Owen Courreges: On the wrong track

Posted by Robert Morris at 11:47 am city government, opinion, politics

Mar 182013

Owen Courreges

The New Orleans City Council appears to be proposing that St. Claude Avenue be made into a pathetic two-lane road, but Mayor Landrieu is at least showing some sense on the issue.

Here’s the background: As most New Orleanians are aware, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) recently promulgated preliminary plans for installing a new streetcar line along Rampart St. and St. Claude Avenue from Canal Street to Elysian Fields Avenue. As with the widely-panned Loyola-UPT Streetcar line, rather than restoring the historic norm of having the streetcar tracks running in the neutral ground, the plans call for slapping the tracks down in the traffic lanes adjoining the streetcar line (sharing the lanes with vehicles). It’s stupid, ahistorical and ugly.

For its part, the RTA argues that obstructions made it impossible to run the tracks down the neutral ground, which is far narrower than the neutral ground on other lines where the neutral ground is used, namely St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street. Although it isn’t mentioned, cost considerations and compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act may also be at issue here, which would tend to require more space for loading and unloading.

What is definitely clear is that the original Rampart-St. Claude streetcar line mostly ran in the neutral ground. You can find a photos from 1943 showing a streetcar running in the neutral ground on Rampart. Although at some parts of the line the streetcar did run in traffic lanes, it was viewed as something to avoid to allow for the free flow of traffic.

The RTA’s plans crudely slap the tracks in traffic lanes and instead place garish, modern-styled stations in the neutral ground, stations that bear little resemblance to the masonry structures used at major terminals in the old days.

With this background, you would think that the biggest source of debate over the proposed Rampart-St. Claude Line would be the decision to place the streetcar tracks in concrete traffic lanes rather than the neutral ground, a decision that eschews commonsense engineering and historical norms. Sadly, this is not the case.

The New Orleans City Council has recently endorsed the idea of having a dedicated traffic lane for the streetcar, rather than sharing it with regular traffic. This would cut vehicular traffic on Rampart and St. Claude to only one lane in either direction. You would have a total of 22 feet of space for vehicular traffic (5 more if you include a single proposed bike lane) versus a total of nearly 38 feet of space for the streetcar. That’s insane.

The reason why the old streetcars worked with vehicular traffic is that they normally had their own space in the neutral ground, and when they didn’t, they interacted with ground traffic like any other vehicle. Even then, it was accepted that the market share of streetcars was always going be small in comparison with personal vehicles. The streetcar wasn’t some altar upon which personal mobility would be sacrificed.

Mayor Landrieu, for his part, seems to understand this. “Traffic studies suggest there would be significant negative impacts to traffic flow in the Central Business District and French Quarter associated with reconfiguring this heavily used street with one travel lane and a dedicated streetcar lane as opposed to two traffic lanes,” says City Hall spokesman C. Hayne Rainey. Accordingly, the administration only plans to bar those lanes to regular traffic during peak hours.

The reaction from the City Council, particularly District C Councilwoman Kristen Palmer who chairs the transportation committee, has been to attack the studies and cite the recently enacted “complete streets” ordinance passed by the council. That ordinance, if you recall, generally requires the city to consider pedestrians, transit and bicycles whenever a street is worked on. However, what we have here is not a proposal for equal time with vehicular traffic. With dedicated lanes, the streetcar would totally dominate St. Claude and Rampart.

However, I really don’t see why this needs to be the case. Surely, if RTA simply wants to resurrect a historic streetcar line, it should restore the original configuration. That means using the neutral ground – not traffic lanes. If using the neutral ground is truly impractical given modern laws and the current state of the roadway, then perhaps that’s a sign that the whole project is impractical. Is there any sign that RTA even considered the notion that it might prove less than cost-effective to install streetcars on Rampart on St. Claude? If so, it isn’t clear from public reports.

At least RTA was willing to compromise with the city on the use of traffic lanes. The City Council, on the other hand, is completely off the (proverbial) rails. The fact that the council doesn’t consider St. Claude-as-a-two-lane-road to be impractical is disturbing, but what’s worst is the fact that they are even unwilling to accept a compromise on the issue.

In summation, I am rapidly losing any optimism I may have had for the RTA and the council to make reasonable proposals for streetcar expansions. They seem to believe that vehicular traffic no longer matters, cost-effectiveness is merely a point-of-view, and that streetcars are an end unto themselves. Nothing good can come of that.

Owen Courrèges, a New Orleans attorney and resident of the Garden District, offers his opinions for UptownMessenger.com on Mondays. He has previously written for the Reason Public Policy Foundation.

http://www.facebook.com/jim.mcarthur.10 Jim McArthur

Instead of adding yet-another short-run streetcar line, why not expand the riverfront street as far as Poland Avenue? Yes, the Naval Base is closed, but there are plans for a cruise ship facility there.
- http://twitter.com/Owen_Courreges Owen Courrèges
  
  Jim,
  
  Or better still, why not extend the riverfront line to where it actually has a station in the Lower Garden District rather than just serving the convention center and stopping abruptly just after the freeway? Or even better than that, how about we actually invest in providing quality bus service and only expand streetcar service where it’s actually cost effective?
  
  The answer is that transit decisions are usually irrational ones based on fads and preferences that have little to do with moving people around in an efficient manner.
Deux amours

Street cars belong in the street. The use of neutral grounds as a right of way is peculiarly New Orleans as most places don’t have neutral grounds. Our most famous line, the Desire, ran down the middle of Royal and Bourbon Streets, and that was common for most lines. I think the St. Charles and Canal lines were the exception, not the rule. Your review of existing lines omits the North Carrollton stretch, which is in the street with no problems. In many places you can see street cars in the street, and it presents a very urban look. Another problem with utilizing the St. Claude neutral ground is that this would eliminate trees and green space, which are in limited supply downtown. Even the St. Charles line limits the possibly planting, although this is masked by the lush planting on the sidewalk and in the private gardens, which do not exist downtown. I like the new shelters, and there is no historic precedent as the old lines had no shelters. I would hate to see some phony attempt to create some replica, perhaps with a balcony for Stella.
You are absolutely right that to close a traffic lane is crazy. The amount of time a street car is actually in the street is miniscule. With the post-k decline of the Lower Nine and St. Bernard, the traffic volume on St. Claude and Rampart is low and there would be little actual conflict.
Everyone has their favorite ideas for a new route, but projects will continue to be scattered as money for public works in America is in short supply. Street cars do have enemies. Modern street car projects have more to do with neighborhood revitalization and creating ambiance where none existed than with solving transportation problems, and many reject that entire notion.
- http://twitter.com/Owen_Courreges Owen Courrèges
  
  Deux Amors,
  
  Streetcars only belong in the street where there is no neutral ground. For most of the historical Rampart-St. Claude line, streetcars ran in the neutral ground. Because of the nature of rail traffic (slow and doesn’t stop quickly), it’s better to separate streetcars from vehicular traffic as much as practicable.
  
  This is the way it used to be done. Can you point to me a single roadway with a neutral ground where the streetcars did not run in the neutral ground?
  
  Also, the old lines did not have shelters at every stop, but they did have shelters at transfer stations and major hubs. The transfer station between Rampart and Canal had a shelter in the neutral ground on Canal. However, instead of trying to recreate those, the city is going for weird plexiglass monstrosities that increase costs and run contrary to the purpose of creating a historic look and feel.
  
  In any event, you hit the nail right on the head when you note that modern streetcar projects are about “neighborhood revitalization” and “ambiance” as opposed to solving transportation problems, and that’s the real problem. Claims of neighborhood revitalization are highly dubious; we can measure whether we’re transporting people around effectively, but the question of whether the mere presence of pretty streetcars is cost-effective vis-a-vis channeling private redevelopment dollars is always going to be questionable at best. As for ambiance – trust me, there are cheaper ways to do that than streetcars.
  
  But if the goal really is ambiance, then we shouldn’t be installing modern-looking shelters and putting streetcars alongside relatively wide neutral grounds. Those are ahistorical. The original St. Claude line did not run the tracks in the street along most of the line. Neither did the Tulane line. Or the Napoleon line. Or the Claiborne line. Where the neutral ground was wide enough, they put the tracks there. They aren’t doing it now, and it’s ugly and bad for traffic flow.
  - Deux amours
    
    I don’t see any difficulties with the traffic flow where the street cars are in the street., Do you think they are going to run every two or three minutes? There is no problem on either North Carrollton or Loyola. The fact that some neutral grounds were wiped out for tracks is no reason to repeat that error. St. Claude never did have a pleasant neutral ground for fifty or sixty years even after the conversion to busses. The streetcar on St. Claude was gone before my time, but I doubt it provided any ambiance The street finally has trees, and it would be a crime to take them out for the infrequent passage of a street car, I don’t know what transfer station on Canal and Rampart you recall. I can’t picture it. Perhaps you’re thinking of the train station that was on the Basin Street neutral ground.. In any event, there is no arguing taste, and I do like the new shelters and I do like landscaped neutral grounds. I’m sorry you don’t.
    - San Lorenzo
      
      I think what Owen is missing is that the Rampart neutral ground used to be a lot wider when it had streetcars. To put the tracks back on the neutral ground would require widening the neutral ground. When the line was replaced with buses, the neutral ground was narrowed to allow for more street traffic.
      
      To put the streetcars back in the median (as Owen recommends) would require taking away a lane of traffic (which Owen condemns).
      - http://twitter.com/Owen_Courreges Owen Courrèges
        
        San,
        
        I’ve seen photos from the 40′s and the Rampart neutral ground doesn’t appear wider. In any case, I’m pretty sure Rampart wasn’t a two lane road when the streetcar was there before.
      - Deux amours
        
        Thanks, I noticed that this morning when I went to Satsuma. I like street cars in the street straight up. I think the streetcars in the CBD below Lee Circle present a very attractive scene, very European in feel.
    - http://twitter.com/Owen_Courreges Owen Courrèges
      
      Deux,
      
      “I don’t see any difficulties with the traffic flow where the street cars are in the street.”
      
      You do realize the City Council is pushing to ban cars from the streetcar lanes, right? That was kind of the point of my article. That would certainly hurt traffic flow. And even if traffic is allowed to share the lane with streetcars, they are slow and have poor braking compared with buses, so they will cause greater problems with traffic flow.
      
      “The streetcar on St. Claude was gone before my time, but I doubt it provided any ambiance.”
      
      I thought you said that ambiance was part of the point of putting in streetcars. Now you’re saying that streetcars don’t provide ambiance?
      
      “I don’t know what transfer station on Canal and Rampart you recall.”
      
      This one:
      
      http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/~friedman/album/Pic11-02.htm
      
      “I do like the new shelters and I do like landscaped neutral grounds. I’m sorry you don’t.”
      
      I like landscaped neutral grounds as well, and I don’t see how putting streetcars in them would eliminate that (it would reduce space, but there would still be room for landscaping). What I don’t want is for more than half the roadway to be dedicated to the streetcar and the neutral ground (with the neutral ground supporting rail infrastructure) to the detriment of traffic flow. I also just don’t think it’s a very good look to have such a wide street with minimal lanes for vehicular traffic.
      - Deux amours
        
        Owen, I agreed in my original post with you that the closing of a traffic lane for street car use was crazy. The idea to use the neutral ground is moot, as there is no room. Thanks for the picture of the transfer station. I’m surprised you recall it; your picture makes you look much younger. I don’t think it would win any design contests today. I did not suggest that street cars automatically produce ambiance. I only said that modern projects are promoted on a theory of neighborhood revitalization and increased ambiance with street cars. Taking out a landscaped neutral ground for streetcar tracks would not increase ambiance. Take at look a photos 10-8 and 10-9 in your link. They show Tulane Avenue in front of the Courthouse, looking more barren then than now, something few would have thought possible.