Benefits of Streetcar Lines
Denotes permanence
Investing in the fixed facilities needed for
an electric, rail-based streetcar system conveys to potential passengers,
investors, and visitors that a permanent commitment has been made to provide
transportation to the area. This can have important psychological benefits that
tend to make positive contributions to urban development. The following is a
statement prepared by a transit advocacy group relating to the potential return
of light rail to the suspended Arborway streetcar line in Boston:
“The investment in construction of a
permanent way, such as a street railway, conveys a long-term commitment to
provide a high quality service now and into the future. Bus options, making no
such commitment, are too easily rerouted or curtailed. The presence of such
permanent facilities has demonstrated tangible, positive, private sector
economic and social spin off effects. Real estate values in Brookline, Milton,
and Newton (MA), would be just such an example, as well as the enduring
popularity that light rail has in these localities. Often overlooked is the
psychological factor where public facilities are concerned. Consider how many
government and private institutions conduct their business in structures made of
large stone blocks, or other durable materials. This serves to reassure the
general public with an appearance of stability and endurance through the ages.
No doubt it would have been more cost effective to place several trailers or tin
sheds in an asphalt parking lot in lieu of the current Boston City Hall and
plaza, but what does it say about our civilization? A street tramway conveys
these same characteristics the public want so see preserved in our public
facilities. Tramways can and do function in many places as a mobile traffic
calming device, making the streetscape more pedestrian friendly.” – Fred R.
Moore, Association for Public Transportation, Saugus, MA, June 2001
Inspires economic development
The permanent commitment demonstrated by the
rails and overhead wire conveys to potential investors and residents that
transportation will be available. Cities such as Portland, Memphis, and Tampa
report strong developer interest along streetcar lines, in some cases even before
the line has opened. Both residential and commercial developments can benefit
from the certainty that rail transit will be available. In Tampa, businesses
have been so convinced of the benefits that heritage trolleys will provide that
many have made financial contributions to the construction and/or operating
costs of the line.
A Tampa
report states: “Just the announcement that the [heritage trolley] project was
going to be implemented has resulted in heightened development activity all
along the corridor. An estimated $800 million in new development is either
currently under way or will be under way before completion of construction of
the line. This includes approximately 1,600 units of upscale high-density
residential development never contemplated at the time that the project was in
the development phase.” (See
Tampa Project
Description).
Provides mobility in a downtown area
People enjoy riding streetcars and can be
lured from their automobiles by reliable, frequent service on heritage trolleys or modern streetcars.
Motorists are more inclined to park at the edge of a downtown area if they know
they can be transported to and from the parking area by an attractive an
enjoyable ride on a rail vehicle. For visitors to a downtown, the radius of
the area they can visit easily expands considerably if there is visible and
frequent streetcar transportation. Workers in the downtown area can find the
area available for lunchtime errands or restaurant destinations to be
considerably expanded by use of the streetcar, and the ride becomes part of the
experience.
Attracts riders
Evidence from across North America and
around the world shows that many more people will ride rail transit than buses.
Anecdotal evidence of this so-called “rail effect” abounds, and the following
well-researched study documents the effect over the second half of the 20th
century. The results are summarized here, followed by a link to the complete
study:
The Transportation Research Board Special
Report No. 1221, “Impact on Transit Patronage of Cessation or Inauguration of
Rail Service” dated 1989, and authored by transportation researcher Edson L.
Tennsyson concluded the following:
“Because transit use is a function of travel
time, fare, frequency of service, population, and density, increased transit use
can not be attributed to rail transit when these other factors are improved.
When these service conditions are equal, it is evident that rail transit is
likely to attract from 34 to 43 percent more riders than will equivalent bus
service. The data do not provide explanations for this phenomenon, but other
studies and reports suggest that the clearly identifiable rail route; delineated
stops that are often protected; more stable, safer, and more comfortable
vehicles; freedom from fumes and excessive noise; and more generous vehicle
dimensions may all be factors.”
Click on this link,
Transportation Research Record 1221, for the full text of this research
report
In San Francisco, the 8-Market electric
trolley bus line was replaced by 50-year old heritage trolleys, renamed as the
F-line, running over the identical route in the mid 1990s by the Municipal Railway of
San Francisco (Muni). According to the agency’s own figures, in September 1994,
the route 8 trolley bus averaged 5,813 riders per day. By November of 1997, the heritage
trolleys on the same route were averaging 7,896 riders per day over the
identical route, a 35% increase. Ridership has grown steadily since then and,
including the Embarcadero extension, now is reported to exceed 20,000 per day. The Muni is hard pressed to run enough cars to meet the demand. The F-line
service is one of the most popular services offered by the agency among both
residents and tourists, and other parts of the city are requesting that heritage
trolleys be extended to their neighborhoods as well.
Heritage trolleys connect people with history
Using a simple, reliable form of transit
from 50 or 100 years ago can bring history to life for 21st century
Americans. More than viewing photographs, movies, or reading about transportation
in earlier periods, actually using a heritage trolley for transportation can
create a far deeper understanding of the experiences of bygone eras. If the
heritage trolley line provides an opportunity for historical education as part
of the riding experience—by means of photos and descriptions posted in
advertising space inside the car, by brochures available for riders to take, by
means of interpretive staff traveling on the car, or by special interpretive
tours using museum cars—then the riding experience can reach an even more
meaningful level.
Can be a first step toward light rail or commuter rail in a metropolitan
area
In Memphis and Tampa, implementing a
heritage trolley system has been considered a relatively inexpensive and
attractive means of demonstrating the viability of urban rail that later could
be expanded into a light rail network serving a larger part of the metropolitan
area. Careful design of the track and facilities so that they can
be used or adapted for light rail can provide important future opportunities.
Click on the following link for an article summarizing
benefits of the Little Rock heritage trolley system:
Quantified Benefits
Putting dollar figures to benefits has been one of the most desired but
elusive pieces of information for those planning heritage trolley or
streetcar systems. Follow this link for a table containing some
estimated dollar benefits. Comprehensive documentation
In late 2006 a thorough study of streetcars and their economic benefits
was published by Reconnecting America, with the active participation of this
site's sponsors. This book includes the first comprehensive documentation of
realized benefits from new generation streetcar systems. It is a must for
anyone interested in advancing plans for enhanced urban mobility and
economic redevelopment. Follow this link for
ordering information
from the Seashore Trolley Museum store. |
