The historic streetcars look good in Ybor but look a bit out of place in channelside. Something modern would look more progressive and "cool" gliding through downtown. Are new ones planned or will the historic looking streetcars be making stops in front of new modern condos throughout downtown?

I'd like to see something more modern and serious, but only for a future line. The present look suites the tourist areas. A more advanced, clean, and "serious" look should be considered for alternative lines through the CBD and city.

+1

Like it was said above the old streetcar suits Ybor, but for DT/Channelside a NEW modern future looking streetcar might benefit the area more as well as blend in better give it a more modern DT look..It would really be nice to see both versions in those places.. step into Ybor and see the older cars, go to DT and CHNSD to see the newer cars, gives the feeling of you being in totally different places even though youre only about 15 minutes apart..

I say embrace our history and stick with the classic ones. Though when they eventually expand a light rail network outward, go with the more modern systems like Denver has.

I would like modern streetcars with a historic look.... Basically what we have now, but with a few more seats (more comfortable ones), running about 2x faster than it runs now.

The existing street cars are capable of running 2-3x faster.

True! Although the City doesn't want it going as fast as it could. I thought of many reasons why that could be. Gas prices and all, and some makes sense, but I think it would be more beneficial to have it running half the speed it is going now.

True! Although the City doesn't want it going as fast as it could. I thought of many reasons why that could be. Gas prices and all, and some makes sense, but I think it would be more beneficial to have it running half the speed it is going now.

gas prices?

they are electric.

gas prices?

they are electric.
what the hell was I thinking :bash:

They might be more efficient energy wise at the current speed? But at 2-3x the speed they could get away with less cars which would more than make up for it I would imagine.

On a related note, a friend of mine was on one of the cars yesterday and it was involved in an accident with a car. Huge ordeal and it ended up delaying him for quite a while (insurance reasons I think, had to get statements and verify everyone was all right). At a few times the speed it could have actually been bad.

The existing street cars are capable of running 2-3x faster.
I know, but they aren't doing it. They need to.

And I do think the bench seats suck. that might be tolerable when sitting still, but not when you're riding on rails.

Historic downtown - sped up a little

Regular trains elsewhere. . . move on

I don't care what it looks like as long as we get some more mass transit.

As long as we get "safe" and "clean" mass transit. If its like the MARTA forget about it.

I hear those streetcars are constantly involved in accidents. I think they should actually put some gates up at the adamo/channelside intersection.

Where was the accident your friend was involved in?

The streetcars operate at such low speeds for safety reasons. However, no matter how slow they operate, that still doesn't prevent idiots from running red lights or pulling directly into the path of one of them.

Where was the accident your friend was involved in?

Didn't ask actually. We were all at a Gasparilla party so it was a great story but no one was sober enough to ask for details. hah. It's not surprising that an accident like that would happen on Gasparilla day though, so many people that are never in this area were driving around. No one knew where they were going.

(On a similar note, I've always thought the trolley's through San Francisco were just waiting to get hit by cars. They go right through the middle of the street, cars have to dodge. Our track is at least off the road.)

Jonknee, I agree about the san francisco streetcars. But they are the poster city of streetcars.

Gasparilla traffic in Channelside was odd. Everyone was trying to get INTO the city after the parade. That struck me as odd. Of course, nobody knew how to find their gas pedals and get out of the area... it really isn't that complicated, hehe....

Gasparilla traffic in Channelside was odd. Everyone was trying to get INTO the city after the parade. That struck me as odd. Of course, nobody knew how to find their gas pedals and get out of the area... it really isn't that complicated, hehe....
Wait for the Knight Parade.....wooooooooo!!!!

When is that?

2 Knight's parades ago I was on the trolley headed towards channelside from Ybor after the parade. We stopped and had to get off at the USF/Port building and walk around a stopped trolley to one waiting on the other side to continue on.... A guy walked in front of a trolley and was run over. The cops and rescue were all around and I remeber talking with a cop and he said it didn't look good for the guy. I never heard anything else about it.

I forgot all about that until reading this thread.

Mobster - Knight parade is not this Saturday night but the next. Starts in Channelside and ends in Ybor.

The Knight parade gets pretty crazy - a lot more so than the Gasparilla Day parade. It's more like Mardi Gras than the other, with all the perks (and increased safety hazards) that go with an event like that. After the parade it's impossible to walk or even move anywhere, and my friends have had entire beers spilled on them, but it's pretty fun in my opinion.

^if you have a pulse, it's definitely worth going to at least once.

I really enjoy the knight parade. I was in it last year, but this time I'll be on the ground. I've been going since I was verrrry young. No wonder I'm so corrupted.

Being in the Knight Parade is excellent - and you get to see how dumb some people are like bringing little kids to Ybor for the parade . . .

Being in the Knight Parade is excellent - and you get to see how dumb some people are like bringing little kids to Ybor for the parade . . .



:evil:

Maxim your a legal adult now. You are 18. No mas nino.

What's worse are the people who bring their little kids, and then complain about how their kid saw some girl's boobs or got some beer on them. I mean, really if you live in the Tampa area you should know that the Knight Parade is not the most family friendly event in the world. Besides, they have a whole separate Gasparilla Children's Parade just for them...

Nevermind the fact that the Childrens' Parade is at least as big a deal as the Knight Parade is now.

Maxim your a legal adult now. You are 18. No mas nino.

No, it just seems like he was making a joke about the fact that I was taken when I was young, heh. I was never sheltered and never treated like a child. I managed just fine. And I've always been tall for my age.... ;-P

Yeah, I guess I am an adult now, huh?

I'll keep my musings to myself if smiley is nicer to me. :lol:

What's worse are the people who bring their little kids, and then complain about how their kid saw some girl's boobs or got some beer on them. I mean, really if you live in the Tampa area you should know that the Knight Parade is not the most family friendly event in the world. Besides, they have a whole separate Gasparilla Children's Parade just for them...

This I absolutely agree with. Keep the kids at home, please. I feel just terrible when I expose myself in front of the children.:nuts:

Geez what type of parade is this?

Mardigras-esque

Geez what type of parade is this?
Everyone for theirselves parade.

I agree, bringing the kids to the Knight Parade is pretty dumb. You have the kids parade, also the day parade, leave the kids home for the Knight Parade.

Starts at 6pm in Channelside and goes all the way up to Ybor

Geez what type of parade is this?
It's more "drunken insanity" than a "parade" for most people. There's floats and beads and stuff, but that's not really the main event...

Actually, I was ot thinking about you at all (no offense intended). There are actually places where kids can go (more toward downtown), but Ybor should be off limits. I was thinking of a specific incident a few years ago. Kids should just not be in Ybor for the Knight Parade just like kids should not be on Bourbon St at night in Mardi Gras

I was giving you a hard time. Even if you were singling me out (I didn't think so), I wouldn't be *too* offended. You are, after all, resident realist/cynic (same diff, right?)...

I agree that if we can get our trolleys to move faster, and get some sort of an extension, like what Denver has and combined them through DT CS and Ybor..

Well I thought that it was interesting that when I was in Borders yesterday I was looking at the Tampa/ St Pete map and on the back it showed to trolley extention. It went up to Polk and went left to Hyde Park then it continued up to Palm Ave and then it went down Palm back to Y-Bor.