In celebration of 125 years of public transportation in Phoenix, the Phoenix Public Transit Department has constructed a display in the Burton Barr Central Library that will include photographs, memorabilia and historical documents.
The exhibit, “From Mule to Fuel (and Electricity): 125 years of horse cars, streetcars, buses, and light rail,” will be displayed from Nov. 5 through Nov. 30 during library hours. Monday marks the 125th anniversary for public transit in Phoenix, and exhibit visitors have the opportunity to enter a drawing to win a 1930 Phoenix Street Railway transit token and a 2012 Centennial Commemorative Transit Pass.
“It’s about Phoenix history,” said Marie Chapple Camacho, public information officer for the city of Phoenix. “It’s nice to look back on a place that you live and see what it used to be like.”
Camacho said the display will include scanned and enlarged original documents addressing changes in transportation, telegrams, interview transcripts and correspondence from World War II, as well as novelty items such as yearbooks, bus counters and driver caps and badges. Though many items were lost over the years, most of the information is from two history books and the Public Transit Department.
The goal of the display is for people to enjoy the history.
“People start telling you their own stories,” Camacho said, adding that some contributions to the display were donations from the public.
Public information specialist Matthew Heil believes that Phoenix has come full circle in constructing a light rail, which in his opinion is a modern version of the first rail system pulled by horses in 1887.
“Over the years, the broader community has come to see the genuine value of transit as part of the fabric of our society,” Heil said, adding that he has seen public transportation benefit the elderly, minority groups and those who are disabled.
Heil said that this display is “just a snippet of that fabric.” The question is how to measure the success of public transportation.
“Phoenix is a very young city because it started growing with the advent of air conditioning,” Heil said. “By the time that happened we were already in the trawl of the automobile and didn’t revolve around public transit.”
In terms of ridership, Valley Metro statistics show an increase of light rail riders from last year. But with recent strikes and irregular commuters, it is hard to know exactly, Heil said.
ASU students Angela Deligiannis and Lauren Basile prefer the light rail to the city bus, but only use it on days they commute to class or special events.
Journalism senior Deligiannis came to ASU in 2005 and commuted for three years before the light rail was built. Although she rides it five times per week and says it helps her cut costs, safety is a big concern for her and she will not ride it after 9 p.m.
Basile, a journalism junior, lives off campus and frequently takes the light rail to her public relations classes downtown, but prefers to take the ASU shuttle when she can because of transients on the light rail after dark.
“I think the ASU shuttle is a good option for students to have,” Basile said. “But I don’t think they market it enough.”
Heil explained that although the light rail fits the most passengers in one line, city buses account for the most ridership throughout the day. Right now, he is happy with the progress Phoenix has made in public transportation from private and profitable business to a government regulated system.
“The kind of transit that we provide has changed as we’ve shifted our perception of what’s important about transit,” Heil said. “But the demand is always there and it doesn’t have anywhere to go.”
Contact the reporter at nicole.barrett@asu.edu
