Metro has asked that people try to help spread the safety word. This past week, we went downtown and took some pictures of a few of the new safety signs and some changes in the road ways that people should be aware of. With all of the testing going on, they are still in a pretty controlled environment. Once December gets here and the light rail cars begin their full time journey through the 20 mile route, people are going to need to be more aware of their surroundings. You think the media is gonna be covering this thing from now until grand opening? You bet... But, wait till the first accident, now THAT is gonna be big news. This weeks "pic of the week" should be pretty easy to figure out... Don't Drive on the tracks! OK?

Remember, Rail Life has a "Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr." Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and to allow people to add their pics as well. These can be light rail related but we also want a favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community etc.  

On Sunday morning, we choose a "light rail pic of the week" and share it with everyone. Each week, new pictures will be added to the group and I will pick a favorite to post on the blog along with a brief description. If you add something to the group prior to Saturday afternoon, your picture will be eligible.

This past week, we got within 100 days of Light Rail opening in Phoenix. I took this pic at the press conference where we were updated by local leaders and by Rick Simonetta, Metro's CEO. The testing has been going well and this shot was taken at the Central/Van Buren stop near the downtown ASU campus in Phoenix.

Rail Life has a "Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr." Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and to allow people to add their pics as well. These can be light rail related but we also want a favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community etc.

A press conference was held at the Van Buren/Central Avenue light rail stop in downtown Phoenix to celebrate 100 days until light rail. Metro CEO Rick Simonetta reminded us that these last 100 days will go by very quickly. By the end of October, the testing should be all the way up to the Spectrum Mall area. For some, it seems like they have been working on this project "forever," but there are many people in Arizona that do not have a clue about what has been going on with this project. There is a clear desire by Metro and by the participating cities to try and get more and more information to the public about safety and about utilizing the system. We also heard some more details about the grand opening celebrations and about some upcoming promotions. It sounds like Tempe has some really cool stuff coming up in the "fun department." We'll try to get more information out as it becomes available. I shot a few videos of some of the speakers for you to get a better feel for what was said.

Metro CEO Rick Simonetta speaks about Light Rail.

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman speaks about Light Rail.

Tom Simplot speaks about Light Rail.

There was an interesting article in todays paper titled, "What the Valley can expect from light rail." The article is getting a lot of comments on their site, some are pretty funny. The article actually brings up some interesting points in comparing the Arizona light rail system to the light rail system in Denver. Many of us feel the anticipated 26,000 riders per day for the Phoenix Light Rail system won't be hard to make. With the amount of employers, sporting venues, neighborhoods, cultural facilities, restaurants etc along the route and the proximity to the ASU Phoenix and Tempe campus, it should be easy.

One concern brought up in todays article was parking and the number of parking spaces (or lack of) at the light rail Park and Ride lots. The two park and ride stations at the ends of the lines are the largest with Montebello and 19th Avenue at 794 spaces and Sycamore and Main Street in Mesa at 802 spaces. I can see 19th/Montebello having a shortage early but Mesa seems a little bit out of the way for many commuters. I believe it was a good idea to make the lot at the Loop 101 Freeway and Apache Blvd the next largest at 693 spaces. This one at the 101 is going to be very convenient for a lot of people. I personally see the most concern at the Dorsey Lane and Apache Blvd park and ride lot. With just 190 spaces, this is the closest to ASU and is in one of the highest density residential areas of our entire state. With the cost of parking for ASU students, I believe many of them will take advantage of the free parking and use their free light rail pass. I went by and took a few shots of the Dorsey Park and ride station which is in the middle of some serious construction. I believe there will be two small lots available at Dorsey. You can see what I mean by zooming in on this light rail map. For a few more pics of this lot, check out the Rail Life Flickr page.

Rail Life has a "Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr." Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and to allow people to add their pics as well. These can be light rail related but we also want a favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community etc.  

On Sunday morning, we choose a "light rail pic of the week" and share it with everyone. Each week, new pictures will be added to the group and I will pick a favorite to post on the blog along with a brief description. If you add something to the group prior to Saturday afternoon, your picture will be eligible.

Rail Life has a "Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr." Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and to allow people to add their pics as well. These can be light rail related but we also want a favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community etc.  

On Sunday morning, we choose a "light rail pic of the week" and share it with everyone. Each week, new pictures will be added to the group and I will pick a favorite to post on the blog along with a brief description. If you add something to the group prior to Saturday afternoon, your picture will be eligible.

This weeks pic is courtesy of our friend, Michael Monti. (It's great to see Michael blogging more these days) Anyone that knows anything about Arizona knows that Monti's La Casa Vieja is an all time favorite. They have a new drink on the menu called "The Light Rail Express."

The Light Rail Express features Grey Goose L'Orange Vodka, Rockstar Energy Drink, Cranberry Juice, and a splash of Grenadine..... Anyone want to meet me there before the ASU game on Saturday? Heck, if we have to wait till next season to ride light rail to the games, we might as well ride the Express while in the neighborhood! :-)

It really is great to see how many business owners "get it" when it comes to light rail. This will be a vehicle that will bring business right to their door steps. Just in case you are new to town, I'll tell ya that Monti's is located a short distance north of the light rail stop at 3rd St/Mill Ave. (100 S Mill Ave) 

(photo courtesy of M Monti.)