mapping in mapping out

I recently started a new project using maps, specifically of tourist destinations. I started first in Phoenix—figuring it best for me to start with home before I branch out to other tourist-destination cities. Part of the point was that tourist maps are extremely selective about what they highlight. Businesses who paid for ad space seem to get the largest marker on the map and anything not deemed important by the company making the map blur out into a grey or tan—a sort of nondescript space. I expected that and even counted on it for the substance of my project (that I'm not going to get into more).

What also interested me was that on one map specifically, certain transportation options were featured. First of all, the number of "P"s is overwhelming. I know Phoenix is a car-oriented city but looking at this map, it seems there are more parking garages than anything else. Secondly, the only highlighted transportation was the Light Rail and the 2 Downtown free shuttles. There are actually 8 other buses (the 0, 1, 3, 7, 8, 10, 15 and 19) that go through downtown and sometimes more conveniently service areas people might want to get to.

Now I know it isn't a transportation map and that you can go to the Valley Metro website to find out that information but what interests me is that they decided to put any transportation info at all on this map and, when they did, they decided which forms were appropriate for their audience. I'm still interested, but not totally surprised, by how silently it is impressed upon us that taking public transit for one reason (entertainment or tourism) is OK but for another (necessity or choice) is not. This map eliminates the idea that there is anything else available to them, the newcomer and visitor to downtown. If they arrive by light rail from the suburbs, they are made to believe that the only transportation that is viable for them are the ones indicated on this map. Others seen whizzing by on the road in front of them suddenly become part of their peripheral vision. I think, even if there is a glimmer that it seems like an option, that glimmer is soon over-ridden by the thought that "oh, that's not for me".

I keep wondering when the shift will occur and when, if ever, these boundaries will break down.

The map shown here is from the Copper Square website.

lozenge

I'm beginning to think that all buses should begin to have a cough lozenge bin up at the front of the bus. It could be right next to where they keep the transit books. That way, even if the coughing person won't notice it or get one for themselves, another passenger could go get it and hand it to the person who wishes to share their germs and saliva with the entire population.

And maybe there could be a tissue box, too. I don't know. I guess it's just wishful thinking.

sister cities

My lovely sister in Seattle has informed me that there is a similar (probably better or at least more consistent) blog to mine up there that was picked up by the Seattle Post-Intelligencier called Bus Chick. It's on my list of blogs i'm following but for some reason doesn't show up in my blog list next to my recent posts. Could be because it's not generated by blogger.

After reading a few of her posts and liking what i see, i'd like to announce that, in my mind, Seattle is now the official "sister city" to my Phoenix bustories. They haven't confirmed this and i haven't made contact with the "bus chick" but it seems to be an innocent enough claim so i'm going to go with it.

Her most recent post mentions the economic stimulus package and how cities have been cutting back on mass transit while also trying to encourage ridership. Phoenix is a perfect example of this. After all the hype and hoopla for the opening of the light rail system and the promise that it would cost EXACTLY the same as riding the bus (i hope everyone heard that right, because there still seems to be a question out there despite the hundreds of messages assuring us that there is no difference in fare), the city/Valley Metro announced only a month later that they were considering increasing transit fare.

This comes as no real surprise to me and i firmly believe that a fare hike is way overdue for this city (it's been the same $1.25 for over 14 years). But i find the timing annoyingly predictable. From a marketing standpoint, I knew there was no possible way Phoenix/Valley Metro would announce a fare increase prior to the light rail opening since that might destroy the momentum they had going for people wanting to take public transit over driving. The fact that the announcement of a fare hike nearly doubling the current fare and cuts in service came not even one month after the opening seems comical. Sort of like a bait and switch of values. But really, i'm totally fine with this since if you read one of my previous posts, i think the new transit-riding folk can definitely afford the fare hike. As for the people who have always taken the bus and dealt with all of its awkward growing pains, this inconvenience should pale in comparison to waiting at a bus stop mid-summer, 110 degrees out, no shade, a late, packed bus with a less-than functioning a/c system that breaks down halfway to your destination. And i certainly hope the city will be making available plenty of reduced-fare passes. I guess it is the harsh reality that when the economy starts to suck, many people complain about it but the people it screws with the most are the people who didn't have much to begin with.

Even though I know that most of the costly improvements to the transit system here were made more to benefit the middle, class, professional set than the ex-con, single mom, teenage, or lower income set, we are all reaping the benefits from it. Even long after people either return to their vehicles or find a way to ride transit when there are only other people like them riding it, we will still have a shade structure to keep us from dying from heat exhaustion and hopefully, a more intelligent, frequent system. Since public transit seems, to me, to be the ONLY solution to gas prices (and the soon-to-be scarcity of oil), traffic congestion, urban pollution and other environmental hazards, it will have to bounce back.

More from Valley Metro on the fare increases here.