On Wednesday, August 18 at 6:00 p.m., the Sierra Club’s Washington, D.C. Chapter will hold a streetcar happy hour at SOVA, which is located at 1359 H Street NE. We’ll be on the second floor.
Please join fellow streetcar supporters to have a drink and celebrate our recent streetcar successes while informally discussing next steps for our campaign to make streetcars a reality in D.C.
The D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Works and Transportation held a hearing today on the recently introduced Transportation Infrastructure Amendment Act of 2010, which would authorize the use of overhead streetcar wires on the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line and establish a process by which the Mayor (through the District Department of Transportation) would create a city-wide plan for the use of overhead wires for other future streetcar lines across the city.
More than 20 public witness showed up to testify. Witnesses from DC Surface Transit, ANCs 6A and 6C, H Street Main Street, residents and business owners from the H Street corridor, the Sierra Club, Greater Greater Washington.org and others testified in support of the bill, which is a key step in getting streetcars up and running on H Street and Benning Road by spring 2012, as planned. It is also considered an important step in increasing the competitiveness of the city’s application for federal funding to extend the streetcar line across the Anacostia River to the Benning Road Metrorail station.
Three witnesses from the Committee of 100 on the Federal City and Capitol Hill Restoration Society testified against the legislation as drafted and called for it to be amended to focus narrowly on H Street and Benning Road. Although they were few in number, Chairman Jim Graham gave them plenty of time to describe their views on overhead wires and their other concerns about streetcars. George Clark, Chairman of the Committee of 100, strongly hinted that his organization will sue the District to challenge the overhead streetcar wire law if it becomes law.
District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Gabe Klein, who was accompanied by his streetcar point man Scott Kubly, testified after the public witnesses. Klein testified that Mayor Fenty and DDOT support the bill (with a minor revision to clearly delineate the boundaries of the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line). In his testimony, Klein described the state of streetcar power technology and how the agency came to the conclusion that a hybrid power system, using overhead wires as the primary power source and onboard batteries as a secondary power source, is the most feasible and cost effective option for D.C. To emphasize that DDOT is going to great lengths to address critics’ concerns about the aesthetics of overhead wires, Klein held up two pieces of overhead wire: one is the size of the standard wire used by the Portland Streetcar (it appeared to have a diameter comparable to a nickle), and the second – which DDOT plans to use — was about a third of the size of the standard wire, roughly the diameter of a regular sized pen (see inset photo by Brad Green with the regular size wire on the left, the slimmer wire in the middle and a pen on the right for comparison.)
Councilmember Tommy Wells, who drafted the legislation, was an active questioner throughout the hearing and appeared eager to advance the legislation as soon as possible so that the H Street-Benning Road streetcar line, which would serve his Ward 6 (along with Wards 5 and 7), is not delayed further. Councilmembers Muriel Bowser and Phil Mendelson also attended most of the hearing and directed a number of questions to the public witnesses and Klein.
A reporter from WJLA/News Channel 8 covered the hearing in a segment that aired tonight.
As many of you have not doubt already read and seen, DDOT has put one of the streetcars destined to serve our city on display in the parking lot at 9th & H Streets NW. I went by after work last night and, simply put, it is very cool! If you have not gone by, check it out. The streetcar is on display through Saturday:
Thursday, May 6, 11am – 7pm
Friday, May 7, 11am – 7pm
Saturday, May 8, 11am – 5pm
One good opportunity to see the streetcar will be tomorrow, when Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells hosts a special tour of the streetcar. The Council’s strongest streetcar supporter invites anyone interested to attend any portion of the event.
“Streetcars represent the next generation of public transportation,” stated Wells. “Our Metro system, as wonderful as it is, was designed to move people in and out of the city. Streetcars are about connecting neighborhoods. I’m excited to join neighbors and others to get on board the streetcar and get a feel for what soon will be riding the rails on H Street and Benning Road.”
Agenda:
4:00 pm – The Old Town Trolley will depart Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H Street, NE) for the site of the DDOT streetcar downtown display. The Trolley will make regular shuttle trips between the sites approximately every 30 minutes. The H Street Shuttle will complement the Trolley service when it begins its regular daily service at 5 pm.
5:00 pm – Last Trolley departure from the Atlas before streetcar tour begins.
5:30 pm – Councilmember Wells will lead neighbors and leaders on a special tour of the District’s streetcar on display downtown at City Center DC (Lot B, 9th & H Street, NW).
6:30 pm – Councilmember Wells and neighbors will board the last trolley departing downtown for the return trip to the Atlas and a happy hour celebration at SOVA Espresso & Wine (1359 H Street NE).
7:00 pm – Councilmember Tommy Wells and other invited Councilmembers will address streetcar supporters.
Other modes of transportation to the destinations:
The Downtown Streetcar Exhibit will be located on Lot B of Center City DC. The public entrance is located at 9th and H Street, NW. In addition to the Trolley and H Street Shuttle, the site is easily accessible from the Gallery Place Metro Station on the Green and Yellow lines.
The Atlas Performing Arts Center and SOVA Espresso & Wine are both located on the 1300 block of H Street, NE – 1333 and 1359 H Street NE respectively. Take the X2 east or west bound on H Street. Take the 90 or 92 north or south bound to 8th and H Street, NE – either walk 4 blocks east or transfer to the X2.
For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/cPxWO2
In a press release today, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced that the agency will host a DC Streetcar Showcase from Wednesday, May 5 through Saturday, May 8 in Lot B of City Center DC, the site of the old convention center. DDOT will put one of the District’s three streetcars on display on temporary tracks there, and the public will be welcome step aboard for a tour of the inside of the vehicle. The public may access the lot from the intersection of 9th and H Streets, NW, which is just north of the Gallery Place Metro station on the Green and Yellow lines. Admittance to the showcase is free.
In the press release, DDOT Director Gabe Klein is quoted as stating: “We are getting closer and closer to putting streetcars back on the streets of the District, and we know there are a lot of people who are just as excited about their return as we are . . . This will be a great opportunity for them to see a modern streetcar up close, inside and out, and to learn more about how they will operate in the District.”
The press release also states that “Mayor Fenty and city officials are expected to make some significant announcements about the program and other transit services in the District.”
According to the release, the showcase will be open during the following hours:
• Wednesday, May 5, 11am – 7pm
• Thursday, May 6, 11am – 7pm
• Friday, May 7, 11am – 7pm
• Saturday, May 8, 11am – 5pm
At its monthly meeting last night, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C passed a resolution supporting the concept of the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) plan for a 37-mile streetcar network, which would connect neighborhoods and provide better transit service to underserved transit corridors. The resolution also called on DDOT to study the feasibility of an additional streetcar line in the Wisconsin Avenue corridor during its next planning phase, as has been advocated by the Wisconsin Avenue Streetcar Coalition. The commission’s vote was 7-0 with two commissioners abstaining.
Leading up to the meeting, ANC 3C also had a resolution on the agenda to oppose the use of overhead wires to power streetcars, but the resolution was pulled from the agenda before the meeting.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 20 at 6:30 pm, at a meeting hosted by Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 5B, 6A and 6C, District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Gabe Klein and Streetcar Project Manager Scott Kubly will appear at a community meeting to update D.C. residents on DDOT’s progress toward bringing streetcars to the District. Councilmembers Harry Thomas, Jr. and Tommy Wells will make introductory remarks. DDOT will provide American Sign Language interpreters.
The meeting will be at Wheatley Elementary School, which is located at 1299 Neal Street NE (contrary to the appearance on the Google map, the school is actually located closer to the intersection of Neal Street and Montello Avenue NE rather than Trinidad Avenue). The meeting location is accessible using several Metro bus lines, including the D3/D4, the D8, the X2, and the 90/92/93 routes.
Come out and help us demonstrate strong public support for streetcars. To play off a phrase from the movie Field of Dreams, if you come they will build it.
Today’s Washington Post adds two new perspectives to the recently enlivened debate over streetcars and the use of overhead wires to power them in D.C. The first piece from the Arts & Style section is an article by Washington Post Staff Writer Philip Kennicott, which asks “Would streetcars in D.C. spoil the city’s vistas?” He summarizes the anti-overhead wires arguments as resting on “two essential assumptions: that the city is filled with streets that have historically significant and aesthetically impressive views; and that wires and poles would be ugly intrusions on these grand vistas.” He opines that: “The former is questionable, the latter a matter of opinion.”
Kennicott then argues:
“If you listen to preservationists, the most ardent of whom oppose any overhead wires in the city, you might think Washington was loaded with great vistas. And it is, but not the awe-inspiring views they’re thinking about, which turn out to be fairly few and often not that impressive. Even down our wide avenues, sightlines tend to terminate in small monuments that are best seen up close.
The great views down the streets of Washington are just coming into their full glory as the leaves of spring return. These aren’t wide-open vistas with monumental buildings in the far distance; they are tunnel-like views of shaded streets, overarched by majestic elms, oaks and maples. These shady tubes of green, which are rare in newer and suburban neighborhoods, are the truly distinctive beauty of Washington. The only reasonable concern about running overhead wires should be the protection of trees that create these glorious canopies.”
He calls the demands of the “ardent (shall we just say unreasonable?) anti-wire contingent” for streetcars that run completely on underground power “ridiculous” and “not just because it would limit the District’s options, force it to pay more and result in a system that might not function during weather such as we all remember from February. It is ridiculous because it assumes that wires are ugly.”
Kennicott’s argument builds to this powerful conclusion:
“Some wires are [ugly], and one is thankful for the many District neighborhoods where the majority of wires and cables are underground. But wires powering a modern and environmentally friendly streetcar are the opposite of ugly. They are a manifest advertisement to the world that the city is committed to public transportation, limiting its carbon footprint and improving quality of life. The flexibility of a hybrid system means that not only can the occasional monumental views of Washington be preserved wire-free, but that in certain areas the really distinctive views — the urban allees of overarching trees — might be kept wire-free, too. If DDOT is flexible on both counts, the addition of streetcars would be as beautiful as any view of a marble monolith anywhere in the District.”
The second piece — “Why D.C. streetcars are ‘preservationist’” which appears on the Post’s Local Opinions page, was written by Adam Irish, who is described as “a member of the D.C. Preservation League and a volunteer at the D.C. Historic Preservation Office.” He provides a different preservationist perspective from the anti-overhead wire perspective offered by other preservationists in a recent Post article. He writes: “as an active Washington preservationist, I am thrilled that streetcar service could soon be restored to D.C. neighborhoods, and I know many preservationists who share this view.”
Irish argues that streetcars are an important part of D.C.’s history and bringing them back to our streets could actually help promote historic preservation:
“As an important feature of urban life for nearly half of Washington’s history, streetcars shaped the city’s built environment perhaps more than any other technology. They were a transformative force, making once-remote areas such as Mount Pleasant into vibrant urban neighborhoods and shaping the streetscapes from which they have since retreated. New streetcars would not sully the city’s historic character but would affirm its history and aid in the preservation of its historic neighborhoods. By returning the infrastructure many neighborhoods were built to rely on, streetcars could spur revitalization and help neglected areas get back on track. Yes, all reasonable measures should be taken to protect significant views and honor the 1889 law, but streetcars should not be derailed because of a couple of wires.
This kerfuffle is about more than just ugly wires, however. It gets to the heart of an old and familiar conflict over how Washingtonians and Americans at large envision the city. In its coverage, The Post has referred to opponents of wires as “preservationists,” but I think “D.C. monumentalists” better describes their stance. For the monumentalist, Washington, D.C., the city comes second to Washington, D.C., the sanitized and photogenic capital.
The monumentalist vision of Washington has choked nearly all urban life from the Mall and its environs. It has fashioned large sections of our city into pleasing vistas for tourists but has given the rest of us lifeless wastelands (if you’ve ever stepped foot outside at L’Enfant Plaza, you know what I’m talking about).”
He concludes: “It’s high time we stopped sacrificing the vitality of our city for the sake of a grand and sterile capital. It’s a local tradition that has historically failed both our city and capital, and it’s one that I think isn’t worth preserving.”
The Washington Post published an editorial today calling on the D.C. government and opponents of overhead streetcar wires to reach a “reasonable compromise” so that streetcars can proceed. It goes on to state that: “A good place to start is with the reasonable suggestion by Gabe Klein, the city’s transportation chief, to use a hybrid system that allows overhead wires in some areas but still respects the city’s capital views.” Unfortunately, one of two groups opposing overhead streetcar wires — the Committee of 100 on the Federal City — has demonstrated that it is unwilling to compromise. It passed a resolution in late 2009 calling on the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to conduct multiple studies while indicating that the group will oppose overhead wires regardless of what those studies might find. The Capitol Hill Restoration Society, the other organization that has raised concerns about overhead streetcar wires, also passed a resolution around the same time calling on DDOT to study alternative power sources.
The D.C. Council will likely have to intervene in the months ahead to ensure that D.C. law supports the type of “reasonable compromise” DDOT is proposing — and the Washington Post now publicly supports — so that streetcars can proceed. The Post editorial supports Councilmember Tommy Wells’ contention that “the degradation to the environment is worse from cars on the road than from some unobtrusive overhead wires” and one can only hope that his colleagues on the Council will view the issue the same way and permit streetcars to move forward without further delay.
DC Surface Transit (DCST) announced yesterday that it will hold a seminar on streetcar propulsion technology on Thursday, May 6 from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th Street, NW. It will address the current legal and environmental framework for modern streetcar systems. The seminar is free and open to the public.
Rich Bradley, President of DCST and Executive Director of the Downtown Business Improvement District, will moderate a panel of transit and urban design experts. Martin Schroeder, Chief Engineer for the American Public Transit Association, will review existing and developing streetcar technologies. Greg Baldwin, a Principal with Zimmer Gunsel Frasca, will present strategies for integrating streetcar infrastructure into urban streetscapes. A question and answer period will follow.
The Washington Post published an article today focusing on the debate over whether streetcars should be powered by overhead wires. The article asks whether streetcars will leave “a blot on the cityscape.” There is also a Post user poll associated with the article that asks users to vote on whether “Washington, D.C.’s new streetcar system should be run on” overhead wires or an underground electric system, and it also gives a third option “Why do we need a streetcar system?”
Strangely, the article quotes a National Park Service spokesman who states that the National Park Service “‘does not want and does not approve of’ overhead wires in the city” evoking images of the pre-Home Rule era as if the federal agency controls Washington, D.C. rather than D.C.’s elected mayor and the Council of the District of the District of Columbia.
Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, a leading advocate for streetcars in D.C., puts overhead wires in context, making clear that without streetcars we’ll continue to suffer from automobile congested roads and more polluted air: “Frankly, the degradation of the air [from vehicles] is as bad if not worse than the wires[.]“
UPDATE: The Post has also started an online discussion on streetcars and wires posing the question “If it’s for a good cause—environmentally friendly mass-transit—are wires really ugly?”