City's don't need vintage streetcars; cities need the frequency and convenience of service delivered by the streetcar lines from days past.

Owain James writes in response to the ongoing streetcar renaissance, noting that many recently opened streetcar lines have struggled (as transit on the whole has struggled as well). The argument to made as the lessons of the streetcar renaissance begin to emerge, according to James: "public transportation doesn’t need to be made of streetcars to deliver what streetcars once did."
Moreover:
The level of transit service in U.S. cities in the heyday of streetcars has been unmatched since, but the switch from streetcars to buses is not responsible for this decline. As automobile traffic increased, streetcars had to compete for road space that was filling up quickly. While streetcars ran on tracks, these were almost always installed on roads that were open to all automobiles, so streetcars had to sit in traffic like everyone else.
With lessons from Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., any city operating a newly opened streetcar, and the cities about to open a new streetcar line, should pay attention.
FULL STORY: We miss streetcars’ frequent and reliable service, not streetcars themselves

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

DOJ Says Trump Has Power to Roll Back National Monuments
The opinion sheds light on how the administration may justify its effort to eliminate protected public lands.

Maryland Awards $1.25M in TOD-Related Grants
The state’s DOT is funding projects that prepare sites around transit stations for future mixed-use development and housing.

Judge Rules in Favor of Massachusetts TOD Law
The court rejected an argument that the MBTA Communities law, which requires zoning for multifamily housing, is an “unfunded mandate.”
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