Greater Greater Washington dicusses DDOT's recently released streetcar plan.
1. It does call for streetcars to cruise down H Street in 2012.
2. It calls for the streetcar to cost $1.
3. There's a map of the initial stops.
4. H Street will get 4-5 streetcars, which should provide service every ten minutes.
5. Streetcars will be unique in that they will run on the proof of payment plan used on public transit in many other cities. So they'll need to really do the random checks. GGW says MPD will do the random checks.
6. The streetcar goes to Union Station.
7. The streetcar has an overhead wire, but also has a "feeder" wire underground.
8. According to GGW the power substation is going in on the tiny lot next to Auto Zone.
25 comments:
Actually it's the DDOT report that says the power substation will be on the SE corner of 12th & H, not GGW. Anyway, Wylie street residents should be very happy. A great lesson in not rolling over, and playing dead. Activism does pay off sometimes. DDOT and whoever, should be applauded too for listening to residents.
I can see there being some problems with the proof of payment system. It does work in other cities, but around these parts it might be asking for trouble.
Proof of Payment works in Baltimore on the Light Rail...it can work fine here too.
-Kevin
I agree with Anon, I can see some problems with using that system here. MPD, really, I doubt they would bother. You would probably have to hire new officers that know they will be doing this when they are hire them.
Also, the tickets would be akin to parking tickets in this city. You give a someone a 200 dollar ticket that they can't afford to pay, they are not going to pay it. What are you going to do, put them in jail for not paying a dollar tram ticket?
I think the point is that cities have learned that in some places, the cost of lost revenue from non-compliance exceeds the cost of hiring municipal workers to enforce full compliance.
As long as the mere threat of Proof of Payment checks gets most riders to pay, it makes fiscal sense.
If 500 people want to ride every day without paying, it's cheaper to let them than it would be to put a ticket checker on every streetcar.
It is just a dollar so 90% of people are likely to pay. I would agree MPD has plenty other stuff to worry about besides checking on ticket.
I suspect that the more popular leg will be to Minnesota Avenue since the Orange line runs there as opposed to just the Red Line. This will make my commute better and easier.
8:39,
they both say it. I didn't have time to read the report before posting the info, so it was safest to just site GGW.
So very happy for streetcars. But, does the fact that there will be a feeder wire underground mean that they will need to tear up H Street again to install said wire?
Will the disabled and senior citizens ride for free or reduced fare?
I'm just happy there's light at the end of the tunnel. I hope the Trams boost property value and affords those of us who seek to be carless or use cars less the oppertunity to do just that.
Property values are already too high.
As is the damn rent, apparently...
http://www.rentistoodamnhigh.org/
Well they need to climb. There is no reason for property values to remain so low. We need the tram, we need more stores, galleries, resturants, we need more public art. We need higher rents, the region needs and economic enema.
Sorry for the graphic, but the tram is the first major step to reforming the region in to something better, more expensive and sought after.
More expensive?? I think you need to be sat down for a schooling from this brotha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4o-TeMHys0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I like Robby now. I feel closer to him than ever.
and what is the likelyhood that this plan will actually work and there will be street cars on H Street in 2 years?
I hope it's true, but.....
tommy,
we are likely to be called a hood, but the spelling you were looking for is "likelihood".
robby,
rent is too damn high. and there are rent subsidies for the very poor. what keeping rent high and making it higher does is displace the working poor, making the income gap in this town even more pronounced. soon it's going to be the mega-rich and the unemployed, with working poor folk commuting to work at saks fifth avenues on every corner. :-/
When is th X9 bus coming? It was supposed to be September.
The streetcar is great from bringing VA people here, but that X9 bus will probably have a greater daily impact for the people that live near H and got to work everyday. No more stopping every block or twice on one block. Its going to be glorious.
If only it implemented the honor system payment
I'm with Robby, which is rare if it's the same one. I too hope property values go up, up, up! The majority of the working poor don't own their homes and if they do they can cash out and move to the Bahamas.
Uhoh, watch out Wylie Street. Is this a back room deal???
A tweet from TommyWells
At Tune Inn with Commish Ronnenberg and Scot Kubly to talk abt streetcars-siting the power substation on H
Since everyone on Wylie was up-in-arms about a power substation I am wondering if we on this block adjacent to the new planned substation on the corner of H and 12 Sts NE have something to be worried about.
Wylie is 100% residential, 12th & H is not. Building the substaion at 12 & H should cost a lot less than building it on Wylie and running the wire to H.
In any case,the recent transformer fire at Auto Zone could give you an idea of possible problems. Doesn't hurt to google electrical substations either.
soon it's going to be the mega-rich and the unemployed
Well, that's actually unlikely. Instead it'll be the mega-rich, and the middle- and upper-middle class. With a token pool of unemployed.
Once we reach a threshold of wealth, we certainly won't see anything like the amount of public housing and social services we've seen in DC in the past. DC will essentially be like Alexandria.
Stupid question, but after reading the report I can't tell some of the basics about the H St line.
Will it do away with the curbside parking on H Street?
Will the streetcars be subject to the existing traffic (meaning they will share the lane with cars, buses, not have priority at traffic lights, etc.)?
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