Map of the proposed Streetcar routes
Gosh they really are serious about the Streetcars… Wow!
The notion of streetcars returning to the streets of our fair city has been a tantalizing idea for many in H Street area. Despite being an idealistic, rose-colored goggle-wearing, devoted H Street cheerleader, I put that idea in the space in my heart which I usually reserve for such wishful fantasies as the existence of the Santa, instant weigh-loss schemes and finally growing those last two inches. Along the lines of “Oh it sure would be nice if that could really happen…DEEP sigh.”
Well, wow, the Department of Transportation is either a sadistic organization out to cruelly tantalize we citizens who harbor secret San Francisco/Portland/Amsterdam longings OR they are for real about the goal of bringing back the Streetcar.
DDOT is embarking on an informative PR campaign set to describe to DC residents the results of a 2004 Transit study and the subsequent recommendations, which include limited run bus routes and bus rapid transit (BRT. Huh?) although the main focus of the meetings will be the streetcars. Expect to hear about the current progress and to see plans for future lines.
The last time I wrote for THIH about Streetcars it was still up in the air as to which line would move forward first, H Street or Anacostia. Thanks to some serious lobbying by our own Tommy Wells and it seems like now H Street will be the first. DDOT director Gabe Klein confirmed as such for a piece in the Washington Business Journal.
And I just have say, we have the coolest, hippest Director of Transportation out there. His prior gigs include a stint as the regional Vice president of Zipcar and then he went on to found the super-cute On the Fly food carts which have brought healthy food to the streets of Washington (as well as the cafeteria at Results.)
The Ward 6 DDOT Informational meeting is this Thursday, October 22, 2009 at J.O. Wilson Elementary, 660 K Street, NE from 7 – 8:30 pm.
Too bad we can’t get the cool DDOT Director to pay attention to requests by Lincoln Park neighbors to make the streets safe for pedestrians. We have been after DDOT for sometime to install more crosswalks to the park and put in “yield to pedestrian” bollards in the crosswalks , but keep getting blown off. We were even promised beacon crosswalk signals — a promise that has seemed to have disappeared in the wind.
Tommy deserves a ton of credit for this and other things. I do wish he had backed the Mayor’s crime bill and would help do more and get more from MPD and our justice system.