Tag Archives: streetcars

Charlie Hales is the Portland city commissioner who admitted that rail transit doesn’t lead to economic development, so he demanded that the city subsidize such development. Then, he persuaded the rest of the city council to build a streetcar line, subsidized development along that line, and proudly proclaimed that streetcars led to economic development. He spun that line into a high-paying job for a consulting firm convincing Atlanta, Cincinnati, and other cities to build streetcar lines, and is now back in Portland running for mayor.

In his campaign, he says, “streetcars carry more people than buses. Because you attract more riders who don’t ride transit now. And actually the operating costs are not any greater than the bus.” The Oregonian‘s PolitiFact column decided to check this out.

“On whether streetcars carry more people than buses, there is no ambiguity,” claims PolitiFact. “Streetcars have a maximum capacity of 92 riders, according to Fetsch. That’s nearly double the 51 or so riders who can fit on a single bus.” That’s dead wrong because, in addition to the capacity of individual vehicles, you have to consider frequency. For safety reasons, streetcars must be separated at least two or three minutes apart. Buses can run on downtown streets every 22 seconds. That means, even if a single bus has only half the capacity of the streetcar, a bus line has three more times the capacity of a streetcar line.

Continue reading →

Three years ago, Oregon politicians managed to get an earmark for an Oregon company to manufacture streetcars. Now it turns out those streetcars are–surprise!–more expensive than anticipated as well as delayed by at least five months.

For the original price of six cars, the company will make just five. Not to worry, says company president Chandra Brown: “You’re not getting less. I actually think you’re getting more. You’re getting a lot better quality vehicle, and you’re getting all the ancillary benefits from it being done here.”

Continue reading →

The Department of Transportation has announced $290 million in “livability” grants, including $25 million each for streetcars in Charlotte, Cincinnati, Ft. Worth, and St. Louis plus $5 million to extend a streetcar line in Dallas. “Streetcars are making a comeback because cities across America are recognizing that they can restore economic development downtown,” the DOT press release quotes FTA chief Peter Rogoff as saying, “giving citizens the choice to move between home, shopping and entertainment without ever looking for a parking space.”

Actually, Mr. cialis prescription Due to this cause, there are many businesses that have an array of sources to conceive a child. Once, you might be inclined to avoiding sexual relations, which generic tadalafil online can wreak havoc on relationships and further to intimacy. Jelly can be taken by pressing the purchase levitra sachet onto a spoon and take it orally. In this way, get free samples viagra these astonishing regular medications and dispose of your wellbeing issues. Rogoff, streetcars are making a comeback because cities know your agency is handing out free money to build them. Like the more expensive rail transit projects you criticized a couple of months ago, these streetcar projects are only going to add to the burden of transit agencies that are already strapped for cash. Many of the other so-called livability grants, which include subsidies to transit-oriented developments, hybrid buses, and glitzy new transit centers, aren’t much better.