One interesting detail to note: the BQX streetcar proposal, as its currently known, originated not from the de Blasio Administration but from a Brooklyn-based real estate company.
Dana Rubinstein has the scoop on the details of a city-commissioned report to study the Brooklyn-Queens Connector streetcar (BQX) proposal announced in February of this year.
The article reveals a few surprising details, the first being that the BQX was "dreamed up by executives at Two Trees, the DUMBO-based real estate company owned by the Walentas family." Also included are details about projected ridership, projects costs, and travel times. Rubinstein also reports that about" 70 percent of the route would get a dedicated right-of-way."
That last detail inspired Yonah Freemark to tweet his reactions to Rubinstein's article. Freemark's tweets include a reference to a February column he wrote to describe the necessary planning decisions for a successful BQX.
BQX, as I suspected, will have considerable portions without its own ROW. It also will run at 10.5 mph, not 12 mph as previously reported
— Yonah Freemark (@yfreemark) April 25, 2016
Sad to see concerns in my op-ed from Feb coming true, despite what consultants told me https://t.co/yRMHDPHZ4X https://t.co/v9qRr8FRsK
— Yonah Freemark (@yfreemark) April 25, 2016
FULL STORY: City gives new BQX streetcar details, and revs up outreach plan
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