From the latest "Bulova Byline":

"In partnership with Arlington County, our Board recently approved the planning and design of the Columbia Pike Streetcar Project, which will span five miles from Pentagon City in Arlington to the Bailey's Crossroads revitlaization area in Fairfax. The approved agreement lays out how Fairfax and Arlington will share costs for this next step. Arlington will pay for 80.4% of these costs and Fairfax County will pay for the remaining 19.6%."

Isn't this wonderful, a ridiculous project Fairfax taxpayers will be asked to support.

Is there a "report" or "study" justifying this one as well? Who will make the trolleys? Who owns the properties along the right of way? Where's Boss Tweed when you need him?

In the early days of mass transit, these things were great. But, with the advent of the bus and eventually a car in every garage (unless you're a brown, savage illegal in which case it's 54 cars in every garage), the street car became a moving road hazard. Since they run on rails, they can't swerve to avoid an accident. All they can do is slow down, speed up or stop. There's a reason these things died out...

If people want to get up and down Columbia Pike, they can ride the bus like we've been doing for 100 years. Hell, if they want a trolley-like experience they can purchase a trolley-looking bus like the one Alexandria has that runs up and down King Street between the Metro and the waterfront.

Fairfax really needs to start holding more referendums instead of sneaking all of this through and having meetings at times when most people cannot attend.

It is time to stop the SECRET GOVERNMENT of Sharon Bulova once and for all.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/arlington-trolley-project-facing-serious-pushback/2012/06/14/gJQAtc2XbV_blog.html

no one wants this dumb thing except the politicians

Not all of the politicians want this thing. Spending $250+ million on five miles is nuts. Pat Herrity and Mike Frey voted against it, which makes sense, considering we still haven't figured out how to fund the Tysons transportation plan, and wasting money on an outdated form of transportation that primarily benefits Arlington makes no sense to many of us.

The streetcar system in DC never should have been scrapped. It was everything a streetcar system should be. However those slow moving frequently stopping vehicles slowed down cars and busses from the suburbs so they had to go.

With streetcars gone the question is does it make sense to bring them back. I do believe streetcars and their light rail cousins have their place. Areas that are fairly intensively developed where parking can be difficult are candidates, provided of course that the system itself is intensive enough to get people where they need to go. Tysons would have been a candidate for light rail if they hadn't gone the Silver Line route. I don't see the Columbia Pike line meeting this requirement on its own, and it isn't part of a broader system that makes the project make sense.

Trolleys and streetcars had their day but considering the utter driver stupidity around here, Houston, San Diego and San Francisco (MUNI rail) should be lessons learned. They appear to be too much of a liability besides their cost to build.

http://actionamerica.org/houston/whambamtram.html

You people just don't understand.

How are we going to be like that liberal Mecca San Fran without a trolley?

We need public transportation no matter in what form, practicality, or at what cost. Dammit! Weren't the million dollar bus stops enough to convince you nonvisionary luddites of that???

I really don't know why I waste my time trying to improve your miserable little lives sometimes.

Don't let the door hit your narrow ass on the way out. Take your turf, your trolley, and your Gestapo with you. Maybe you can do a deal with North Korea or Saudi Arabia.

Good bye and good riddance Sharon Bulova and all your cronies and family members.

Bring it right over here to the Parklawn Pool where I can get good cell service from the new tower.

Can't wait for Columbia Pike to start looking like Wilson Blvd, fancy restaurants with $5 pints, and fancy stores with fancy people.

I recall hearing that there were two studies done. Both determined that the trolley's would NOT improve traffic or mass transit. They are being put in only for tourism value only. In other words, Sharon Bulova wants her legacy to say..."I brought back the trolley to the County".

Two Cents Wrote:
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> I recall hearing that there were two studies done.
> Both determined that the trolley's would NOT
> improve traffic or mass transit. They are being
> put in only for tourism value only. In other
> words, Sharon Bulova wants her legacy to say..."I
> brought back the trolley to the County".

She's off her trolley. The last time I drove on Columbia Pike it looked like a third world shit hole. Are we providing this service for illegals only?

TheConductor Wrote:
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>
> She's off her trolley. The last time I drove on
> Columbia Pike it looked like a third world shit
> hole. Are we providing this service for illegals
> only?


No shit, that's why they're building it. Arlington knows what they are doing, they want to turn South Arlington into North Arlington.

Two Cents Wrote:
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> I recall hearing that there were two studies done.
> Both determined that the trolley's would NOT
> improve traffic or mass transit. They are being
> put in only for tourism value only. In other
> words, Sharon Bulova wants her legacy to say..."I
> brought back the trolley to the County".


Her legacy is the number of people who lost their homes because busybody neighbors called people in to Code Compliance, Sharon Herries for one, she was a valued employee of Craven's Nursery until she had to live on the street.

The County tossed her belongings into dumpsters and then condemned and sold her home. I hope Bulova dreams about the poor woman and her aged mother huddled over a heat pipe in winter. That's a legacy for you.

This won't work either. Can't Fairfax County get anything right?

Planned stops for the welfare office, social security office, day labor center and the hospital.

Who owns the property along the proposed right of way, who is doing the design and engineering work, who will build the cars, etc.?

The stench of corruption rises from Columbia Pike.

C-Pike FOLLY Wrote:
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> There's a reason these things died out...

Yes, there certainly is. It's called the Great American Streetcar Scandal.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy

The new streetcar will enliven the Bailey's Crossroads area. Well done supervisors!

The Hard Truth Wrote:
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> C-Pike FOLLY Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There's a reason these things died out...
>
> Yes, there certainly is. It's called the Great
> American Streetcar Scandal.
>
> http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_stre
> etcar_conspiracy

BRING EM BACK

yea costwise it won't make sense EXCEPT for the government people who live nearby who's property value will go UP

BTW: it better be classy, like wood and brass with style, not plastic and aluminun like a dam can (like metro). otherwise it will decrease property value instead of increase it, shortly. do it right or don't do it.

BTW: if you do build the blasted thing think of long term maintenance. the san-fran one was built by engineers that made a system that would last eons: like old chicago machines do. you can't be building modern crap from china parts and be replacing the core of the thing every 10 years with foreign labor on a 2nd guess form of transportation: it will kill the county budget (as if it were budgeted).

Like "modern" roller coasters these days that go 90mph and kill the occupants because the fail. costs a ton to buy and "design" these coasters. it's called: really damn bad engineering. what kid needs to go 90mph to have fun? why were the old coasters fun at safe speeds. and after all that "modern engineering" why are the things killing the riders. where are the damn excuses? think damn it!! and are coasters better than "gotta dance" or dolphins or a safari on a hot day? bite your toung. modern coasters suck.

oh no more stupid projects Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From the latest "Bulova Byline":
>
> "In partnership with Arlington County, our Board
> recently approved the planning and design of the
> Columbia Pike Streetcar Project, which will span
> five miles from Pentagon City in Arlington to the
> Bailey's Crossroads revitlaization area in
> Fairfax. The approved agreement lays out how
> Fairfax and Arlington will share costs for this
> next step. Arlington will pay for 80.4% of these
> costs and Fairfax County will pay for the
> remaining 19.6%."
>
> Isn't this wonderful, a ridiculous project Fairfax
> taxpayers will be asked to support.
>
> Is there a "report" or "study" justifying this one
> as well? Who will make the trolleys? Who owns the
> properties along the right of way? Where's Boss
> Tweed when you need him?


Without a doubt, the biggest waste of space, time and money. Taking right of way away from SOVs and turning it over to nostalgia freaks.

Streetcars were money losers built by land developers before cars were cheap enough for factory workers to afford.

They never made money and were taken over by localities who had to subsidize their operation in every city where they operated.

Dumb waste of energy.

I can just imagine what the Culmore Station of this would be like. It is such a bad idea, whoever thought of it should be thrown out of office today (if elected) or just fired if a government employee.

The real investigation needs to be of who would profit from this, that means who owns the land along the proposed right of way?

I would like to see the trolley service expanded and extended all the way to Gainesville. I think they could install track in one of the present I-66 lanes. I think it should be free during midday but they can charge like $15 per ride during rush hour.

Oh come on, they are so cute when I see them driving around at Disneyland

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Someone who owns property along the right of way should sell it at an inflated price to some insider who is convinced the trolley project is happening.

Then, that person needs to join with the rest of us to get it cancelled.

Insider gets screwed. Poetic justice, they probably got a bailout.

Citizens Against the NRA! Wrote:
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> Oh come on, they are so cute when I see them
> driving around at Disneyland

They will probably look like this:

Cool, overhead wires to power the thing. How many Locusts will get fried trying to steal electricity thinking it's "safe" voltage?
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We must get our citizens to the welfare office as soon as possible. The Trolley seems the best way.

Burnt Toast Wrote:
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> .


Ironic considering this is the "faux trolley bus" that some want to replace the streetcar with.

The first concept for this was a light rail line btw, its because of spend all money on highway folks that its become watered down to a street car, and soon to be watered down to a bus.

Its not about the number of buses, its about timing and being mixed in with other traffic. Light rail would have been more expensive but atleast it would have been isolated from traffic, making it a good solution. Now its all a waste of money however you cut it.

Either spend the real money and do the shit right, or fuckin tell people who live further out to suck your dick and enjoy traffic.

Yo, Fairfax Fuckers,

This is how it's gonna be. See, Arlington needs a streetcar line. We have metro but that doesn't do everything and we sure as hell don't want you little piss-ants driving. (Fuck you for building I-66 through our pristine community, by the way).

So we need this motherfucking streetcar line and you're going to give it to us.

Yeah, you are. Now go fuck yourselves you sons a bitches and stay the goddamn fuck out of our county.

-Chris Zimmerman, Arlington County Board

Zimmerman is a douchebag. Then again, Arlington County is like utopia for douchebags.

I live off Columbia Pike in Arlington.I'm probably part of the riffraff that scares some visitors to the Pike(even though I'm white!?)I ride the bus every day,and the trolley is not being built for the likes of me.I'm told that it will make public transportation acceptable for people who don't care to ride the bus.People who live on the Pike&never ride the bus will probably ride the trolley til the novelty wears off,or til they see a speck of dirt,or a scary person. Meanwhile the trolley will bleed money that could be used to improve bus service in Arlington.

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Instead of putting up a statue of her, they should just hand out free money every year on her birthday.

They should also have an annual competition to propose ways to waste money foolishly.

Why don't they add more buses instead of spending all the cash on trolley's
Clang clang clang went the trolley. Or everybody is doing the trolley thing these days and why not Arlington and Fairfax County jump on the trolleywagon too! Even if it costs oodles and oodles of cash and the libraries are getting even more cut backs.

I presume this trolley thing is part of some redevelopment scheme. Oh look trolley's, they're so cute. But won't this redevelopment bring to an end a lot of low cost housing in the area to make way for luxury condo's and such? I noticed the former illegal Hispanic who rose to Chairperson of the Arlington County board lent full support for the trolley. Thus turning on his own people who will have to scatter to the outer suburbs to find affordable housing.