Has Seattle Found the Way Forward for Streetcars?

Yonah Freemark traces the evolving record of Seattle's South Lake Union Streetcar for lessons in how to move streetcars beyond the current acrimony and loss of political support has crept into the current debate over streetcars in cities around the country.

Freemark notes that after steady growth since its launch in 2008, ridership declined on the streetcar for the first time in 2013.

"The problem may have something to do with the way the streetcar runs: In the street, sharing lanes with cars. The results have been slow vehicles—the line’s scheduled service averages less than eight miles per hour—often held back by traffic and a lack of reliability. This can produce horror stories of streetcars getting stuck for half an hour or more behind other vehicles and, combined with infrequent service, it certainly reinforces the sense that streetcars are too slow and unreliable to provide any serious transportation benefit.

"This is a problem shared by every existing and planned modern streetcar line in the country,* suggesting that the streetcar designed to run in the street with cars may, over the long term, simply fail to attract riders who grow increasingly frustrated with the quality of service provided."

Freemark also notes that the construction of a new streetcar line—the 1.1-mile Center City Connector—might set a new precedent for lane configurations on streetcar routes. As reported, the Center City Connector would have a dedicated lane, but, according to Freeemark, "even more interesting is the fact that the city is considering giving dedicated lanes to the existing South Lake Union line."

The study that could enable what Freemark reports would be the first time a modern streetcar line has been converted to dedicated lanes. "As part of the contract for the Center City Connector, the Seattle Department of Transportation asked a consultant to study designated lanes for streetcars and buses as well as right-turn restrictions along Westlake Avenue, the primary right-of-way for the South Lake Union line." That would allow the route to handle up to 20 buses and trains per hour. Freemark goes on to detail more of the technical details of the projects in question and poses the question of whether other cities could follow Seattle's example.