trolleyAt one point in the early part of the last century, there were 1,800 trolleys traversing 300 miles of track in Brooklyn. Now a 60-year-old Midwood man’s effort to bring back the trolleys is starting to look more and more like a real possibility. “If you look at the literature, trolleys fit a lot of bills,” he says. Plus, they are pollution free and traffic calming, he notes. In addition, “they lend a nostalgic ambience to the neighborhood.” The most likely routes? Borough Hall to Dumbo, Brooklyn Bridge Park from Fulton Ferry to Atlantic Avenue, and Coney Island. Are readers in favor of this?
A Desire Named Streetcar [NY Times]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. There has got to be a better way for people to get around Brooklyn, bottom line. It is expensive to get from Williamsburg to Park Slope via car service and bus service is unreliable. Service to Red Hook would also be ideal ’cause its remote in terms of public transportation. A trolley down 5th Avenue in Brooklyn would boost commerce and it would get more people exploring Brooklyn. I’m all for it!

  2. David, do you understand what is being proposed here? We aren’t talking about Trains on the major, read already serviced areas. We are talking about areas that are cripled by lack of transportation options. In Red Hook for example, you have three options. Walk, B77 or B61. The B 61 is a very long line and tends to pack up, so you can find waits of a half hour common at the rush then 4 buses.

    The concept is two fold, one to provide transportation options for residents to get to downtown, as well fuel development to Red Hook with is new shopping areas. Ikea wants to set up shuttle busses from Atlantic down Columbia then down Van Brunt. At present the Greenway project has just started and they are totally re doing the areas streets to handle more traffic. The life span of the new Columbia street would be 5 years with new bus traffic, and the existing load of trucks going to the piers, the buses that park in Red Hook and the increased car traffic of a newly paved road to divert off the BQE.

    A Trolley service would if nothing else would act as a buffer.

  3. I just proove it: I ask 50 people in my office and all but one said they like trolleys more then buses.
    It is just a quality of living issue.
    It is ok David i would not expect Ratner person to understend it anyway.