Could Streetcars Return to Brooklyn?
Streetcars were once a big part of Brooklyn life—could they play a role in connecting currently underserviced areas while enhancing the street-level experience? That’s the theory being floated by some enthusiasts. And people are starting to listen. Most notably, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn who, noting the success of its streetcar system in generating economic developer,…
Streetcars were once a big part of Brooklyn life—could they play a role in connecting currently underserviced areas while enhancing the street-level experience? That’s the theory being floated by some enthusiasts. And people are starting to listen. Most notably, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn who, noting the success of its streetcar system in generating economic developer, recently said We need to rebalance the transportation network and make it as efficient and effective as possible. (Midwood resident Arthur Melnick has been pushing this idea for many years, particularly for the waterfront areas of Red Hook and Brooklyn Heights, and the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association has even built a few tracks over near Ikea.) And while there are nostalgic and touristic reasons to consider the idea, blog The Transit Politic sums up the practical side of the issue:
Brooklyn is ideal for streetcars, and the city should be considering their widespread installation in areas where improved transit service is needed, because they’re effective in creating denser, more livable neighborhoods. The eastern half of Berlin is perhaps a good example for how Brooklyn could integrate streetcars into its existing transportation network. There, the 192 km collection of Straßenbahn lines run in areas that are not adequately served by the U-Bahn and S-Bahn rail services. The system runs mostly in areas that are less dense than Brooklyn overall, but it still attracts high ridership. (Berlin’s most central borough, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, has a density of 13,000 people/km2, equivalent to that of Brooklyn; the rest of Berlin, however, has about half that density.) Why not, then, envision a similarly ambitious program for transit expansion in Brooklyn?
Indeed, though streetcars have far lower capacity than subways, they’re far cheaper to build and they carry significantly more people than bus lines when they’re built close to light rail standards, with some of their own running way, high-quality stations, and extended vehicles. Because they’re electrically operated, they’re also pollution-free (directly, not necessarily indirectly). For a city that’s incapable of building a tiny two-mile extension of its subway system on time and on budget, a streetcar network might be the solution.
The blog highlights much of southeastern Brooklyn, Red Hook and parts of Bed Stuy as areas whose residents desperately need better access to existing public transit. Crazy, or so crazy it just might work?
Streetcars for Brooklyn: A New Life? [The Transport Politic]
Yes maybe they could get the same workers that are doing the refurbishment on the BQE and Gowanus. We might be able to see the first train car go by in 2090.
Generally sounds like an idea worth exploring (though the discussions of multi-million dollar research, legislative bureaucracy and threats of eminent domain do give me pause). Because I like the scenic route, I’d prefer buses over subways any day. To me, riding on the subway is like riding in a moving coffin.
However, practically speaking, buses are just slower than subways, and when I have to get somewhere, I hate to wait, so I end up on the subway.
A streetcar could provide the best of both worlds. Of course the streetcar probably wouldn’t be quite as fast as the subway, but at least it could make above-ground transport a more viable option.
mcKenzie… I’m glad you’ve just decided NYC is a lost cause.
I agree that the bureaucratic red tape alone could snuff this idea, but I think it’s worth supporting because certain neighborhoods in BKLYN and Queens have terrible subway and bus access. I rode the trolly for years when I lived in Boston, and it’s far better than riding a bus. For one, it has its own dedicated lane in the middle of an avenue, and though it does have to stop at red lights, it goes much faster than cars and buses because it doesn’t share lanes with them. The trolly cars are also much wider than buses, and the seating is set up more like a subway car, so you have more room to maneuver, even when carrying bags. It’s kind of like having the convenience of a bus (in the sense you can catch one from a regular street corner, without having to go underground) with the space and (abbreviated) speed of a subway or train. Lastly, the more modern light-rail trains that exist in Europe (I rode one in Barcelona) are virtually like riding a new, above-ground subway car, and there is far less electrical wiring than older trollies. These are typically routed on wider avenues, not single-lane streets. Think about how useful it would be to have swifter public transportation again on streets like Myrtle Avenue!
I’m late to the party, but unlike everyone else here, I have many years of experience as a daily trolly rider, growing up in Philadelphia. Unless you take away two moving lanes of traffic to give them a dedicated right of way, which isn’t going to happen, trollies are much worse than buses.
The down side of trollies is:
1) Fixed tracks. When a car or truck is double parked on the tracks, or there’s an accident, you just sit. Unlike a bus which can maneuver around it. And when there’s road construction, they have to suspend service. They can’t just reroute it while National Grid digs up the street.
2) Steel wheels on steel tracks have LESS traction than rubber on asphalt, and have a very yard time getting through even the lightest snow.
3) Catenary wires are damn ugly.
tyburg, i don’t know if you have noticed but there is a lot less traffic now than last year. I drive a lot and i find that on many days the streets of manhattan are fairly empty, the fdr is a dream lately, the recession has decreased traffic. i can really see it. hypothetically, an even worse recession could reduce traffic even more, and a really bad epidemic that kills tens of thousands could really clear out the bqe. but the thing is this, healthy cities have a lot of traffic. traffic is commerce, it’s activity. nyc is not a maple syrup farm, it is a giant city with all kinds of activity and noise and traffic. when that is diminished, you should worry, not rejoice. forget light rails and other pipe dreams, if you are looking for a green utopia you should move. I hear east berlin is very green.
mcKenzie… if there was a proper transportation infrastructure that favored moving people instead of expanding access to cars, then there would be FEWER potholes on the BQE. I’m not saying it wouldn’t take a long to *fix* them, just that it would take a lot longer for them to form! Less traffic, roads last longer!!
I would be happy if they fixed the potholes on the BQE.
This is NY you gotta be realistic in terms of what you expect the gov. to do for you.
Oh… and fsrq… Do you honestly think that cities around the world are building new streetcar systems and revamping old/existing ones because they “like trains”??!!
I am still resisting providing you with the scientific (traffic and movement) and empirical studies (economic impact and commute time changes)… because there are LOTS and LOTS of them. You can simply google and find plenty. YES, and some of it is in support of buses! and buses with ROW lanes! and so on.