Phoenix improves public transportation system, gentrification increases

Phoenix— After years of advocacy and public work from lawmakers and residents, a new light rail extension, connecting South Phoenix to the city’s core, is finally being made possible and is to be completed by 2024. 

 

The new extension is said to bring a sigh of relief for several citizens who use to view transportation to jobs and other places of great necessity to be a struggle due to the lack of previous public transit access. For ASU professor Stephanie Downie, a former resident of the South Phoenix region, this is a major milestone in public transit improvement.

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“All of these things are not without their controversies, but as someone who is an avid fan and supporter of public transportation, I see any kind of growth as a good thing,” said Downie. 

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                                           The Light Rail tracks running through Downtown Phoenix, parallel to ongoing construction for the extension. 

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For Downie, transportation from southern Phoenix used to be a major hassle. She would wake up, early in the morning to go to a park and ride lota , leave her car in the suburbs, and then take an express bus to Downtown Phoenix, as parking passes, even for professors, cost up to $800 per year at ASU. 

 

For residents like Downie, the light rail system will secure further economic relief and development in the future as it continues to expand. The extension, running from Baseline Road to South Phoenix will have a 66-mile system implemented by 2034. 

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                                The Light Rail network connecting to Tempe, a popular rail line for ASU students and Phoenix residents alike. 

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“This critical federal investment will secure light rail’s future in South Phoenix,” said U.S. Representative and former mayor Greg Stanton in a 2021 article regarding the Valley’s light rail extension. “And when it’s complete light rail will be a new connection to South Phoenix that opens new economic opportunities.” 

 

Further investment in public transportation goes beyond increasing economic growth, as it will also create a more sustainable Phoenix. 

 

“We will improve the quality of our neighborhoods and Phoenix with fewer petroleum vehicles on the road,” Downie said. “And so that's just something else that we have to think about. Our roads such as the interstate here- they're constantly under construction."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                A few cars and a Valley Metro Bus drive down the streets of Phoenix during an evening traffic rush hour.

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As Downie mentioned, the construction of new roads doesn’t solve the problem of car congestion but instead encourages more drivers to use roads, which increases gas emissions, air pollution, and lost productivity due to traffic, according to a CBC article discussing the environmental effects of building roads.

 

“The roads aren't keeping up with the demand- so we have to do a much better job of making public transportation approachable,” she said.