Comments on: How car-driven cities like Phoenix get snookered into building failed but very costly mass-transit systems http://distinctivephoenix.com/51/how-car-driven-cities-like-phoenix-get-snookered-into-building-failed-but-very-costly-mass-transit-systems/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:08:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: silverbear http://distinctivephoenix.com/51/how-car-driven-cities-like-phoenix-get-snookered-into-building-failed-but-very-costly-mass-transit-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-686 silverbear Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:53:20 +0000 http://distinctivephoenix.com/?p=51#comment-686 The LV Monorail has been cursed by three factors not mentioned here: 1) Much higher fares than public transit systems, either bus or ail, anywhere else in North America. 2) The Monorail was not given prominent placement on the Strip, but instead hidden behind the casinos. As a result, it's not obvious to tourists. Only a dedicated few seek it out, and those who might have a more casual interest usually decide to take a cab instead when faced with the prospect of navigating through a cavernous casino to find a train station hidden in the back. Most tourists will never discover the monorail, no matter how much time passes, simply because it is well concealed until it gets to the Convention Center area. 3) The Monorail connects only the casinos and the LV Convention Center. It does not serve Downtown, the Airport, or any residential areas, making it impractical for locals to use when commuting to work. For all those reasons, I agree that the LV Monorail is a failure, but its failure is unique in its causes. The Las Vegas experience should not be a reason for skepticism about the light rail project in Phoenix or similar efforts in other cities. The LV Monorail has been cursed by three factors not mentioned here: 1) Much higher fares than public transit systems, either bus or ail, anywhere else in North America. 2) The Monorail was not given prominent placement on the Strip, but instead hidden behind the casinos. As a result, it’s not obvious to tourists. Only a dedicated few seek it out, and those who might have a more casual interest usually decide to take a cab instead when faced with the prospect of navigating through a cavernous casino to find a train station hidden in the back. Most tourists will never discover the monorail, no matter how much time passes, simply because it is well concealed until it gets to the Convention Center area. 3) The Monorail connects only the casinos and the LV Convention Center. It does not serve Downtown, the Airport, or any residential areas, making it impractical for locals to use when commuting to work.

For all those reasons, I agree that the LV Monorail is a failure, but its failure is unique in its causes. The Las Vegas experience should not be a reason for skepticism about the light rail project in Phoenix or similar efforts in other cities.

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