Can a Streetcar cost less than a Faux Trolley?

[PeeJayEss]

Bob Dylan once wrote, The times, they are a-changin. Ron Burgundy had never heard that song.

Heck, even Republicans are getting Prius' these days. Mass transit is on its way

[Ocklawaha]

Enjoy Y'all...  

SEATTLE:
The end of the year data shows continued ridership growth on the South Lake Union Streetcar.  There were over half a million riders in 2010, a 15 percent increase over 2009, and 25 percent greater than ridership in 2008, the first full year of operation. http://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2011/01/10/streetcar-ridership-continues-to-grow/

PORTLAND
Back in 2008, when gas prices were peaking and employment hadn't yet collapsed, transit ridership was positively soaring.  But since then, a slowing economy and falling gas prices have pulled transit numbers back to earth.  In Portland, for example, about 9 percent fewer riders boarded the bus in mid-2010 than in mid-2008, according to the preliminary monthly numbers. But there's at least one transit system that's bucking the trends:  Portland's streetcar.  The most recent numbers show that the streetcar notched its highest-ever spring ridership in 2010, while total streetcar ridership in the first half of the year is up by 11 percent over the same period in 2008.
http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2010/09/14/portland-streetcar-defies-gravity

Transportation Streetcar Ridership Mysteriously Rising...
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 1:40 PM

The folks over enviro research group Sightline pointed out an interesting mystery: Why the hell is streetcar ridership rising?!

TriMet ridership has been up and down since 2008 (with bus ridership down nine percent), but for some reason the streetcar stats are up by 11 percent. As Clark Williams-Derry over at Sightline says:

I truly have no idea what's fueled the streetcar's gravity-defying ridership stats. Neither, apparently, do the folks at the Portland Streetcar. In their view, nothing significant has changed in or near the streetcar route that would explain the increase. The areas serviced by the streetcar were fully developed by 2008; there haven't been major new employers on the route; the streetcar hasn't increased its service; and nearby transit has basically remained the same. You can't attribute the gains to effective marketing, since the streetcar doesn't even have a marketing budget.  http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2010/09/16/streetcar-ridership-mystertiously-rising

PHOENIX
The region's light-rail system beat ridership expectations in its first month of regular service. Metro chief Rick Simonetta reported Wednesday that by every measure, Metro carried more riders in January than planners had predicted would ride after a year of service. Average weekday ridership was nearly 5,000 more than expected. More surprisingly, Saturday ridership was about 10,000 more than expected, and mostly attributed to special events. The numbers are important for several reasons. If light rail's popularity holds, the ridership numbers will bolster the region's claims that the federal government should help pay for light-rail extensions being planned
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/02/19/20090219railnumbers0219.html#ixzz1IHbTNXYB

PITTSBURGH
"Impressive ridership increases and local public enthusiasm for Pittsburgh's light rail system have fueled new expansion, including extending 1.2 miles from a new station downtown, linking up with several sports stadiums, a community college, the Carnegie Science Center, and new corporate offices there. The LRT system would then be positioned for further expansion to serve that section of the urban area."  http://www.detroittransit.org/streetcar/success.html

DENVER
"First opened in 1994, Denver's 5 mile light rail line was so successful, it's been expanded multiple times, all on-time and on-budget. Ridership after the July 2000 expansion exceeded forecasts by 58%. After the 2002 expansion, ridership was 34% higher than anticipated."

"Denver is now building the Transportation Expansion Project, a $1.7 billion project to replace 19 miles of aging and congested freeways. Upon completion in Dec. 2006, the T-REX will feature 19 miles of light-rail, 13 transit stations, bike and walking paths and 16 miles of highway expansions." http://www.detroittransit.org/streetcar/success.html

NEW ORLEANS
This past January, the Federal Transit Administration signed an agreement with the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority for $45 million in federal economic stimulus funds to build a new, 1.5-mile streetcar line. It would link Canal Street with the Union Passenger Terminal, a 1954 structure that’s now home to the Amtrak and Greyhound stations.

Skeptical New Orleanians wondered why. Of course, connecting to a regional transportation center was a sensible thing. But the line passed block after block of bleak, asphalt-savanna surface parking that flanks partially filled office towers. Why not route the new streetcar through communities that already had a denser residential population?

The answer came pretty quickly. Routing the streetcar through an underused part of the city, it turned out, was like adding water to sea monkeys. The blocks came to life almost immediately.

The New Orleans experience also helps answer a common question among transit planners and cash-strapped municipalities: Why streetcars? Why not just expand bus routes? They’re cheaper, more flexible to route, and far quicker to implement.

The short answer: because where streetcars go, people follow. People simply like streetcars better than busesâ€"studies suggest that ridership typically increases by about one-third when streetcars replace a bus route. They’re smooth. There’s less lurching. And there’s less uncertainty about where they end up. http://www.architectmagazine.com/planning/a-desire-named-streetcar.aspx

OCKLAWAHA
Every transit mode serves a certain demographic and purpose. Redevelopment follows streetcars because of their permanence and because stopping every few blocks an entire corridor can be served. Two-thirds of all development in central Portland has been within 3 blocks of the streetcar lines. In these ways a streetcar can do what no bus can achieve, however it takes all of the instruments in the orchestra to perform a symphony. So a streetcar spine, with just a potential to be fed by bus, BRT, water taxi's, commuter rail, peripheral garages and Skyway, should make beautiful music.  


OCKLAWAHA  

[Ocklawaha]

If building a streetcar is a chicken and egg proposal, building ahead of development or waiting for development to happen, then the streetcar represents the egg.

OCKLAWAHA

[Timkin]

As fuel prices , car prices, insurance prices, maintenance prices, etc for automobiles continue to rise (and you are kidding yourself if you think any of these are going to go down anytime in the near future) more and more folks will be trying to save money anyway they can.  That , in part would account for an increase of rider use for these methods of transportation. 

Not because I know Ock, nor that I befriend him.. I simply think the man knows what he is taking about. period.

[middleman]

If building a streetcar is a chicken and egg proposal, building ahead of development or waiting for development to happen, then the streetcar represents the egg.

OCKLAWAHA

I hope you are right Bob. I promise to check out all of your links and analyze them for signs of hope.

[middleman]

Stephen, you changed my quotes. Is that allowed on this forum? If somebody reads my quotes in your reply, they aren't going to know you changed them. This forum should forbid such editing. You are a moderator here aren't you? Have you changed any of my original message? Jeez, if I disagree with you guys, you can make me look as bad as you want, can't you? This is simply unacceptable.

[Ocklawaha]

If building a streetcar is a chicken and egg proposal, building ahead of development or waiting for development to happen, then the streetcar represents the egg.

OCKLAWAHA

I hope you are right Bob. I promise to check out all of your links and analyze them for signs of hope.

Thanks my friend, I couldn't ask for anything more. If you REALLY want a quick education on LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT (which includes: modern streetcar, heritage streetcar, vintage streetcar, interurbans, and so-called "light rail" which is actually more like the traditional interurbans) check out:   http://www.lightrailnow.org/search.htm   and enter topics like LRT VS BUS, or STREETCAR RIDERSHIP, or BRT failures, etc... and you'll get dozens of fact filled essays, articles and reports that will open your eyes. Their home page is very interesting too, and updated all of the time.

That 1983/4 report by the DDA, was indeed just about "tourist trolleys" it HAD TO BE, because JTA was certain that any talk of streetcar would torpedo the chance at free money to build a giant overhead monstrosity we call the Skyway. So the focus of the report was tilted though the plan all along was to do what Memphis, Little Rock and Tampa have done, build a "cutesy vintage streetcar line and pack it with happy tourists" but what we withheld from the media was THOSE SAME LINES COULD THEN BE USED FOR SERIOUS MASS TRANSIT. Which was the goal all along.  Imagine if the blockheads at JCCI and a half dozen other political offices hadn't created a cluster F--K with the both concepts... We would have been right behind San Diego, and about on par with Portland (minus the mountains) as pioneers in the light rail revival. It is actually our concept that is now at work across the country and when all light rail development is counted today we'll be about number 70.

ONE MORE PROBLEM WITH THE PCT'S, when the new hybrids come along, you might want to memorize the fire exits. Streetcars make OZONE and buses make FIRE! REALLY.  Did y'all know that while the PCT BUSES smell like burning diesel fuel, and a working streetcar smells like OZONE?

Ozone is created when an electrical arc splits oxygen molecules to get the ozone and they recombine into O3. You can smell it around an electric motor that is running or during a close electrical storm.

Ozone has a characteristic sharp odor (ever smell the rain?) though it can be mildly irritating. The O3 molecule quickly breaks down throwing off an oxygen atom that is VERY reactive. Exposure to high enough levels of free oxygen can cause burns at room temperature.  It is generated every time an arc occurs in small quantities.  Universal motors, electric trains (both real and model), tools and appliances, streetcars, and trolley buses, produce enough with the sparking from normal operation to be detectable...  Actually, ozone is a fairly sweet smelling gas and not pungent at all. When lightning strikes during a storm you get that 'fresh', Spring-like smell. That is caused by the lightning's energy creating ozone. Ozone has a half life of around 20 minutes so it isn't around long, but it is VERY corrosive and you should not breathe it in although you want to because of its pleasant odor.  No wonder cities with streetcars are said to have wonderful air quality. Though ozone can be a pollutant at ground level it is critical high in the atmosphere, and since it's only around for a short time and low levels on streetcars... well... enjoy the smell of a hot trolley.

Arcing also causes a lot of heat (many thousands of degrees). This can lead to burning of insulation, a huge and growing problem with modern hybrid buses as until recently none of the standard diesel bus builders had a clue about heat generation from an arcing electric motor... And now, CHA CHING! Are we all finding out. Most of these modern wonders which includes a good share of the nations new BRT bus fleets are now having to be retro fitted to prevent fires.

OZONE? WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! BUT FRIENDS, CHECK OUT OUR FRIENDLY JTA DIESELS!

Diesel Exhaust Composition
There are many components of diesel exhaust, including  (1) carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide;  (2) nitrogen oxides; (3) sulfur oxides; (4) hydrocarbons;  (5) unburned carbon particles (soot); and (6)  water. Exhaust from diesel engines is considered to contribute to more than 50% of ambient particulate matter with a mass median aerodynamic diameter less than 10 pm (PM10), greatly contributing contributing to overall air pollution. For fine particulate matter with a diameter below 2.5 pm (PM2.5) and ultra-fine particles with a diameter below 0.1 pm, this contribution is even higher. These carbon particles are small enough to be inhaled and deposited in the lungs but have a large surface area. Organic compounds from diesel exhaust with known toxic and carcinogenic properties, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), adhere easily to the surface of the carbon particles and are carried deep into the lungs. The majority of these particles tend to be found in the greatest concentration within the immediate vicinity of busy streets or highways. Diesel engines emit other toxic compounds in disproportionately higher concentrations than gasoline engines, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, ozone, formaldehyde, benzene, and smaller organic molecules. Diesel engines also produce 26% of the total nitrogen oxides in outdoor air.  More attention has been focused on the hundreds of different types of organic molecules created from the high-compression ratios of diesel engines because many are highly toxic.

http://www.michigandieselcleanup.org/nosootyair/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Toxicity_of_Diesel_Exhaust_and_Primary_Care._clinical_review.JABFM_.Jan_08.pdf

OCKLAWAHA