Phoenix has all the tools to break its car dependency, and a 35-year public transit plan aims to turn it into a commuter paradise

Walking, biking, and taking transit are inconvenient for most people in Phoenix, but the mayor says she has a 35-year plan to fix it.

• Phoenix is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US and the increased traffic and pollution are taking a toll on residents.
• Mayor Kate Gallego is spearheading a 35-year plan to expand on the city's public transit system so that it's more accessible and sustainable. 
• The Transportation 2050 plan targets infrastructure that will empower commuters, like bike lanes and expanded walkways along Phoenix's unique canal system.
• This story is part of Advancing Cities, a series highlighting urban centers across the US that are committed to improving life for their residents.

In Phoenix, a walk, bike ride, or bus trip is rarely more practical than a drive. 

An influx of new residents fueling the city's emerging tech industry has helped Phoenix become one of the largest US cities. Its increased population density and sprawl have created a storm of heavy traffic and mounting carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the city's population growth shows no signs of slowing — people continue to move to Phoenix to capitalize on its tech boom, romantic desert landscapes, and lower cost of living. 

This could further emphasize the city's dependency on private vehicles — unless it improves and expands alternative transportation options. The city says its 35-year transportation plan aims to do just that.

Phoenix aims to close public-transportation gaps

A New York Times analysis published in 2019 found that the Phoenix metro area's carbon-dioxide emissions increased by 291% from 1990 to 2017 — a figure likely to have risen over the past few years, thanks to the city's population growth. 

In this sprawling city where vehicles are a necessity, affordability and accessibility are primary concerns. But driving everywhere isn't always the most practical or appealing option. Add headache-inducing traffic to the mix, and the demand for alternative ways to get around is high.

This isn't lost on Phoenix's mayor, Kate Gallego, for whom public transportation is a particularly important and personal topic.

Gallego experienced a seizure shortly after being elected in 2013. Drivers in Arizona aren't permitted to operate vehicles for several months after a seizure, so Gallego found herself relying on public transportation. 

She said she found that downtown Phoenix, which boasts many light-rail stops, was fairly easy to navigate. But South Phoenix and other parts of the city that have historically lacked easy access to public transportation weren't so simple. 

A public health study published in 2015 found that many of Phoenix's southernmost neighborhoods, where many low-income families live, lacked access to the economic and environmental benefits of public transit demonstrated in other neighborhoods.

"It really convinced me that we need a system that works for everyone in every part of our city," Gallego told Insider. 

The city's Transportation 2050 plan, a bipartisan project led by Gallego and approved by voters in 2015, details several infrastructure improvements with this goal in mind. For instance, it describes extending Phoenix's light-rail, which carries 26,300 people to their destinations every day, by 42 miles, bringing service to south, north, and west Phoenix neighborhoods. 

Albert Crespo, a deputy director of the city's public transit department, said he's pleased with the scope of the project, adding that it allows his department to tackle accessibility on several fronts. 

"The voter-approved Transportation 2050 plan is an exciting, forward-looking program that has allowed Phoenix Public Transit to provide residents with expanded bus service, additional light-rail corridors, a mobile fare-collection system, and roadway and mobility improvements," he told Insider.

The plan also involves extending bus services to unserved major streets and broadening bus and accessible transportation hours. Both changes aim to make public transportation an option for the entirety of residents' commutes or as supplements to light-rail commutes as opposed to needing a private vehicle for some or all of a trip. The city plans to add lighting or shade structures at 780 bus stops and use only carbon-neutral buses by 2040. 

Nolan Williams, president of Tempe YIMBY (short for "Yes In My Backyard"), said he's thrilled to see that Phoenix is investing in alternative transportation options. The volunteer organization regularly mobilizes to support public transit, affordable housing, and other city quality projects.  

"T2050 will be a big help to transit riders who live in Tempe," a city near Phoenix, "with huge increases in connectivity and flexibility for people coming in via light rail," Williams told Insider. "Obviously expanding light-rail service into underserved communities is a net good for everyone, and the cultural amenities that will become available to those who live without cars or with inconsistent access to cars will be very valuable."

Making active transportation safer

Despite Phoenix's toasty reputation, most months are perfect for walking, cycling, or using a wheelchair outside. The T2050 plan aims to improve sidewalks and bike lanes to make what it calls "active transportation" safer and more pleasant. 

The city says that since the plan's implementation, it has installed or improved 22,338 Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps and installed over 70 new pedestrian light systems at crosswalks. 

Over the next couple of decades, the city plans to add 135 miles of sidewalks and 2,000 streetlights. The plan includes nearly 1,100 miles of new bike lanes, some of which would be protected with additional buffer space or vertical elements to insulate them from car traffic.

For organizations like Tempe YIMBY, Phoenix's bike lane buffers are more of a starting point than an end goal. 

"Buffers are good, thin plastic barriers are OK, but the gold standard is raised concrete," Williams said, pointing out that bikes and other active transportation options only replace car trips when newer users feel safe riding them. "It's an expensive standard, but the gains in ridership and safety from actual concrete barriers are huge. Simply put, we need much more expansive and aggressive action than just long strips of white and green paint."

Gallego also thinks there's potential to improve active transportation beyond the city streets. "We have more miles of canals than Venice, Italy," Gallego told Insider. "Our canal system is a wonderful asset, and the city wouldn't have risen without those canals — they're why we exist as a city. They're incredibly important for delivering water to our community, but they can also be central to transportation."

For some central Phoenix residents, this is already the case.  "It's quieter than walking along the street, and safer, too," said Lisa T., who regularly uses the sidewalks along the canals to reach the city's popular Melrose District. "Sometimes I see students u

sing the canals to get home from the nearby high schools, and sometimes I see couples cycling or moms pushing their kids in a stroller. The canals are more functional than people think."

The city is currently working to reinforce concrete canal-side walkways and ensure they have proper signals where they intersect with city streets. 

Incentivizing alternative transportation options

The city offers a free light-rail pass to and from the Footprint Center, where the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury play, with each sporting-event or concert ticket. When an event ends and traffic increases, this option is often more attractive than driving or dealing with surge pricing on ride-hailing apps. 

When Glendale, a city just northwest of Phoenix, hosted the Super Bowl in February, the OnePass app gave attendees a QR code for free transit. 

The city works with school districts to use public transit for field trips, offering kids the chance to get familiar with the light-rail and bus systems, and provides discounted transit passes to university and public-school faculty in the area. 

Crespo said his department is focused on making sure residents know about these programs and how the city is measuring progress. 

"We're proud of the transparency created around this program and how, year after year, we've hit the T2050 outlined goals/commitments," he said. "Via our annual Transportation 2050 progress report, Phoenix residents have the opportunity to see exactly where we are with the current program progress and where we are headed over the next several years."