The mobile protesting pair of Erin Searle (left) and Kevin Sweet at the light rail's Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street station.
It's not all sunshine and roses at crowded light rail stations today. Kevin Sweet and Erin Searle, a pair of college-aged sweethearts, are out protesting the fact the light rail ends its service at around midnight.
The duo is armed with a couple hand-drawn posterboards and are planning on demonstrating at several stations along the light rail's eastbound route (if they can get on board, that is, as almost every train is absolutely packed to the gills with riders).
Sweet, a student at ASU Downtown, thinks that keeping the trains until last call on Friday and Saturday nights would not only cut down on DUIs, it might ultimately help the economy.
"If things were running until 2 a.m., people might be more likely to go out [to] bars more," says Sweet. "And they'd be fueling the tax revenue by buying more drinks, which would help the economy."
Plus, it would be cheaper than a cab, he adds.
"If you're at Mill Avenue and you pay for a taxi ride to Chandler or back to downtown Phoenix, it would be like $40," Sweet says. "With the light rail, you can take the train to a station and then get a $10 cab ride back to your house."
You're preaching to the choir, pal. -- Benjamin Leatherman
