Oh, you think so? That Church's is pretty popular… Smells terrible, but there are always people there.

Since no one else seems willing to make the comparison between the proposed Loop Trolley and Metro's new 99 Downtown Circulator ( http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/?p=10574#disqus_t… ), I will. The distances covered are similar, as are the target audiences (both tourists and local commuters). The two biggest differences are reality and costs (which are very much related). The downtown circulator is up and running, the trolley isn't, it's still being “studied”. Could it be that the <$2M Metro spent downtown (including all vehicle costs) is MUCH less than $50M+ we're throwing around here?! That there's actually a much higher base of riders? That the route actually serves destinations people want to go to? That there's a viable, albeit shaky, funding and maintenance model in place?

I get it. Some people have fond memories of the old streetcars. Others see where streetcars have been one of the catalysts for redevelopment (Portland). The reality is that Metro already offers a high level of transit service to the Loop (bus routes 1, 2, 16, 97 & G, in addition to Metrolink). Just building more, even if it's “new and wonderful”, does not guarantee success (see Memphis and Tampa, to name two attempts).

We face a real negative perception issue here when it comes to public transit, of any type – to too many people, it's perceived to be dangerous and “not for us”, whether it's in relation to the Galleria, St. Charles County or the two Metrolink stations that will be served by the trolley. Add in our penchant to build and use parking lots and garages (yes, even here), and we face major hurdles to successfully implementing this proposal. Yes, people will probably feel safe enough to wait for a trolley in the heart of the Loop, on Delmar, west of Metrolink. The real question is will they feel safe enough to wait at the station or at points east? Until that can be answered, I'll remain skeptical.

Will I use the trolley, if and when it's completed? Yes. I'm a bit of a transit nerd, and I'd want to try it. Would I use it frequently (more than once a week)? No. I don't use the Metro very frequently now, even thougn there's a bus stop less than a block away from home (with decent service) and Metrolink is 5 minutes away, with plenty of parking. It's just too damn easy to get in my truck and drive. Parking is easy on either end and I don't need to worry about schedules and connections. And based on Metro's ridership numbers, I'm not alone.

I fail to see where the Loop Trolley would offer any real advantage over driving, especially since the Trolley would be stuck in the same traffic along Delmar (and likely making it worse). Right now, I can drive to the Loop, park and walk. I can also drive to Metrolink, park, wait and pay for the train, transfer to another train, then walk, likely further, from the Delmar station, or I can wait for one of the existing buses. If and when the Trolley happens, I'd then have the options of a) avoiding changing trains on Metrolink, in exchange for a “scenic” trolley trip up Deballivere, or b) trading a bus ride for a streetcar ride, albeit by paying more. After any novelty (quickly?) wears off, it's going to boil down to time and money, along with perceptions and the realities of safety and convenience. Spending several million to make tranist of all types more acceptable to us mainstream riders needs to happen before we invest in speculative, allegedly-transformative ventures . . .

Streetcars becoming more favorable for the Feds to fund, Metro should think seriously about converting the MOS of Northside-Southside to a modern streetcar route.

Combined with the recent County tax levy and a possible Madison County tax, the Region could add three MetroLink lines within a decade, just the one in the City would be more of a “MetroTram” line.