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]
If the corrupt Jersey politicians can implement a light rail system in a couple of years what does that say about the MTA?
MTA more corrupt than a Jersey Politician.
Streetcars are NOT nostalgia… converting American cities to Bus-only transit systems was HUGE mistake.
Streetcars are both viable and effective!
They are NOT buses.
They create a sense of permanence and regularity for economic areas that buses do not. They are easier to navigate than buses. And there are MANY options that make streetcars either not subject to or less subject to traffic.
We have a light rail in Jersey City. It is a huge success and connects many of the other neighborhoods together and provides mass transit to people living in those areas. Look at the 2nd avenue subway, it’s going to costs billions to dig those tunnels as well as years to complete. The light rail in Jersey City/Hoboken was completed in a couple years and cost a fraction of a new subway tunnel.
Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for the MTA:
– http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/nyregion/08mta.html
“On the same day that Gov. David A. Paterson signed a rescue bill for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, its executive director resigned on Thursday to allow the governor to take the agency in ‘a different direction.'”
Other cities use light rail systems very effectively and if you want to look at a waste of money, the new East side train line is a huge waste. One short straight leg east of Lex. For the amount of money they are spending on that, they could have spent on light rail to benefit a heck of a lot more people. the other problem with the new subway line is that it has driven a number of businesses out because of the street work. My uncle lives in a senior residence on 96th- they have blocked the sidewalk so that an ambulance cannot get close to the building in an emergency, and it is expected to stay tht way for months.
> “the problem with buses is that they are subject to traffic,
> and a light rail line wouldn’t be”
How would they not be subject to traffic? The green line trains in Boston, for example, certainly are. Will they build a series of overpasses to avoid traffic crossing the streets they traverse?
chicken, if it involves the MTA it is going to be
1. Mismanaged
2. Excessively costly
3. Slow
4. Bogged down by the most onerous of union bullshit.
5. Fugly
Bring on the streetcars! I commuted on one in Australia and it was awesome – they even had the honor system for tickets (I’d like to see that happen in NYC!). Streetcars used to be all over the place until the 1950s, when the auto and oil companies paid to have the tracks dug up. All kinds of cities and even suburban areas would benefit from streetcars. Won’t happen in soon though, I agree….
sixyears, it does seem pretty ridiculous how long some of these seemingly straightforward things seem to take.
I’ve often stood on the Cortelyou Rd station platform and wondered how long it would take to scrape off the peeling paint and redo it. I figured that a team of 10-15 people could get it done overnight.
Who wants to join me in some guerilla painting action???!!