Submitted / Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority
Phoenix’s Valley Metro Rail system, shown here, became operational in late 2008 and since has been expanded from 20 miles to 26. As Phoenix proceeds with plans to add 40 miles to the system by 2034, officials in the Las Vegas Valley have begun discussing proposals to establish a light-rail system here.
Monday, Oct. 14, 2019 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
For anyone wondering whether light rail is popular in communities that have invested in it, check out what happened this past August in Phoenix.
There, voters went to the polls to decide Proposition 105, which would have shut down any future extensions of Phoenix’s Valley Metro light rail system with the exception of an elevated line serving Phoenix International Airport.
The results weren’t even close. Voters destroyed the measure by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.
“I think the one thing that’s crystal clear is that voters have said, in no uncertain terms, they like public transportation and they like light rail and they want to extend it,” Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith told KTAR News radio after the vote.
Hear that, Southern Nevada leadership? Phoenix — which has always been ahead of our region in road planning, beautification efforts, setback zoning and more — has gotten it right yet again. We should view this as a challenge not only to catch up on light rail, but to forge ahead.
Keep in mind that it wasn’t just the margin of the vote that was telling, it was how the balloting broke down by neighborhoods. Voters in areas where light rail exists or where extensions are being planned were among the proposition’s most staunch opponents.
Think about that. It means the people who are most directly served by light rail are among its biggest fans.
This wasn’t the first time Phoenix voters had supported light rail, either. They voted three previous times over the past 19 years on Valley Metro measures.
This time, they beat back business owners who were upset about an extension that would reduce a four-lane road to two lanes. But while supporters drew nearly a half-million dollars in contributions, opponents hauled in twice that much and got 63% of the vote.
But such is the power of light rail. As proven not only in Phoenix but numerous other cities — including regional metros like Denver, San Francisco and Salt Lake City — residents adore it. Light rail isn’t just a way to get around in those cities, it’s a community treasure.
What happened in Phoenix should be a source of inspiration and a call for action in Las Vegas. We need our own light rail system.
Our auto-centric transportation infrastructure, designed for an era of coin-operated slot machines and cars burning leaded gasoline, is out of capacity in the resort corridor and other key locations. At the same time, our population is growing by leaps and bounds, and our visitor numbers are going nowhere but up. Hello, more cars. Hello, more congestion.
Light rail is the pressure valve we need. It takes cars off the street by giving both residents and tourists an alternative transportation option to a commuter car or a ride-hail vehicle. And while it’s a costly investment, it’s also a smart one. Think of how much it would add to our visitor experience for tourists and convention-goers to have a quick , inexpensive way of getting up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, and zipping between McCarran International Airport and the Strip. Now think about the importance of that visitor experience in how we market ourselves to the outside world, and how much happier tourists would be if they could get around easily as opposed to sitting in traffic.
Then there are the benefits to Las Vegas residents, including a convenient and safe way to commute to workplaces and get around the community. Light rail also boosts values of properties near routes and states, and is a powerful magnet for all variety of development. Case in point: Phoenix officials estimate that Valley Metro has spurred more than $8.5 billion in development.
Las Vegas had a bite at this apple this year, when the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada board considered light rail and two other options for a route connecting UNLV and Maryland Parkway with downtown and the medical district. In a deeply disappointing vote, they opted for a bus rapid transit system instead of light rail.
That said, there’s still time to reverse that vote, as the bus rapid transit system plans haven’t been finalized.
Local leaders should refocus on light rail. For inspiration, we offer this statement from Phoenix City Council member Debra Stark about the Prop 105 vote.
“We’re the fifth-largest city. Let’s start acting like it, right? We need a transportation system. Not just roads, not just light rails, buses, everything. We’ve got to grow up and be the big city we are.”
Las Vegas has even more growing up to do. Let’s get started right now.
