There is a difference between streetcars and what we call "light rail" Here is a good description from the Light Rail Transit Association website ( http://www.lrta.org/explain.html )which has some excellent pictures of cute, modern streetcars :
"An F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Question) - What's the difference between tramways and light rail? "Mike Taplin, the LRTA's Chairman answers: First, when we say tramway we mean streetcar in the American way of using words. For instance, there is a streetcar line in Seattle running from the Waterfront to the train depot. In Portland they have a light rail line running from the city centre to the eastside (and now a new line to the westside). These lines are light rail because they are mostly segregated from other traffic, passengers get on and off at stations rather than in the street, and the cars run faster. However there is no definite border line between streetcar and light rail - they merge gradually from one to another, and as a streetcar system gets upgraded it becomes light rail. A lot of this is to do with planning jargon; streetcars are seen to be old fashioned whereas light rail is trendy! " Avidor: I think it would be a mistake to put streetcars in the Greenway trench....that might be a good express, commuter rail route to Saint Paul....the idea of streetcars is that they are on the street-close to where people want to shop, work and play. I also think that the old streetcar business nodes on Lake Street that still exist long after the Twin Cities streetcar line was ripped up would suffer if we established new routes. For an idea of what this city lost when we switched from streetcars to automobiles, get a copy of the book and video "Lost Twin Cities" by Larry Millet. Ken Avidor Kingfield _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
