Rail in Scottsdale
What the administration is
planning for Scottsdale (though you'll never get them to admit this) is
a pair of rail lines and overhead wires running the length of Scottsdale
Road, connecting with Tempe's rail line in the south and running all the
way to Carefree. To be sure, they won't do it all at one time. However,
that is their ultimate goal.
The first step of this process was designating Scottsdale
Road as our "mass transit corridor." This was done in 2003, and allowed
Scottsdale to be eligable to ask for federal funds to help pay for the
"studies" that they hope will provide proof that rail is the solution to
Scottsdale's transit "problems," even though they have never defined
those problems. It also locks in Scottsdale Road as the only route for
which rail transit is being considered.
Attempts by some of the members of the City Council to overturn this
designation and consider other alternatives were defeated by Scottsdale
Mayor Manross and the majority of the council (Betty Drake, Wayne Ecton,
Ron McCullagh) late in 2006. They simply don't want to even LOOK at any
possibilites other rail or modern streetcar.