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272 comments on DrumBeat: February 23, 2008

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AlanfromBigEasy on February 23, 2008 - 12:05pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

don't have direct rider to operator contact.

I like the operator contact on the New Orleans streetcars. 80+% of them are friendly and helpful.

Most touching are examples like a streetcar operator getting out and helping a blind person across the street when it was messed up by construction.

Best Hopes for People,

Alan

You are right about US density. One can see vineyards and cows grazing from some French tram lines. These are NOT super dense cities, but smaller towns (112,000 is not big) surrounded by villages, connected by trams.

This is a map of the 2011 Mulhouse tram system (pdf)

Google some of the village names and they are 1,000 or so people.

http://www.tram-train.org/sysmodules/RBS_fichier/admin/download.php?file...

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thomas deplume on February 23, 2008 - 12:25pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

There was a time when Iowa had a network of self powered passenger rail cars which connected the many small towns and villages with nearby cities. The last one shut down in the early 1960s as better roads and more reliable autos became affordable.

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joule on February 23, 2008 - 5:33pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

AlanfromBigEasy -

Dumb question: I know there is a Desire St. in New Orleans, but is there now, or has there even been an actual streetcare with that name on its route indicator?

As ask because I have always been a big fan of Tennessee Williams.

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AlanfromBigEasy on February 23, 2008 - 6:35pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

ABSOLUTELY !!

The original Desire Line ran up Royal Street and down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter (one representing fine antiques, art, jewelers, etc and the other more carnal desires).

A city civil engineer and I came up with a plan for the new Desire Streetcar line (on Rampart Street) that everyone liked and Mayor Nagin was going to announce in October, 2005 (as part of his re-election bid). Then Katrina hit and the federal levees failed.

Widen the neutral ground from 20' to 36', put a streetcar between two rows of lamps (like CBD section of Canal Line, but grass running), go from two to one traffic lanes on either side, bicycle lanes on either side. To preserve parking (and make everything fit), encroach on sidewalk about 10" where there is not an overhanging balcony. Where there is an balcony create a 6' wide mini-garden in what would had been parking and require bicycle parking to replace lost auto parking.

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joule on February 23, 2008 - 9:28pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

AlanfromBigEasy -

Thanks much for the info re Desire Street street car.

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.

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greenish on February 23, 2008 - 9:44pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

and I suppose it's been noted many times, but "A Desire Named Streetcar" would make a good website name...

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