Phoenix-centric (cenpho) revelers will have something else to celebrate this year with one of our favorite hangouts–Hula’s Modern Tiki.  Tomorrow night kicks off their first annual New Year’s Eve bash – Brand New Tiki.  Bring out your inner Bobby and Peter Brady and celebrate the iconic Island totem in swanky polynesian style.

Touted as the alterna-new-years-eve, at Hula’s you can enjoy their typically fun food and kitschy cocktails along with watching all of the action in New York on their giant screen as well as the requisite free-champagne-toast at the stroke of midnight.  If you can brave the cold, the patio is snug next to the fire. But don’t forget the biggest selling point–the light rail is steps away from Hula’s front door. So you can enjoy all the revelry with none of the guilt. Let Metro Rail get you safely to your destination so you are sure to be there for next year’s tiki instead of wiping out Greg Brady style.

The event is from 6 – 9 pm at Hula’s Modern Tiki which is located at 4700 Central Avenue, just south of Camelback Road. Hula’s is just south of the Central Ave/Camelback Rd METRO Light Rail Station. See how to ride for more information on the taking public transportation around Phoenix.

Light Rail Blogger was recenly nominated for a Stylos Award. The annual award ceremony recognizes the best of the Hispanic community while showcasing Phoenix’s talent in sports, entrepeneurship, politics, community, fashion and music. LRB, which celebrates its two year anniversary this month, was nominated in the category of journalism and media. The award ceremony was held last week at the Phoenix Art Museum (Central Ave and McDowell Road METRO).

(Media alert from our sister agency Valley Metro RPTA)

Local bands play live to commuters

PHOENIX (Nov. 4, 2010) — Six local bands have written and recorded 11 original songs about how to use public transportation as part of a new community education effort to help Valley residents try environmentally friendly modes of travel.

“Surveys and research revealed there was widespread unfamiliarity about how to use public transportation across greater Phoenix, and that was a barrier to giving the system a try,” says Mario Diaz, chief marketing officer at Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority. “So we asked local bands to record – in their own unique way – the various things you need to know in order to get out of your car and use public transportation instead.”

Each original creation describes a different aspect about using the Valley Metro system, such as how to buy fare, passenger courtesy, safety near train tracks and buses, or how one fare pass can be used on both bus and light rail. The 11 topics were selected based on common passenger questions at Valley Metro’s customer service line and from the top questions city transit departments receive. Participating local bands are: Black Carl, Captain Squeegee, Elvis Before Noon, Mills End, Peachcake, and What Laura Says.

Songs and videos will be available online at www.ValleyMetro.org/Notesbeginning on Monday, Nov. 8.

I love the videos! First off, I love the School House Rock feel of the videos and I think it’s a great way to promote using public transportation in the Valley of the Sun. What do you think?

Looks like locals singing about public transportation is all the rage these days. Check out my friend Yuri Artibise and his post about musicians who love light rail.

Related articles

• Local Bands Record Songs About Using Valley’s Public Transit System (prnewswire.com)
• Light Rail Riders Facing Surveys and Inspections (raillife.com)
• METRO Hours of Operation (lightrailblogger.com)

Steve Banta, METRO CEO (photo: METRO), originally uploaded by Light.Rail.Blogger.

The spokesperson for METRO provided the editorial piece below, with permission to publish on LightRailBlogger.com.

Creating a Total Transit Network
Stephen R. Banta, METRO CEO

Sustainability and livability are common terms these days and used in everyday dialogue. This is encouraging for the benefit it will bring, not only to the public transit rider, but our region and future generations.

In my profession of public transportation, sustainability and livability have taken on a new focus. A well-executed public transportation system contributes to how people choose to live, work and play. The 20-mile METRO light rail line is a great example. People are choosing light rail as a means of transportation in greater numbers than projected. Additionally, each month this year has seen higher ridership than the same month last year. Businesses are popping up along the line and residents are making choices for where they live based on accessibility to transit.

Light rail and bus service are just the start of what our region needs to keep pace with growth. It is critical to keep building an effective transit system that provides residents with the options to leave their car behind on occasion or all week. I term this effective system as the “total transit network.” The total transit network is many modes working in concert to support regional growth and provide mobility choices.

I’ve seen and managed total transit networks in my past experiences with some of the largest public transit agencies in the U.S. It is the integration and coordination of local and express bus, light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcar, commuter rail and an overlay of a robust paratransit system that provides accessibility to all. It is an interconnected system that serves the region’s urban core and also provides options to those that live outside the core. It is what we need to support our growing population and enhance our economic viability. And even in this economy, we have to continue building in smaller segments with the total transit network in mind.

The Regional Transportation Plan contains the next steps in the total transit network with the building of 37 additional miles of high-capacity transit. The Central Mesa and Tempe South extensions are on the immediate horizon.

Central Mesa has completed planning to determine that it will be light rail on Main Street to Mesa Drive by 2016. The Federal Transit Administration has approved, with high marks, the project’s entrance into design; construction is scheduled to begin in 2013.

The Tempe South project is nearing a recommendation on the transit option to move forward into design, construction and ultimately operation in 2016. A modern streetcar in a Mill-Ash Avenue loop terminating at Southern Avenue is the highest-performing alternative in this study. If approved, this would be the region’s first introduction to streetcar.

Streetcar has a unique ability of strengthening a downtown core, providing greater neighborhood connectivity and stimulating higher-density, urban development. I’ve seen its success as a public transit option and economic development generator during my time with TriMet, the regional transit agency in Portland, OR. Streetcar working in conjunction with other modes is a next step in developing the total transit network.

The value of streetcar, or any new mode, is what it brings to the regional transit network and the livability of our communities. With each new corridor, we are taking a step towards building a total transit network that enhances regional mobility, supports and creates future growth and, most importantly, makes transit trips easier and more convenient for you, the customer.

For more information on METRO’s extension plan, please visit www.metrolightrail.org. The Regional Transportation Plan is also available online at www.azmag.gov.

“Light rail plays an important role for the Valley.  Ridership on METRO Light Rail continues to increase and it’s important to our economy that more people in the area have light rail near where they live and work,” said Serena Unrein, Public Interest Advocate for the Arizona PIRG Education Fund.  “Unfortunately, declining sales tax revenues have delayed many of the planned expansions of light rail and it’s uncertain if some of the extensions will get built at all now.”

There are a variety of options listed in The Arizona PIRG Education Fund report, including a revision to the Arizona Constitution which would allow the gas tax to fund transit options, increasing car registration and title fees, and using development impact fees to fund light rail.

What do you think of these ideas?