One problem we have here in the Phoenix area is that we get some 300 new people move here every day. We are growing at such a rapid pace, but a lot of these newbies come from areas where things are a bit different. Nay, things are a lot different. I can remember when there were hitching posts outside the Circle K's and some of the bars, like the Pink Pony in downtown Scottsdale. Some people show up here thinking that this is like Boston or Philadelphia and it's not. We used to wear jeans to work and our best tie was a bolo. They brought their white shirts and suites with them, rather than trading them for western garb. We have never been suited for mass transportation and it has never been a success, yet when these newbies show up they right away think we need it and they vote for it not knowing that it just won't work. It was fine to have trolleys downtown in the 30's when Phoenix was just a few square miles, but today, the city runs from below South Mountain to around 40 miles to the north, with patches of desert in between. No one can cover that large an area unless they either have an unlimited budget or they started building on the base that was established early in the 20th century.
We may get 30 miles of track that will serve maybe 1% of the population, that it would be cheaper to furnish us all with a new car. But yes, we have those darn pesky, hot transients to be concerned about...