Other Cities Considering Streetcar

Some see streetcars in Ann Arbor's future

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Streetcars are ingrained into the cool, urban images of such cites as Portland, Seattle and New Orleans.

Those who support the romantic notion of bringing streetcars to Ann Arbor envision a town like San Francisco, where the trams have run on famed Market Street for nearly 150 years.

"It gives a much hipper, urban feel to the city," said City Council Member Chris Easthope.

Ann Arbor officials are considering paying a consultant to study whether a streetcar system could work here, and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board voted Feb. 20 to participate in such a study.

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One city struggles with the impact of changing plans and consultants mid stream. For this reason, we believe that the city should proceed with Phase I to OTR and focus on funding sources and plans to connect to Phase II Uptown.

Millions later, Lauderdale left with unlikely plan for light rail

Local taxpayers maybe didn't realize it, but seven years ago they started paying for a light rail system that would loop main streets downtown. By the fall, the public will have spent $4.1 million on a project whose future is hazy.

The streetcar project started with the simple idea of reducing car traffic downtown and making the experience better for pedestrians. But it grew more costly over the years. Consultants were shed for new ones; plans were redrawn, then enlarged. Lobbyists were put to work. Now a proposed $150 million system called "The Wave" — more than $50 million a mile for the 2.7-mile system — is ready for unveiling.

But only on paper and on computers. The Downtown Development Authority, or DDA — a board of businessmen and women, landowners and company presidents — took a long, public journey to get the streetcar project this far. But it still lacks the most important ingredient: money.

Over the seven years of consulting contracts, memos and meetings, downtown power brokers on the development authority have been reassured by consultants that the thousands of hours of work and millions of dollars spent would yield fruit — though there could be challenges in getting federal money.

"I believe you can get this done and in operation by 2006," a consultant told them in 2003. "You all are very well positioned right now," the board was told by a lobbyist in 2004.

But at their latest meeting in February, officials at the authority struggled with what they heard: It might be impossible to get federal funds.

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