Streetcars (Indianapolis, Lafayette, Fishers: fit in, house, school district)

[AGreekDude]

Why can't Indy get some cool streetcars. Look what it's done to Portland...billions in revenue.

http://www.portlandstreetcar.org/pdf...804_report.pdf

[domergurl]

Because public transit=death in Indianapolis.

[Michelle Morris]

You should send this whole report to the mayor!

[grmasterb]

It's being discussed, but it's a tough sell here.

[AGreekDude]

Indy wants to update areas around downtown and this is a fairly cheap way to do it. Streetcars are trendy and I don't think it would be a problem for most people to ride them. Talk about economic boom, Indy wants north Meridian to be a nicer area just throw one of these babies down it and see the progress.

[PhillyIndy]

It would be interesting if Indy did this but did it in an area that was really bad and tag on a mixed use residential thing (and a school grant).

Do you think you could get the people working for "The Lilly's" to move to an area
1) In town
2) With a proped up school
3) With a trolley running near by that took them to work.

Lilly would be on board as they at times have trouble recruiting peop0le and this might help.

Essentially, Stonegate but in town.

As for the school; see The Penn Alexandar school in Philly (Took the University and School district, but it has changed a rough area; $150k house now cost $500k)

Or is this all moot since the average commute in Indianapolis is like 20 minutes.....

[AGreekDude]

On average about 25 million a mile is what it costs to build the streetcar system. This is pennies when you consider the impact it would have. Yes I'm sure Lilly people live in Fletcher Place and Lockerbie Square which you could consider walking distance (I'm sure they still don't walk) and also Old Northside and the redeveloped area around Fall Creek. Running a streetcar around that area would be huge and imagine them packed on that think for a Colts game. I remember going to St. Louis on a Sunday and seeing all those Rams fans on that thing.

[Naptowner]

Some might live near downtown, but most of the high earners live in Carmel, Fishers, or Zionsville.

[PhillyIndy]

Originally Posted by Naptowner

Some might live near downtown, but most of the high earners live in Carmel, Fishers, or Zionsville.

MK as well

[Toxic Toast]

What if we linked IUPUI and Indiana Ave to Fountain Square through downtown? Virginia Ave is wide enough to run a street car to the square, why not do that and send it up east street into washington across to the canal and up west street to IUPUI. Connect that with a line downtown that runs north along delaware/penn/central/alabama/etc. toward the old north side through herron morton into fall creek place. As demand grows, you could continue running it up to 38th street along delaware or central. You could, long term, run the IUPUI leg up along Lafayette Road and connect Marian U with the car and Lafayette Square. This is something could hope to aid in the redevelopment of the 38th/Lafayette Rd area. Even longer term, you could run the fountain square line along shelby street toward UIndy and connect things like garfield Park.

Personally, I would rather see something like this as opposed to running a rail line to Hamilton County and DT Indy. If my tax money is paying for it, I want it to benefit Indy more than some Hamilton County commuter shuttle.

Pipe dreams though, pipe dreams.