Depending on where you are in the East Valley, the word "transportation" takes on a distinct meaning because each region faces different issues when it comes to people moving around.

In Apache Junction, transportation means maintaining existing infrastructure and if a housing development occurs south of U.S. 60 then the possibility of mass-transit services may come to fruition, city of Apache Junction leaders say.

In Mesa, looking at the next step of transportation — light rail, commuter rail and bus-rapid transit — is what the word "transportation" means to that municipality, Mayor Scott Smith says.

In Queen Creek, investments to existing infrastructure and maintaining the flow of traffic are the focus of leaders still fighting to keep pace with the recent explosion of population, they say.

The biggest issue facing transportation in Maricopa County is funding, according to Eric Anderson, Maricopa Association of Governments transportation director.

In 2005, Maricopa County voters renewed a half-cent sales tax put on retail purchases to provide for funding transportation and transit projects for the next 20 years, according to http://www.mag.maricopa.gov.

MAG is a council of governments serving as the regional agency for the metropolitan Phoenix area, according to its Web site.

But the problem is folks are spending less and less — especially over the last two years, Mr. Anderson says.

"This fiscal year we are, right now, down 14.5 percent compared to the first months of last year," he explained. "We are kind of in uncharted territories."

In fiscal year 2007-08, MAG collected $380 million in sales-tax revenues dedicated to transportation projects in Maricopa County, Mr. Anderson said.

Mr. Anderson says MAG hopes to collect between $310 million to $315 million this fiscal year.

"We are seeing cuts to transportation services across the board," he explained adding that no cuts have been announced, but he contends they are coming. "The transit programs are being looked at right now."

Mr. Anderson says all projects future and current are being reevaluated.

"Those adjustments are going to include a significant delay to hitting the streets," he said. "We have had to delay many projects across the region."

"If we are talking transportation, for a lot of people, it means highways," said Mayor Scott Smith in a Dec. 9 phone interview. "In Mesa, since freeways are finished, it means for us looking at the next chapter."

The next chapter for the city of Mesa is extending light rail through downtown, the usage of bus-rapid transit and the evolution of traditional bus routes, Mayor Smith says.

"We have infrastructure that needs to be built before we can realize what economical development will come," he said of citizen advisory meetings looking at how light rail will come down Main Street. "Light rail is really important to us."

But focusing on opportunities in east Mesa, which is a transit boon for the entire community, Mayor Smith says is a necessity for improving transit options for the entire community.

"It is a real struggle to hold on to what we have," he said of drastic drops in sales-tax remits that typically pay for road maintenance and transit programs in Maricopa County. "That is a huge, huge concern. We simply don’t have the revenues, because of the economy, to to deliver services that we have been used to."

Councilman Scott Somers agrees dollars are limited for transit programs, which means those resources have to be properly divvied up.

"I suppose it is how you define what works the best," he said of mass-transit services offered in east Mesa, which his council district largely encompasses. "East Mesa is still emerging as a mass-transit center. What works the best for people in east Mesa is the use of their automobiles."

Because automobiles remain an east Mesa resident’s best transportation option, Councilman Somers says connectivity ought to be the end goal for current transit concerns.

"We need to continue to invest in our infrastructure," he explained. "As far as moving people, I think that we are seeing an incredible interest in mass-transit opportunities."

Regional transportation is a key component to moving people in and out of east Mesa, Councilman Somers says.

"What we need to work on for our transit system is a truly regional transit system. That is moving people to jobs and economic activity," he said. "That has to be regional, we have got to move away from parochial, localized self-interests."

While it could be slow coming, Councilman Somers remains steadfast to the assertion that mass-transit is the way of the future when it comes to moving Americans from "a" to "b."

"I think it is driven in part of the economy and in part by convenience. Why drive a car if mass transit can get you there?" he asked. "Each person is different and each person has a different reason for using mass transit."

In northern Pinal County, board of supervisors member Bryan Martyn says the bottom dollar will always dictate what transportation options are available to residents of unincorporated areas like San Tan Valley, but also in municipalities like Apache Junction.

"All of our transportation issues deal with quality of life," Supervisor Martyn said in a Dec. 9 phone interview. "Because the quality of life they are looking to improve, they have different levels of transportation."

Supervisor Martyn says transportation issues in northern Pinal County are varied.

"They don’t have the adequate infrastructure," he said of unincorporated areas of northern Pinal County. "How do I get a freeway to move back and forth? Those are quality-of-life issues."

The No. 1 priority to northern Pinal County — when it comes to transportation — is a major thoroughfare that most in the region are accustomed to driving.

"Hunt Highway remains the No. 1 priority in northern Pinal County," Supervisor Martyn said. "But how can we make it economically feasible to use a level of mass transit?"

Supervisor Martyn says everything is on the table when seeking funding for any type of transportation project in northern Pinal County.

"We are trying to find affordable solutions that work today and tomorrow," he explained. "But where is the money going to come from?"

Although mass-transit generally works, those types of services will be scarce, Supervisor Martyn contends. "We have already demonstrated the desire — I think ultimately it does come down to money — but you have got to have a car to get around."

Supervisor Martyn says northern Pinal County is chock-full of vacant land, and most who moved out that way sought open spaces, but now a balance has to be struck.

"We all have the open-space desire, but we all want the conveniences of the downtown," he pointed out. "Those do come down to money. We know it will be great to have light rail; everybody would love that, but that is billions of dollars nobody has."

How transportation funding is derived in Maricopa County works, but to do the same thing in Pinal County would be largely ineffective, Supervisor Martyn says.

"There are not enough taxpayers in Pinal County," he said of enlisting a half-percent levy on sales tax remits to pay for transportation projects. "You could, but I will tell you in Pinal County it is totally different than Maricopa county — it would take forever."

Comparing a population of roughly 350,000 to one in the millions, is like comparing apples to oranges, Supervisor Martyn says.