Public Transit Opportunities

Proximity to public transit stops is one of the factors that determines the likelihood of a person using public transit. Bus Service is provided by Valley Metro in the Phoenix metropolitan region and by Sun Tran in the Tucson area. METRO light rail, which runs through Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa in the Phoenix metro area, and city circulator buses expand the range of the bus system. Coverage is present on many of the two regions' arterial streets, but the area or population likely to be served by that stop is within a 10-minute walk—defined here as one-quarter mile.

These data show the percentage of people in various cities living within walking distance to a bus stop. Light rail and circulator bus stops were also considered in the analysis of the Phoenix metro area, although not in the Tucson area due to the lack of necessary data. Healthy, sustainable communities are those that provide a variety of options for residents, such as access to multiple types of transportation. Increasing transportation options also improves accessibility to jobs, decreases transportation costs for workers, and helps to build an improved sense of community. When people shift to alternate modes of transportation, reduced automotive emissions can result in improvements to the local air quality.