Another College Town Considers Public Transit Options for Its Downtown

Ann Arbor, MI, has drawn comparisons to Berkeley for many reasons, not the least of which is that both cities house famous universities. The two now appear to warrant another comparison, as both are considering implementing overhauls to their cores that have the potential to substantially change their respective downtown areas. As The Ann Arbor News reports, Ann Arbor is currently considering the construction of a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system employing streetcars, a proposal that some argue would lend a “much hipper, urban feel to the city.”

Detractors from the proposal point to the costs associated with such a system, which have been suggested to exceed $50 million. Supporters, in response, point to the success of the recently completed LRT system of streetcars in Seattle, WA, which has seen ridership in the first six weeks more than double pre-construction estimates, totaling over 100,000. Rick Sheridan, the spokesperson for the Seattle Transportation Department, explains that people who would refuse to utilize other forms of public transportation have nevertheless embraced the streetcar system. Portland, OR, has seen similar success with its streetcar system, with ridership almost tripling in the last year to 11,000 riders per day. Moreover, streetcar systems from Portland to Tampa, Fla., have spurred investment in the surrounding areas: Portland has enjoyed $2.28 billion in investments in within a 2-block radius of the system since it was installed in 1997, while Tampa has seen a $1.2 billion investment within the same radius of its own system since completion in 2002.

Nevertheless, costs remain a significant hurdle to the construction of any LRT system. The cost of completing these systems in Seattle, Tampa and Portland, each of which installed roughly 2.5 miles of rails, have been $51m, $55m, and $57m, respectively. To cover these costs, those cities utilized a combination of public and private financing.

With respect to Berkeley, which is already considering some form of augmented public transit both within its own downtown area and to increase regional connectivity, the likelihood of adopting an LRT system seems small, as a recently commissioned study concluded that a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system would better serve the needs of the region. Nevertheless, the study did hold out the establishment of an LRT system as a longer-term goal for the area. In either event, the finding of increased investment in the area surrounding the transit route is heartening, as Berkeley has had difficulties in recent years attracting and retaining new businesses in its downtown area. Further, the city’s newfound commitment to “greening” the city would be well served by an augmented public transit system, and the success of the Portland and Seattle LRTs in attracting users that would otherwise not use public transit suggests that the construction of such a system in this area would advance these laudable environmental goals.


Tom Gantert, Some see streetcars in Ann Arbor's future, THE ANN ARBOR NEWS, Feb. 23, 2008.