The local Chamber of Commerce has formed a committee to study the feasibility of a downtown streetcar circulator to reduce automobile trips in the rapidly developing Phoenix suburb, easing traffic congestion and parking problems. According to committee chairman Eric Emmert, a very preliminary plan shows possible lines on Mill Avenue between the Phoenix Zoo and south Tempe or along Rio Salado Parkway, where office buildings and condominiums are blossoming. “It just appears to fit into our downtown rather well at a cursory glance,” Emmert told the East Valley Tribune. So far, funding has not been identified and the city probably couldn’t contribute much. With federal cash getting harder to obtain, the committee will study financial models used by other cities to determine how best to pay for the project. The group hopes to issue a report within a year.
