Streetcars: Understanding Your Planning Objective

This article was originally published to LinkedIn on October 20, 2014.

The streetcar movement in the United States currently possesses an undeniable momentum. Salt Lake City’s 2013 unveiling was followed promptly this year by the opening of a 3.9 mile line in Tucson, Arizona. Testing has begun in our nation’s capital with Atlanta not far behind. Charlotte, Dallas, and Kansas City envision 2015 openings while Cincinnati and Detroit, despite great contention, will see their lines launch in 2016. The sight of all of these developments on the horizon is not to say that there has been a lack of intense criticism, and not simply from the traditional transit-opposed factions. Stemming from these criticisms and other observations, there are steps cities can take to allow their proposal the greatest chance of success. These require an intimate understanding of the role of streetcars in urbanism.

Seattle's South Lake Union Streetcar
Photo Credit - Richard Eriksson (CC 2.0)

Seattle, where a streetcar line has been in operation since 2007, is in the process of expanding their streetcar system and planning for future connections. Currently, the entirety of the “system” is the 1.3 mile South Lake Union line. Construction is underway on the 2.5 mile First Hill Streetcar, primarily a link to Sound Transit’s light rail system which would not connect to the South Lake Union line. As Nate Berg reports, both lines are already maligned by opponents, including some respected transit consultants, who criticize the ability of streetcars running in mixed traffic to deliver mobility benefits. Officials counter that a planned Center City Connector, which would operate in exclusive lanes, will improve functionality of the entire network by joining the disparate pieces. This has done little to silence critics who maintain that the opportunity cost of capital investments and service hours elsewhere in the system is too great.

David Alpert of the Greater Greater Washington blog recently stepped up to the plate for the streetcar in a piece for the Atlantic CityLab in which he noted the ability of starter streetcar systems to spur transit expansions. By not making 'perfect' the enemy of the 'good,' regions can begin to build a transit constituency. Alpert makes the case for imperfect transit as a net benefit for cities as it has the ability to start a reinforcing cycle which ultimately lowers driving demand in much the same way that years of auto-oriented project planning has increased driving dependency. The financial arguments that money earmarked for streetcar construction can be redirected toward a better transportation outcome is rebuked by revisiting the Cincinnati Streetcar saga and incoming Mayor John Cranley's campaign promise to use streetcar funds to develop additional highway interchanges. Thus, to undermine the 'good' will almost certainly not result in the 'perfect.'

Photo Credit - MacMillan Publishing

While all salient points, advocates in transit-lacking communities are interested in factors which better predict success for an enhanced transit implementation as they attempt to inform local decision makers. Jeff Speck's latest book, Walkable City, provides extraordinary clarity on the appropriateness of a streetcar implementation as well as how to predict a more successful outcome by understanding what exactly a model streetcar can accomplish.

Speck starts by declaring the streetcar decidedly not rapid transit, but rather a "pedestrian accelerator" and a "place maker." In many cities who are undertaking streetcar studies, the primary rationale is to enliven a district, generally the downtown, and increase pedestrian activity. Speck notes that indeed the opposite condition prevails, that "it is the presence of pedestrian activity that indicates potential for streetcar success." A comparison of Portland, widely considered the gold standard, and Memphis, whose route is twice as long yet carries one-eighth the number of riders per mile, shows that connecting to a yet further enhanced mode (MAX Light Rail) is a critical factor. The other critical factor is the presence of supporting strategies that promote district walkability. Quoting Charlie Hales, Portland's streetcar was implemented in tandem with "a host of other strategies and policies, including higher density, neighborhood-based urban design, [and] elimination of minimum parking requirements..."

Understanding the history of relative success and relative failure of streetcar as a mode to deliver toward certain goals, Speck declares that in order to be effective, systems of this nature should be arranged in one of two configurations:

• Nodal, to connect walkable districts
• Linear, to enhance and extend a walkable corridor

In the nodal case, the efficacy of the system breaks down if there is not urbanism of equal quality found at both ends. The more likely to be implemented linear case supposes a unique condition, that a sizable area of underutilized land is found just beyond the comfortable walking distance of an already walkable downtown or urbanized district (Eg. Downtown Portland and the Hoyt Rail Yards). When this condition is met, the three goals of urban vibrancy, increased transit usage, and economic development can all be realized with a design that is not just an enhanced-transit implementation, but also a neighborhood plan. It is this inextricable link between land-use and transportation that allowed Portland to leverage $3.5 billion of new investment since 2001 from a $54.5 million project.

We've seen a number of positions taken regarding the streetcar as a transit tool, as development tool, and sometimes as both. To conclude, communities advocating for additional layers in their transportation system must understand three things to meet their objectives. First, proponents must honestly identify the qualities and shortcomings of their key districts in order to properly identify the anchor of any implementation. Secondly, a coherent real estate strategy/neighborhood plan for both the anchor and the underserved adjacent community must accompany any transportation plan. Finally and perhaps most importantly, a major real estate opportunity should exist, providing a potential benefit to private parties, who in turn can assist in the financing of the endeavor.

Urban News Vol. 57

I was unable to attend a meeting last Thursday held by the Upper Mt. Hope Neighbors regarding redevelopment of the corridor. As it turns out, the discussion was solely about roadway changes. While that usually puts me off, these changes all appear to be designed to improve pedestrian safety as well as lay the groundwork for future development.

Left turns by motor vehicles would largely be eliminated between Crittenden Boulevard and Elmwood Avenue due to the presence of a tree-lined median according to the city's project manager (RNews). As far as I can tell from the rendering, motor traffic to existing suburban-style businesses would be routed behind them via an access road as is done on stretches on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford.

A stated goal is the widening of the road, which is troublesome. Some of that width will be put to reasonable use through the inclusion of curb bump-outs to facilitate on-street parking (D&C). While not a natural barrier, on-street parking would serve to tame traffic and provide an additional pedestrian buffer.

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I touched very briefly on a potential starter streetcar line two posts ago. Based on an ongoing discussion I'm having with Mike of RochesterSubway.com, I decided it might be useful to plot an integration of the bus system into the streetcar line with Google Maps. The embedded map below shows the spoked routes, but is limited to showing the first 7 pairs of routes. Click on the link below the map to get 2-page functionality for routes 8-11, 18-19, and 24 as well as additional description of my proposal.


View Rochester Starter Streetcar Proposal in a larger map

As I alluded to in the margin of my Google plot, there are 14 mandatory streetcar stops along the line. There would likely be more, but these currently line up as bus launching points. I've ranked them based on a connectivity score that reveals which intersections would house the most significant bus-streetcar interchanges if buses no longer plied Main Street.

1. Main and St. Paul (4)
2. Main and Chestnut (4)
3. Main and Clinton (3)
4. Main and State/Exchange (2)
5. Main and Genesee (2)
6. Main and Plymouth (2)
7. Main and Broad/Ford (2)
8. Genesee and McCree (2)
9. Goodman and Webster (2)
10. Main and Goodman (1)
11. Central Park and Union/Niagara [Public Market] (1)
12. Main and University (1)
13. Goodman and Central Park (1)
14. Jefferson and McCree (1)

Where connectivity scores were tied, these were ranked in order of subjective importance (attractions if any, which bus routes, etc). The idea behind this is that the resources dedicated to supporting infrastructure would be greatest at locales at the top of the list. In general, stops not on Main Street, such as 8, 9, 11, 13, and 14 would be curbside stops functioning the same as our current bus stops.

Some other notes:

• The proximity of stops 9 and 10 to each other potentially implies a more important combined stop, a potential 'level 3' transit node that might be implemented at the Goodman-Webster-Garson 'Wedge.'
• The Public Market stop likely would not be at the corner listed as people have proven themselves so lazy as to require a shuttle between the market and their cars across Union Street
• Nathaniel Rottenchester asked in a comment on a previous post about fitting the streetcar on Union Street. My answer to this is that the streetcar would only be running one-way (north) on Union as it has then entered a large turnaround loop.

Case Study - Toronto, ON, Canada - Vol. 3

I departed on Amtrak Train 63 bound for Toronto on Friday with the intention of showcasing The Danforth, a tremendous example of vibrant scaled urbanism that could serve as a model of aspiration for many of Rochester's neglected arterials. While I still intend to touch on the subject, some other things experienced in my days there serve as inspiration to draw some transit comparisons and unveil a starter streetcar proposal for downtown Rochester. (All photography use covered by Creative Commons licenses)

Danforth Avenue is an East-West corridor that functions as Main Street for the entire east side of Toronto (with apologies to Queen St. in Leslieville). Everything imaginable can be found for purchase along its roughly 4 mile long spine. The western end which doubles as Toronto's Greektown is especially dense, boasting banks, library branches, multiple grocery stores, bicycle shops, dry cleaners, shoes, lingerie stores and much more. Food offerings are rooted in Greek offerings like Alexandros Take-Out featuring quick street friendly items like Souvlaki, but also branch into the populist American/Canadian tradition at places such as Brass Taps Pizza Pub (which has downtown Toronto brewed Steam Whistle Pilsner on tap!). Rounding out the fare in the immediate area are quasi-fancy Italian restaurant Il Fornello juxtaposed against Wild Wings Sports Pub which boasts a preposterous 105 flavours (sic) of chicken wings (for the record, I went with 'Bacon and Cheese' and was not disappointed, the wife sampled Maple BBQ).

The Danforth is served frequently by its namesake subway, the Bloor-Danforth Line (or green line as shown on most maps), an army of buses, and to a certain extent (at either end) by the King, Dundas, and Carlton streetcars. A recommended course of action when traveling to Toronto on the weekend is to purchase a $10 day pass. On Saturdays and Sundays, this pass allows 2 adults and up to 4 children or one adult and up to five children to ride unlimited on all TTC Subways, Streetcars, and Buses. My wife and I utilized it to great effect this past Saturday, enjoying $54 worth of individual cash fares for the cost of one day pass.

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One mode of transportation utilized by us that day that we hadn't encountered before was the 510 Spadina streetcar. Originally billed as LRT, the Spadina streetcar represents a hybrid between traditional streetcar service and the more regimented boarding areas of a true light rail system. Islands separate regular traffic from the streetcar tracks, implying implementation on an orginally wide thoroughfare such as Rochester's Main Street.

From Wikipedia:

"Stops along 510 consist of a raised concrete platform with a partially covered shelter and railings along the entire boarding area. Platforms are located on the far-side of most intersections, to make room for left-turn lanes on the near side. TTC streetcars are equipped with a Surface Vehicle Automatic Stop Announcement System (SVASAS) which calls out the stops through the public address system and on the L.E.D. board (e.g., Next Stop: College Street)."

I understand completely that comparing Rochester public transit and its needs to that of Toronto is folly for the time being. I am still particularly interested in examining how a seemingly lower cost rail system that still contains some enhanced features would serve as a small starter line. Rochester's system is significantly outpacing other comparable sized bus transit systems in terms of ridership growth (J. Halldow - RGRTA, 2/1/2010 D&C). It is currently an all-bus system that moved 17 million riders in 2009, or over 46,000 per day on average. One potential solution to the demise of the Renaissance Square project which perpetuated the lack of a central intracity bus terminal is my starter streetcar line. If run at a critical frequency mass, buses would be able to originate from many points downtown, serving business people from more portions of the region's primary commercial district.

Starting at the Four Corners, the proposed route would head 'east' on Main Street (imagine Main to be the image to the lower right, squint if necessary) before turning left onto Union Street. This creates the beginning of a functional turn-around loop since the streetcars in question are assumed to be unidirectional. This also connects downtown more solidly and permanently with the Public Market.

A right turn onto Central Park creates land value increase and redevelopment potential for a neglected boulevard which boasts a potentially attractive grass median. Another turn onto lower North Goodman serves the beginning of a traditional arterial and also the fanout point of the 2 Parsells, 3 Goodman, and 8 Main northeastern bus routes. A final right turn would serve the broader cultural district including the Armory, Auditorium Theatre, and the new Blackfriars Theatre before rejoining the 'main line.'

At the other end of the line just past the Madison Avenue stop for the Susan B. Anthony House, the streetcar would turn onto a street in desperate need of real (read: not fancy light poles and benchs) economic stimulus, Jefferson Avenue. Rights on McCree and Genesee would reposition the car for eastbound travel at Bulls Head (below, left), home of the most traveled transit node in the city according to the Genesee Transportation Council Satellite Transportation Center Study as well as St. Mary's Hospital and another mini-business district in need of revitalization.

The entire loop is roughly 7.15 miles in length. I would propose modern streetcars if possible as I absolutely do not perceive the reintroduction of surface rail as some sort of heritage novelty. Curbside stops as opposed to traffic islands would be suitable for non Main Street areas of operation. If pressed on the location of car barns/maintenance shops, I'd suggest the large empty lot behind Rite Aid and Skip's Meat Market on the east side of Goodman at the Central Park intersection.

I realize that this leaves out the intercity train station, the stadia/High Falls, and the heavily traveled South Avenue corridor to the hospitals and Universities. Those would be my first extensions (especially after our sardine experience taking a 5 South bus home from the train). I'm very interested in comments on this very rough concept.

***EDIT 2/4 8AM - Fixed typos, grammaticals, some wording. No content change.

Urban News Vol. 28

As promised I am going to deliver some downtown Syracuse development news. Thanks to Joe Lorenz for the links that he included in his ramblings on August 8th. I'm also going to tap his August 13th entry for the first of two bonus stories today. I like to include Syracuse news due to similarities (whether most Rochesterians want to admit it) in many ways to Rochester's struggles to redensify. I think at least one of these stories bears strong resemblance to something talked about in previous installments of Urban News and shows that a fundamental attitude shift isn't happening in a bubble.

Marriott Planned for Armory Square

by Meghan Rubado, Syracuse Post-Standard

Article Key Points:

• Proposed Marriott to be the third major downtown development on western edge of downtown
• Facility would house two hotels, a Courtyard for business travelers, and a Residence Inn for families staying multiple nights
• 15,000 square feet of first floor retail space are included in the plans
• Developer and architect previously renovated a former shoe factory in Armory Square
• Hotels will create 100 full and part-time positions

Of course I believe this is a positive development. Of the three developments cited (the others to be talked about in the next article), all will be infilling the surface parking lots that absolutely dominate the landscape there (regardless of what the clowns in the comments on that story would have you believe). Another key point is that the developers of this well as Jefferson-Clinton Commons get the picture when it comes to integration of living space (permanent and temporary) and retail.

O'Brien & Gere to Relocate 300 Employees to Downtown Syracuse
New York State Gubernatorial Press Release

Key Points:

• Gov. Patterson personally made the announcement that O'Brien and Gere will relocate its corporate headquartes from DeWitt to downtown
• 300 employees in addition to the Pioneer Real Estate companies will inhabit the U.S Green Building Council rated and certified structure
• Building will be directly adjacent to the Marriott site and will occupy yet another "undeveloped parcel."

This story has many parallels to the move of Eastman Savings and Loan's headquarters from suburban Rochester to Chestnut Street. Both are infilling otherwise tragically underutilized urban space with energy efficient buildings. Sadly neither is giving details (that I know of, feel free to tell me I'm wrong) about the way these properties promote street-level activity (and reduced car dependence) through the provision of functional retail or service space beyond a bank branch that promises to be open about 6 hours a day.

I feel that in a way, the votes of confidence that these corporate leaders are giving to the city resonate beyond the proponents/naysayers. These men didn't get where they were by behaving reactively. It is their job to anticipate future business conditions and act accordingly.

Car-sharing Club Plans to Launch Service in Syracuse
by Tim Knauss, Syracuse Post-Standard

Article Key Points:

• CuseCar was formed to give people the convenience of using a vehicle occasionally without the cost of ownership
• Similar car-sharing operations have popped up in at least 20 American cities
• The overall effect is to reduce dependence on automobiles, thus lowering air emissions, fuel consumption, urban sprawl and wear and tear on roads
• Members pay an annual fee and reserve cars online or by phone, then use an identification card for access

Regardless of my general intolerance for non-commercial/emergency oil-burning personal transportation, this is a step in the right direction because it shows people are beginning to use their imagination to any degree to reduce the sheer number of vehicles on the road. Bear in mind that the production of an automobile uses some finite amount of oil for materials, the electricity to power automated machinery, and apparently vast amounts of water in both the steel and plastics production processes.

I'll end this marathon session with some truly encouraging news from the New York Times no less on the re-emergence of streetcars as downtown revitalizers. The focus is on Cincinnati, hence the rare post tag.

Downtowns Across the U.S. See Streetcars in Their Future
by Bob Driehaus, New York Times

Article Key Points:

• Cincinnati officials assembling financing for a $132 million system
• Six to eight mile loop would connect the city’s riverfront stadiums, downtown business district and uptown neighborhoods
• At least 40 other cities are exploring streetcar plans to spur economic development and ease traffic congestion
• Modern streetcars cost about $3 million each and carry up to 130 passengers per car
• Since Portland plans for their system in 2001, more than 10,000 residential units have been built and $3.5 billion has been invested in property within two blocks of the line
• Cincinnati City Manager Milton Donohey: "Cincinnati has to compete with other cities for investment. We have to compete for talent and for place of national prominence.”
• Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman: "We have to plan for the future. I believe in 10 years, we would ask, ‘Why didn’t we do this?’ It will be 10 times more expensive, and the cost of gas will be unaffordable."

I've still got a decent amount on my plate to catch up on blog-wise now that I am pretty firmly entrenched in the city. Next up are west side of the river Main Street recommendations from the charette report and an official blog response to this Rochester Turning question.

I'd just like to reiterate that our tour of the Rochester Regional Community Design Center is only a week away. If you are interested in attending with us, please visit Rochester New Urbanism and Sustainable Development for more information.