Old Pueblo Trolley (Q2)
Submitted by:
W. Eugene Caywood, CEO
Richard G. Guthrie, President
Old Pueblo Trolley (OPT) supports the transportation plan in Question 2.
Critics have said there is nothing visionary in the plan. We disagree. The rail transit element is not only visionary, but is essential for the continued viability of the central city.
As more people and development expand the urban ring, the UA and downtown will continue to have the largest employment concentrations in the valley. If we continue to dramatically increase the number of trips made within the central city, it will soon begin to choke and die. We must provide alternatives for making some trips without an automobile.
The use of either modern or vintage electric streetcars (trolleys) as a serious form of urban transportation is not “far out”. It is an idea successfully embraced by a growing number of cities including San Francisco; Dallas; Memphis; Little Rock; Kenosha, WI; Portland, OR; Tampa and Tacoma. Full time streetcar service has become an important element in improving transit, aiding in economic development and revitalization in many of these cities.
While the focus of the plan is a modern streetcar, OPT is working with the city to ensure that the heritage trolley many Tucsonans have come to love, will be improved and continue to operate along with modern streetcars.
OPT began as a grass-roots, non profit, volunteer organization with the objective of returning streetcar service to Tucson. While we have now operated heritage trolleys part-time for 13 years, two obstacles have prevented achieving a viable, full-time trolley operation: inadequate funding, and inadequate access under the railroad tracks from 4th Avenue into downtown. The latter is about to be resolved by construction of a new 4th Avenue underpass. Now is the time to remove the first obstacle by approving the plan for a modern streetcar operation.
