Monday evening was the second of two informational meetings on the status of the Loop Trolley Project. The majority of the project remains the same – for better or worse – since the last series of meetings held in April of 2011 with one notable exception.
There will be a handful of incidences when the trolley track will cross Delmar Blvd as the trolley’s path moves from the middle of Delmar to the curb in order to meet station stops. NextSTL reports that this is due to complications with utilities under the street though I couldn’t get a representative from CH2M HILL or East West Gateway to either confirm or deny the validity of that statement.
The fluctuation in track placement will be problematic for cyclers traveling in The Loop to say the least. Trolley tracks are to be recessed into the roadway with an incision of about 2-3 inches wide – just large enough for a bike tire to get trapped and cause an accident. While I’ll be the first in line defending the need for a more diverse transit system, to add one form of alternative transit at the safety of another is simple inexcusable.
When pressed on the seriousness of the biker safety issue a representative from East West Gateway responded, “yes, bikers will just need to be a lot more cautious”. It seems the hazards are well-known yet the project must go on.
Other concerns of mine which continue to echo since last April are as follows:
- Even though the trolley will duplicate the service of the #97 Delmar bus there will be no fare integration between the two modes of transit. Riders will be expected to pay one fare to get to the trolley and a second to board the trolley, unless that is trolley proponents will be encouraging potential riders to drive to a trolley stop. St. Louis is already a fractured community; we do not need splintering continuing into the realm of alternative transit.
- Even though the trolley will ideally be used as a catalyst to foster additional development in The Loop, hours of operation remain from 11am – 6 pm Sunday – Thursday and 11 am – 1 am Friday – Saturday. These are not operating hours ideal for Loop residents, restaurants, clubs or bars. The only businesses that these stifled operating hours somewhat work for is retail. The glory that is transit oriented development (TOD) is mixed use integrated development. In order for a project such as this to foster TOD it has to create a mixed use foundation to build upon.
If The Loop Trolley Co is to succeed, it will need to produce TOD; something both Metro and Citizens for Modern Transit have largely failed to do. Other shortcomings aside, Loop Trolley’s success will lie in their ability to sell the need for TOD, sustainable growth and development to local developers who by and large don’t seem to get it.
