Hmm. Think of this oregonlive article as Urban Transit 101–sorta like what happens when you’ve not been sitting on yer thumbs spouting tales of woe and, instead, you actually have tackled a multi-modal mass transit plan and your Uncle Sam comes along and says “Good work leading the way, ladies and gents! Here’s 75 million dollar bills!”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood awarded $75 million in federal money Thursday to expand Portland’s streetcar system, a decision that elated local officials who have long supported the stalled project and signaled a new national embrace of urban transit.
The federal government’s money and blessing removes the last and most stubborn barrier to expanding the line east of the Willamette River and unleashes an already approved pot of $55 million from local governments and another $20 million from state lottery bonds.
Gottta love the power of matching funds…
The federal money comes from the Small Starts program, designed by Blumenauer. Congress directed the federal bureaucracy to give streetcar proposals credit not only for moving people efficiently but also for spurring growth nearby in the form of restaurants, shops, apartments and condominiums. Bus routes, which can easily change, do not show such nearby development, Portland planners say. In the past, the Federal Transit Administration had said the streetcar project did not meet a crucial test of cost-effectiveness, intended to ensure that tax dollars are wisely spent.
LaHood said the reversal behind his announcement is the result of a new philosophy about transit that arrived with the Obama administration. “This became a priority when this administration came into office,” he said.
“We decided that the concept of livable communities is something that we really want to expand on, and part of that is developing modes of transportation where people do not have to get into their car every time they want to go to the drugstore or the grocery store, or their doctor’s appointment.”
And if the Frank Sprague reference doesn’t ring a bell, wiki explains:
Sprague’s inventions included a system on streetcars for collecting electricity from overhead wires. His spring-loaded trolley pole, invented in 1880,[1] used a wheel to travel along the wire. In late 1887 and early 1888, using his trolley system, Sprague installed the first successful large electric street railway system, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway in Richmond, Virginia. Long a transportation obstacle, the hills of Richmond included grades of over 10%, and were an excellent proving ground for acceptance of his new technology in other cities, in contrast to the cable cars which climbed the steepest grades of Nob Hill in San Francisco at the time.
All this history and we don’t do anything useful with it.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Scott Burger // May 3, 2009 at 7:37 am
Richmond had its moment, its opportunity to do this, but alas wasted it. By the time it got anywhere near getting its act together, the Federal money was destined for someplace else, like Iraq or Portland.
Richmond Renaissance and Historic Richmond Foundation only really cared about a toy ‘historic replica’ trolley that would take (imaginary) tourists from Main Street Station to the ‘Greater’ Richmond Convention Center. They largely ignored citizens who expressed great interest in a modern streetcar system that could gradually be built up to serve Richmond’s historic neighborhoods (and not just Downtown, the contrived, corporately controlled neighborhood).
But really it is Trani who blew it. He could have combined the VCU/MCV shuttle service with GRTC and gone after the federal money for a street car to serve students and citizens alike, but he was too busy playing Monopoly in midtown.
All you can do is try to organize and hope for the future, but like with the Downtown Master Plan, be aware the idiots who really run Richmond will still screw progress up in the name of profit.
2 Paul H // May 3, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Scott,
What’s more efficient, building on an existing infrastructure or ripping it up to build something people have not expressed a willingness to pay for. The tracks were ripped up 50 years ago, not just here, but nationwide.
Shouldn’t we be looking forward instead of backwards?
3 Scott Burger // May 3, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Paul, I will let others explain to you the folly in the demise of Richmond’s streetcar. Actually, you can still see in some Richmond streets where the tracks were NOT ripped up, but paved over.
In terms of looking forward, I am interested in seeing GRTC’s plans for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
4 Paul H // May 3, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I don’t need an explanation. I already know it was folly. I am in favor of public transit. I’d like to see changes enacted tomorrow that would make a difference. Make private transportation (cars) more expensive (gas tax) and put that money towards public transit. Not popular, but effective.
5 Mark B // May 8, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Sorry gents, a bz week, so thanks for the lively comments.
I tend to agree that Trani’s bricks n mortar myopia was missed opportunity for the city. All that mass and money accruing should have been banking, as set asides or escrow, a percentage/formula to accomodate the increased demands on moving the self-same people that the projects were built to attract and serve. Once again, a ‘visionary” proves to have little peripheral vision. Wait for the economy to bottom and energy demand to perk back. 160 bbl oil is coming by 2012 and the same old farts who pooh-pooh regionalism and a real transport network are gonna have plenty of voters to run from as suburban commute costs rival healthcare premiums or even the mortgage on that exurban homestead.
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