Historical Ramblings

A Streetcar Named Desire..for Mobility

The BBC reports on a a new streetcar system nearing completion in Nottingham:

Trams are returning to the streets of Nottingham for the first time in 67 years as tests begin on the initial stage of the city's £179m public transport system.

The project to create a new tram system, which began in June 2000, is already two months behind schedule, but directors expect a launch for passengers in early 2004.

The trials mark the first time that trams have been seen in the city centre since 5 September, 1936.

It's fascinating to see the "return" of streetcars to cities that so quickly abandonded them as the automobile era rolled in. My guess, however, is that they will continue to work better in Europe than in the United States, as people are less attached to automobile transit. U.S. residents still tend to view streetcars -- or light rail as it is now called -- as a medicore form of public transit. Tranist must save substantial time, not only effort (in this case, avoidance of cars), for Americans to consider adopting it, and rarely has that been the case with modern U.S. light rail.

[BBC NEWS | Trams return to city streets]