Ouch, this one might leave a mark... It was reported recently that a man fell 24 feet from a ladder in Tempe while working at a Light Rail parking structure. Thankfully, it sounds like he is going to be fine. The man was working at the light rail construction site near Apache Boulevard and McClintock Drive.
According to police, the man fell face first from a ladder but was conscious when help arrived.

This is an area where you will find a rail stop, a park and ride structure and will have a mix of retail and residential units. From what I recall, the main building on the south east corner is going to be six stories tall. Luckily, the man didn't fall from the top!

How cool is this for Sun Devil fans... ASU was just named  the "nation's top athletic program" by Sports Illustrated! Funny, I have been thinking a lot lately about how excited I am for this years football season to get started. I am looking forward to see the results from Dennis Erickson's  first full year of recruiting. So far, it sounds like they have some pretty good commitments.

Special congrats go out to ASU's three national championship teams from softball and men's and women's indoor track and field.

Oh yeah, if any one is keeping track, UofA came in 22nd place.

I found this interesting article today talking about how cities are embracing public transportation more than ever.

"The American Public Transportation Association reports that Americans took 2.6 billion trips on public transportation in the first three months of 2008 — nearly 85 million more trips than last year for the same time period. In total, 10.3 billion trips were taken on public transportation last year — the highest number in more than 50 years. By far the biggest increase was in the number of trips on light rail, which saw more than a 10 percent jump in ridership."

The article has a pretty large focus on the new Phoenix Light Rail system and of the development along the line. They talk about some of the new light rail lines in other cities as well. For some of you, it will be an interesting read. For others, it might bore you to death. :-)

Leaping in to Light Rail is the name of the article... Their blog post is here as well... Feel free to let us know what you think!

For many Arizona residents, light rail is going to be a new experience. Metro has begun a pretty significant safety campaign and is looking for Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa to help spread the word. Other than safety and common sense, there will be some new rules and expectations that people will be asked to follow. I snapped this pic near the 1st Ave / Jefferson Street stop today in Phoenix and noted a few of the items. I believe the following rules apply to all light rail stops. This is NOT a complete list and some are paraphrased or approximate so if you want the entire scoop, feel free to go read the sign. :-)

1. Ticketed Passengers Only.

2. Stay back from the platforms edge until train comes to a complete stop.

3. No Smoking.

4. No Food or Drink.

5. No Roller blading, Skateboarding or Loitering.

Here are a few links to statutes that may apply...

Don't be a pig... aka... don't litter or pollute.

Don't be an idiot and hang out on the tracks...  aka... criminal trespass. (class 3 misdemeanor)

Keep your Butt out of my face... aka... No Smoking.