Scottsdale Continues To Show “Lite Rail” Ignorance

For years, we’ve heard some really “interesting” comments by people who are opposed to light rail in Scottsdale. Here’s a few of my favorites:

1. light rail clearly kills businesses
2. light rail is a crime infested cesspool and is a sure-fire way to kill off any chance of future economic development along a chosen train route.
3. “I would never vote for that because it would be a death sentence to our existing businesses.”

I have seen some other brilliant arguments against light rail, but I was reminded me of those 3 this morning when I read this super-smart Tweet.

Scottsdale council drives a stake through lite rails heart! #TMPno rail pic.twitter.com/BxuK6kT029

— guy phillips (@GphillipsGuy) April 13, 2016

Can anyone tell me what a lite rail is? Better yet, can anyone tell Mr. Phillips about economic activity? About redevelopment? How about tourism? I am pretty sure that the hallowed halls of Snottsdale have tourists who could jump on a train at the airport and head up Scottsdale Road to their hotel where they can enjoy their first of many $20 cocktails. Potential light rail stops could have included Old Town Scottsdale, Scottsdale Stadium, SkySong, the Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Garden. Nope, no reason to have convenient access to those places for locals or tourists. Right?

As AZ Central reported, the City of Scottsdale has killed potential light rail routes at a recent meeting. There’s some super brilliant quotes from the article, too. How about:

1. “To think about spending this kind of money, for this kind of use … I think it would be foolish to even put it in play in our master plan,”
2. “I think it actually shows a little courage on behalf of our city, this council and our merchants and business owners. … We can do better than light rail.”

Not everyone in Scottsdale is opposed to light rail, but their leadership appears to have taken away the bulk of the opportunities for people to have reasonable discussions about transit in the city.

In some weird way, it is kind of interesting to watch the train wreck that is light rail opposition in Scottsdale… Especially at a time when many other cities are clamoring to expand their rail service.