Streetcars Back on Rails in America
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.15.07
Portland Oregon Streetcar at curb
Anyone who has seen "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" knows that streetcars were the victim of a conspiracy by a certain automobile company to promote automobile and bus sales by eliminating efficient rail transit. Others say that rising car ownership and development of low density suburbia doomed the streetcar with no help from evil conspiracies. Now it appears that conditions are right for their return and expansion. "Several cities have resurrected the streetcar tradition and about three dozen others plan to — from Tucson, and Birmingham, Ala., to Miami and Trenton, N.J. This return to the past is less about satisfying a sense of nostalgia than about enticing developers and people to old industrial areas and faded neighborhoods. As cities experience a much-publicized urban renaissance, streetcars have become another draw for investment in housing, stores and restaurants. Cities hope that streetcars can do in this century what they did in the last: Connect neighborhoods and provide a relatively cheap alternative to walking and driving." Streetcar lines are a lot cheaper than subways, carry more people than buses, and use less fuel per passenger mile. Depending on the source of electricity, they can be carbon free.
When Portland's new line was put in, It attracted about 100 projects worth $2.3 billion in less than five years, all within two blocks of the line. They include 7,248 housing units and 4.6 million square feet of office and retail. Proximity to mass transit allowed developers to build fewer parking spaces. Ridership was more than triple projections.::USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-01-08-streetcars_x.htm
This is refreshing news. I loved this service in Germany when I lived there for almost there years. I saved about $4000 just not owning a car! (this was 1980s and I was an underpaid soldier). I lived in the 'burbs and could go anywhere I wanted, one way and as far as the line and it's interurban bus system went, for .50!
I'd use it now here in Springfield, IL, if they had one. This city used to, until the late 40's early 50's. There was even a line to Decatur, about 30-40 miles away. It also doesn't hurt that the city owns it's own power generator! Another positive (in a back handed way) is that with the ever increasing traffic around here, the city has widened the streets (taking from the citizens front yards, alas) to put in double lanes and turn lanes.............perfect to run a street car line down the middle of, in most cases without encroaching too much on those who drive.
The only problem I see is with the maniacs we have around here who can't even stop at a sign or red light! Bet they start looking after being slammed by what amounts to a small train!!!
I live in Portland. The streetcar is overrated. None of the original street car lines in Portland have been restored. Preservation and affordable housing has been overlooked while redevelopment deals for the rich where made. Portland's inner streets are in horrible shape and Portland has a a higher than average homeless population. MLK's dream of ending poverity is on the slow path here.
There is tremendous economic growth potenital in this concept.
Forget about the retail/residential development gemstones in the cities. We can start up whole new industries manufacturing streetcars, poles, wire, transformers, and distributed network power stations fueld by renewable energy. This measn jobs for Americans in the cities.
The old style trolleys only required 600volts, a portion of that could be met simply by placing photovoltaic panels on top of each trolley wire pole and telephone pole. In addition we can harvest bio-fuels if the pollution emissions from the streetcars' required electricity has been generated from conventional sources and we plumb them through algae and harvest it to make biodiesel.
A rennaisance of inter-urban transport is sorely needed in the country. I am fully enthused to get going on it.
Any developers want to take me up on this?