Nobody's going to use it anyway, even if there was still a bunch of hoopla and wild enthusiasm, simply because it doesn't go anywhere.
The west end is near Union Station, but doesn't integrate with it: as I understand it, when you get off the streetcar at that end you've still got a 5 minute walk (part of which is through the inside of a parking garage) to any of the transit options at Union Station, including Metro. From there, going east, it goes 13 blocks down H Street NE, another mile down Benning Road NE, and ends. So it's basically useful for getting from one end of the H Street restaurant/bar scene to the other end of the H Street restaurant/bar scene, and really nothing else. Why the hell would anyone ride it in that case, except as a novelty? The original plan -- to start at the east end at the Minnesota Avenue Metro station east of the river, go all the way along Benning and H past Union Station, across North Capitol and into Penn Quarter and beyond -- would have had riders. It also would have required them to fully commit to doing it, and that's something this city finds psychologically impossible to ever do. So they've done this half-assed thing instead, and it will fail, and the city will throw up its hands and say "guess streetcars won't work."
"So it's basically useful for getting from one end of the H Street restaurant/bar scene to the other end of the H Street restaurant/bar scene, and really nothing else."
I thought that was the whole point.
The city already has bus routes and metro lines getting people to penn quarter and beyond.
Trini dad: No, that wasn't the whole point. At first, this streetcar line was to go into downtown. Then it was modified to only go as far as Union Station, but to the actual station. On the other end, it was supposed to go to Minnesota Avenue. Of course, it's been trimmed back to where it does none of these things.
As far as bus routes and metro lines the city "already has" . . .I'm not aware of any Metro stop at the starburst or along H Street NE or Benning west of the Anacostia. There *is* the X2; but as has been demonstrated in lots of cities, many people will get on a streetcar that won't get on a bus (provided the streetcar actually goes somewhere). I have no doubt that this is even more true with regard to the X2, which is infamous even among people who live nowhere near the X2 route. Seemingly everyone in DC has heard of the X2, and not in a good way.
I really don't see what the big deal is to walk 5 minutes to union station from the last stop. There's always a chance they could extend the lines further out some day.
It would have been wiser to extend it just a teensy bit further to North Cap...there are a LOT of people who transfer at H & North Cap, from the 80, and some D bus or other, and many of them then get on the X2 to head east. If those folks could do that last stretch on the streetcar, it probably could double its utility (and reduce X2 crowding). But now all those folks will be still needing to board the X2 to do that last stretch to/from home. Getting from the Union Station metro stop to the streetcar is not a far walk, but it's convoluted and involves traversing a crowded train station, finding an escalator, then walking through an uninviting and often cold and windy parking garage. I supported the streetcar but the way it's ended up being carried out in this first stage is going to make it a hard sell for most potential users. It's a shame, and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars
The Westward expansion is already being planned, but DDOT mismanagement has really given streetcars a bad name and threatened the project. The H-street line really makes sense as the first stretch of a longer system. Lord knows, the city needs more East-West transit routes.
"... but as has been demonstrated in lots of cities, many people will get on a streetcar that won't get on a bus (provided the streetcar actually goes somewhere). I have no doubt that this is even more true with regard to the X2, which is infamous even among people who live nowhere near the X2 route. Seemingly everyone in DC has heard of the X2, and not in a good way."
Why create an expensive parallel transit system only to serve people who are too snooty to get on a regular bus? Why not work to make the bus line better (more frequent so it is not no crowded, better security, dedicated lanes during rush hour, etc.")?
Lets hold off on judgment until the street cars are actually in service.
Also let's not forget that part of the purpose of bringing the street car to H street was to spur development. It has done that and more.
Even if it is not a success, I'd say the city still comes out ahead. The revitalization of the surrounding area we are seeing today would not be possible if not for those tracks in the ground.
5:50pm: it's not that people are "too snooty" to ride the X2. It's that they're not interested in getting someone else's vomit down the leg of their boots.
The streetcar is a disaster as presently configured. It can not run without the constant patrolling of the tow truck squad. I can walk to Union Station from 12th street on the weekend evenings since the streetcar is constantly stopped while a car or a truck (with out of sate license plates) is ticked and towed.
19 comments:
How about an update on them streetcars?
http://www.wnyc.org/story/frustrations-mount-new-doubts-about-dcs-streetcar-launch/
http://wamu.org/news/14/11/11/dc_streetcar_launch_held_up_by_paperwork_problems
http://wamu.org/news/14/08/04/streetcars_take_to_h_street_ne_for_operator_training
http://wamu.org/news/14/02/11/despite_the_streetcar_dc_plans_to_replace_h_street_bridge
i think people have lost interest in the streetcar. constantly being strung along.
yeah, eventually it will be open and no one will use it, then in 10 years it can be decommissioned
Nobody's going to use it anyway, even if there was still a bunch of hoopla and wild enthusiasm, simply because it doesn't go anywhere.
The west end is near Union Station, but doesn't integrate with it: as I understand it, when you get off the streetcar at that end you've still got a 5 minute walk (part of which is through the inside of a parking garage) to any of the transit options at Union Station, including Metro. From there, going east, it goes 13 blocks down H Street NE, another mile down Benning Road NE, and ends. So it's basically useful for getting from one end of the H Street restaurant/bar scene to the other end of the H Street restaurant/bar scene, and really nothing else. Why the hell would anyone ride it in that case, except as a novelty? The original plan -- to start at the east end at the Minnesota Avenue Metro station east of the river, go all the way along Benning and H past Union Station, across North Capitol and into Penn Quarter and beyond -- would have had riders. It also would have required them to fully commit to doing it, and that's something this city finds psychologically impossible to ever do. So they've done this half-assed thing instead, and it will fail, and the city will throw up its hands and say "guess streetcars won't work."
"So it's basically useful for getting from one end of the H Street restaurant/bar scene to the other end of the H Street restaurant/bar scene, and really nothing else."
I thought that was the whole point.
The city already has bus routes and metro lines getting people to penn quarter and beyond.
when's burnham place going to start construction?
http://www.burnhamplace.com/
Trini dad: No, that wasn't the whole point. At first, this streetcar line was to go into downtown. Then it was modified to only go as far as Union Station, but to the actual station. On the other end, it was supposed to go to Minnesota Avenue. Of course, it's been trimmed back to where it does none of these things.
As far as bus routes and metro lines the city "already has" . . .I'm not aware of any Metro stop at the starburst or along H Street NE or Benning west of the Anacostia. There *is* the X2; but as has been demonstrated in lots of cities, many people will get on a streetcar that won't get on a bus (provided the streetcar actually goes somewhere). I have no doubt that this is even more true with regard to the X2, which is infamous even among people who live nowhere near the X2 route. Seemingly everyone in DC has heard of the X2, and not in a good way.
I really don't see what the big deal is to walk 5 minutes to union station from the last stop.
There's always a chance they could extend the lines further out some day.
It would have been wiser to extend it just a teensy bit further to North Cap...there are a LOT of people who transfer at H & North Cap, from the 80, and some D bus or other, and many of them then get on the X2 to head east. If those folks could do that last stretch on the streetcar, it probably could double its utility (and reduce X2 crowding). But now all those folks will be still needing to board the X2 to do that last stretch to/from home. Getting from the Union Station metro stop to the streetcar is not a far walk, but it's convoluted and involves traversing a crowded train station, finding an escalator, then walking through an uninviting and often cold and windy parking garage. I supported the streetcar but the way it's ended up being carried out in this first stage is going to make it a hard sell for most potential users. It's a shame, and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars
The only saving grace would be if they started RIGHT NOW on the K street corridor extension. This current project as it stands will fail.
fine with me if only h street/benning gets the streetcar. makes our neighborhood more unique.
The Westward expansion is already being planned, but DDOT mismanagement has really given streetcars a bad name and threatened the project. The H-street line really makes sense as the first stretch of a longer system. Lord knows, the city needs more East-West transit routes.
"... but as has been demonstrated in lots of cities, many people will get on a streetcar that won't get on a bus (provided the streetcar actually goes somewhere). I have no doubt that this is even more true with regard to the X2, which is infamous even among people who live nowhere near the X2 route. Seemingly everyone in DC has heard of the X2, and not in a good way."
Why create an expensive parallel transit system only to serve people who are too snooty to get on a regular bus? Why not work to make the bus line better (more frequent so it is not no crowded, better security, dedicated lanes during rush hour, etc.")?
Lets hold off on judgment until the street cars are actually in service.
Also let's not forget that part of the purpose of bringing the street car to H street was to spur development. It has done that and more.
Even if it is not a success, I'd say the city still comes out ahead. The revitalization of the surrounding area we are seeing today would not be possible if not for those tracks in the ground.
5:50pm: it's not that people are "too snooty" to ride the X2. It's that they're not interested in getting someone else's vomit down the leg of their boots.
Agreed, I ride the X2 every morning, and it is different from most of DC's bus lines. I would suggest that the X2 is not for everyone.
as much as i love playing the devil's advocate on this blog, i have no choice but to concur with ryan, et. al.
the streetcar will gain a lot of value if
they extend it to Minnesota avenue and if they
take it west into downtown.
When Metro opened it was a handful of downtown stations.
The Streetcar will have to extend.
Fortunately it is funded for a decent start.
it's sad that instead of building at Springarn, nobody in a position of authority cut a deal to use the old Pepco Benning Rd PowerPlant.
by buying that property they could justify stretching to within spitting distance of the
orange line
The streetcar is a disaster as presently configured. It can not run without the constant patrolling of the tow truck squad. I can walk to Union Station from 12th street on the weekend evenings since the streetcar is constantly stopped while a car or a truck (with out of sate license plates) is ticked and towed.
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