-P _L*

-{--J

-cf
-p
LIJ
LL)

s
rb

n
,|.
il

i
r1

ln for the

Goodyea r Mayor Cavanaug h advances commuter rail talks

By Michaet Mitter

ince he was etected mayor of Goodyear in 2003, James Cavanaugh has immersed himself in the West Vatley 'transportation scene white championing the concept of commuter raiI atong the BurLington Northern-Santa Fe and Union Pacific raitroads. Mayor Cavanaugh ended his two-year term as chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments with the association's f irst transportation summit in May. A broad coatition of transportation industry experts gathered at the Wigwam Gotf Resort and Spa, a [ocation strategicatly setected to bring sharper focus to a comprehensive transportation ptan west of lnterstate 1 7.

t'
I

I
x

28

AugustZ00S www.WestvatleyMagazine.com

ffi
_

.P t-c_)

c) .P
CS

CN

"l'm probab[y as involved as any mayor right now on this subject," said Cavanaugh, whose transportation po[icy expertise incLudes organizing the Z}-year regionaI transportation ptan and Proposition 400, which asked voters to
renew a countywide haLf-cent sates tax- The tax, which was approved in2004, atlocates funding to road and freeway improvements as wetl as $2.3 bil.tion to the extension of [ight rait. The

for mass transiting passengers riding minimum distances of 20 io 30 mil.es. Why it has taken two decades for metro Phoenix to commit to commuter rail is merely guesswork for Cavanaugh. "l wasn't here in the '80s, okay," he said. "l don't know thai the phiLosophy in government nor in the private citizenry [ended itseLf to mass transit. lt wasn't
impressive to peopLe." Attanta and Denver are two other major metro areas undertaking commuter rait propositions, perceived by many to be an economic issue. As gas prices surge, that seems as consequentiaI as popuLation growth and the resulting conges-

?,

westward-approaching Light raiL project

is

PROUDLYSPONSORED BY

scheduted to begin operations in late December. But metro Phoenix and its ever-growing population won't wait for Light rait to become a more convenient option. The state popuLation is projected to be 16 miLlion people by 2030, whi[e Phoenix and Tucson continue their steady march toward merging. EventuaLty urban p[anners say the two areas wiLL be the epicenter of

re re

iion. Cavanaugh said he senses skepticism

stretches beyond the voting pubtic's resistance of f reety sharing its pocketbook with the supposed prodigaI hand of government. lt atso has a lot to do with the southwestern mentality. "l'tl do my own driving, go where I want to go and do what I want to do. And that's a great mentality, and it affects al[ of us I think out here," he said. "But we need now io become a littte more coLlective in our thinking."

ffi

f-r-\--.] Adolfson

a megapotitan

4lli&Peterson

* I

tan area

Construction

north to the Mexico border. Faced with the facts, Cavanaugh said an accessibLe, comfortabte and efficieni commuter rail system would become a necessity by 2010

that spans from Prescott in the

or an overgrown metropoli-

ff

ffi uouse "i ELLIorr GROUP @ MED]A

FOR SPONSORSHIP INFORIVIATION CALL:

623-536-5967

-E - gI*
t4&stl&lf;e:r Poren#.sfgt *s9v

ffi ffi

grE

BECOME A MEMB:R TODAY TO MAKE FOR AFI EASIER TOMORROV'

$
*s
,':.1:i

GOT rtlD$?
to. yor..'l Become q FREE member io the fostest growing online fomily resource sile for the West Volley from Pregncncy through ihe Teen Yeors.
FRIE
FREE FREE

lf so... WestVolleyPoreni.com

is

':s
:'.i:\i

.is

FREI
FREE

reoch thousqnds of

fcnrilies usino the site ccrr conloct us rri soleFOwestvolleyporen t.com

Business owners wlro

wqnt to

il.:i;::i.. ':l:!i:-i

Visil us <rl www.westvolleyporent.com

30 | August 2008 www.WestValleyMagazine.com

s; *.q{
.ll: i:-. ;tl

.:/f

:t":',' :

Mayor Cavanaugh

1809 N Dysart Rd - Avondale Just North of McDowell

!l

gstStarted

$tant*r$ystem

Regiona{System

www.WestvatteyMagazine.com

August Z0O8

29