The Seattle Streetcar Thread

[CityView Jim]

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me the ideal location for an upper Queen Anne station. One where plenty of people will walk to and be served by it and a huge Park-and-Ride lot won't be a needed component.

Sounds like Uptown might be better than the top given the higher population of condo and apartments as well as its retail and proximity to Seattle Center.

[mhays]

Straight up Queen Anne Avenue. On midway up, one at the Pizza place where the street jogs over, and one at Safeway...then how about one a few blocks west along the arterial, and another straight down the hill at SPU.

[CityView Jim]

Originally Posted by mhays

Straight up Queen Anne Avenue. On midway up, one at the Pizza place where the street jogs over, and one at Safeway...then how about one a few blocks west along the arterial, and another straight down the hill at SPU.

Sounds like you're talking about a trolley run and not a subterranean light rail. I'm all for a surface trolley line. It might even be a tourist attraction (to Kerry Park).

[mhays]

Digging through Queen Anne would be extremely expensive. Probably best for light rail to go around it (under Dexter maybe?) and use a streetcar for local traffic, sort of like the streetcar that would connect to the main light rail line at Union Station and Broadway. That assumes my streetcar connects to light rail at the north also, though you'd still get a lot of traffic with just the southern connection.

[citruspastels]

Originally Posted by mhays

Straight up Queen Anne Avenue. On midway up, one at the Pizza place where the street jogs over, and one at Safeway...then how about one a few blocks west along the arterial, and another straight down the hill at SPU.

Bingo!

And yeah, I'd think a streetcar would be way more feasible than light rail as far as serving Upper Queen Anne.

As far as it's character goes, it's actually a really dense neighborhood in most places. The streets are very steep and very confusing. A streetcar would simplify things greatly.

Yes there are many single family homes, and these are VERY well loved and fought tooth and nail to be saved since many of them are historic.

However, there is a push for more density there since it is so near the urban core, and there is some mixed use development on Queen Anne Ave and much opportunity for more.

Queen Anne also has one of the worst NIMBY reputations of practically anywhere in Seattle. I think a trade- a comprehensive streetcar that connects so much of Queen Anne to itself, not to mention the city, for an increase in density in areas around the stations, is a fair one.

Mhays map is pretty much perfect: connects Lower Queen Anne to Upper Queen Anne via Queen Anne Ave, and then again down the hill to Nickerson/SPU, which are almost all the main destination points on Queen Anne.

[guinessbeer55]

I didnt think that streetcar cars could operate on steep grades...

[sequoias]

streetcars can't go up steep grades like on Madison St. or Queen Anne Ave. They would need a cable system or gears on the track to help them climb up steep grades. They have no traction to go up steep grades because they have steel wheels and steel tracks.

[citruspastels]

just rode it for the first time today. i'm in love

this is a perfect sytem for neighborhoods surrounding downtown. SO much more comfortable and logical. you can already see the effects of people exploring what used to be a pretty sleepy part of town. i was a little worried that the streetcar sharing a lane with traffic would be a problem but compared to a bus, the streetcar experience get's an A. as someone with a somewhat sensitive stomach when it comes to transportation, i can say this streetcar is one of the most comfortable (as in not bumpy) mass transit rides i have ever experienced.

it feels so good to finally have rail in seattle. bring on the light rail!

also- south lake union park is looking amazing. having the mohai there will be a perfect fit. that kind of large active green open space is exactly what downtown seattle needed. hope there are plenty of apartments/condos planned in close proximity because it's going to be a huge ammenity and will be an amazing place for people living near by.

[BoulderGrad]

exactly 1 week from it's opening:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...eetcar19m.html


Streetcar hits SUV that ran red light

The orange South Lake Union streetcar was involved in an accident at Terry Avenue and Mercer Street this morning. The streetcar ran into an SUV that ran a red light. The street car was put back into service despite bumper damage seen here as it heads toward downtown Seattle.

The crash happened at Mercer Street and Terry Avenue North at 7:28 a.m., when the SUV was going east toward Interstate 5. Its rear right panel was dented, and there was minor damage to the orange streetcar, which soon restarted.

The SUV driver told police he was maneuvering around a large puddle in the left lane of Mercer, then couldn't stop in time for a red light, according to police spokesman Mark Jamieson.The streetcar was heading north on Terry with a "go" signal. Police issued a citation to the SUV driver for running the red light, said Jamieson.

The intersection was cleared within a half-hour of the accident.

The streetcar, which began service last Wednesday, runs from the Westin Hotel to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The 1.3-mile route has 11 stops.

This was the first streetcar collision reported to police, said Jamieson. Last week there were two brief streetcar stoppages, one because of ball bearings in the tracks, another because of a power outage.

[Seattle FTW]

he had to swerve to miss a puddle and that caused him to run the red light? HUH?

i'd hate to see what kind of bill his insurance company will receive to fix the streetcar

[jessejb]

Im not excited about the two NIMBY victories today. One being the streetcar incident and the other being the transit tunnel closures.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

Originally Posted by Seattle FTW

he had to swerve to miss a puddle and that caused him to run the red light? HUH?

i'd hate to see what kind of bill his insurance company will receive to fix the streetcar

"Ooooooohhhh, i'm scared of the puddle of water! Ooooohhh, my big American SUV can't take it! Ooooohhh, i'm such a big man i'm going to run a red light!"

Originally Posted by jessejb

Im not excited about the two NIMBY victories today. One being the streetcar incident and the other being the transit tunnel closures.

Good thing I didn't go to Downtown today (I wanted to ride the streetcar and check out the renovated tunnel), what a disaster that would have been

[Seasun]

I just rode a slut for the first time - I boarded southbound on Westlake at the stop north of Whole Foods. We crossed Denny uneventfully in the rain and the doors opened at the Enso stop. Then the drivers switched and instead of just saying hello and getting to work it was a chat session that lasted a couple minutes before I gave up and just walked in the rain. So I look forward to trying it again but I hope the drivers learn to keep their change overs more brief. For a free ride it was a good value. For $$ not so much.

[USAPatriot]

Only in Seattle.... can people really not maneuver, or wait a few seconds for a tram to go by?

"AAHH! A PUDDLE OF WATER?! I live in Seattle and therefore have never seen a puddle of water before! I'm going to go through a red light and ram into the tram."

What a dolt.

[Bond James Bond]

Maybe they thought they'd splash some pedestrians if they went though the puddle of water, and therefore tried to avoid it?

[seapug]

still don't see why it made em run a red light. i can understand avoiding a puddle in an attempt to not splash a pedestrian. i've had it happen to me and since cars are faster then us all you can do is give em a dirty look shake your fist and shout a few obsenities that they can't even hear. i'll bet if you go to the pi soundoff thing they'll make it out to be the streetcars fault. they have the strangest people on there

[uwhuskies]

Originally Posted by seapug

still don't see why it made em run a red light. i can understand avoiding a puddle in an attempt to not splash a pedestrian. i've had it happen to me and since cars are faster then us all you can do is give em a dirty look shake your fist and shout a few obsenities that they can't even hear. i'll bet if you go to the pi soundoff thing they'll make it out to be the streetcars fault. they have the strangest people on there

my guess is that the driver did not want to splash mud on their vehicle

[USAPatriot]

No guys, the person made up a LIE! A fake excuse to not look as bad as the real cause... him just running a red light and hitting a tram.

[taiwanesedrummer36]

What? Is the guy a homosexual? Would any normal man care if he got "puddle mud" on his SUV/car? I really doubt there was any mud in that puddle, just water. And would a pedestrian really be walking in the weather we had yesterday?

Obviously, the guy was at fault; it's just that simple.

[jessejb]

*Tainwanesedrummer puts on flame-retardant suit*