· Pedestrian shelters

· Small shops

· Will be like 3rd Avenue with roundabouts and frontage

· Lawns

· Connectivity to other districts

· Informal wayfinding

· Curb cuts, rainwater harvesting, night sky, curb cuts

· Quest building coming down with a proposed potential senior living development – process is stopped

· Qwest building redevelopment 3 – 5 story building

· Small commercial, pull back to Park Central

· Commercial along Earll – multi-family residential

· North of Indian School, nice small infill

· 3rd Street to Earll becomes the focal village

· Foster what is there

· Promote open space on edges

· More trees

· Intermediate intersection – traffic circles

· Pedestrian facilities with benches and tables

· Transition height and spacing between business and residential

· More shade and less traffic

· It is the street that you walk up

· Nicely landscaped

· High rise and condo in the urban area

· Street meets MAG Standards

· Buildings against sidewalk, especially on west side

· Access mitigation

· Mixed-use

· Public art

· Strong connection between DT and Park

· More diversity

· Like Central between Bethany Home and Northern

· Street becomes a destination. All 3rd Street utilities are underground

· There's a traffic light at Indian School, Thomas, McDowell, and maybe Osborn. All other controlled intersections are managed with traffic circles.

· In addition, a traffic circle at Coronado manages traffic entering for the art museum and theater

· The traffic circle at Coronado and the first one south of Indian School would be prominently branded to point out that drivers are entering a special zone shared with pedestrians and cyclists.

· Car traffic is one lane in each direction, with a shared turn lane in the center

· Bike paths have been added

· Easements have been widened to accommodate wider sidewalks and planting beds

· Seating would be available. A mix of benches and tables/chairs (anchored for security and sheltered by canopies and/or vegetation) would be nice.

· Sidewalks are surfaced for pedestrian comfort and safety.

· Street lights are softer and provide a suffused light, avoiding the glare-and-shadow effect that actually limits night vision.

· Cross streets closest to light rail stops on Central would have visual and/or tactile markers guiding pedestrians to 3rd Street

· And, of course, there would be a pub.

Other

· Water harvesting

· Permeable pavement

· Night sky lighting

· Needs a pub

· It becomes an attraction or it needs an attraction

Source: Otak

Sunday, December 21, 2008

METRO free-ride days

METRO light rail will offer five free-ride days from Dec. 27 – 31, 2008, plus a few extra hours on New Year’s Eve. We encourage everyone to come out and experience the system, learn how to ride and how light rail can be integrated into your travel plans.

Below are the hours of free-ride service each day:

Saturday, Dec. 27 – 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; station celebrations will occur from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 28 – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 29 – Regular service hours (4 a.m. – midnight with the first full trip, across all 20 miles, occurring at 4:40 a.m. and the last full trip at 11 p.m.)

Tuesday, Dec. 30 – Regular service hours (4 a.m. – midnight with the first full trip, across all 20 miles, occurring at 4:40 a.m. and the last full trip at 11 p.m.)

Wednesday, Dec. 31 – Regular service hours will begin the day; however, METRO will stay open late to support New Year’s Eve patrons offering the last full trip, across all 20 miles, at 2 a.m. from either end.

Source: Metro Rail

Street closures for METRO grand opening

The following street closures will occur to allow for set-up and execution of METRO’s large station celebrations in Phoenix:

Third Street between Monroe and Jefferson streets 7 p.m. on Dec. 26th through midnight Dec. 27th

Washington Street between 2nd and 5th streets 7 p.m. on Dec. 26th through midnight Dec. 27th.


Source: Metro Rail

METRO citations extend to misconduct on board the trains or stations‏

METRO citations extend to misconduct on board the trains or stations

METRO has a zero-tolerance policy for violators of its code of conduct. The cities in which METRO runs through – Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa – have approved a set of ordinances and policies that are designed to protect the health, security and safety of passengers. Violators are subject to fines ranging from $50 to $500 dollars and may lose their public transit privileges.

In addition to citing for fare evasion, the ordinances and policies allow security officers to quash negative behaviors on the train or platform that have an impact on the overall customer experience and reliability of service.

A few of the key ordinances and policies to watch for are:

· Eating is not allowed on the train, although you may carry groceries.

· Non-alcoholic beverages are permitted if carried in an unbreakable, spill-proof container such as a commuter cup or screw-top plastic bottle.

· Earphones are required when using audio or video devices.

· Alcohol and tobacco are prohibited.

· Vandalism or willful destruction of METRO property is punishable by fine.

· Do not lie down or place your feet on the seats. Always yield the priority seating area to seniors and people with disabilities.

· You may not spend more than one hour at a METRO station.

· Leashed or harnessed guide or service animals are permitted on the train. All other animals must be carried inside a completely enclosed and secured cage or carrying case small enough to fit on a rider’s lap and must not endanger or disturb other passengers.

These ordinances apply to all transit vehicles in the Valley, including local bus.

For more information on how to ride the train, download the METRO “Ride Guide” at http://www.valleymetro.org/images/uploads/lightrail_publications/METRO-Ride-Guide-web.pdf.

Source: Metro Rail