Phoenix Light Rail - Light Rail Blogger » alternative transportation

One More Bike on the Phoenix Light Rail

Tony Arranaga — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:23:49 +0000

You know you’re a bike/transit geek when thoughts begin to drift and you daydream of owning a large collection of vintage bikes. This happens to me when I scroll through and scan the links and pictures of all the sad and lonely used bikes. Don’t these sellers realize what they have on their hands? These are classics! It’s as if the bikes in the pictures are saying please buy me and put me to use! We can go explore or I can take you to work or on weekend rides…

(Then I realize this might be the first warning sign of a hoarder and I snap out of it.)

I bring this up because I recently helped a friend shop online for a used bike. My friend wants an inexpensive bike with a funky vintage style to help her complete that last mile of her work commute via the Phoenix light rail. While I’m excited at the possibility of seeing one more bike on the streets of Phoenix, I’m even more thrilled to go shopping for a vintage ride! One website in particular is my favorite for bike shopping and I can’t believe all the great finds! While some may see the website as a virtual junkyard, others think it’s a Bike-topia. You’ll find everything from new, gently used, (possibly stolen) and vintage bikes and parts. My favorite is the classic Schwinn cruiser like the one below. After doing some research, I found that most of these are priced under $100 and in good condition to ride on the spot. All you need in most cases is to give the bike a tune up/makeover at your local bike shop and then you’ll be ready to leave your car in the garage more often.

Many people use METRO light rail (in addition to a bike) to get from point A to point B. You might recall, I found my bike online for $40 and now the vintage Schwinn cruiser is a great way for me to get around the city, especially during the month of September during the #30daysofbikingphx (here) challenge.

The Phoenix light rail spans 20 miles and three cities, starting to the east in Mesa on Main Street, then through Tempe and Arizona State University, then through downtown Phoenix (home of the Phoenix Art Museum) and ending at 19th Avenue and Montebello. Taking your bike on the light rail is easy. Learn how to secure your bike at the transit centers and read about the bike friendly features on our light rail system here.

30 Days of Biking in Phoenix

Tony Arranaga — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:51:14 +0000

I noticed some bike advocates on Twitter talking about the hashtag #30daystobiking. Turns out, the thread is part of an event in Minneapolis aimed at getting people to bike somewhere for one month, from September 1st through the 30th – and Tweet about the experience with the hashtag #30daysofbiking. According to the 30 Days of Biking website:

The only rule for 30 Days of Biking is that you bike every day for 30 days—around the block, 20 miles to work, whatever suits you—then share your adventures online. We believe biking enriches life, builds community, and preserves the Earth.

Instructions on how to participate in 30 Days are here. I’m not sure if this is a national event, but I thought it would be a nice to show support for the organizers in Minneapolis. This is why Vern and I are starting a 30DoB here in Phoenix, since I use a bike most days as part of my car-free commute in the Valley. Obviously, I’m a little late to the challenge considering I’m just finding out about this now and I haven’t planned any group rides, but we can certainly challenge ourselves to use our bikes more. Can you ride a bike for 30 days in Phoenix? Can you inspire others to leave their car at home and use their bike more often? Be sure to post pictures of your ride on Twitter and let us know where you’re going by using the hashtag #30daysofbikingphx. If you need some suggestions on where to ride, try one of these restaurants with bike racks along the light rail in central Phoenix to get you started on your journey. Have fun and enjoy your 30 Days of Biking in Phoenix!

A Car-Lite Lifestyle in Downtown Phoenix

Si Robins — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:01:52 +0000

Si Robins is one of several guests bloggers this week on LRB. Si is the editor and a writer for Downtown Phoenix Journal, a website which covers issues and events in our urban core. Si, a downtown resident, prefers to rely on his bike to get around the city.

Since I moved to downtown Phoenix I have relied on my car less and less, and I can’t say I miss the countless hours a week I used to spend sitting in traffic on Valley freeways. When I lived and worked in the East Valley, my car was seemingly as essential as a roof over my head. Traveling to and from my former job in north Scottsdale was a daily exercise in patience and planning — at certain points of the day the 101 literally resembles a parking lot — and I lost a lot of valuable time stopping and going.

When I began working from home last year, it was a welcomed change. I saved gas money, saved time, lessened Valley smog and kept my blood pressure at a minimum. I invested in a bike and took to exploring my neighborhood WiFi hot spots. Working from home can drive even the biggest homebody crazy, so I often travel to coffeehouses, office spaces and other free Internet spots in my ‘hood to keep my sanity.

As I began a freelance-like life (though not a freelancer myself), I was living in the Roosevelt Historic District near Local Breeze and Cibo. Bike culture in this neighborhood is growing — Local Breeze gives a 10% discount to bike riders, and the massive Roosevelt Square apartment complex is home to hundreds of bikers. Roosevelt is home to bike lanes on 3rd and 5th avenues, and they take you to the city core to the south or all the way up to Midtown Phoenix to the north. These bike lanes became my new best friend.

It was not uncommon to see my Roosevelt neighbors pedaling through Hance Park or using the 3rd Avenue bike lane to head to the Willo neighborhood for a leisurely ride. I regularly enjoyed rides through Willo (although the lanes throughout this neighborhood are butt-busting and well worn) over to Encanto Park for picnics or recreation. I soon realized that using a combination of bike riding and light rail, I could get to nearly everywhere I go on a regular basis without ever starting up my car — what a revelation!

I’ve since moved a few blocks east to the Evans Churchill neighborhood, home of Roosevelt Row. This area is teeming with bike culture, as it is home to many urban commuters and bike-friendly spots. Most of my neighbors own bikes, and I am finding more bike-minded residents and visitors every day. The Roosevelt light rail station is only a few blocks away, and many that live in these parts have forgone the car altogether. Hoodride has been a gathering spot for über-bikers for years. Conspire‘s bike racks are always occupied. The Lost Leaf encourages patrons to bike instead of drive and stay for an extra beer. Bikes chained to parking meters are a regular site in front of Carly’s. And newly opened Giant Coffee, with limited parking availability, tells its clientele to take the rail, walk or bike when possible.

While I’m not quite ready to ditch the car (cross-Valley drives and roadtrips are tough on the bike), I’m pleased to say there is little reason to get into the car in a very auto-minded city like Phoenix. In the future, I hope to see downtown Phoenix embrace biking even further, especially with the growth of Arizona State’s downtown campus and developments like CityScape on the horizon.

Si Robins and "Stuart" can be seen riding the streets of Phoenix.

Light Rail Blogger on Smaller Living

Tony Arranaga — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:11:30 +0000

As a blogger, I love when I’m able to connect in real life with people who share the same outlook on being carfree in Phoenix. Recently, the author of Smaller Living reached out and we had a great conversation over coffee about public and alternative transportation. Besides living car-lite in the Valley of the Sun, Victoria also writes a blog on how to live small and prosper. I love her blog.. and her story about how she came to like this lifestyle! You should check out her blog, and check out our conversation about the carfree experience in Phoenix here and here.

Holy Pinata, it’s Getting Hot in Phoenix!

Tony Arranaga — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:57:50 +0000

UPDATE: ENTRIES CLOSE AT NOON ON THURSDAY, MAY 20th

Those who commute by light rail, bus, or bike in Phoenix are soaking up every last bit of this wonderful weather we’ve experienced this spring. During previous years, we typically see triple digit temps around the end of April or the beginning of May. 19 days into this month, and we may finally see our first 100 degree day either Thursday or Friday.

As someone who blogs about the METRO light rail and the carfree experience in Phoenix, I love this time of year! Crazy, I know, but there are so many stories to tell on how to enjoy our city using public/alternative transportation while trying to survive the heat. Last year, I did an entire series on living carfree and beating the heat in Phoenix. This year, I have some cool ideas for posts and a fun community building event in the works.

In the meantime, I want to ramp up my summer coverage with a cool giveaway. Danny from Holy Pinata is offering up a free I cactus PHX t-shirt for the person who comes closest to guessing the DAY AND TIME we’ll hit 100 degrees at Sky Harbor Airport in 2010. Email me (tony at light rail blogger dot com) with your guess and I’ll announce the winner on my Facebook page the day after we hit the magic number. ENTRIES CLOSE AT NOON ON THURSDAY MAY 20th. Good luck!