Plans for the DC Streetcar system have been in the works for several years and construction has already begun on the Anacostia line, where service is planned to begin in the fall of 2012. As a newcomer to the DC area, I still ask many questions. Here was my question about the streetcar system: huh? Translated, that means: if DC already has Metrorail, Metrobus, the Circulator and Capital Bikeshare, why do we require another separate transportation system? Why not expand the bus system instead? I was flummoxed.
If you too have questioned the logic of re-introducing a streetcar system to our beloved city (yes, DC had streetcars right up until the mid-1960’s), here’s a bit of background.
The genesis of the streetcar idea didn’t come out of thin air. There were no secret backroom meetings with someone saying, “Ooh, I know. Let’s go streetcar— soooo retro!” An actual study was conducted by the District of Columbia Transit Improvements Alternatives Analysis to identify DC neighborhoods that lacked adequate public transit. From that study, DDOT commenced expansion of an array of transit services, including the DC Circulator, express Metrobus routes, rapid bus transit and, you guessed it—streetcar.
While the streetcar concept is, indeed, a bit of a throwback, there are specific benefits unique to the streetcar which set it apart from other forms of transit. Economic development is perhaps the one most frequently cited, and there seems to be ample evidence to support that assertion. The successful economic development of neighborhoods directly surrounding Portland, Oregon’s streetcar system, for example, has been well documented. Nearly 3.5 billion has been invested within two blocks of the streetcar alignment according to a 2008 report. Such dramatic development surrounding streetcar lines makes sense when you realize that bus routes, frequently complicated to begin with, are subject to change; by contrast, rail tracks are there to stay, allowing businesses to feel more secure about choosing to set up shop near a line (Location! Location! Location!). In turn, this creates multiple well developed neighborhoods, as opposed to one main city center; and while buses are great at bringing people from neighborhoods to the city center, streetcars are more effective at linking neighborhoods to each other. Former DDOT director Dan Tangherlini, who was involved in the initial commitment to build streetcars under Mayor Anthony Williams’ administration, explained in a recent article in The City Fix that streetcars “give a sense of permanence, and that encourages long-term investment.” This expectation figured largely into the original decision to build streetcars instead of expanding the bus system. “Transportation,” he states, “isn’t just for getting around, it’s for making places for people to go.”
Another frequently cited issue is that of overcapacity in both the District’s current bus lines and Metrorail, which is predicted to be “unmanageable by 2013.” Streetcars will purportedly alleviate overcrowding with cars that hold significantly larger numbers of passengers.
Related to the hassle of backups due to overcrowding, reliability is another factor for many riders. West coast resident Carl Stork, who has experience riding streetcars, commented on a recent article in Slate,
Generally streetcar/light rail represents a higher quality of transit service. There is usually more room for riders, and the ride is smoother. Also, “headways” (time between vehicles) is maintained more reliably on a rail service. If there is a streetcar scheduled every 10 minutes, generally they will come every 9-11 minutes. Two main reasons for that are that boarding is much faster through many more doors, and generally a wheelchair user is also boarded rapidly. It is not unusual on buses that operate every 10 minutes to wait 25 minutes and then have three buses arrive. Once a bus gets behind, it gets slower and slower because there are more passengers getting on and off and service slows.
In my quest for answers to the streetcar vs. bus question, I discovered that, weirdly, this topic seems to elicit a lot of passionate responses from those for and against streetcars (there’s even a conspiracy theory surrounding the demise of most U.S. streetcar systems, a theme which figured prominently in the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit). Frankly, reading critics from both sides argue over the pros and cons of streetcars vs. buses, each side offering up their own facts and figures, started to make my brain hurt. Thankfully, I stumbled upon a great article in The Infrastructurist, which listed 36 (!) reasons why streetcars are awesome. Reasons were collected and compiled from actual people who had experience riding both buses and streetcars—in other words, completely unreliant on data and anecdotal in nature. Despite the lack of solid evidence, the list demonstrates how people make decisions based on everything from preconceived prejudice to visceral experience to completely subconscious perceptions about safety and reliability. Conclusion: People like streetcars. A lot. What are you gonna’ do?
If you want to learn more, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has launched a new website focused solely on everything you need to know about the DC Streetcar project. You can also follow developments on Twitter, such as upcoming future public meetings. Let your voice be heard and give DDOT your constructive feedback by taking their online survey.
by Anne Factor at goDCgo
