A railed streetcar system down West Main Street to remedy traffic issues in Charlottesville and improve local transportation was proposed by Alia Anderson, executive director of Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation, at Albemarle County's Green Infrastructure Forum Sept. 29.
One of the most important potential benefits of the proposed streetcar system is the reduction of traffic in highly congested areas.
"There is a lot of demand for transit buses along the West Main corridor that contributes to the traffic," Anderson said.
Because rails tend to run on a separate vehicle lane in the center, it will prevent car traffic from getting stopped behind the streetcar, Anderson added.
"Rails are in the ground, and people can see them, so this will encourage them to rely on them as a permanent transit investment that is quicker and more convenient than driving," Anderson said.
City Planner Todd Gordon said an advantage of the streetcar system is its reliability, which would be provided through the schedule meter.
"A streetcar is a system that is powered by an overhead wire, so people trust that it's going to come on time," Gordon said.
In addition to its efficiency, the streetcar system will have cultural and social benefits as it will link the gap between the University and the Downtown area, Gordon said.
Anderson also said she envisions that the streetcars will help enhance town-gown relations.
"The streetcars will allow students to experience more of the art, culture and fun that Downtown offers, and it will also allow more townies to come onto the campus for events and lectures," Anderson said.
Another benefit the streetcar could bring is encouragement of new developments along the West Main corridor.
"We think that there's a good chance that a streetcar would extend the vitality of the Downtown Mall all the way along West Main to the University," Anderson said.
Gordon also said the streetcar system could encourage people to build more offices, restaurants and residences.
The proposal for the implementation of the streetcar system has had positive feedback from local politicians and residents, Anderson said
"Nobody has given us any reason why it's a terrible idea, and everyone has been very supportive," Anderson said.
She said nobody has taken the step to officially invest or endorse the streetcar, however, and the City has not yet decided to pursue the proposal.
"The research for the streetcars began a year ago, and we plan to continue to work on it until the City decides to take action to move it forward or to decide it isn't a good option," Anderson said.
A challenge to the streetcar system is receiving approval from the government and the University as well as finding funding support to build the system.
"The construction is simple, but it's convincing people and getting the approval that's difficult," Gordon said.
Anderson also said she agreed the biggest challenge is obtaining approval.
"There is still a lot of education that needs to be done so people are behind this and so politicians, City staff and the University understand the possible benefits," Anderson said.
She said it is hard to convince people to take action now because a streetcar system takes approximately 10 to 15 years to study, design and put into place.
Rebecca White, director of University Parking and Transportation, also said now is a good time to consider the system because it takes a long period of time before it can come into fruition.
"This is something that the community needs to embrace as a whole, and there's lots that has to come together," White said.
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