Civic groups in Indianapolis are pushing city officials to consider streetcars downtown.
"The nonprofit Downtown Indianapolis Streetcar Corp., formed in January, has begun a study it hopes will bring a solution to parking shortages, pollution and other Downtown problems."
"Streetcars bring more than a sense of nostalgia, DeVoe said. In downtown Portland, Ore., DeVoe said, streetcars spurred development, increased real estate values and replaced the noise and smog of city buses."
"'This is a chance for a new kind of Downtown development,' DeVoe said."
"The electric vehicles would run on rails and draw power from overhead lines. The group's plan calls for cars to stop every couple of blocks at key locations throughout Downtown, connecting such locations as Circle Centre mall, the Statehouse and White River State Park. They would supplement existing transit routes and could provide feeder services to bus routes."
