Phoenix Metro Light Rail

I decided to walk the walk last week and ride Phoenix Metro's Light Rail. Although it adds 30 minutes to my overall daily commute from Gilbert to downtown Phoenix, I am driving 50% less. That should make some reduction in the pollution I create, right? Realistically, I'm looking to save money by paying for less gas as well as reducing the wear and tear on my 12 year old car! As a full-time ASU student, I'm allowed to ride all Metro lines for free. If I were to pay the $45 monthly fee for light rail, it would only make economic sense for me to ride once gas prices for premium rose above $1.80 per gallon.

My initial thoughts on Metro's Light Rail are positive . I'd like to think that this will be successful enough to merit further regional discussion to expand the service. There are currently no plans to extend Light Rail southeast toward Gilbert or Queen Creek. I think that's a huge oversight based on the growth in the last few years. Have any regional planners actually been to Queen Creek during the morning commute?

My travel time from the Sycamore/Main park & ride to the Roosevelt/Central station in downtown Phoenix is consistently 45 minutes. It takes me 20 - 25 minutes to drive there from my home in Gilbert. The ride in to town in the morning is quite empty - about 20 commuters per car. On Friday, after the fees started and the joy riders stopped riding for free, the ridership was significantly less - about 10 commuters per car.

The ride home every day was insanely busy. I started at 5:00, 4:00 and 2:30 on consecutive days and was barely able to squeeze onto a light rail car to get home. All three days of the free commute were standing room only on the way back to the Sycamore/Main park & ride. I thought to myself that there was definitely a limit to how sustainable I was willing to be if it meant a standing commute home every day when driving took less time and was more comfortable! Outbound on Friday was also busy, but there was the Tempe New Year's Block Party and the Insight Bowl happening later that evening. Most riders got off of the train in Tempe and the rest of the ride to Mesa was pleasantly less full.

I'll share more of my light rail experiences soon. I'd love to hear your experiences as well.