“Streetcar Envy” in CL
Please check out a story I wrote this week for Creative Loafing on Savannah’s streetcar. You can find it here, along with some cool photos of the streetcar (just look at this beautiful 1925 re-conditioned Melbourne streetcar!)
Obviously in light of the U.S. DOT’s decision not to grant Atlanta federal funds for the Peachtree Streetcar, it’s a bit depressing to contemplate other cities having trolley service.
But this is a topic that I just find fascinating. Consider the position of the parking industry.
They are decidedly FOR streetcars. Here in Atlanta, Lanier Parking, played a key role in studying the feasibility of the Peachtree Streetcar.
When I interviewed Glenn Kurtz, an official with Lanier, he said we Atlanta residents have “put all of our eggs in one basket in terms of our transportation system.”
“It used to be location, location, location. Now it’s become access,” he said.
“When everyone is driving downtown and going into these parking decks and then leaving at 5 p.m., it doesn’t work. It can be a challenge getting in and out,” he said.
(He thinks if the streetcar came to Peachtree Street, people would ditch their cars at various points and hop on the streetcar for the final leg of their journey).
In Savannah, the streetcar comes under the parking department. Sean Brandon, who’s head of the parking division, said the streetcar is not a silver bullet, but rather a tool to use in concert with other tools to reduce congestion.
“Streetcars are not going to stop someone from Gwinnett County driving into downtown Atlanta,” he said. “But what they do is give infill urban areas a chance to increase density, and it gives your public transit system new ridership. That’s because someone using a streetcar will have no problem [transferring to] commuter rail or buses.”
Related posts:
- Streetcar announcement today — I hope! [caption id="attachment_3131" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photo credit: kevinseanw via Flickr "][/caption]...
- Council to vote on streetcar grant application The list of items City Council will discuss today...
- What’s before 1.0? Trying to describe Atlanta’s streetcar sitch Thomas Wheatley at Creative Loafing sums up Atlanta’s transit situation...
- No go on the Peachtree Streetcar Ariel Hart of the AJC reports that Atlanta will not...
- Jeanne’s news roundup There are some really fine reporters in Atlanta, and I’d...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Comments
One Comment on “Streetcar Envy” in CL
-
HistoryJoe on
Tue, 23rd Feb 2010 3:38 pm
Looks great and they’re running 20 minute headways most of the week
Tell me what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
Our new website!
