Transit 2020

[runawayjim]

Over on Providence Daily Dose, Matt Jerzyk posted a list of all the items in the Mayor's Stimulus Wish List (remember the old days when you could get the Sears Stimulus Wish List Catalog? Good times.) and the line item for streetcars is for $20M.

I don't know much about infrastructure costs but they usually seem to be, what's the word?, "high", yes that's it, "high". Twenty million dollars for a streetcar system sounds that other thing, "low". The city doesn't have any money to contribute to that, so the $20M has to be most of the cost.

Can we really get a streetcar system for that little money? Will it look like one of those tiny trains Ricky Stratton had in his living room?

[Pseudo_Work]

It'd be like the trolley that goes from Mr. Rogers' house to the Land of Make Believe.

[BBascule]

From Cranston Style

[Pseudo_Work]

From Cranston Style

[runawayjim]

That is a seriously extensive streetcar map. I would not have expected it to go all the way to Greenville, Johnston, or South Attleboro or even the airport. That's awesome.

The only problem I see is it still follows the hub/spoke method of the RIPTA buses. I would hope they'd change some bus lines around for some better north-south and east-west connections in the city, especially on the west side of the city.

I was gonna say that I'd rather see the yellow and green lines cross, but it actually makes a lot of sense to have them the way they are. A lot of PC kids use the bus to go to Thayer and the east side.

[BBascule]

I think it's difficult to break away from Providence's natural spoke pattern. I guess there's an opportunity to run a north/south line on the far western side of the metro area - along Route 5/Atwood Avenue?

[Pseudo_Work]

I'm gonna go ahead and reneg on my last comment. The blog date is April 1st, and there is no page 11 of the referenced list. Clearly a joke. Great map though.

[09/21/38]

Providence 2020 calls for a trolley to start at Allens Ave. go north to downtown and then continue along the Promenade to Olyneville. Which could be one branch of a metro system. The price tag on something as extensive as what is shown would be huge. Never mind the cars and the upkeep. But it would be better for the environment and would probably attract more riders than the current system.

One question is would there be a line down Hope St. to Pawtucket or just north Main st.?

[frymasterspeck]

Definitely add a stop up the Red Line at George/Pawt Ave/East Ave near the restaurant cluster. OMG, it could be there in the abandonment of the 100 block of Pawt Ave. And it could restore the right of way. (Cue angelic choir...)

[runawayjim]

Definitely add a stop up the Red Line at George/Pawt Ave/East Ave near the restaurant cluster. OMG, it could be there in the abandonment of the 100 block of Pawt Ave. And it could restore the right of way. (Cue angelic choir...)

[Urbaner]

I'm going to guess that those aren't the only stops. If it's a streetcar, it could stop every couple blocks, which I would hope it does.

[Patrick Ward]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...0308_mit_hacks/

Red Line expansion in Cambridge. Those MIT kids are wicked smaht!

[mental757]

PROJO: "A desire named streetcar: Providence seeks major transit overhaul"

http://www.projo.com/news/content/RIPTA_metro_plan_12-08-09_KRGNGKJ_v26.3c1be29.html

http://www.transit2020.com/main.php

http://www.transit2020.com/study/report/RIPTA%20TransitStudy%20ExecSummary.pdf

http://www.transit2020.com/study/reports/RIPTA%201pg%20build%20streetcar.pdf

[09/21/38]

Like everything else that has been proposed in the last few years, call me when the politicians take the first ride and Newswatch 10 films it. Then I will believe it.

It sounds like a great plan but so was 110, Dynamo House, Patriots Stadium, Farmer's Market, etc.

[runawayjim]

Like everything else that has been proposed in the last few years, call me when the politicians take the first ride and Newswatch 10 films it. Then I will believe it.

It sounds like a great plan but so was 110, Dynamo House, Patriots Stadium, Farmer's Market, etc.

[mental757]

"PBN: "RIPTA lays out plan for streetcars, buses "

http://pbn.com/detail/46655.html

[Cotuit]

They used one of my photos for the cover of the Executive Summary.

[mr2448]

Fortunately for the curmudgeons and skeptics among us, this isn't a plan yet, but rather the results and recommendations of an extensive transit study.

[runawayjim]

Any plan that does not include continuation as light rail and private right of ways is doomed to failure. The Information District needs to have land set aside for ROW without automobile traffic. Side streets such as ACORN, Union, etc need to be transit ROW for both bus and light rail/streetcar traffic. Unlike other cities that now have electric traffic, Providence does not have those large roadways that will allow electric traffic to keep to the right. Can you imagine Broad Street without any on street parking? Tracks would be down the middle of the street. North Main Street travel would also need to be down the middle of the street as it was 65 years ago. Can you see pedestrian injuries as they have seen in Houston? I am a big fan of electric travel, but until these issues of ROW and light rail are settled, I would prefer overhead electric buses such as Dayton, Boston, and San Francisco have.

[mental757]

PROJO: "Public transit is en route to bright, diverse future"

http://www.projo.com/news/content/TRANSIT_ADVANCING_12-14-09_2VGP27N_v11.3988b1e.html

PROJO: "The race is on for rapid transit money"

http://www.projo.com/ri/providence/content/PROVIDENCE_TRANSIT_STUDY_12-11-09_D6GOAL0_v21.38ad620.html