From the The News Tribune, June 21, 2007
Streetcar talk moves city in right direction
Only the most grizzled cynics wouldn’t be charmed by the thought of reviving Tacoma’s streetcar system.
The vision of trolleys ferrying people to restaurants on Sixth Avenue, hospitals on the Hilltop, jobs downtown and homes on the East Side taps a yearning for an easier life — or at least an escape the gridlock of daily Puget Sound living.
No doubt that dream is feeding some part of the momentum behind growing support for a new streetcar network in Tacoma. But there’s more to it than that.
The region is ripe for long-term public transportation planning. Sound Transit’s $10.8 billion plan to expand light rail and other transit options is giving Puget Sound residents a glimpse at the possible.
But even Sound Transit’s buildout, should voters approve it in November, is decades behind the curve. To really get ahead of traffic congestion and growth, the region needs to be thinking a half century ahead.
A growing group of Tacoma leaders seem to get that. What began as a grassroots effort to push the revival of streetcars is getting serious consideration from City Hall, where a preliminary feasibility study recently concluded that a new streetcar network is a good idea and could be built. City Manager Eric Anderson is warming to the idea, telling reporter Jason Hagey, “I can’t tell you how yet, but it feels doable.”
Tacoma would be far from the first city that has fallen under streetcars’ modern-day spell. Portland is the perhaps the most well-known convert around these parts, but smaller, less renowned cities — places like Kenosha, Wisc., and Trenton, N.J. — also are resurrecting old streetcar lines. Those cities have found that streetcars attract better ridership than buses and draw development to faded neighborhoods.
Much remains to be figured out about how streetcars would work in Tacoma, which is already well-served by Pierce Transit buses. Would the benefits of adding streetcar lines be great enough to justify the expense? How much street and parking capacity would be lost? Where would lines get the most use?
Those issues can be debated as the city moves forward with a more detailed study. Streetcars might not prove to be the best answer to linking Tacoma neighborhoods, but they certainly should be part of the considered mix of transportation options, if for no other reason than to keep people engaged.
Who knows what the city will look like in 20, 30 or 40 years — except more crowded and in need of new ways to get around efficiently. The time to begin planning for that growth is now.
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