Ultimately however, the fault with this story lies with the basically lazy approach Colleen Marshall and her field producer took on this story...we get the usual "barely scratch the surface" reporting and interviewees who hardly provided anything approaching an illuminating dialogue.

 

We are, after all, talking about the local TV news. The only people who rely on their hometown action news squad are morons, mouthbreathers and that angry lady from Reynoldsburg.

 

Too harsh?

 

No, that's just about right.

 

Interesting to me how naysayers like Sam "the sham" Staley gets quoted at length, while supporters get no coverage at all (I would not call Lhota a supporter).

And not just supporters, there wasn't anyone who was an expert on rail transit. It'd be like having a piece on evolution and interviewing a creationist while for the scientific side they get a physicist instead of a biologist.

Well...here's my letter...

 

Ms. Marshall and Mr. Sanders,

 

By airing the story last night about streetcars, I believe that you both did Columbus an injustice. 

 

As journalists, you have a responsibility to educate the general public and provide a fair and balanced report.  This was hardly the case.  You promised to "get behind the politics", but instead jumped right into a politics with both feet. 

 

The "pro" streetcar voice was provided by a staunchly anti-rail Bill Lhota.  Not only is Bill an outspoken skeptic of the system, but if a streetcar line is installed, it may end up being a direct competitor to his stigmatized bus system.  This doesn't exactly get behind politics.

 

The anti-streetcar voice was provided by someone from a conservative "think tank" that appeared to know little about transit.  All Mr. Staley seemed to do was provide you with a few unsubstantiated soundbytes showing his unwillingness to support tax dollars going to transit and downtown devlopment projects.  There were no facts, or even halfway decent arguments against the system.

 

Nowhere in the report did you mention the advantages (or even disadvantages) of a streetcar over other forms of transit.  Nowhere did you mention the differences between Portland's downtown streetcar line vs. Tampa's tourist and conventioneer mover.  You didn't interview Ret. Adm. Denis McGinn (the chair of the streetcar working group) who would have seemed to be the most obvious (and perhaps most knowledgeable) source.  You didn't show a proposed route.  You didn't talk about the creative funding sources that the working group has identified.  And just when I thought you were close to providing good information about how streecars are sucessful in tying together high density neighborhoods...you decided to change directions and provide an opinion from Mr. Staley about how it probably won't work in Columbus.

 

To put it simply, you gave the opinions of a few old guys and didn't provide any substance.  Next time you attempt to air a story like this, put some meat on the bones.  Don't patronize your viewers.

 

Thank You,

XXXX XXXXX

Nicely done Brewmaster.  Let us know if you get a reply.  I have sent my own letter to Colleen.

Nice letter Brewwmaster. These media types must realize they are compromising their own credibility and reputation by putting out crap like this. Noozer, I hope you made that point with Coleen, who otherwise seems to be a nice person.

Why was Lhota even interviewed? He is on the fringe of this project.

 

If I were you in Columbus, I would be royally steamed at the total disservice your media is doing to explain this project and to give the public the informational tools necessary to substantive decisions.

 

It seems the media doesn't know where to turn to get information. Worse, they will keep going back to the same sources in the absence of alternatives that are made known to them.

 

What brochures, media kits, web resources and other informative materials are available to them? If those things don't exist, the media will keep doing a disservice to Columbus.

Lhota is one of four people named by Mayor Coleman to a Downtown Streetcar "Steering Committee" whoe purpose is to seek funding for the project.  Lhota's background is not in transit.  He is a former VP for American Electric Power: hardly an expert on transit or streetcars as Brewmaster so ably pointed out.

 

His was an interesting choice for this committee, since he has been publically very cool toward light rail during his tenure as COTA's CEO.  He pretty much killed the project internally at COTA.  Interesting as well is the fact that his wife was a former COTA Trustee who had a major hand in killing a light rail levy in the late 1990's before it ever got to the polls.

 

As for the media, most of the coverage has been pretty decent, with a couple of exception like that infamous article in The Other Paper and (now) the NBC-4 story.  I chalk this latest story up to just plain laziness.  I know for a fact they had been working on this story for over a month. And this is the best the can come up with?  Clearly, they had time to dig deeper and find other sources for expert information.  They also pretty much took Sam Staley at his word with no apparent fact-checking.

 

That's why I say the best thing advocates can do is keep sending them e-mails and letting them know they fell seriously short of telling a complete story.

They worked for a month and came up with this??!! :drunk:

 

Your point about Lhota and his wife is an interesting one and I also think that, as I said previously, they are destroying their own reputation by producing junk stories like this. I plan to write NBC-4 myself. I assume you just went thru their website to communicate?

 

They worked for a month and came up with this??!! :drunk:

 

Your point about Lhota and his wife is an interesting one and I also think that, as I said previously, they are destroying their own reputation by producing junk stories like this...

 

Assuming NBC-4 has a reputation worth preserving in the first place. I just think the bar is so low for local news that anything more than two talking heads and they'd be accused of pandering to the Pulitzer commitee.

 

That said, let's help NBC-4's competition win a Pulitzer. Or at least a Lumby*.

 

* A local news award I just made up.

^The article about the hysteric TV weathermen in The Other Paper last week was absolutely hilarious.  There's no way those people didn't see that article.   

 

Also my insider at Columbus Alive (who a Columbus native) is 50% anti and 50% oblivious to the streetcar proposal.  In his own words he's never had one of his story ideas denied by the editors, but he's in no danger of branching out from his beat into the wild and wooly world of urban redevelopment.  And it doesn't appear that anyone else at Alive is going to pick up the torch. 

 

Notably absent of any mention in tonight's "State of the City Address" by Mayor Coleman: any mention at all of the Downtown Streetcar project. 

 

You can read the text of the address at: http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/22/20070222-speech.html

 

More bold initiatives.  But now I'm forced to ask: how many of them won't be mentioned next year?

 

Now maybe the streetcar project is being deliberately flown under the radar while they seek funding.  But it now makes me wonder if COTA CEO Lhota's performance on NBC4's streetcar story was exactly what the Mayor wanted :? :wtf:

 

What puzzles me is this: Why would the Coleman administration so visibly back off the streetcar proposal when the very Streetcar Working Group he appointed voted unanimously that it should be advanced into funding and eventual construction?

 

I guess the plan got stuck in the snow last week.

 

 

Worth noting that NBC-4 reporter Elizabeth Scarborough also noticed the Mayor's lack of mention of the streetcar in her coverage of his State of the City speech.

^ Depressing.  That also makes you wonder how much input the mayor's office had in that terrible story on NBC4 this week.

 

I hate conspiracy theories, but this is all a little strange.

I'm going to see what we over at 1000 Friends of Central Ohio can do. It's this and then the whole "parking shortage" in the Short North. Even local urbanites don't get it in this city.  :x

Here are some visuals of what we may be missing out on (keeping in mind ours would be modern):

 

Philadelphia trolley

 

 

Toronto streetcar

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aJTIctxa98 (exterior)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PKsspaKc2M (interior)

 

Paris tram

 

 

Bilbao tram

 

(exterior)

 

(interior)

 

Barcelona tram (promotional video, 1st 40 seconds are all you really need to see)

 

^^ I have never found any shortage of parking in short north, even for busy weekends like the columbus marathon [as a side note the columbus marathon needs more fan support!] there are always spots within two blocks of short north's main street (i don't recall the name).

Here are some visuals of what we may be missing out on (keeping in mind ours would be modern):

 

Philadelphia trolley

 

 

Toronto streetcar

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aJTIctxa98 (exterior)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PKsspaKc2M (interior)

 

Paris tram

 

 

Bilbao tram

 

(exterior)

 

(interior)

 

Barcelona tram (promotional video, 1st 40 seconds are all you really need to see)

 

 

Love that grassy median in Barcelona! :clap:

 

This video shows the new Paris tramway on the section where its tracks are covered with a layer of grass, much like the two Lyon tramways T1, T2. Unfortunately, I could find only one video of the Lyon tram and that was a brief view of its streetcar segment.

 

Here's a 7-minute video titled the "Modern Streetcar" from Portland...

 

 

Very nice videos.  But the important issue here is keeping the Downtown Streetcar proposal from remaining just that... a proposal.

 

I'm told by some sources still close to the effort that the Steering Committee appointed by Mayor Coleman to explore funding has yet to even meet and begin their task.

 

Here is the e-mail address for questions to the Mayor, if anyone cares to ask why the streetcar plan was not mention in his State of the City.

 

[email protected]

 

Here also is the link to the Mayor's web page, which has the text of his latest State of the City.

 

http://mayor.columbus.gov/

 

Anyone have Lhota's email? I'd like to enlighten him.

Is the streetcar proposal/plan dead? If so, thats a shame!

No, it's not dead, but the lack of mention of it in Mayor Coleman's State of the City speech made a lot of us suspicious of his commitment to the plan. 

Short North needs public transportation

Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Letters

 

The Short North is not short on parking; it's short on good mass-transit. If the Short North had plentiful parking it would look like parts of downtown with swathes of parking lots and little else. There is not a single city worth visiting that is easy to get around by car, period.

 

Great cities build with people in mind, not cars. Just imagine any great urban neighborhood in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, etc., getting plentiful parking. Our downtown used to be bustling with people and now it's not. It did not take long for people to find that the parking garages and parking lots that replaced several buildings aren't so fun to hang around.

 

As an alumnus it saddens me that Ohio State has not pro-actively sought to extend the streetcar line to OSU, which would make it easy for students to experience the most interesting parts of the city without a car. Those without a car, in particular every freshman on campus who is not allowed to have one, would greatly benefit from this increased mobility as the streetcars will be much more frequent than COTA buses. Their car-free options for shopping, eating and services for daily needs greatly increase.

 

OSU students do not need more parking spaces, they need more streetcar stops. If OSU really wants to encourage students to support local businesses, whether they are in the Short North, downtown, German Village or the Brewery District, they can still offer to put forth funding for the streetcars which will reduce oil consumption, make a little dent in global warming and make Columbus a more attractive place to go to school and live.

 

As a university of all places, OSU should know that supporting a car-dependent lifestyle is supporting the extremely wasteful use of a very finite supply of oil. OSU ought to do its part to ensure students have an option and cars are not a necessity, especially for students who have already been facing increasing tuition prices.

 

Keith Morris

OSU Alumni '06

Columbus, Ohio

 

http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/02/23/Letters/Short.North.Needs.Public.Transportation-2739954.shtml?mkey=980474

I work for The OSU Traffic and Parking services, they're planning a new 1500 car garage at the Jesse Owens North rec center. planning a new 1500 car garage at the Jesse Owens North rec center. Believe me the "Business Ops" side isn't supporting anything (even though they should) that won't let them charge $1.50-$2.00 an hour or $6.50-$15.00 a day.

What's this?  Signs of intelligent life at the OSU Lantern?

 

On another note;  I told by a fairly good City Hall source that Mayor Coleman has finally called a meeting of the Downtown Streetcar Steering Committee to begin the process of seeking and securing funding.  I'm also told that City Hall heard more than a few comments from people why the Streetcar Plan was not mentioned in the State of the City speech.  My source wouldn;t say if the calling of the Steering Committee had anything to do with the comments, but let's be happy that they are finally meeting after more than two months.

Yay! Any way we can support the committee?

I think the best way is to keep public comment coming in favor of the plan. And the people to send those messages to are Mayor Coleman, the Columbus City Council and City Council Member Maryellen O'Shaughnessy in particular (she chairs the Transportation Committee) and Bill Lhota from COTA (who most needs to hear that people want transportation that moves on rails and not just buses).

 

But we also need to be letting people like Congresspersons Pryce and Tiberi know that the streetcar plan, as well as things like light rail and intercity passenger rail are an essential transportation investment and not some sort of all-for-show frill.  The reason I mention light rail and intercity passenger rail (such as the Ohio Hub is that these systems must someday all tie together if we are ever to have a full range of transportation choices.  If we had a system like this, I could immediately sell one of my family's cars (or at least stop driving it).

 

It's all about creating more choices.

 

 

In case you missed this...

 

"TUESDAY

3/6

10:00 AM

Planning alternative forms of transportation to reduce automobile dependence in Central Ohio, with American Institute of Architects Columbus Livable Communities Chair Jon Barnes, Ohio Rail Development Commission Public Information Officer Stu Nicholson, City of Columbus Urban Planning Division Urban Planner Dan Ferdelman, and Ball State University Architecture Professor Anthony Costello."

 

http://www.wosu.org/news/openline/openline-archive/

 

(Windows Media Player or RealPlayer)

Columbus Streetcars will provide benefits to the economy

Reconnecting Columbus

By Scott Bernstein

written for AIA Columbus

printed in Business First of Columbus

March 2nd, 2007

 

Building the Columbus Streetcar now, provides direct economic benefits—cost-of-living reduction, new real estate investment leading to area-wide tax stabilization, reduced street wear, and improved reputation from amenities that work for everyone.  And this is the kind of catalyst that’s worth even more than such stand-alone trophies as stadiums, that helps bring the city and the region together, and in time for the city’s Bicentennial in 2012.

 

What’s the Business Case for Proceeding

 

- Kenosha built a $6.2 million streetcar to link reclaimed lakefront to their downtown, resulting in $150 million invested nearby.

- Little Rock’s $19.6 million streetcar to the Clinton Presidential Library captured $200 million in investment;

- Portland Oregon’s initial (2001) $55.2 million system connecting the Pearl District to downtown gathered $1.05 Billion, and its new South Waterfront extension, another $17.8 million, for additional investments worth $1.35 billion.

- Grand Rapids’ civic and elected leaders, needing to attract a young workforce raised money to make Grand Rapids “cool,” is planning for new streetcars to meet these goals.

- Atlanta’s Bell South relocated 10,000 workers from 72 offices to 3 downtown transit stops, solving their workforce commuting problem by bringing “jobs to people.”

- Arlington, Virginia’s corridor housing five transit stops produces 33 percent of the County’s property tax revenue from 7.6 percent of its land, yielding the lowest tax rate for any northern Virginia town.

 

Scott Bernstein is President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago. He co-authored Street Smart: Streetcars and Cities in the 21st Century (2006, www.reconnectingamerica.org and can be reached at [email protected].

 

More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/

If Mayor Coleman and his streetcar "steering committee" ever get around to advancing the process of finding the $$$$ for it, they'd better get going, because there will be a lot of competition for those dollars.  For example:

 

Transit's future in the past?

Streetcars are added to a federally funded Hampton Roads Transit study of mass-transportation options for the city.

BY SABINE HIRSCHAUER

March 30, 2007

 

NEWPORT NEWS -- More than 50 years ago, shipyard workers jumped on downtown trolleys to get to work.  For decades, boxy streetcars schlepped through Hilton Village or along Chesapeake Avenue - until the rise of the automobile pushed them out of business.  Now history might reverse itself - if the dollars are right.

 

The Newport News City Council has agreed to let Hampton Roads Transit add streetcars to a study of mass transportation options that would make sense for the city.  The $3 million study, which is fully federally funded, is scheduled to be released this fall.  It will also consider light-rail and a new, exclusive bus system called bus rapid transit.  A light-rail line between Newport News and Williamsburg has been discussed for at least a decade.

 

Full story at http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-92903sy0mar30,0,329773.story?coll=dp-news-local-final

Commentary from the Mayor...

 

http://www.snponline.com/COMMENTARY/weekly/3-28_colcolemancolumn.html

 

City will continue to pursue innovations

By MIKE COLEMAN 

 

Moving heavy things takes muscle, moving attitudes takes patience, but moving an entire city to the next level -- that takes persistence and vision.  We're blessed in Columbus, where our city is earning national acclaim for the great quality of life.  From CNN and Money Magazine calling us one of America's safest big cities, to BET saying we're tops for diversity, to the All America City award -- the world is noticing that this is a great place for jobs, homes, entertainment and sports, arts, college and for families to achieve the American dream.

 

We didn't earn these rankings for our great weather, mountains or sandy beaches, but by protecting families' quality of life.  It's not easy to build a 21st Century City though, and the hardest part can be dealing with the doubters and know-it-alls who snidely snipe at any new ideas.  Tim Krumlauf's recent column is an example of the limited thinking that holds back so many communities.  While I respect healthy skepticism and debate, I reject such negative, backward thinking.  It's no attitude for a leader and it's no attitude for creating winners...

 

... While Mr. Krumlauf and I may disagree on our ideas, I will always listen to and respect residents' points of view.  One thing I will not do is stop looking for innovative ideas that can improve our quality of life and build the great city that residents deserve.

 

Mike Coleman is the mayor of Columbus.

 

Full letter at http://www.snponline.com/COMMENTARY/weekly/3-28_colcolemancolumn.html

Also, a post by Paul Bonneville over at the Columbus RetroMetro blog had some interesting opinions/insights of how streetcars may end up being a political hot potato.

 

http://columbusretrometro.typepad.com/columbus_retrometro/2007/03/interesting_tim.html#more

I think we'll also see the streetcars get thrown under the bus since it is one of the largest and most misunderstood issues on the table in Mayor Coleman's toolbelt for repairing downtown. When I say the plan will get thrown under the bus, I'm not suggesting it's out of the picture, but the overall project may suffer continued media-led bashing like it did last month with a lopsided story that ran on air on Channel 4 last month. Word on the street has Republicans slated against the streetcars. It just might get ugly.

 

Either for streetcars or against them, most Columbusites don't have enough knowledge or information to make a properly informed decision...so they'll go with what they are fed unless greater efforts are made on the educational aspect of all levels of rail transit.

As a Republican, I wish the upcoming candidate(s) would embrace the idea of streetcars. I think we need to get Paul Weyrich in here (I think thats his name)!!! I still support the idea of having streetcars, light rail, and/or commuter rail over buses any day!

Downtown trolley: Will this be the city's streetcar that's desired?

Business First of Columbus - April 6, 2007

by Cindy Bent Findlay For Business First

 

Mike Reese, chief of staff to Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, is part of the city's team looking at if building a streetcar system for the downtown area would work.  After hearing positive results from a working group assigned to a feasibility study, Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman announced the appointment Jan. 15 of a steering committee to explore possible financing and route plans for constructing a streetcar system that would serve downtown.

 

Coleman first brought the idea to the public table in his 2006 State of the City address.  He then convened the 42-member working group in April 2006 to explore where a downtown Columbus streetcar line might go, how much it would cost to build and operate and begin to explore possible financing scenarios and partners.  That exploration included extending feelers to several potential private investors and public stakeholders, such as the Columbus Downtown Development Corp., the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the Central Ohio Transit Authority.

 

Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/09/focus2.html

Large groups booked in hotels more than a block from the convention center require chartered buses to carry conventioneers back and forth.

 

WTF!?!?!?  They can't simply walk that 1+ block distance??  That sounds ridiculous!

The poll has to do with a number of issues, but there is some news relative to the Downtown Columbus Streetcar plan.

 

Poll: Local leaders happy with Strickland, worried about economy

Business First of Columbus - May 3, 2007

 

A survey of more than 200 of Central Ohio's leaders showed satisfaction with Gov. Ted Strickland's and Mayor Michael B. Coleman's leadership.  Among the top concerns that emerged in Opinion Consultant's Central Ohio CEO/Leader Survey for April were economy, with 32 percent of the votes, and community leadership, with 28 percent.

 

Highlights from the poll:

 

92 percent of those surveyed gave Strickland's performance so far a favorable vote.

 

78 percent gave a positive rating to Coleman's leadership.

 

68 percent showed support to Coleman's downtown streetcar proposal, largely based on the his pledge of no additional taxes to support the plan.

 

34 percent said little progress had been made in caring for the basic human needs of the less fortunate in the area, while 63 percent said some progress was evident.

 

Opinion Consultants is a Columbus-based market research firm.

 

Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/30/daily25.html 

A Streetcar Named Aspire:

Lines Aim to Revive Cities

By THADDEUS HERRICK

Wall Street Journal

June 20, 2007; Page B1

 

TAMPA, Fla. -- As a transportation system, this city's $63 million streetcar line is a dud.  Since the project opened in 2002, its financial losses have exceeded expectations.  Last year ridership declined 10% to its lowest level yet.  And the vintage system spans only 2.4 miles between the edge of downtown and a historic district called Ybor City.

 

But proponents say Tampa's Teco Line Streetcar System has delivered on another front: helping to spur development.  Some $450 million in residential and retail space is complete along the route, most of it in the Channel District, a once-languishing maritime neighborhood.  With another $450 million in development underway and $1.1 billion in the planning stages, local officials expect the district to be home to as many as 10,000 residents within the next decade.

 

Like stadiums, convention centers and aquariums, streetcars have emerged as a popular tool in the effort to revitalize downtowns in the U.S. About a dozen cities, from Madison, Wis., to Miami, are planning lines.  But while research shows that big-ticket projects such as ballparks largely fail to spawn economic development, evidence is mounting that streetcars are indeed a magnet.

 

More at www.wsj.com

I'll vouch for the TECO (tampa) Streetcar Line suckiness.  I just got back from Tampa and had every intention of riding it, but didn't want to sit on a car for 45 minutes while it took me nowhere.  It basically connects Ybor City with the arena, port, and aquarium complex with NOTHING in between.  We were in Ybor City doing a little shopping/dining and had already been to the Florida Aquarium on a previous trip and had no need to go to the arena so we decided to save our $4.

 

Another note...the system only uses one set of tracks, which necessitates the need for one car to pull into a station for another to pass (or else they'd collide head on).  This required tons of track switching.  When we were in a store in Ybor, the trolleys would roll over the switches and it would shake the whole building with a THUD!!!  Having watched a YouTube video of Portland's modern system, it doesn't seem to do that at all. 

 

Also, Columbus' system would connect tens of thousands of residents by going into the densely populated german village/brewery district and short north/vic village/italian village.  It would be great to extend that to OSU for even more ridership.

I think that extending it to OSU is inevitable, much like the Cincinnati system going to UC/Uptown.  Huge universities like this would be a boon for ridership on the streetcar system.  College students are largely inclined to be automobile free, and offering them a rail option instead of a bus option would really be the cats meow, in my opinion.  Not to mention...these systems are meant to also help with the whole 'brain drain' issue that many midwestern cities are dealing with.  It would only make sense to connect to this young, talented, and educated population...thus exposing them to something that has drawn them away to other cities across the U.S.

This weekend is the single greatest advertisement for the need for a downtown Columbus streetcar: Comfest.

 

Swarms of people from Neil Ave. to Summit St. to Nationwide Blvd to 5th Avenue, and swarms of towtrucks hauling away hapless suburbanites' recklessly parked rides.

 

Granted, the confluence of Comfest, Pride Week and awesome-weather season is unique, but it reminds us how much of Columbus' population is concentrated within three blocks of High St.

 

Are there a zillion buses cruising High at peak ridership hours? Of course. But I fear buses come with a stigma for today's more monied denizens of the High St. corridor.

 

Does this create the beginnings of a two-tier transit system? No. It will merely introduce a third tier to the two that already exist: the car haves and the car have nots.

 

Okay, I'll stop asking myself questions now.

>I think that extending it to OSU is inevitable, much like the Cincinnati system going to UC/Uptown.  Huge universities like this would be a boon for ridership on the streetcar system.  College students are largely inclined to be automobile free, and offering them a rail option instead of a bus

 

OSU is a lot more likely than UC.  OSU is almost twice as big and the Vine St. and Clifton Ave. hills are going to wear the heck out of the vehicles in Cincinnati. 

Just got this via e-mal this afternoon from the Downtown Columbus Streetcar Working Group:

 

Columbus City Council OK's Hiring Consultants to Search for Streetcar Funding

 

As a follow-up to our Streetcar Working Group effort last year, established by Mayor Coleman and Council Member O'Shaughnessy, we are now taking the next step in the Streetcar process. As you recall, our 42-Member Working Group and technical experts spent considerable time analyzing basic streetcar routes, potential costs and associated economic development impact. Based on the findings, in November of 2006 the Working Group recommended that a streetcar system is feasible for Columbus. We now need to understand and answer the basic question of how we would pay for it.

 

We are pleased to report that City Council passed legislation on July 23rd to hire local and national experts who will provide detailed answers to this question. After a competitive procurement process and with the assistance of COTA and MORPC, the selection committee chose HDR Inc., national streetcar experts, and Capitol South, Downtown Columbus experts, to perform this work. The budget is $150,000.

 

The consultant team will recommend a specific financing plan to the Mayor and City Council in terms of how to pay for Streetcar capital and operating costs. This report will be complete in approximately six months and will determine whether and how we move forward with this project. 

 

We will be keeping the Working Group updated. Thank you for your continuing support of this effort.

 

 

...

Please forward this newsletter to anyone that may have an interest in Columbus streetcars.

If you received this newsletter as a forward and would like to subscribe, please send an email to [email protected]

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an email to [email protected]

 

Keep on, keeping on Cbus.

And here is the official news release from Mayor Coleman's office:

 

For immediate release

July 24, 2007                       

Contact:  Mike Brown, Mayor’s Office, 614-645-6428

 

City takes another step toward Streetcars

National Advisors Hired to Lead Streetcar Financing Plan

 

(Columbus)   Mayor Michael B. Coleman and Columbus City Council members, took another step this week to bring a modern streetcar system to Columbus to reconnect neighborhoods and drive new development through and around downtown. 

 

On Monday, City Council approved the Mayor’s plan to hire recognized national streetcar advisors HDR Inc. and the local Capitol South Urban Redevelopment Corporation to put together a specific financing plan for building and operating a Streetcar system.

 

“We’ve seen the evidence that streetcars can reconnect neighborhoods and downtown, that they will help attract jobs to the area and spur greater housing construction along the routes, and now we need a specific game plan on how to pay for the system without raising local income taxes,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman.  “As gas prices soar, I believe we need to start investing in a modern, urban transit system so that people can afford to get to work, and streetcars can be the first step in that journey.”

 

HDR Inc. is a national architectural, engineering and consulting firm with local offices in Columbus, ranking 19th among Engineering News-Record’s 2007 “Top 500 design Firms.”  HDR Inc. has worked on a variety of light rail and streetcar projects from Miami to Phoenix, Pittsburg and Winston-Salem, NC, more information is available at www.hdrinc.com.

 

In November 2006, Mayor Coleman appointed a 42-member Streetcar Working Group of transportation experts, downtown stakeholders and neighborhood representatives to study the feasibility of creating a downtown Streetcar system.  The study showed that such a line in Columbus could lead to the creation of 3,000 new jobs, 1,500 new downtown housing units, 300 new hotel rooms and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development. 

 

Following this extensive research, Mayor Michael B. Coleman appointed a Streetcar Steering Committee to determine if a financing plan for constructing and operating streetcars in downtown Columbus is achievable given existing federal, state and local resources.

 

Based on the Steering Committee’s recommendation, the City is investing $150,000 to hire national streetcar expert HDR Inc. and Capitol South, who will produce a specific financing plan on how Streetcars can be built and operated using a mix of private sector funding with federal, state, and local investment.  The plan expected to be completed in approximately six months. 

 

For more information on Downtown Streetcars, visit, www.downtowncolumbus.com and click on Streetcars.

Glad to hear the city is taking this step. Great news!

 

But, "Pittsburg"?

I know Mike Brown and I doubt he'll ever be a contestant in the National Spelling Bee.  :laugh:

Since the Downtown Columbus Streetcar has the Portland Streetcar System as its point of reference,  It's interesting to note this Portland neighborhood being voted one of the Five of the best neighborhoods in North America by the Project for Public Spaces

 

Pearl District

North of Burnside, East of I-405, West of Broadway and South of the Willamette River

Portland, OR

 

Submitted by: Jon Winslow

 

New Urban Neighborhood incorporating many New Urbanist ideas.

 

 

Why It Works

This is the model for urban neighborhoods throughout North America. It is a former industrial area now a hip loft area with galleries and upscale shops and restaurants. The streetcar plays an important role in the success of this area. Many old brick buildings such as warehouses have been converted to housing plus a lot of new construction. This is the place to live, shop, work, play, etc.

 

What Makes Pearl District a Great Place?

Pearl is connected seamlessly to the upscale residential area known as Northwest Portland (NW 23rd and NW 21st), and also with the vibrant downtown area primarily because of the Portland Streetcar but also due to the pedestrian-friendly nature of the streets and neighborhood. There is no real center for the area; however, since the streetcar opened in 2001, it has centered on the area around NW 10th and 11th Avenues. The place is so accessible that many people have gotten rid of their cars or use them very rarely. The sidewalks are very inviting with storefronts lining them. The streets are narrow and include Portland's famous 200 foot grid block system.

 

 

The Pearl is attracting people from all over the country, both to visit and to live in. It is very clean and friendly. Streets and parks are maintained daily. The neighborhood constantly has people walking around from early in the morning to late at night; I have gone outside at 1:00 am and have not thought once about my safety. Vehicles have their place here: in garages or traveling at slow speeds, respectful of pedestrians. Plus there is a sign on one of the new buildings saying "GO BY STREETCAR" and the "GO BY TRAIN" sign is also visible in the area from the nearby train station.

 

 

The space is constantly in use by residents, shoppers, diners, people relaxing in the park, dog walkers, delivery people, construction workers, art gallery browsers, college students from the art college, people waiting for the streetcar and people working in the industrial buildings. The residents are primarily young singles or couples without children or empty nesters, but there is a growing number of young children in the area and a few teens. There are lots of galleries, shops and restaurants. The park is especially popular; it is not uncommon to see over 100 people in the small one-block park known as Jamison Park. Children and their parents come from all over the metro area to this park. I can honestly say that everything in the area is well used at almost all hours. The largest bookstore in the country is here, bringing in tens of thousands of people a day. However, this place does not give the feeling of being overcrowded or too populated. There is a great diversity here of different kinds of buildings, from townhouses to lofts to condos to apartments, from affordable housing to high income; from residential to commercial to industrial to office.

 

 

Everyone is very social and gets along very well. There is a real friendly and close-knit feeling here. The park and streetcar as well as the sidewalks make this place successful. Mostly locals but on the First Thursday of the month people congregate here for the galleries and stores which stay open late. Jane Jacobs would be happy here.

 

 

History & Background

City Planners from all over the country are coming to the Pearl to study it. Transportation planners are traveling from all over the country to study the success of the streetcar. There is nothing like it in the country.

 

Contact Info:

Pearl District Neighborhood Association: [email protected]

 

http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=663&type_id=22

A very good op-ed piece from the Hartford (Conn) Courant on the re-birth of streetcars:

 

 

All Aboard: Cities Bringing Back Streetcars

By WILLIAM R. ELLIS

August 26, 2007

 

Streetcars need to be reintroduced in Connecticut, and not just for nostalgia's sake or touristy window-dressing.  Recent revivals of cutesy, historic trolley lines, where antique streetcars rumble down pedestrian malls and past historic Main Street architecture, have been successful far beyond what their supporters imagined.  Cities around the world, but increasingly in North America, are rediscovering streetcars - the smaller railcars that often share streets with cars and buses - to be cheap, efficient and highly practical people movers.

 

Experts say that density of population and structures is the greatest predictor of mass transit success.  So, why is it that Connecticut, the fourth-densest state in the Union and, if it were its own country, the 42nd most densely populated nation on earth (ahead of the UK, Germany and the Philippines), has no worthy mass transit systems beyond commuter rail into New York City?

 

William R. Ellis is a graduate student in regional planning at Cornell University.  He was an intern this summer in the New Haven office of Robert Orr & Associates Architecture & Town Planning.

 

Read more at http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-plctrolleys0826.artaug26,0,6562000,print.story

 

Im waiting for street cars to reach "the tipping point" where eventually so many cities have them, that the rest will follow their lead just so that they don't feel left out. The benefits are obvious.

Streetcar systems can not work properly in all cities.  Primarily cities in the south that have been built in a more sprawled out fashion...and lack the dense urban cores that Midwestern/East Coast cities have.

I think most cities could, at least in their downtown, for certain routes.