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In 2012, voters said yes to a Downtown streetcar project that was slated to cost $125 million. A year later, however, estimates ballooned to $327.8 million. This was only one of the snarls that the project has encountered in the 8 years it's been on the table.
The fanfare around the project has taken another hit as more details emerge. According to a new Environmental Impact Report submitted on Friday, the street car is expected to travel at around 6 miles per hour, which is preeeetty slow. In comparison, a human can theoretically run at speeds up to 40mph, according to Livescience. On a more real-life scale, Usain Bolt clocked 28 mph in competitions, and a survey of multiple online sources suggest that the average person can jog at around 7 to 8 mph.
So, if you're late for an interview in Downtown, you're probably better off running there yourself, rather than taking the streetcar.
The report detailed (and reiterated) a number of other plans for the streetcar. The proposed route goes along 1st Street, Broadway, 11th Street, Figueroa Street, Hill Street, and either 7th or 9th street. At 6 mph, a whole trip around the route will take about 35 to 40 minutes, per the report.
The cars, which will hold about 100 passengers each, are expected to run from 6 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Saturdays, and 9 a.m to midnight on Sundays and holidays. During peaks hours there will be 6 cars running on the track. Project planners say that there will be approximately 25 platforms on which passengers will board. There will be, at the very least, a 7-minute gap in between cars.
These figures aren' so bad, we guess. But, still, 6 mph? Here are some a videos of what 6 mph is like.
[h/t Curbed L.A.]
