Knowles: Take the SunRunner to the Rowdies!
OPINION – For the second week in a row, the RBLR Rowdies column must start with coverage from Phoenix, Arizona.
Out west, the Rising’s latest partnership piqued my interest as someone whose Twitter mostly consists of soccer, Rowdies soccer (a separate topic entirely), and public transportation: club fans will be able to use their matchday tickets to ride the Valley Metro Rail for free! With a headline that intersects with so many of my causes du jour, I naturally had to look into this and see what existed for folks in Tampa Bay.
This year, Phoenix Rising will be playing in the aptly named Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium. News of a potential sponsored name for this site was not out at time of publication. This stadium is in downtown Phoenix, north of the airport serving the whole region. It will replace the Wild Horse Pass Stadium, which is technically in Chandler, Arizona, and also occupies land in the Gila River Indian Community.
Sports betting was not allowed on site at the old stadium under the tribal government. Assumedly, with gambling on sports also rising, this will no longer be a potential issue.
In addition to noted branding initiatives for the soccer club at their closest station, game day tickets will now cover fare on Valley Metro Rail from any location for “four hours prior to the start of the event, through the end of the transit day.” Immediate impacts should include helping alleviate traffic, as well as allowing fans to explore more of the city before the soccer actually starts. Provided a person lives near another rail station, or close enough that they could catch a quick taxi to one, removing personal vehicles from the travel itinerary means attendees can do any pregame activity they’d like without having to worry about who’s driving home.
With general urbanism as my recent hobby horse, this writer had a millisecond’s worth of longing for the Phoenix lifestyle. Then, I remembered what the heat is supposed to be like in Arizona, let alone water supply issues out west and other problems that come with living in a desert. Suddenly, those problems part and parcel of the Tampa Bay area didn’t seem so bad. We certainly aren’t running out of water any time soon, even if we have hurricanes periodically sucking it out of the bay.
Still, having free public transportation to games sounds like a fantastic idea. There are safety aspects that should mean less driving, and certainly less drunk-driving. You can travel with fellow fans and get more in the spirit. You can also spend a day downtown and see more local attractions and businesses than just those in the immediate vicinity. By now you might have realized that all of this is available to Tampa Bay Rowdies fans as well: just ride the SunRunner!
Only three blocks away from Al Lang Stadium sits the 3rd St. S station, right across the street from the Publix on that road! Google Maps shows it is a simple ten minute walk from there to live soccer. Looking at the SunRunner map itself, the possibilities for how to spend your pregame day are almost limitless. The farthest away station is also across the street from a Publix, this one at the St. Petersburg Beach access. If you’re as pale as certain RBLR staff (Editor’s note: *raises hand*) you might want to avoid spending all day sun-tanning before you head to see the Rowdies. Do not fret! Never fret!
The main thoroughfare for the SunRunner is 1st Streets, North and South, around Central Ave. N in St. Pete. This means there is a handy number of other things to do right along the route. Have you, dear reader, ever been to Dead Bob’s Bar? Neither have I! But, with a name like that, I know I’d like to! Just what did happen to Bob anyway?
Have you ever had the pizza at Cappy’s? Have you ever had a beer at Green Bench Brewery or across Central at Ferg’s? Have you ever sought legal advice at Worman & Worman, got dental work at Smile St. Pete, or donated plasma at Octapharma? While I have done some of those things, I know I’m enticed by the possibility of several new experiences. I will likely make an effort to try every SunRunner stop before the end of the season, based on how many businesses I haven’t had a chance to check out yet.
Our many readers from the Phoenix area might get to this point yelling that, while every stop in St. Pete merits a once (or twice) over, their tickets make travel on Valley Metro Rail free. That’s true and it is a great perk. However, those in the Tampa Bay area already likely know something Phoenicians don’t: taking the SunRunner costs nothing! Launched in October with six months of free rides as part of a pilot program, the Bus Rapid Transit option has been extremely popular. According to I Love The Burg, more than 250,000 people have caught a ride on these fabulous green carriers. Such was the success that ridership has been made free for the next six months as well!
From 6 in the morning to 12 at night, passengers can take advantage of the free bus that’ll carry them to within two blocks of the stadium. People will eventually be charged $2.25 for a ride or $5 for a day pass; but, the pilot continues to chug along so people can learn the value of public transportation and the perks of leaving personal vehicles at home. I, for one, welcome our new urbanist overlords.
Congratulations are in order for Phoenix Rising and their new partnership with local light rail. Getting people out of their cars doesn’t just offer immediate benefits for the environment. It also means more physically-active citizens who are better in touch with their local community. Small businesses benefit from foot-traffic more than they do actual traffic, as people often have to look for parking before they can shop. While the Rowdies do not have a partnership like the Rising do, we have the same essential tool their agreement has created. So take part in your local community and support people within it. Have fun at the beach and take in a game, all without worrying about traffic, parking, or even alcohol consumption. Take the SunRunner to see the Rowdies! You’ll be glad you did.
