Study for RRTA looks at a fixed, loop route, that could ease congestion.
By Bernard Harris
Published Oct 16, 2006 14:05
“I go to Philadelphia, I take the subway. If I go to New York, I take a subway. I’ve never taken a bus in either one of them,” said Gray.
And, he’s not alone in his preference for rails.
In Seattle, when a rail streetcar line was replaced with a rubber-tired trolley look-alike, ridership dropped by 40 percent. When the railed streetcar was returned eight months later, with the same fares and same route, ridership jumped by 40 percent.
People have a preference for rail, consultant Harvey Stone wrote in a report to the Red Rose Transit Authority earlier this year.
Gray thinks the draw may be the simplicity of a fixed route and the every-couple-of-minutes schedule.
And the mayor foresees rail transportation that could be attractive to city residents and visitors alike.
He is embracing the recommendations for the streetcar system proposed by Stone.
A loop system, at a cost of $14.1 million, could be built to carry passengers on a north-south rectangle in northern Lancaster City, from Southern Market Center on Vine Street, north on Queen Street, to the train station and south on Prince Street.
That study, completed in February, calls the “circulator” a worthwhile investment that could help alleviate traffic and deliver customers to city shops and businesses.
Now, Stone Consulting & Design is being asked to expand its study to include an east-west loop.
“We’re looking at it as a transportation system, as a way to decrease cars in the city and as an economic development tool,” said Gray.
He foresees streetcars one day traveling between Reservoir Park and Franklin & Marshall College, between Manor Street and downtown, and to the train station where city residents would one day catch commuter rail trains to Harrisburg International Airport without ever having to get in a car.
Jack Howell, president of the city revitalization group The Lancaster Campaign, said even the initial route opens many possibilities for city residents and visitors.
Although the streetcar line would carry people between the proposed convention center and hotel to the ballpark or train station, the line would not be built for city tourism, Howell emphasized.
“The primary purpose is ... for the city resident, ” he said.
Studies show that most people are willing to walk about 1,500 feet to catch a streetcar. About a quarter of the city’s population — 15,000 people — live within that distance of the proposed tracks, he said.
A new system would mark a return of streetcars to the city. Conestoga Traction Company streetcars operated in Lancaster until 1947. Some Lancaster buildings still have the metal brackets that once held the streetcar’s electric power line.
In some of the 20 U.S. cities which have streetcar lines, the cars have a nostalgic “heritage” appearance. Others have a sleek “modern” look. And some systems are “vintage” — with old streetcars that have been refurbished and updated.
Despite the exterior appearance, all the streetcars have the same modern workings inside, Howell said.
Gray said his preference is for modern-looking cars.
“If they’re quaint looking, that sends a message that they are for tourists, and if they’re modern that sends a message that they are a modern form of transportation,” said the mayor.
The city’s earlier streetcars, in their heyday about a century ago, preceded now-dominant automobiles. Tracks were laid down the center of the streets.
Tracks for newer streetcars would be laid along the right side of streets, said Howell. That would make it easier for cars to go around them during stops and safer for passengers boarding and exiting the streetcars. The quiet, no-emissions vehicle would also travel at the speed of automobiles.
Howell said a committee of 15 to 17 people will be formed to study the idea. The committee, or its representatives, will likely travel to other cities where streetcars are now in use.
Little Rock, Ark.; Memphis, Tenn.; Kenosha, Wis.; Galveston, Texas and Vancouver, Wash., are all successfully using streetcars, he said.
Gray said city Economic Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Director Randy Patterson, at a conference this week in Portland, Ore., has been asked to look at the streetcar system operating in that city.
Stone also will be looking at funding sources for a possible streetcar line, including opportunities for corporate sponsorships and operational subsidies from federal and state governments.
The initial cost of the line is estimated to be about $14 million, with federal transportation funds paying the bulk of that amount, Howell said.
Dave Kilmer, executive director of the Red Rose Transit Authority, said the real issue is covering the operating costs of the system.
The initial study estimated annual operating and administrative costs of more than $685,200. Of that, more than $384,500 would not be covered by fares and other revenues.
Kilmer is not as quick to embrace the streetcar idea as his predecessor, James Lutz. Kilmer is more concerned about keeping his existing fleet of buses running.
“It’s not something that I’m totally dismissing. We’re looking at it ... but I’ve got bigger fish to fry,” Kilmer said of streetcars.
He said he would support a streetcar line if it did not siphon limited resources away from his agency bus service.
Gray also said getting a stable source of operating funds will be the key.
