The Observation Deck

Agreed ... the wooden seats are supposed to look quaint, but they're not. And actual real trolleys did have upholstered seats pretty early on ... only the really old ones, or the faux ones, have the uncomfortable wooden seats.

Many years ago during a brief stay in Pittsburgh I rode trolleys on a regular basis.

Bryan I was out in SF too recently and one of the very neat things is that they have bought old cars from other cities systems and repainted them in their original colors. It was weird to ride a PAT (Pittsburgh Area Transit) car on the Embarcadero and think my cheeks may have been in that seat 20 years and 3000 miles ago.

Once a city has given up its streetcar right of way its hard to recreate it. In Pittsburgh the trolley (opps, "light rail") is actually a fast way to get from the southern suburbs to downtown because it has its own right of way. Anything Lakewood could do would just be a "trolley on wheels." Not only would it be cost prohibitive, but the idea of the disrupton to put such a system in place is mind boggling. Its a shame theyre gone but I couldnt support bringing them back.

And yes to C Dawson, wooden seats are a Disney World affectation. Pittsburgh trolleys have had upholstered seats since God was a boy.

Dee Martinez wrote:Bryan I was out in SF too recently and one of the very neat things is that they have bought old cars from other cities systems and repainted them in their original colors. It was weird to ride a PAT (Pittsburgh Area Transit) car on the Embarcadero and think my cheeks may have been in that seat 20 years and 3000 miles ago.

Yes, I thought that was very cool. They had seats and windows and I think would work fine in the winter.

Even if it's taking old trolley cars and converting them to have tires, etc would still be more unique than say the circulator bus. It's about creating something memorable or something unique about an area.

When I close my eyes and next roll the iChing, (28 Exceeding-->44 Making Provision) in response to the this question:

What about a bus may aid observation?

I come to the sense of a realistic provision for future harmony.

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I note, then, this isn't RTA's strong suit!

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What does a trolley style bus (or two) cost outright and what would it's cost be to roll a certain number of miles per month/year mechanically and operator?

Hybrid 'green' version?

What's missing from the trolley paradigm as currently practiced?

What is no other community doing with their public transport?

Seed questions...

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A vision, hewing to the constraint of the Hexagram (per the thought problem,) "appropriate vision."

Idea:

Trolley as educational vehicle.

Operator as educator.

Programmed and guided tour of Lakewood's avenues aimed to recollect the community's history, vibrancy, and active unfolding.

Interior of bus: timeline mural, children's art; changing photo gallery; tools for instigating civic anthropology (such as digital cameras for riders to deploy.)

Moving from point A to point B with positive affect and learning built in; tourists come to take the tour.

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Grant money to conduct experiment about green educational public transportation?

Is anybody else already doing this?

Lit up?

Those of you who might yearn for a virtual trolley experience in Lakewood RIGHT NOW, need look no further than John's Diner on Detroit Ave., on Lakewood's West End. This unique, and reportedly former Nickel Plate car, has a real "train" ambiance and, oh yes, PADDED seats.

Add to that, John's yummy fruit pancakes, or perhaps, the luscious Eggs Benedict, and voila, there you go! You don't even have a meter to pay. (Although there is of course, a cash register as a substitute)

If you really want the rest of it, you might have your partner sway slowly from side to side, and up and down, while softly muttering "CLACKITY clackity CLACKITY clackity" for you.

Someone at the Rush Inn must agree with you all...both sides. While in the men's bathroom last night, I noticed scrawled on the wall "Lakewood Light Rail now!" and below it something to the effect of, "Never happen. Politics."

Bathroom walls...the Original Observation Deck.

I would be interested to know the occupancy of the existing circulators and buses within Lakewood. While mass transit is a greener option, if there are only 2 people in a significantly larger vehicle wouldn't it be greener to go even smaller or just stop running that vehicle? I don't claim this to be an accurate study but at various times throughout the day, I've been looking in the circulators and I've yet to see them even half full. What would the real result be if Lakewood stopped offering this service? Could we then be exempt from the large tax dollars that we spend on this program?
What are the times that this service would be needed? Evenings, weekends, during the day? Could the hospitality based businesses kick in to fund this? The trolleys downtown at one point were paid for (and may still be) by the Corner Alley. Why have tax dollars pay for it, leave it to private industry to handle it. As I drive around I see shuttles from Hey Butler and Diamond's Men's Club, why not some rolling billboards from around here? Have the city get rid of the rusted out senior citizen buses and use the shuttle/trolley during the day for seniors. Beauty about mixed use between bars and senior citizens is they'll rarely need the service at the same time. As for the eco-friendly green idea, I think that Great Lakes has already got it figured out. 30 places serve wings in Lakewood and I'd suspect they wouldn't have a problem with donating their used grease to keep the wheels on the bus going round and round.

Feagler today mentioned the loss of the trolley system in Cleveland:
http://tinyurl.com/5xpsdy

Does anyone know the coast and cost of operation of a circulator.

If I remember correctly someone had posted a pretty dynamic idea about this very problem years ago. I am trying to locate it.


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Wow, I had no idea that Columbus, (now Ohio's largest city), had been considering streetcars!! This was an idea from Mayor Coleman, no less (it was part of his promise in the 2006 State of the City address!)

I learned about this through a tiny article in the PD, which was tucked away on the last page of a section today (can't remember which section).

Also, a more complete article ran in the Columbus Dispatch on Friday: http://tinyurl.com/6gecke

Clearly, details are sketchy, hence the apprehension by City Council. However, I thought it was interesting and apropos for this thread.

Is the idea of using streetcars more-or-less a fanciful nostalgia of a bygone era, or a smart transportation plan for dense populations?