Living within walking distance of the VMR has been a great help to getting me around Tempe and Phoenix, and because it connects to the airport, around the world. The VMR is an excellent way for tourists to see the city, allowing them to travel through the two best downtown areas, as well as much of CenPho. The VMR is totally limited as of now, but an expansion into downtown Mesa and a branch into Scottsdale or at least Central East Phoenix will do wonders.
The Light Rail's economic impact is yet to be seen. To judge the success of the service on ridership alone is missing the point of progress. There are several groups that opposed the rail, and many of valid points, but now that we have the rail here, shouldn't we just work to make it better?
3 stars because it is a good start and improves the value of the city to visitors and inverstors. Only 3 because of some poor planning (oddly configured change over at the airport, no extension to Mesa's downtown and the fact that it will stop in the middle of its route at midnight).