Sugar House boxing gym takes a swing against streetcar

Maudine,

The rest of the streetcar line (currently under construction) is on a right of way. There are not any traffic lanes directly to the north or south of the line, just a bikeway and parkway.

The streetcar lines planned throughout Salt Lake City and indeed along 11th East would all run in a lane with automobile traffic. This is how they work in Portland, Seattle and throughout Europe.

That is what is being done here as well.

Trax and Frontrunner are not streetcars.

One other thing to know is that when a streetcar line is being built along a street, it takes approximately 1 week to do the construction. This would mean that business inconvenience would be limited to 1 week per block for work. Poles for the overhead lines can be put in after hours.

This means that no business will lose parking but it does mean that traffic, especially local traffic, may decrease as more locals use the streetcar.

When thinking of rail try this:

Streetcar = Local only - Rides in a lane with traffic
Light Rail (Trax) = regional/local - Dedicated lane, rarely with traffic
Commuter Rail (Frontrunner) = Long Range/regional rail - Dedicated right of way, never with traffic.

@ Makid: That is not the way the rest of it works - why would it work differently on 11th East than it does throughout the rest of Sugarhouse?

I still think street/trolley what-ever cars are more expensive, much less flexible than buses. It seems we just can't get over the 19th Century. You can run buses on natural gas or electricity (50% coal fuel). Elections matter people, elect paternalistic leaders and you get projects that you may not want or have ever dreamed of. Chances of me using the trolley, slim to none (and Slim left town) but we'll all pay for the few who will use it.

Maudine,

I don't think you understand how streetcars work. They would run down normal traffic lanes. They won't have dedicated lanes. This means that they work on 2 lane roads without needing to acquire additional land.

At intersections, they would move close to the curb to allow quick entry and exit from the streetcar.

This would take the place of bus service on the street and would increase frequency of service.

When you see streetcars, don't think of Trax, think of very frequent buses with smooth rides and comfortable seats.

11th East is barely wide enough for current traffic. The only way to make room for a street car is to confiscate property from the property owners or to make the shops accessible only by street car - which means having a nearby place to park so people can hop the trolley, or reducing access to spur of the moment shoppers. Either way, the businesses suffer at least short term - and many of them will not survive long enough to get over that.

A much more reasonable - and needed route - is the continuation of the street car along 2100 South.

It's fine. When the value of their property goes up between 5 and 15 percent in the year after the streetcar opens, they can sell their property and move to Herriman.

Fine, don't put in streatcars all together. And change your picket sign to "restore bus service along 7th and 13th east all the way down south in Sandy and Draper" to connect to Trax. I think it is a waist of money to add streatcars. And many other places are suffering after they lost their public service.

To be honest, the streets in the background look way too small to accomordate a Trax line. Too bad they can't just do Trolleys. The original streetcars. Power them on canola oil (the hippies will love that!!!), and there ya go. And no tracks needed if you use the same type that ran around this city in the 80's,

most sugae house neighborhoods were made possible by streetcar
ironic that a loud group seeks to prevent its return

So a business isn't interested enough in their neighborhood to take note of planned changes, and then goes off half-cocked when they don't like the plan, and we're supposed to take them seriously?
I don't see how running the line up 2100 South alleviates their concerns. How long do you suppose the intersection at 11th East and 21st South would be under construction if they were building a turn into it versus running track straight through? How congested do you think that intersection would be if you had to wait for a streetcar to turn through it (and how many traffic lanes would need to stop--and how far back--every time it did)?
I think an alignment down 11th East is perfect for this type of transit. It should eventually go down 11th East to 9th South, through the 9th and 9th shopping district, and then down 7th or 6th East to the 4th S/6th E Trax stop. That's what streetcars are (or should be) for: a tour of the eclectic and interesting shopping areas of our city.

Considering the majority of funding came through federal stimulus....a bankrupt federal money making scheme, this whole project should be on hold. It should have been the first thing sequestered. It shouldn't have even made it out of the proposal phase. There has to be more people like me who are angry every time the arms come down, and we site there idling our vehicles waiting....waiting ....waiting for trains to go by. Streetcar...trax trains, whatever they are called -- they are a giant inconvenience to all drivers.

Another money-loser, like Trax, brought to you by people who love to spend other people's money.

"...listen to the people. They don't want their neighborhood disrupted with an unnecessary vanity streetcar."

Beautifully put. Nothing more needs to be said.