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]
You know… if a light rail/trolley/streetcar just magically appeared overnight, all of the nay-sayers would be just as fucking fuming if someone proposed to remove it and replace it with buses!!
It’s always fight any sort of change… because there’s a slight possibility it might not be perfect for every situation. But, guess what, what we have now is NOT either. In fact, it sort of sucks if you live anywhere other than BH and Downtown Brooklyn.
Soooo ridiculous.
Streetcars won’t work because the street I have pictured in my head is too small and the route I have invented in my head requires lots of hairpin turns! Are you fucking retarded?!?!?!
BRT? that would be great, but it’s not the whole solution. Streetcars? Absolutely, but admittedly they are not perfect for everywhere… But stop just saying NO! This is stupid and unproductive. “I don’t want streetcars because that would be different.” That is what I am hearing!
In Portland, what they did was build the light rail next to the existing freeway, or in some places, kind of on top of it. Nothing had to be torn down, and in most places they didn’t take away a lane of the freeway.
Here in NYC, I could see a light rail being useful in a similar way, like sort of a sidecar or a second story to an existing elevated freeway like the Belt or the BQE.
I don’t think either BRT or a light rail is in NYC’s foreseeable future, but my vote would be for light rail as long they could do it without having to remove an existing lane of traffic.
awesome… maybe the tracks can be put down in the idiotic bicycle lanes and actually be utilized by more than one person per hour
Fourth Ave? YES
Ocean Parkway? YES
Eastern Parkway? YES
Flatbush Ave? YES
Also, Greenpoint ave into Queens alogn with Grand Ave, Flushing Ave, maybe Linde Blvd, Ave D, Ave J, etc.
Not sure about Highways, but I would kill to take a street car along the BQE instead of sitting in traffic, maybe even over the Veranzano connecting Staten Island without taking a ferry.
One can only wish.
the other thing people are not considering is if there is a light rail built to service say, red hook, there will be an ecxplosion of new development. red hook will not be red hook with a light rail connection. Look at what happened to semi-rural Roosevelt Island after they created the F train stop.
So, which roads do we think are wide enough to accommodate a light rail system?
Fourth Ave?
Ocean Parkway?
Eastern Parkway?
Flatbush Ave?
I believe if a road is considered a highway, than the law prohibits putting rails in it. One could change the law, of course.
cmu – Yes, BRT will fit.
Light rail not so much.
Now if *you* were paying attention, you might have noticed that was topic of my comment.
Sorry, my building is historic snarky 🙂
As you can see it runs along major roads. Nothing was knocked down to run the tracks. Run it down major avenues not down some tiny 1 way side street. I’m not a City Planner but many neighborhoods are not served by the subways and or need more access.
Red Hook, Sheephead Bay, Dyker Heights, Bed Stuy, Canarsie, Mill Basin, Brooklyn College, Brownsville, etc….
And how about Queens? Connecting Brooklyn and Queens via a street car system would be great. I think Queens has it much worse than Brooklyn in terms of mass transit.
Yes, it would take some more thought and planning but I believe its a step in the right direction.
No wonder nothing ever gets done around here. Nay-sayers win the day. What f(89ing widening of the streets, Snarkslope? If you’ve been paying attention, the idea is to USE THE EXISTING ROW and dedicate a lane for BRT or light rail. Portland, San Francisco, Jersey City, Rome all put in light rail and didn’t tear down 1 house.