01206824

Component

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/163903.aspx

The United States is experiencing a streetcar renaissance. Since 2000, at least six cities have opened new streetcar systems, with several of these having already extended their initial lines. New streetcar systems are built for a variety of reasons, but many reasons are only peripherally related to regional transit system mobility and expansion. In fact, most new streetcar systems are initiated by cities, not transit agencies, to promote tourism, to spawn economic development and redevelopment, and to facilitate localized circulation by acting as “pedestrian enhancers” for short trips. Generally, the idea behind the streetcar is not to move masses of people, but to revitalize urban areas by offering visible, permanent, and easily-accessible transportation at a human pace and scale. The success of new streetcar systems in achieving a wide range of goals has garnered the interest of dozens of other U.S. cities, including the neighboring cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove, California. But unlike most other locales, regional transit system mobility and the regional transit agency—the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)—were the catalysts for local consideration of a streetcar system in Santa Ana and Garden Grove.

01206823

English

pp 299-314

2010-7

Transportation Research Circular

Joint International Light Rail Conference: Growth and Renewal

Web

Figures (6) ; Maps (1) ; Tables (2)

Mobility; Streetcars; Transportation planning; Urban areas; Urban renewal

Orange County Transportation Authority

Garden Grove (California); Santa Ana (California)

Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Railroads; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

TRIS, TRB

Oct 8 2010 8:12AM

• Adapting Established Safety Outreach to Light and Commuter Rail Systems
• Best Practices for the Effective Integration of Historic Trolley and Modern Urban Rail Transit Systems
• Bus Rapid Transit as a Precursor of Light Rail Transit?
• Civil Information Modeling and Building Information Modeling
• Comparative Performance of Los Angeles’ Transit Modes
• Development and Application of Structural Design Standards for Safety of Light Rail Cars and Streetcars
• Effect of Fuel Price Increases on U.S. Light Rail Ridership, 2002–2008: Results and Implications for Transit Operation and Policy
• Energy Efficiency of Light Rail Versus Motor Vehicles
• Light Rail Transit and Climate Change Policy
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Eastside Extension Light Rail Transit Project: Cultural Influence in Station Site Selection for the Boyle Heights–Mariachi Plaza Station
• Modifications to Light Rail Vehicles for Improved Compatibility in Collisions with Automobiles
• New Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority P2550 LRV: Energy-Saving Techniques
• Newark Light Rail Extension to Broad Street Station: Traffic and Transit Operations Interface Issues
• NJT–NLR Broad Street Extension: Experiences and Lessons Learned from NJT–NLR Rehabilitation of the Penn Station Loop Track and Main Line Special Track Work
• Noncontact Ultrasonic Guided-Wave Detection of Rail Defects
• Route 100: The Future in Motion
• Status of North American Light Rail Transit Systems: Year 2009 Update
• The Importance of Connecting Light Rail and Destinations
• The Role of Systems Planning in Light Rail Transit Success
• The Role of Transit in Mitigating Climate Change
• Toward an Operating Doctrine for Shared-Use Railways
• Track Geometry for Light Rail Systems
• Transportation Overlay District in the Valley of the Sun