Light rail will offer safe ride home to drinkers
Mutinkhe Kaunda
For students on a night out, the temptation to drink and then drive is often a strong one. The distinctive pop of a cool bottle of beer as it’s opened or the glint of a red or white wine as it swirls into a glass all conspire to titillate the senses.
Although police officers have been relentless in their bid to bring down the number of DUIs, targeting nightclubs, football games, restaurants, and bars, perhaps the introduction of the Metro Light Rail will lighten the load.
A Valley Metro press release reports that the slick silver trains that are set to start operating Dec. 27, 2008, will cruise on a 20-mile stretch of track that will snake through Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix, stopping at 28 stations along the way.
Life Rail AZ.com, a local light rail resource, reports that businesses, real estate developers, restaurants and hotels are already vying for spots along the line of rail, perhaps envisioning the hordes of commuters, including rambunctious ASU students, that will inundate them with business once the light rail opens.
In view of stricter DUI penalties, high gas prices, and photo radar, students may opt to leave their cars at home and indulge in the AZ social scene with a free conscious, saving the environment as well.
However, it seems unlikely that the introduction of light rail will lower the number of DUI’s as the metro light rail will run on fixed route, and commuters will have to park their vehicles at designated Park and Ride lots if they do not live close by, take a bus to the station, or walk.
