Quote:
Originally Posted by ericlrush1
What would really help with connectivity downtown is adding streetcar tracks to Julia (between Loyola & the river) & Elysian Fields (between St Claude & the river) to create a downtown loop. Streetcars could go both clockwise & counter clockwise.
Once the train is operational from Baton Rouge/MSY, it would allow people to transfer to the streetcar from Union Terminal & get to pretty much any destination in the CBD, Warehouse District, French Quarter or Frenchman area.
All streetcar lines also need to be in dedicated lanes that aren't mixed with vehicle traffic but that's a different discussion.
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Good idea about a loop! And I agree a major problem with the streetcar system is how they manage its interaction with vehicles, and also how frequently they place stops. If they had just slightly fewer stops, dedicated rights of way across the board, and fewer vehicle crossings, I think the whole thing would run a lot more efficiently.
I'm surprised they haven't at least tried reducing stops though because it would be so cheap and easy to do. In some places, there's a stop every other block, and it gets ridiculous if there's someone using each one. They could even invest in shelters at some stops to encourage people to use those more frequently than others, and then they wouldn't even have to eliminate any.