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| - Having lived in Tempe and walking distance from two light rail stations, I have ridden the light rail more times than I can count. I've ridden it to work, to the airport and home from Sky Harbor, to and from events at Chase Field and US Airways arena, and to go downtown or Central Phoenix for Friday or Saturday nights out with my husband and/or friends. The trains are always clean and I've never had to wait too long at any of the stations for the next train. The ticket machines are for the most part quick and easy to use; however, I have had a few problems with them not accepting the cash I have tried to put in even though it's not wrinkly or crumpled at all. This caused me to miss a few trains which at the time really ticked me off.
I don't mind the honor system that light rail employs, but is it really necessary to check tickets twice within two stops? Also, why check tickets when the trains are filled to the max before and after a baseball game? I know the trains are public, but I actually found being solicited on the train for petition signatures really annoying. As a woman who rode the train alone at night at times, I find light rail to be safe as the stations are well lit and there are never too many people on late at night. For the summer, can I put a request in now for misters??
The speed of light rail doesn't bother me either, as I really enjoyed using the time on the train to read or catch up on emails/ESPN/the news on my Blackberry. Thee ride from Tempe to the airport is about fifteen minutes and from Tempe to downtown (Central and Van Buren station) is about 35 minutes or so. Sure I could have driven in half the time, but the convenience of not having to drive and park at sporting events, work, the airport, etc, well makes up for the time. Additonally with the light rail running until 2 am on weekends, it's nice for when you want to have a few drinks and don't want to risk a DUI.
I hope that light rail eventually expands throughout the Valley as I think it's a great addition to the Valley. Plus anything that affords such fantastic people watching (both at the stations and on the train) is A-OK in my book!
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