Tempe brings first modern streetcars to the Valley

The modern streetcar line will have 13 stops along its three-mile route when it goes live around 10 a.m. on Friday, May 20.

[@razony]

The streetcar is modern. How about the people running it? Still no transportation on Sundays?

[@edwardmiessner6502]

The first modern streetcars in the valley? I thought their metro light rail ran in the streets in downtown Phoenix!

[@DesertRock1862]

Well then again it's a hybrid so it doesn't need overhead wires to power it on that Mill Avenue stretch. I find that pretty cool.

[@CruzCruz-nw7fi]

Well at least Tempe is making an attempt ✅✅

[@ClayShentrup]

yep.

[@sammyp9514]

wait...it doesn't have its own lane? then what's the advantage of taking it? that was a really stupid idea !

[@AtariTheAnimator]

It’s on a campus where there are lots of students.

[@sammyp9514]

@@AtariTheAnimator I understand but it is not a well thought out system. That area is already fairly walkable, has 2 light rail stops and there is a rapid bus system. Funds could’ve been spent a little more wisely on connecting other parts of Tempe, further south, to the campus maybe

[@ClayShentrup]

it should have its own dedicated lane so it doesn't get slowed down by stupid cars.

[@dallasnichols3924]

As a reminder, this is a bus, that is stuck to a rail. Somehow, this is an improvement? I thought the orbit, the flash system, all these other buses were doing just fine.

[@alanhelton]

And it only cost millions of dollars per mile to put in place

[@iact1]

Streetcars with dedicated right-of-ways separated from cars are an improvement. You're right, this is a bus on rails, but hopefully if ridership is high enough the streets can be improved and the streetcar can be separated from traffic. I see a perfectly good parking lane at 0:40 that car traffic could be relocated to.

[@yaash4123]

@@iact1 just remove traffic from that whole street and divert it to other streets.

[@sunrise1776]

Looks nice but is this part of the reason my property tax keeps rising in Tempe?

[@Taudlitz]

jesus, bought trams and not even dedicate lane to them. T hat reporter even sounds like its a good thing that car drive in same lane as tram.

[@WilliamFisher1]

"It's for young people, locals, and seniors". He left out the only group that's actually gonna ride it... The Homeless.

[@FernandoMartinez-qe8yf]

Nah, a lot of ASU students are excited for this since now we don't have to walk 20-30 minutes to class in the hot sun and wait another 20 mins to find parking. Also, we don't need to pay for ubers and it will lead people to get another option not drive drunk since they now have a cheaper option that ubering. Look at Tucson's streetcar. It has been a major benefit for UofA students.

[@dallasnichols3924]

Lol. What a zinger!

[@iact1]

So homeless people don't deserve high quality public transportation? That could, perhaps, bring them to jobs so they could stop being homeless?

[@WilliamFisher1]

@@iact1 That's what you got from my comment? Ok...

[@iact1]

@@WilliamFisher1 What you seemed to be saying in your comment was that it was a bad thing for the homeless to be riding these trams. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all.

[@TasmanianWolves]

Good news for Tempe but they should have ran it down Scottsdale Road also in Scottsdale. Tempe need to start enforcing their laws against loitering.

[@zacharyesparza9300]

That’s what the original plan for the light rail but Scottsdale has been an avid proponent against any rail in their city. Prefer bus and taxi/Uber

[@jimmyhurley504]

Another train service...

[@skullandbones1832]

❤️

[@pamelamercado6902]

Downtown Tempe used to be fantastic place when it had all the mom and pop companies but they ran them out for big corporate businesses so their college students could drink and get drunk until the early mornings and ever since it's just went downhill and as you see it's getting further downhill. A lot of people quit shopping and dining downtown Tempe there's just too much chaos I can see the accidents now from vehicle wrecks to jaywalkers getting grilled but hey they call back progress we have other things but that money could have went to like maybe the water problems repairing the streets there's many things

[@iact1]

Public transportation is much safer than driving. Do you really think a tram is going to kill more people than an SUV going 10mph over the speed limit while the driver is on their phone (basically every driver in the US). Plus, if more people use the trams instead of driving, it will reduce wear on the roads.

[@ITSLD69]

This is a disaster just waiting to happen. And on top of that its FREE??? atleast charge like 50 cents to keep the homeless out. And all these impatient drivers and drunk college kids are going to ruin this in the first week.

[@dallasnichols3924]

Lol.

[@xavierdomenico]

It's better than them driving

[@potpurrie_farm]

How much money did it cost to pay for that and maintenance when it drives on the same place where cars drive doesn't make much sense doesn't. Unless of course they plan to remove cars from the equation... people wake up

[@josephgutierrez3973]

I hope they remove cars. We need walkable cities not urban sprawl I think you’re the one that needs to wake up

[@CJbrinkman602]

Yes remove cars please please yes