Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Trolleys to Return to Cap City?
Yesterday's front page of the Sacramento Bee featured a potential future view of the Tower Bridge, with a streetcar going right down the middle.
Sacramento and West Sacramento is currently considering the possibility of a new trolley line stretching from West Sacramento's town hall to the Sacramento Convention Center. Trolleys were ripped out of Sacramento streets years ago as ridership declined and cars became the preferred and/or only mode of transportation for Californians. Their potential return is obviously not because cars failed. Cars have been too successful, and have changed cities immensely. Now, the result in densely urbanized areas such as downtown Sacramento are traffic filled streets and limited parking.
The trolley plans would include stops at landmarks near or at the State Capital, Old Sacramento, Raley Field (and its proposed concert amphitheater), Downtown Plaza Mall, and the Convention Center/Memorial Auditorium. The West Sacramento section has an area known as the triangle which is being planned as a urban development, and Sacramento has off and on plans for development along capital mall and other parts of downtown, so it is possible the line would work.
One problem is, of course, money. At an estimated cost of $50-70 million, the Trolley may just stay in the barn of our dreams. With critics saying the Trolley must be self-supporting or economically viable, the chances decrease dramatically. Regional Transit recently discontinued a trolley-styled bus that ran through many of the same areas the new line would cover. The demise of that route was the low ridership statistics. With the recent poor performance of this bus, is it too much to ask of a new trolley to have phenomenal ridership? To make it economically viable, especially if considered a stand-alone venture, how much would need to be charged of passengers?
ValleyVue understands the critics that don't want to spend millions of dollars on a trolley just because some think it historically quaint or urban chic. However, these same critics must consider the idea that a trolley must not be considered as a venture unconnected to other development. The trolley can positively affect Sacramento in myriad ways. First, as always considered by proponents for public transportation, is the potential to reduce traffic. Workers and a growing population of residents could use the trolley and abandon short drives around the central city. West Sacramentans, who already are seeing traffic problems in rush hour getting from Yolo County to downtown across the few bridges available, may choose to ride a trolley that will quickly link them to light rail that goes throughout Sacramento County. Development can increase along trolley lines, as residents and businesses see it as a somewhat permanent commitment to their fledgling neighborhood. Disabled residents will have another opportunity to get from place to place. Environmentally, it makes sense to do things like increasing public transit ridership to Rivercats games.
Not to be forgotten is one use for public transportation that is often avoided by planners. The population of economically disadvantaged people use public transportation at disproportionately high rates. This is actually good for a city, (or two in this case), as it creates an opportunity for mobility for people that would otherwise not have it. Yes it possible to walk from the greyhound station to the Convention Center. However, motorized transport adds speed and climate control to that journey. Consider that walk in a 100 degree July day or a cold and rainy day in January.
If a trolley becomes a reality in Sacramento, it seems easy to see other opportunities for more in the area. With cooperation from business leaders who would need to welcome trolleys closer to stores than at the end of vast parking lots, a trolley could one day wind from the corner of Howe and Arden, up to Arden Faire mall, over to Cal Expo, right past a new Kings arena, under the freeway to the light rail stop. A streetcar may someday shuttle students from the University/65th light rail station through a college town business district before stopping a few times through the Sac State campus. Developers of the Railyard have already expressed an interest in including a trolley in the plans for that new area of downtown.
It all hinges on the success, or failure, of the first trolley project. Many years ago, people questioned whether or not Sacramento needed a light rail line. Now it branches into Folsom, down to Meadowview, and Sacramentans yearn for it to one day reach the airport. A trolley, once used and forgotten in the Capital City, could become another important public transportation success.
Sacramento and West Sacramento is currently considering the possibility of a new trolley line stretching from West Sacramento's town hall to the Sacramento Convention Center. Trolleys were ripped out of Sacramento streets years ago as ridership declined and cars became the preferred and/or only mode of transportation for Californians. Their potential return is obviously not because cars failed. Cars have been too successful, and have changed cities immensely. Now, the result in densely urbanized areas such as downtown Sacramento are traffic filled streets and limited parking.
The trolley plans would include stops at landmarks near or at the State Capital, Old Sacramento, Raley Field (and its proposed concert amphitheater), Downtown Plaza Mall, and the Convention Center/Memorial Auditorium. The West Sacramento section has an area known as the triangle which is being planned as a urban development, and Sacramento has off and on plans for development along capital mall and other parts of downtown, so it is possible the line would work.
One problem is, of course, money. At an estimated cost of $50-70 million, the Trolley may just stay in the barn of our dreams. With critics saying the Trolley must be self-supporting or economically viable, the chances decrease dramatically. Regional Transit recently discontinued a trolley-styled bus that ran through many of the same areas the new line would cover. The demise of that route was the low ridership statistics. With the recent poor performance of this bus, is it too much to ask of a new trolley to have phenomenal ridership? To make it economically viable, especially if considered a stand-alone venture, how much would need to be charged of passengers?
ValleyVue understands the critics that don't want to spend millions of dollars on a trolley just because some think it historically quaint or urban chic. However, these same critics must consider the idea that a trolley must not be considered as a venture unconnected to other development. The trolley can positively affect Sacramento in myriad ways. First, as always considered by proponents for public transportation, is the potential to reduce traffic. Workers and a growing population of residents could use the trolley and abandon short drives around the central city. West Sacramentans, who already are seeing traffic problems in rush hour getting from Yolo County to downtown across the few bridges available, may choose to ride a trolley that will quickly link them to light rail that goes throughout Sacramento County. Development can increase along trolley lines, as residents and businesses see it as a somewhat permanent commitment to their fledgling neighborhood. Disabled residents will have another opportunity to get from place to place. Environmentally, it makes sense to do things like increasing public transit ridership to Rivercats games.
Not to be forgotten is one use for public transportation that is often avoided by planners. The population of economically disadvantaged people use public transportation at disproportionately high rates. This is actually good for a city, (or two in this case), as it creates an opportunity for mobility for people that would otherwise not have it. Yes it possible to walk from the greyhound station to the Convention Center. However, motorized transport adds speed and climate control to that journey. Consider that walk in a 100 degree July day or a cold and rainy day in January.
If a trolley becomes a reality in Sacramento, it seems easy to see other opportunities for more in the area. With cooperation from business leaders who would need to welcome trolleys closer to stores than at the end of vast parking lots, a trolley could one day wind from the corner of Howe and Arden, up to Arden Faire mall, over to Cal Expo, right past a new Kings arena, under the freeway to the light rail stop. A streetcar may someday shuttle students from the University/65th light rail station through a college town business district before stopping a few times through the Sac State campus. Developers of the Railyard have already expressed an interest in including a trolley in the plans for that new area of downtown.
It all hinges on the success, or failure, of the first trolley project. Many years ago, people questioned whether or not Sacramento needed a light rail line. Now it branches into Folsom, down to Meadowview, and Sacramentans yearn for it to one day reach the airport. A trolley, once used and forgotten in the Capital City, could become another important public transportation success.
