I’ll admit to not having pored over the data about the alleged benefits of the Atlanta streetcar. To me, it seems like another bad idea for downtown aimed at our city’s favorite demographic — tourists.
How many Atlantans traverse between the King Center and Centennial Park? About as many who visit such downtown institutions as the Hard Rock Cafe and Hooter’s.
Is there any evidence the streetcar will alleviate traffic? Projections, maybe, but such estimations tend to be wildly optimistic. A claim that a streetcar will create “more than 5,600 jobs over the next 20 years” has already been debunked.
Hopefully I’m wrong, but, considering the recent history of downtown planning, you’d have to be naive not to be skeptical.
Streetcars make traffic worse. That is why they disappeared. I am just old enough to remember traffic having to wait on the passing of streetcars here in Savannah. This is merely another theft of public monies waiting to happen.