Posted on 10/20/2002 3:20:22 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Streecars are running again in Tampa more than 50 years after the original ones were scrapped.
Seven canary-yellow cars powered by 600 volts of electricity clanged along from the Ybor City entertainment district to downtown after being unveiled Saturday morning.
The $53 million TECO Line Streetcar System is modeled after the one dismantled in 1946, which went into service in the late 19th century.
``I've been waiting 18 years,'' said Harris Mullen, co-founder of the Tampa and Ybor City Street Railway Society. ``It's pretty much like we envisioned.''
Organizers expect 950 passengers daily. Another mile of track will extend further downtown later.
The project is funded by grants and other sources from the city.
``It's a blast to see it done,'' said Michael English, president of Tampa Historic Streetcar Inc., the nonprofit group that will operate the system.
Beginning Monday, fares are $1.25 for a one-way, 22-minute ride.
That's cool.
Whether it's a modern replica like Tampa's streetcars, or original, preserved systems like San Francisco's Cable Cars or Pittsburgh's Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines, such systems add a distinctive flair to a city's character and contribute to the general quality of life. As an added benefit, they also perform a necessary function, and usually enhance local commerce beyond what is normally provided as a subsidy.
I don't think the government should provide air transport or long distance bus lines, because these things could be opened up to competition. But local streets can't really be opened to competition.
My understanding is that after WWII, many automobile companies bought the streetcar companies and closed them so that there'd be no competition to cars.
Well, The StreetCar Conspiracy involving General Motors actually goes back to the 1920s. And while many of the allegations are still hotly disputed as to the exact nature and extent of GM's role, it IS true that GM was found guilty in court in of at least some minor infractions of law.
I'm of the persuasion that GM was more heavily involved in getting rid of streetcars than what could be proven in court. GM apologists claim that streetcars simply disappeared because they were less economic. I believe GM bought and shutdown streetcar lines because they wanted to sell both more cars and buses.
We kids used to take the el from the suburbs into Chicago to ride the street cars for hours around the city, taking in the sights. Cost a whole nickel with free transfers! The conductors were mostly Irish Democrat patronage employees. They were kindly old gents. A long-gone shirt-tail relative of mine was a conductor and we called him "Uncle Ding-Dong".
Leni
I don't know. I'm not familiar with the area.
I believe that the streetcars have conductors, so there's probably the same amount of "security" that you'd get on a public bus. When I visited the website, I noticed that the conductors don't make change (exact fare only - or use prepaid passes), so that sounds like part of their "security" as well.
Schedule-wise, the streetcars stop running at 11:00 PM, so there is no late-late night security concerns.
But I'm puzzled as to why the schedule doesn't start until 11:00 AM on most days. I'd have thought it would start somewhere between 5:30 ~ 7:00 AM to provide service to the morning-go-to-work people.
There's no denying some of the more unpleasant facets of American history,
but on the whole, society does seem like it was somewhat more civil and polite back in "the good old days."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.