Lloyd Clark, column: "As time goes by," reprinted with permission from Daily News-Sun, March 24, 1998.
With all of the "world class state of the art big time" additives to downtown Phoenix, it remains a second-class city when it comes to mass transit.
Among others, the plethora of automobile and truck dealers in the Valley are agents of the deficiency. When the president of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce suggested light rail as a likely solution to rubber-tired vehicle congestion, the Arizona Automobile Dealers Association withdrew its chamber membership.
Now, with the impending concurrent congregation of patrons at the Bank One Ballpark, America West Arena, the Civic Center, Herberger Theater Center and AMC Theaters, panic has produced a questionable solution -- shuttle buses to move customers from and to lots at the Capitol and Park Central mall.
COMPLETELY IGNORED are the rail lines that traverse the Valley and pass within two to four blocks of the downtown gathering places. A six-car commuter train can move 10 times the number of riders as a 48-passenger bus.
Why is it that the metropolitan movers and shakers ignore this rail transit corridor? Its use would ease the parking problem downtown to say nothing of alleviating the pollution generated by too many autos and buses in a small area all at one time.
Areas adjacent to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Union Pacific tracks coudl provide parking for hundreds of cars and commuters from Surprise, the Sun Cities, El Mirage, Youngtown, Peoria, Glendale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Avondale, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert.
Eighteen years ago this month, the Flood Emergency Train concluded a two-week service, having transported thousands of commuters back and forth across the swollen Salt River. Dubbied the "Hattie B." it was activated by the cooperation of Amtrak, the Arizona Department of Transportation, and the Southern Pacific Railway in February 1980 when the raging waterway closed all of the crossings except the Mill Avenue auto bridge and the adjacent railroad bridge.
The impending Abominable Traffic Jam/Parking Dilemma has presented what the Phoenix Mayor and City Council describe as an emergency. But apparently the inundation of autos is not considered equal to that caused by the flloding of the river. Of all the requests made to corporations for relief, none, I'd wager, went to the railroad enterprises.