Unfortunately, I have little faith that this study will convince either the Street Transportation Department or the misguided milquetoast majority on the #Phoenix City Council to scrap the antiquated reverse lanes on the 7s. I would of course love to be proven wrong.

Planning a family movie outing resurrects the usual dilemma: Option 1: Harkins is a superior experience, but its locations are all suburban. Option 2: AMC has inferior theaters but locations in downtown #Phoenix and downtown #Tempe. The local favorite continues to ignore the heart of its hometown.

My concerns are the following: 1) Can ADOT do this within the existing freeway footprint without further intruding on #Phoenix neighborhoods? 2) Will the bike/ped bridges over I-10 at 10th and 18th streets be rebuilt with new ones as good as or better than what's there now? azdot.gov/projects/cen...

For years, I've heard Bogota cited as an example of how bus rapid transit (BRT) can be as good as trains at less cost. With Bogota finally building a metro, that doesn't mean BRT is worthless, but it works best as an interim measure while building support for rail. www.highspeed.blog/bogota-gets-...

It’s a pleasant surprise that a federal website is displaying accurate information under this post-truth administration, and this is a message that cannot be repeated often enough in #Phoenix

Today is the last day for Raffaele's Pizza, and Thai Lotus will close on June 13. The enshittification of 19th Avenue continues with the closure of popular longstanding #Phoenix restaurants to make way for a McDonald's drive-thru, a type of business that shouldn't be built along a rail transit line.

4.3 spaces per vehicle. 9 degree temperature increase. Remember those numbers next time anyone says that #Phoenix doesn’t have enough parking. Even if the surplus isn’t always where it’s needed, the solution is market based supply and pricing, not more mandates. usa.streetsblog.org/2026/05/26/h...

With Nikki Buchanan now retiring at #Phoenix Magazine, that leaves not a single professional dining critic writing genuine restaurant reviews anywhere in the metropolitan area. That's a big vacuum that social media influencers, consumer review sites, and amateur food bloggers like me cannot fill.

Adding anti-pedestrian drive-thrus along a light rail corridor is not an upgrade. It's been happening along 19th Avenue for a while, and now it's spreading to South Central. Pete's opposed light rail, so maybe it's good they're staying in the neighborhood, but this is not the way to do it. #phoenix

Disappointed to see guards telling people not to sit on these planters while waiting at @repgregstanton.bsky.social Central Station because they're private property. This seems outside the spirit, if not the letter, of the developer's agreement with @cityofphoenixaz.bsky.social and @valleymetro.org.

Raffaele's Pizza, Thai Lotus, and the only Liberian restaurant in #Phoenix to be demolished for an anti-pedestrian gas station and McDonald's drive-thru across the street from a light rail station. Pardon my language, but this is the enshittification of 19th Ave. mouthbysouthwest.com/2026/04/21/r...

A closed Hooter's is itself no great loss, but it is the latest sign of MetroCenter's decline, especially with "transient activity" cited as a reason. Light rail is not the problem. The entire I-17 corridor seems to be in distress, even miles away from the train. mouthbysouthwest.com/2026/04/06/h...

I wouldn’t call taco omakases elevated. That word connotes that the object in question is lowly and requires cleaning up for public consumption. The taco needs no such thing. If done right, an omakase experience expresses the taco’s limber nature. www.texasmonthly.com/food/taco-om...

Enjoyed last night's event at the Royale with @thewaroncars.bsky.social hosts @brooklynspoke.bsky.social and @sgoodyear.bsky.social, State Senator @senanaliseortiz.bsky.social, and future Phoenix City Council member Ed Hermes. Excellent venue, energetic audience, and a balanced critique of our city.

I liked this place and am sad to see it close after only a few months due to opposition from residents of the condominiums upstairs. Barbecue in an urban setting is often problematic because while most like the smell, all it takes is a few who don't. #phoenix www.phoenixnewtimes.com/food-drink/n...

Although I didn't like his negative tone, especially after he moved to Seattle, I almost always agreed with him on policy. I hope his fans in #Phoenix will continue to fight for a diversified economy, sane politics, urban vitality, and restoration of passenger rail. www.azcentral.com/story/news/a...

The #Phoenix City Council met until midnight yesterday, ultimately deciding to cease pursuing light rail to the AZ state capitol while accelerating plans for a route on Indian School Road. This route will serve Maryvale better than one along I-10, but the capitol should still have a spur of its own.

Having worked nearly four decades in both the public and private sectors in roughly equal proportions, I can attest to this. Neither has a monopoly on waste, incompetence, innovation, or excellence.

New Years Eve rain is always appreciated in #Phoenix because it means we don't have the usual New Years Day hangover of dirty brown air from fireworks. Air quality at this moment is "moderate," a major improvement compared to the "unhealthy" or "hazardous" ratings often seen at sunrise on January 1.

I have never seen as much wrong way parking as at #Scottsdale Quarter. I don’t know whether it’s due to suburban shoppers with little urban parallel parking experience or an entitlement mentality associated with luxury vehicles. Either way, it seems contrary to the mall’s intended upscale image.

A drunk driver ran a red light and struck a light rail train in Midtown #Phoenix this morning, resulting in his own death and injuries to several passengers. @kjzz.org is reporting this accurately while @azcentral.com and other local media are running deceptive headlines about a "light rail crash."

Taking my daughter to her seasonal job at #Scottsdale Quarter makes me painfully aware of mismatches in planning. The Quarter has narrow streets, but 99% of people drive there. Downtown #Phoenix has better access via transit, but the city stubbornly insists on maintaining multi-lane arterials there.

There are few things as frustrating as a community meeting in which half the speakers are talking about a different project than the one on the agenda. Today's meeting on light rail to the AZ State Capitol was derailed by endless off-topic comments on a separate plan for Indian School Road. #phoenix

As with disparate impact arguments against safety cameras and traffic enforcement generally, making a disparate impact argument against DUI enforcement is absurd—what about the Native, Black and Hispanic pedestrians and bicyclists disproportionally killed by drunk drivers?

Allowing tiny cars to be sold in the U.S. sounds great at first, but it would be at the same time that vehicle safety and fuel economy standards are being relaxed. It will be hard to sell small cars if they are sharing roads with bloated SUVs and trucks. Few drivers will want to unilaterally disarm.

Enjoyed seeing someone busking while Christmas shopping in a suburban area not prone to busking. Standing on a pedestrian island in the middle of the road was clever, putting him on public property right at the boundary between #Phoenix and #Scottsdale, so neither mall nor city would chase him away.

It's such an example of American exceptionalism that even among the most leftist of Americans, they will refuse to use or acknowledge public transit unless it is the best it possibly could be, continuing to drive their cars instead. Like, if we don't have what the Netherlands have then it's garbage.

Yet more public meetings on light rail to the west side of #Phoenix. My take: The train should absolutely go to the AZ state capitol. Going farther west via I-10, however, doesn't make sense. Instead, use a route via Thomas and/or Indian School to serve Maryvale. www.valleymetro.org/project/capi...

Despite lamenting what Jeff Bezos has done to the editorial board and opinion page at his newspaper, I still subscribe to The Washington Post. For anyone who wants to read it, here's a gift link to yesterday's article on the struggle to implement Vision Zero in the United States: wapo.st/4pmTbIp

Dismayed to learn that the longstanding and dependable Thai Lotus on 19th Avenue is being forced to relocate or close so that the landlord can build a McDonald’s drive-thru at the site. Not only does this endanger a small business, but it’s also anti-pedestrian development near light rail. #Phoenix

Over the weekend, a red light runner struck another car, killing two people and damaging the Baseline/Central light rail station in South #Phoenix. This tragic situation is being made even worse by local media running false headlines that imply to the casual reader that a train was somehow involved.

Light rail to west #Phoenix is being reconsidered yet again. A line to the AZ state capitol should absolutely happen, no matter how much the legislature resists. I-10, on the other hand, has never been a good route. Thomas or Indian School would be far better. www.valleymetro.org/project/capi...

Know anyone who’s scared of public transportation? If you want to give them nightmares, show them this scary train at Spirit Halloween right by the real train at 19th Ave / Camelback in #phoenix. It’s a pretty impressive display, more so than I’d expect for a store open only a few months a year.

Highlights of the weekend: Thoroughly good: Watching the Mercury win the WNBA semifinals before enjoying a good dinner at Obon's new location in downtown #Phoenix Bittersweet: Enjoying one last visit to the Gilbert Farmers Market before its unfortunate relocation to a giant parking lot in Chandler

This is disappointing but not surprising. It seemed obvious that the vote by the #phoenix city council to conduct yet another study of the 7s was just a tactic to avoid action and maintain the status quo indefinitely. www.azfamily.com/2025/09/17/c...

I was never a big fan of the old Monti’s restaurant, but I share Michael’s nostalgia for the Mill Avenue of decades past. High-end places are fine, but a business district so close to a university campus needs the type of places that have left in recent years. www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/...

Watching the city council debate whether to rehire the retired former city manager is once again reinforcing my belief that #Phoenix has outgrown its weak mayor / city manager model of government. A revolving door of appointees, no matter how dedicated, prevents the bold changes needed for the city.

If Sean Duffy were serious about transit safety, he might tie funding to crime statistics or earmark grant money for security improvements. Both could be reasonable if implemented properly. Instead, he is using crime to pursue a culture war agenda against transit. usa.streetsblog.org/2025/09/09/w...

Despite the cringe-inducing phrase "avid cyclist" in the first sentence, this is an insightful article about the vicious cycle that car dependency has created for our children. I'm fortunate mine were able to walk safely to our local elementary school, but many are not so fortunate. wapo.st/41r8xSn

It's unfortunate that historic homes and businesses are in jeopardy due to the proposed light rail extension to the Arizona State Capitol. This dilemma exists only because former Governor Ducey and legislative Republicans forced a change in the planned route. www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/histori...

Interesting perspective on the new light rail extension in South #Phoenix. Mostly positive with some valid criticism that raises a dilemma: One of the best ways to add shade is to allow multi-story development, but that feeds fears of gentrification and displacement. www.calonews.com/arizona/we-t...

Would it be too much to ask for more restaurants to serve portions halfway between the Olive Garden and Ozempic? Maybe a quarter-pound burger (a big deal when McDonald's introduced its version in the '70s) instead of a half-pound monstrosity or a two-ounce slider? www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/d...

This ruling concerns a specific project in the small town of Page near the Utah border, but there could be a statewide impact in terms of votes to second guess local government decisions. I can only hope that voters will support safer, more productive streets. azcapitoltimes.com/news/2025/08...

Added problem: The toxic byproduct of school choice is the school commute, countless miles of additional driving because children are being chauffeured to distant schools instead of walking, biking, or riding buses. It's the first week of school, and traffic is already much heavier. wapo.st/45zmkbE

I’ve never been a fan of Gilbert due to its anti-urban, anti-transit politics, but the town’s small walkable core has always been nice to visit. Moving the Gilbert Farmers Market out of that area is a mistake. The new location isn’t really walkable or bikeable from anywhere. ktar.com/arizona-busi...

I visited Legoland at Arizona Mills yesterday. They have Lego versions of local landmarks, including this group of bicyclists pedaling by Chase Field on 3rd St. I wonder if someone at Lego is trying to shame #Phoenix into making the proposed 3rd St. bikeway happen by manifesting the plan in bricks.

Riding the 0 bus from Sunnyslope to downtown #Phoenix for the first time since yesterday’s service changes. Nice to have it merged with the former 0A route in south Phoenix and operating with 15-minute headways. Both are good follow-ups to the June opening of the South Central light rail extension.

Returning to Phoenix after a long weekend in Prescott yesterday, I tried the new flex lanes on I-17. With signs and gates, they appear to manage asymmetric traffic effectively. They are much better than the reverse lanes on the 7s, which try unsuccessfully to apply a highway concept to city streets.

With incumbent Laura Pastor now in her third and final term on the #Phoenix City Council. I am pleased to support Ed Hermes’ campaign to become her successor in District 4. Ed’s been a consistent advocate for strong schools, safer streets, and multimodal transport. www.edhermes.com

I took the first southbound train from the Downtown #Phoenix Hub to Baseline Road on June 7. Nice to see this video from the perspective of the first northbound train departing at the same time.