Shana Ellis Talks Valley Transit is a post from: Rail Life

It was recently announced that Steve Banta was chosen to lead Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) and METRO light rail as the single chief executive officer. The following info is an Op-ed by Arizona Councilmember and Valley Metro and METRO Boards member Shana Ellis. Take a look at what Shana has to say about Banta’s new gig and about transit in the Valley.

Transit is becoming more relevant in our daily lives. It gives people an option to get out of their cars and be more sustainable. Transit gets us to jobs, school and social activities. It becomes a lifeline for an aging population and persons with disabilities. It energizes our economic vitality and it is constantly pushing cities and towns to work together to find solutions in a decade of economic challenges.

Recently, the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) and METRO light rail Boards, who represent local cities, towns and Maricopa County, selected Stephen R. Banta as the solution to lead both agencies as a single CEO. His initial charge is to work towards greater efficiencies in local public transportation.

The selection is both timely and optimal for the Valley.  Prior to his 2010 arrival in metro Phoenix, Steve acquired extensive knowledge and multimodal experience working at several large public transit systems in the U.S. He also now understands the Valley’s transit environment. For passengers, this new leadership will translate into greater value as bus and rail are united in an administrative capacity.  For the taxpayer, it will mean a more prudent and constructive use of public dollars. We believe that Steve is committed to keeping the service on the streets, while also being mindful of system expansion.

Steve has an understanding for the service that riders expect, whether it is light rail, bus or Dial-a-Ride.  He has an incredible intellectual investment and hands-on background in public transportation that will benefit the region.  He has served in leadership roles at TriMet in Portland, Port Authority in Pittsburgh, Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority.

I believe that his expertise will greatly favor our transit system and protect the investment that we’ve made to expand and regionalize local services. The momentum to drive regionalism can’t be ignored or denied any longer. When Proposition 400, the half-cent countywide transit sales tax, was approved by voters in 2004 they were giving us the green light to develop a regional transit system.

Steve will begin his leadership by working to combine and streamline the agencies, while ramping up transit system satisfaction.  The entire Valley has a major mission ahead in leading these agencies, which have intense day-to-day operations serving more than 245,000 passengers daily. This is a new era for public transportation in the Valley.

Steve will be managing significant regional bus and rail projects that will impact our region for years to come. We will be watching with great anticipation as the evolution of regional transit unfolds.  This year, as METRO light rail breaks ground on its first extension in Mesa, adding 3.1 miles to the existing 20-mile line, the unification of RPTA and Tempe transit operations will be underway.

To accomplish these and other major feats, he will reorganize agency structures to maximize roles and responsibilities, paving the way for new opportunities within both organizations.

For the passenger, taxpayer and visitor, this equates to a transit system that is more relevant and, undeniably, truly regional.

Google Transit Coming Soon To Rock The Rail Life! is a post from: Rail Life

Have you heard of Google Transit, a feature of Google Maps that began in October of 2007 and now covers 445 cities worldwide? Google Transit helps you get around town using the “Get Directions” feature of Google Maps and the option to use public transit.

Valley Metro has been working with the 14 member cities of the Regional Public Transit Association (RPTA) to bring this feature to Valley residents. We’ve covered a lot of ground in the testing phase, but it’s a big Valley with a lot of transit routes to verify so we’re not yet ready to introduce it for use. Here’s a little more about what Google Transit will do once it’s online (using a test account set up for us by Google): Like any trip using Google Maps, I input my origin and destination. In this case I want to leave the Valley Metro offices to go to the Phoenix Zoo. I’ve expanded the options section to tell Google I want to leave the office at 10:00 am, and I want to use public transit.

When I click on “Get Directions” the map shows me public transit options, and I can click on the bus icon to get more information on the route selected.

The text on the left side of the Google Transit webpage gives me the specifics of the trip, and shows multiple transit options if they are available. Note that all Valley Metro Transit Book information is uploaded to Google Transit – the transit feature knows that a Route 3 bus is scheduled to depart Central station at 10:14, and should arrive at the Phoenix Zoo at 10:47 am.

More complex trips for Google Transit may involve taking an Express Bus or RAPID to downtown, connecting to METRO Light Rail, and then walking to your final destination. Add to that the comprehensive time schedules involved with each transit route, and you can see we’ve got our hands full. It takes careful coordination to get all of the correct information in the right format to Google so that residents can use an accurate online transit service. Once the service is online, our Share The Ride users can see their Google Transit options with just one click. Their origin and destination information is already saved to their profile, along with their commuting schedule. A “Show Transit” button will change their commute map into a Google Transit map, as shown below in a demonstration account.

ShareTheRide users can then find carpool, vanpool and transit options for their commute all in one place, using one account. When can you see, test and travel around the Valley using Google Transit? We hope to have it ready by the end of April, and we’re working closely with transit agencies around the Valley to make that happen. We know Google Transit will help both residents and tourists visit all the great destinations the Valley has to offer.

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Big thanks to Valley Metro for sending this information to Rail Life today! We are REALLY looking forward to Google Transit being available here!

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Light Rail Station – Encanto and Central is a post from: Rail Life

The light rail station at Encanto and Central in downtown Phoenix is located near the Heard Museum. Many of the arts end entertainment venues along the twenty mile stretch have enjoyed renewed energy since the opening of the light rail line. Near by, you will also find a great mix of housing choices from condos and lofts to single family neighborhoods like the Willo Historic District which is one of our favorites. The Midtown Museum District is another great area resource for residents to keep up on area activities and local businesses.

See our Phoenix light rail map for more area information.

Light Rail Station – Roosevelt and Central is a post from: Rail Life

The light rail station at Roosevelt and Central in downtown Phoenix is a major hub of activity. The Roosevelt Station is home to the First Fridays Art Walk  which has helped push some Friday ridership numbers well over the 50,000 boardings . Close by you will find housing, restaurants shopping and vibrant communities.

Also called the Roosevelt Arts District, this station has a great local flare to it and the surrounding communities always seem to have something fun going on.

See our light rail Phoenix map for more area information.

Light Rail Station – Van Buren and 1st Ave is a post from: Rail Life

The light rail station at Van Buren and 1st Avenue in downtown Phoenix is also known as the ASU Phoenix Campus station at Grand Central Station. Bus connections and a hub of activity are near by with Phoenix Civic Space and a whole range of near by activities. This is a South bound light rail station that heads East towards Tempe and Mesa once it hits Jefferson.

As one of the busiest stations in overall boardings, this area has seen a tremendous amount of traffic from light rail riders since opening in December of 2008.

See our light rail Phoenix map for more area information.

Light Rail Station – Van Buren and Central is a post from: Rail Life

The light rail station at Van Buren and Central in downtown Phoenix is also known as the ASU Phoenix Campus station at Grand Central Station. ASU students are able to take light rail to the Tempe campus from their Phoenix classes. Bus connections and a hub of activity are near by with Phoenix Civic Space and a whole range of things to do and places to see..

ASU students have plenty of housing choices close to light rail and convenient to campus. Near by you will also find many restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, dining and entertainment.  See our light rail Phoenix map for more area information.

Light Rail Station – Jefferson and 1st Ave is a post from: Rail Life

The light rail station at Jefferson and 1st Avenue in downtown Phoenix is one of the busier stations along the line and is near city and county buildings. Several business, housing and restaurant choices are also located near by. This is an east bound platform only, people heading North or West from downtown will want to use Central and Washington.

Some people call this the City Hall station.

See our Phoenix light rail map for more area information.

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Light Rail Station – 3rd and Jefferson is a post from: Rail Life

The light rail station at 3rd Street and Jefferson in Phoenix is an East bound station also known as the Ball Park / Arena Station. Located between Chase Field and US Airways Center, this station is very popular for people taking light rail to see the Suns, Diamondbacks or an event downtown. The light rail has been a huge hit with sports fans and with people attending events at the US Airways Center.

Talks of future development in the near by warehouse district often mention light rail as a great way to get people to and from the area. It will be fun to watch the area develop as new projects begin to be built near by.

See our Phoenix light rail map for more area information.

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Light Rail Station – 3rd and Washington is a post from: Rail Life

The light rail station at 3rdstreet and Washington in Phoenix is a West bound station also known as the Convention Center Station. This is also the light rail station used by most people coming from the East Valley to see a concert, the Suns or a Diamondbacks game.

This is a busy station as convention goers, sports fans and more exit this first of several downtown light rail stations. Opening soon is CityScape which will bring people to one of the city’s newest large scale developments.

See our light rail map of Phoenix for more area information.

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Light Rail Station – 12th and Jefferson is a post from: Rail Life

The light rail station at 12th Street  and Jefferson in Phoenix is an East bound station where the line has split from the West Valley. There is an interesting mix of commercial and residential development near by but this station has been in the bottom third of boardings for the first year of operation for Metro.  Located near the Eastlake neighborhood and the Phoenix New Times building, there seems to be a large mix of property types that might do well in the future from the proximity to light rail once development begins again in the downtown area.

To learn more, see our Phoenix light rail map for area information.