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April 18, 2008
A Streetcar Named Los Angeles
A streetcar in Portland, OR | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
As mentioned yesterday, Eric Richardson of blogdowntown is visiting Portland on a Los Angeles delegation to study the Pacific Northwest city's public transit system, namely the streetcar system. One of the biggest concerns is construction -- the time it takes and how it affects traffic, both auto and pedestrian. One of the biggest opponents was Mike Powell, of Powell's Books fame. But after the construction came and went, he became a fan:
The timeline for streetcar construction? One block per week, with only the lane under construction taken out of service. Both the street and sidewalk remained open.After becoming convinced himself, Powell became a salesman for the line. When he would encounter a property owner who brought up the disruption question, Powell would tell them one thing. "Go to the beach for one week, and when you come back your property will be worth 50% more." Yesterday he told the L.A. group that his statement wasn't correct. "I was wrong about the 50%. It ended up being 300%."
Previously, LAist had an idea of putting a streetcar system in the NoHo Arts District. Some dug it, some didn't. A posting on Richardson's Twitter yesterday said this: "One thing that keeps coming up is the value of the streetcar as a development driver. Planning a route for potential, not present." In regards to NoHo, the potential is there, growing and getting better everyday, but it's definitely not where it needs to be at present.
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i believe that the same happened in houston when they installed their railine. but i heard it took them a lot longer to construct.
There will be a streetcar workshop on May 22nd in Los Angeles where Michael Powell I believe will be a speaker.
http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/public/headline/249
The easiest thing to do to get light rail thru neighborhoods that resist it due to "safety concerns", is to put the train below grade in a trench. That's how St. Louis runs their rail thru town. A hell of a lot cheaper than tunnels, and just a bit more than what we are doing now.
Interesting that the selected date is May 22nd which is the date in 1955 that the abandonment of the 5,7,8,9, F and part of the W lines in Los Angeles with over 100 miles of track and the scrapping of over 200 streetcars took place.
A streetcar circulator in NoHo as well as in Downtown along Broadway will bring back a lot in the way of business and make the movement of living in the center city much more workable. The Portland Streetcar as with the F Line in San Francisco and others has really helped the areas along their route. This is a big Win-Win for all concerned. Building the Streetcar is faster and less expensive than a LRT line and with its visible presence makes it very useful. Parking is much easer when you can park out of the denser center city or take a Metro or MetroLink Line and take the streetcar to your center city destinations. This could include shopping, visiting friends living downtown or NoHo, dining followed by an entertainment venue all with out having to move the car or having to look for a place to park.
If you don’t believe me visit Portland or even the new streetcar in Seattle.
P.S. I enjoy visiting Powell's Books when I visit Portland Via the Portland Streetcar.