APTA commends Phoenix voters for backing light rail

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is praising Phoenix voters who yesterday supported the city's continued investment in light-rail expansion.

"Congratulations to the forward-thinking residents of Phoenix, who voted to ensure that their light rail system can expand to better serve the transit needs of a rapidly growing city looking to the future," said APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Skoutelas in a press release.

Phoenix voters went to the polls yesterday to cast ballots on Proposition 105, which would have required the city to end funding for any new light-rail extensions and divert those funds to other transportation projects. As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, the vote was failing 38 percent to 62 percent, the Arizona Republic reported last night.

Phoenix voters now have supported light rail four times since 2000. The latest referendum was the result of a group called "Building a Better Phoenix," which opposes light rail and submitted 40,000 signatures to send city investment in the transportation mode back to the ballot.

Phoenix's portion of the money designated for light rail comes from a $31.5 billion, 35-year transportation plan funded by a sales tax increase that voters approved in 2015. While Prop. 105 would not have ended the the tax, it would have shifted the light-rail funds to other transportation projects, the newspaper reported.

Had Prop. 105 passed, Phoenix would have lost other money it expects to get for light-rail projects, including from federal grants and regional tax funds. As a result, the city likely would not have been able to move ahead with construction on a project to expand light rail from downtown to south Phoenix, or continue making plans for other light-rail extensions.

"Phoenix made it resoundingly clear to the naysayers that light rail is essential to their economy and their community," said APTA's Skoutelas.