Will Dodging Trolleys Be En Vogue Again?

A quick trip through Sunset Park, Gravesend, DUMBO or Red Hook will show anyone that there is still evidence of what was once a vast Brooklyn Streetcar, or Trolley, network. Basically the buses of yesteryear, streetcars are now making a comeback in many cities around the world, as their benefits are now clearly seen. Although the idea of a Brooklyn streetcar network has been raised from time to time, funding has never really been there for one. But it appears that President Obama's Transportation Ray LaHood has a different view of funding priorities. From the Brooklyn Eagle:

"An article in the New York Times of Thursday, Jan. 14, quotes Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood as saying that administration officials are revising Bush-era guidelines that evaluated new transit projects solely on cost factors and by how much time they save commuters.

The new guidelines, he said, would also take into account how such projects would benefit the community as far as helping the environment, spurring local business and more."

Here's to hoping that it is a reality that local economic and environmental benefits will be weighed in local and national transportation funding decisions.