$280 million for streetcars, livability not chump change

It's difficult to imagine a better place than New Orleans to announce the availability of $280 million in grants for urban circulator projects like streetcars and buses.

I'm really excited about this opportunity, not just because the streetcar system in New Orleans is such a great part of that community, but also because this is the first batch of funding for the Obama Administration's Livability Initiative.

And few projects can enhance the livability of a community more than those that connect destinations and jumpstart the redevelopment of communities into walkable, livable, and sustainable environments.

It's a simple idea: Fostering livability with transportation projects will stimulate America’s neighborhoods to become safer, healthier and more vibrant.

That's what streetcars have done in New Orleans; that's what they're doing in Portland; and that's what the residents of Dallas would like them to do in that city.

And I am not alone in advocating this path. If you read our news release on these grants, you'll find a collection of legislators who recognize the value of low-cost, energy-efficient, made-in-America approaches to transportation.

Approaches that create jobs and increase quality of life--we can do a lot of good with this money.

Comments

[Eric P]

Why are major cities in the U.S. against using tram systems as circulators? In-street running with light weight Bombardier cars (much like Denver and Salt Lake City have done) is a cost-effective way to move citizens around. In Chicago, it would mean getting buses off our roads (especially North Michigan Avenue, which has scores of buses driving the same fixed routes during every rush hour).

What does Europe know that the United States doesn't? Or is it the Auto industry's pressure to keep those vehicles on the road (and pollution in our lungs)?

[Michael E. Bailey]

Street cars are a great idea to achieve liveable and sustainable communities. They can easily be integrated into the bus system and can run on electricity supplied by solar power. Southern California had a world class street car system in the 1890s and early years of the last century--the Pacific Electric or "RED CAR" system. The City of Los Angeles had its own companion street car system, the YELLOW CAR. The street cars helped make communities vibrant, with thriving downtown shopping, entertainment, and business. And people lived in the same towns or nearby towns where they worked, only a short street car ride away from their jobs. Urban sprawl, SMOG, and home building in wildland areas was all part of the Southern California car culture that first started to get traction in the 1930s and has been going ever since causing major damage to the environment in the process. Today, we should work to bring top class street car systems back and create an efficient effective bus system to partner with the street cars, Transit is an important part of the infrastructure justlike roads, bridges, and water lines. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[Edward Rapka]

I agree, at one time Los Angeles had a world-class transportation infrastructure -- the Red Car system was the technological marvel of its day. I recently saw a documentary on the rise (and unfortunate fall) of Pacific Electric and the Red Cars, called "Los Angeles, The Early Days" and it was both eye-opening and poignantly nostalgic. The writer-director made especially good use of a then-and-now motif of showing a series of old photos of the human-scale transportation system, and then seamlessly matching each one to how things look today, blotted with freeways and cars.

It also showed how the city fathers bulldozed the many hills (and communities) of downtown L.A. in the name of civic development. You can see a movie trailer at http://LAtheEarlyDays.com and relive a bit of history. It even has an old-time wax cylinder musical score! Oh, for the good old days...!

[Brian Stephens]

Some of the reasons public transport systems fail revolve around lack of flexibility i.e. they don't run regularly enough, they pick up and drop off too far from retail outlets or peoples places of work and they are just inconvenient.

If a streetcar or bus service incentive is going to work it needs to make sure that it truly is a valuable service that solves peoples transport problems effectively and cost efficiently.