Los Angeles HAS, BRT, LRT, Streetcar, Cable Tram, Commuter Rail and Now This...?

[Ocklawaha]

Oh my God! I really didn't think I'd live to ever see this type of sanity hit a city en-mass but guess what? Los Angeles HAS FOUND THEIR MIND! What they are planning is nothing short of Peyton and Company calling the press together in the morning and saying, ":Ladies and Gentlemen, since 1932 we have been removing every last reminder of the great streetcar system of Florida. Today, we are down to just a few sticks of wood and  miles of trasit un-friendly highways and failed garages. Enough is enough and we are going to rebuild the complete Jacksonville Traction Company, right down to every last nut ad bolt..."

Now check out Los Angeles, I have to say this one stunned me...but it's a passion that runs deep and will never be replaced by big red buses and BRT...My first train ride? I too followed the crowd so I could "RIDE THE BIG RED CARS, Los Angeles to Long Beach." I remember LA BEFORE the freeway. I'd say that Roger Rabbit has finally won his case!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
   
 
Resurrecting the Red Car

Renewed Plans for Broadway Ignite Interest in Bringing Back Fabled Trolley Line

by Kathryn Maese

Ever since the Red Car trolley ferried its last passenger across Downtown in 1963, there have been attempts to resuscitate the fabled transit system. But scraping together the funding and rallying the political will to get it rolling seemed to frustrate even the staunchest supporters.

For much of the first half of the 20th century, the Red and Yellow Car systems were a key part of the Downtown transportation scheme. Momentum and interest are growing over returning the Red Car to Broadway.

Now, momentum for reviving the iconic streetcar appears to be building, thanks to a new plan aimed at enlivening the historic Broadway theater district. Fourteenth District City Councilman José Huizar, who is heading the Bringing Back Broadway initiative to turn the corridor into a shopping and nightlife destination, said the Red Car is a key component of that effort.

Experts have put the cost north of $60 million. Still, Huizar hopes to have it designed, funded and operational within a decade.

"The streetcar revival will be great for Bringing Back Broadway and is important for Downtown," Huizar said. "It will provide a historic connection between Broadway and the great new developments in our urban core, and will help the business owners on Broadway because it will literally deliver people to their doorsteps. Other Western cities have benefited greatly from streetcar systems, and the same will be true here."

Already, the Red Car is seeing movement on a few fronts, as once-dormant designs are being dusted off and planners are seizing on renewed interest to reintroduce the vintage trolley not only as a tourist attraction, but as a practical connection to Downtown's various districts.

Last Thursday, the Community Redevelopment Agency voted to boost funding for a Downtown Red Car feasibility study that would connect the bustling Broadway corridor to the $2.5 billion L.A. Live entertainment district on the south and the planned Grand Avenue project on the north.

The original study, which was completed in 2005 by IBI Group, will receive another $60,000 to fund the next phase. In the coming months, the CRA will examine station locations, analyze how the trolley would operate on Broadway, and identify potential maintenance and repair facilities. Planners would also look at ways to fund the operation and construction.

"There is a coalition of support for this along Broadway and how it would connect to Grand Avenue and L.A. Live," said Curtis Gibbs, a CRA project manager who is spearheading the Red Car effort. "We're working in tandem with the Broadway initiative. This project has lots of momentum right now."

Portland Model


The original Red and Yellow cars were an iconic part of the city, making up the world's largest streetcar system. During its heyday in the 1920s, and later in the 1940s, the Pacific Electric carried passengers from Downtown to San Bernardino, Santa Ana, San Pedro and San Fernando, with as many as 900 trolleys on the street at one time.


However, the growth of the automobile industry caused ridership to wane and finally be replaced by the new network of freeways crisscrossing the region. The last Downtown Red Car rolled 45 years ago.

There have been several explorations of reviving the transit system. In the most recent effort, U.S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard secured the initial $100,000 in federal funds to study bringing the streetcar back. She has secured an additional $98,000 for Red Car planning in the 2008 federal budget.

Gibbs said the CRA is also contracting with transportation engineer Allyn Rifkin of Reconnecting America to conduct a public workshop this spring on reviving streetcar service in Los Angeles.

"We are going to be talking about what's going on now and how streetcars are presenting a sense of place in other cities such as Seattle and Portland," he said.

Portland is considered one of the models for the Downtown Los Angeles streetcar project. That city's 2.4-mile system, which opened in 2001, was completed in seven years at a cost of $56.9 million. The line was funded by city parking bonds, the local business improvement district, tax increments, federal transportation funds, and city parking and general funds.

It has also been credited with helping revive the downtown Portland neighborhood known as the Pearl District. There, the streetcar came in tandem with a burst of housing development.

According to the 2005 CRA study, construction costs for a Downtown Los Angeles line would range between $60 million and $73 million. Annual operating costs are pegged at up to $5 million.

Victor Franco, with Downtown-based consulting and lobbying firm Ek & Ek, is part of the Red Car Advisory Committee, which has held occasional meetings during the last few years to push the vision of a fixed rail line that would operate in much the same way as the original line, with overhead cables.

The committee, which is comprised of stakeholders from local groups including the Central City Association, will convene next week to discuss options. They also plan to meet with Huizar's office to talk about the next steps for the Red Car.

"It was great to see the councilman had included the Red Car as part of Bringing Back Broadway," Franco said. "He laid out the framework, but there is a significant amount of work ahead. The city at this point is looking at a number of different funding options."

Franco said with budgetary constraints facing the city, funding will have to come from several sources, and possibly include the creation of a benefit assessment district in which property owners pay for a portion of the project.

"That seems to be the model that would work best," he said. "The Portland program, for example, is shepherded by the business community but also a nonprofit association that used a third or quarter of its funds from state and federal sources. One of the benefits was that property values went up where the streetcar was."

Some local agencies also seem more amenable to the idea than in the past, when a streetcar system was seen as competition for funds. Metro officials are now studying how the Red Car could be incorporated into a long-term plan for a Downtown Regional Connector that would link up to the Gold and Blue light rail lines.

"The idea is that it would work together," said Metro Project Manager Dolores Roybal. "At a certain point, the Red Car would be going further east from our alternatives, but it would be a wonderful complement to the connector. It would help connect the Fashion District to the existing system."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of downtownnews.com.
D wrote on Feb 8, 2008 4:08 PM:

" Why does everything take so long in LA? a decade? are they kidding? get this funded privately and get it running in 3 years. Jesus Christ, 10 years, i cant get over that. Madrid build dozens of miles of subway in 4, we cant build a 2 mile trolley in less than 10? this is an Essential piece to the downtown renaissance. get on the ball LA. "


ArchiesBoy wrote on Feb 8, 2008 9:41 PM:

" No one would love to see a return of the Red Cars more than myself! I have fond memories of them going up and down Hollywood Blvd. back when Hollywood was still Hollywood. But times have changed, and the number of cars on streets today do not bode well for running trolley cars on an on-time schedule, to say nothing of the safety of passengers standing out in the street in a painted passenger zone. To say nothing of the fact that such a project always takes, in the end, more time and money than is estimated.

Still, it would be wonderful to see a few Red Cars running up and down Broadway for the pure ambiance and nostalgia of it all (for those old enough to remember) and the novelty of it all (for today's younger Angelinos). A fine accompaniment to the soon-to-be-running-again Angels Flight! "



Jason M. Hendler wrote on Feb 10, 2008 8:03 AM:

" As usual, instead of localizing the cost of the transit system to its users, you tax the wealthy home owners in the area.

It was for that reason that the transit system was abandoned, because LA didn't have the tax revenues to support a system no one used. "



richard schumacher wrote on Feb 10, 2008 10:04 AM:

" Stops will be at the curb, not in the street. The traffic delay problem can be eliminated by making the streetcar right-of-way largely or entirely exclusive, or by running steetcars so frequently that they don't need a schedule. "



Sonya wrote on Feb 11, 2008 8:44 AM:

" I believe it would be a true benefit in so many ways for the Los Angeles. I hope it comes to fruition. "



Fred Camino wrote on Feb 11, 2008 10:09 AM:

" Umm Jason, the original streetcar system was PRIVATE, not funded by taxes. It was abandoned because it faced unfair competition from publicly (and federally) funded auto roadways. "



Bob Zwolinski wrote on Feb 11, 2008 10:31 AM:

" I would love to see a faux Red Car running down Broadway! I hope the powers that be can get this project moving!
It's a shame that we had to lose them in the first place. Family and friends told me how wonderful the system was as well as how the areas surrounding the Subway Terminal Building and the old elevated terminal at 6th & Main went into total economic ruin after the trains stopped.
After a 50 year hiatus, we're beginning to see the light!
Perhaps Downtown L.A. will rival Downtown San Francisco & Downtown Portland someday!
We’ll see…
"



Marcotico wrote on Feb 11, 2008 10:51 AM:

" The key to transit being provided by private companies is letting the companies charge market rates for all transportation choices. I'd still be in favor of this project if it was $4.00 to get from Union Station to Staples center, and that is the kind of fare that could allow this system to be fair, but it would definately get it labelled as a yupie train.
The cable car up in LA is incredibly expensive, but if you get the monthly pass it is actually a viable transit mode if you live close enough. "



Terry House wrote on Feb 12, 2008 11:33 AM:

" "However, the growth of the automobile industry caused ridership to wane and finally be replaced by the new network of freeways crisscrossing the region. ."
The true cause was a conspiracy between General Motors, Standard Oil and Goodrich (or Goodyear) to eliminate the red cars - they were convicted in court and paid paltry fines. Those companies should pay for a new subway/streetcar system today! "



Mr.M wrote on Feb 12, 2008 2:33 PM:

" LA is so in need of this project. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do what you can! "



Scott Mercer wrote on Feb 12, 2008 10:59 PM:

" Yes, General Motors, et. al, DID do those things, but their actions were just one of the MANY causes for the streetcars' disappearance.

At that time, the system did not have much popular support. The idea among the public was that the streetcars would not be needed once the freeway system was built out and everybody could drive their own car everywhere. We know how well (not) that worked out.

And there were good reasons why the public didn't like the Red Cars and Yellow Cars at the end. The rolling stock was very old and falling apart by the end, with 20, 30 and even 40 year old trolley cars. The companies were not making a profit and could not upgrade the cars.

Anti-trust legislation meant that power companies couldn't own trolley lanes...many of them established trolley lines to support their electric power businesses.

The trolley companies were forced to upgrade the streets that their tracks were laid on, instead of the government doing it. More expenses they could not afford.

The government (the first MTA) did take over the Red Cars and Yellow Cars by 1958. At that point about 6 yellow car lines and a few REd Car lines were still running. The MTA could have kept them going if some tax funds were allocated, but the political will and popular sentiment were just not there. Only a few railfans and transit riders were sad when they shut everything down in 1961-63. "



Walter Lis wrote on Feb 13, 2008 4:58 PM:

" Streetcars have a life expectancy of 30 years, while buses have only an 8 years expectancy. The streetcars have a lower maintenance and operating cost, and carry more people per vehicle than a bus. The ride is smoother on a streetcar. The capital costs are higher (wire and tracks) but the bottom line is that streetcars are a lower cost than buses. "



Wouter jacobs wrote on Feb 14, 2008 11:57 PM:

" Coming from Europe, living in LA was for me the ultimate car experience. It is virtually impossible to do something by foot or bike. The entire urban structure is not made for it. The street car revival would I think be a major boost for the liveability of the Downtown area, similar like the urban cores of many European cities. Finally it will be possibile to have a few beers in downtown without using your car (unless you are coming from somewhere in the Valley) "



Riley wrote on May 8, 2008 11:30 AM:

" I favor downtown tourist trolley lines such as this proposal, but
the real Red Car has already come back, in light rail lines such as the Blue and Gold lines. All that's needed is red paint, and their once familiar air whistles. The last red car line closed in 1961, and the present Blue Line to Long Beach follows most of the same alignment.
To the last, the Red Cars were still very comfortable, with wide plush seats, and schedules faster than buses. The riders hated their being replaced by buses.
The simple fact is that public transit is not a profit-making operation, similar to other public utilites such as the police, fire department and streets. In their last decade the Red and Yellow cars were under the control of management, private and later public, who were part of the bus-gas-tire industry. and therefore hated rail transit.

They'll be dancing in the streets, meanwhile our own lawmakers are brain dead? We can't even catch the Sunset limited to Los Angeles... Maybe if we could just find where Amtrak parked it, we could paint it RED!

Couldn't you just imagine this here?

Murray Hill
Ortega
Fairfax
San Jose
San Marco
Water St.
Bay St.
Hogan St.
Lee St.
Duval St.
Forsyth St.
Union St.
Palmetto Ave.
Main St.
4Th St.
8Th St.
Panama Park
Pearl St.
Broad St.
Walnut St.
Myrtle St.
Edison Ave.
Forrest St.
Davis St.
Moncrief Rd.
College St.
5 Points
Riverside
Avondale
Phoenix
Springfield
Taleyrand Ave.

add in another 12 to 15 streets
Roll in another dozen neighborhoods
Kiss expensive BRT goodbye
Embrace the future past!
By God Los Angeles is doing it, why can't we?OCKLAWAHA