ReadysetDC A CREATIVE URBAN ENTERPRISE

Hill Rag Can’t See the Streetcar for the Trees

Photo: Neighborhoods.org

As the DC’s streetcar plans begin to take shape, most of the debate seems to be centered around the question: “Will the system use overhead wires?”

We’re big fans of streetcars at ReadysetDC, and would be happy to see DC’s system built, wires or no.  That being said, despite a current ban on overhead wires downtown, using them seem to be the path of least resistance in getting the system built.  Overhead wires have been used in hundreds of cities around the world, are proven to work, and can be built relatively cheaply and quickly.  Alternative technologies such as on-board batteries do exist, but they rely on new technology that hasn’t been extensively tested. Committing to untested technology means being the guinea pig,  paying for additional costs as unseen problems pop up and need to be addressed.

The stakes are high.  DC needs a streetcar system to solve its transportation needs, and we can’t afford to get hung up in endless debate on the overhead wire issue.  So when a local publication spreads disinformation about wires like the Hill Rag did in their latest issue, it needs to be called out. In an editorial, Monte Edwards uses a “kitchen sink” approach to defend DC’s overhead wire ban, using several different arguments, all of them based on falsehoods.

First, Edwards claims that “Overhead wires are vulnerable to ice storms”. With a little research, he would have found that overhead wires do just fine in much icier cities such as Boston, Buffalo, Baltimore, Minneapolis, and Denver. Even Ottawa, the frigid capital of Canada is considering a new light rail system powered by overhead wires.  Ironically, the old DC streetcar system frequently ran into problems with ice precisely because it didn’t use overhead wires.  In the old system, the electric wire ran in a groove underneath the rails. A hook from the streetcar slid through this groove, reaching the wire.  During the winter months, ice would frequently get stuck in the groove, stopping streetcars in their tracks causing delays.

Edwards goes on to say that overhead wires “hinder fire department ladders reaching upper stories. ” Apparently Edwards would have us believe that the hundreds of cities with streetcars have fire safety problems.  Fire departments simply shut off power at the nearest substation in the rare event that a ladder needs to be placed in direct contact with an overhead wire.

Lastly, Edwards claims that wires would destroy DC’s tree canopy:

Trees and overhead wires to not coexist well. Trees would need to be pruned, and in some cases removed, to make way for poles and station-stop bump-outs. In the suburbs you can see the grotesque pruning that results when trees are forced to compete with overhead wires.

Presumably to help make his point, a photo of  the Portland Streetcar accompanies the editorial, complete with overhead wires and a curious absence of trees. What Edwards neglects to mention is that photo was taken in the heart of the Pearl District, a post-industrial neighborhood which was all warehouses until 10 years ago.  Its not as if mature trees were cut down when the wires were erected; rather this area didn’t have any trees to begin with. If Edwards used a photo from the other end of the Streetcar line near Portland State University, he would have seen a very different picture: overhead wires coexisting peacefully with lush, mature trees.

The Triangle blog drove the point home by snapping a couple of pics using Google Streetview, to show other examples of overhead wires and trees existing side-by-side.

As the DC Streetcar plan moves forward, there is room for debate on the overhead wire issue,  but lets hope that publications weighing in on the issue will do a little more homework next time.