See the video yet? Please be safe around the streetcar tracks! 🙂
Kind of sappy and silly, but seriously everyone needs to bear in mind the streetcar is there. The tracks aren’t coming up and they’re getting more popular again. So be safe and careful to approach the tracks safely.
So Kansas City decided yesterday that their streetcar service will be free. No fare, that’s right. This might be great in many ways, but as stated in the article.
But authority members agreed the streetcar operator will have to make sure rowdy teens, vagrants and loiterers don’t take abuse the free fare and ruin the ride.
Really? Ugh, this is so frustrating for a number of reasons. We subsidize over-utilization of about every transportation mode in America (except maybe cruise ships, maybe?). Every mode is heavily subsidized which just encourages people to abuse the systems, infrastructure and in the end, pollute more. Even transit pollutes, and encouraging over usage of it and not incurring the full price (or damage) of over-utilization means we just get more of the same. I’m glad they’re getting a streetcar and encouraging people to get out of their cars and use the downtown – which they should – but blast it if we don’t keep going down the same debt burdened, tax dependent systems we’ve been stuck with for the last 80 years with airlines, automobiles and every other transit mode. In the end, this doesn’t help out nation become more responsible or intelligent about its actions or usage of energy.
Charge a fare, at least an extreme minimum. Fifty cents, a buck, either will work!
The private sector has stepped in, if there is any more proof needed that streetcars rock, you need look no further than this. Amazon is buying a 4th streetcar to up the service near the South Lake Union area in Seattle. This is the area where their primary headquarters is located.
I’m sure I’ll have more on this later, just had to bring it up now for future reference!
To those streetcar haters, yes indeed, they’re buying a streetcar. They’re not increasing the bus service around campus because people ride and want to ride the streetcar and not the bus (even though some do indeed ride the bus too). Amazon is working to build a vibrant center around their headquarters – not just some hollow soul less building like other big software companies do in the Seattle area. They’ve brought more life and helped more with economic recovery in a huge way. I could go on for hours about how awesome this is, and how more moves like this should be encouraged. But for now, happy riding!
I wanted to write more about this trip, but that just didn’t happen. So instead of writing anything I’m going to just post some of the pictures from the trip. Cheers!  🙂
PCC Streetcar (Click for full size image)
Philadelphia Arrow Lines
There are numerous transit systems that are building out, even in spite of this recession/depression era we exist in. Overall, things are looking bad for transport, transport freedom, and many of these things. But also the winds of change, the attitudes of people, and the human characteristics that we have are starting to come forth and change this outlook!
These rides I’m looking forward to are on some of the systems that will slowly begin to change things for the better. That will help us move forward toward complete streets and better livability! If you know of others I’ve missed, please let me know!  🙂
NOTE: These aren’t particularly in any order of priority, just on the list. The biggest element of these is that they are being built, are already funded, and clearly have a completion in sight or are already done!
Transit Sleuth 