Members of Reconnect Rochester had a unique opportunity Monday afternoon.  We were invited to sit in and participate in a roundtable discussion featuring representation of the Genesee Transportation Council, the Empire State Passengers Association, the Rochester Rail Transit Committee, and the keynote speaker of that evening’s lecture, John Robert Smith.

Not all of the biggest statements came from Smith himself, but his insight into federal agencies and funding acquisition from said agencies was very valuable to our coalition. Also heartening was the recognition by all parties of potential energy realities. This acceptance set the imperative tone regarding the necessity for improved transit in the region.

Smith’s greatest criticism, one that was repeated during the public lecture, was a lack of obvious attraction marketing, and the associated transportation options, to downtown hotel guests and travelers who arrive by train. The implication is that we aren’t successfully steering travelers with money to spend to restaurants and other cultural amenities. A set of newer signage as part of an enhanced wayfinder system was installed recently, but it is proving to be geared toward motorized tourist travel.

A narrated tour that Mr. Smith received from the Design Center’s Roger Brown immediately prior to our meeting provided him a glimpse of the built, natural, and streetgrid environments. From this impression, John Robert proclaimed that the Main Street corridor from the Cascade District to the East End would make an excellent fixed-rail transportation candidate. Also noted was the physical orientation of the original train station and the plaza (now occupied by Greyhound), that could lead to a transit gateway/spine for the region at the advent of a non-shared right of way, more reliable rail service.

According to Smith, this national Department of Transportation detests structures like our inner loop, chokers of connectivity and pedestrian activity, and a contributor to the feeling that the train station/post office are somehow out of downtown, which is historically not the case. Operatives in this administration have been involved in senate committees for years learning the ropes while their ideas were largely stifled. Now the same people wield great transformative power to the benefit of our built environment. This broad authority and funding stream should help to bridge the issues encountered by overlapping constituencies and the multiple layers of bureaucracy with divergent interests seen in New York State/City/County relations.

The big programmatic takeaways for those in the group include a pair of resources developed by Smith’s national coalition, Reconnecting America. The Transit Technologies Worksheet is a review of specifications of the seven standard types of transit technology. The Federal Transit Administration shares a collection of documents on Transit Oriented Development that function as a manual and were also prepared by Smith’s Reconnecting America. These resources will be permanently linked to in the sidebar henceforth.

The big lecture event, which was reasonably well attended, served as an opportunity for John Robert to apprise the community at large of Reconnecting America’s mission within the context of what that national organization can do for regional planning in terms of long-term techinical support lent for the duration of transit oriented developments.

An increasingly self evident set of 21st century challenges – gasoline prices, energy concerns, changing demographics, and a broken infrastructure system – provides us with an imperative for sustainable transportation systems. An impending affordability crisis, decling public health statistics, a desire to be economically competitive globally, and a desire to see true community revitalization are all aspects of a coming reality that demand efficiency in the transportation equation for the future.

Smith notes that transit demand is at a 40 year high, that demand for walkable urbanism is increasing in terms of percentage of the housing market, and that TOD investments in an area generally halve the number of car trips in that same area. These types of demand-related factoids translate quickly into increased property value and leveraged development in the immediate vicinity of major transit nodes. Meridian, Mississippi, a much smaller city than Rochester that Smith shepherded for 4 mayoral terms leveraged $135 million in development on a $6.5M intermodal station development.

Smith’s advice to Rochester on the whole is to develop a multi-sector investment strategy for transit oriented development. Investing in existing places is cited as the first example of playing to our own unique strengths as a region. In addition to this, the preservation of the city core through restoration/reuse projects (we cannot allow the loss of the Post Office Building in the event of abandonment) is of paramount importance.

The future of this or any community hinges on the following concepts, all of which are likely to be discussed at the speech and reception: 

• Municipal Administration
  Elected mayor of Meridian, Mississippi in 1993 and serving until 2009, Smith can speak to hurdles in dealing with agencies numbering a dozen or more on a single project.
• Transit-Oriented Development
  His Meridian Union Station restoration effort has driven increased property values, increased city tax receipts, decreased crime, and leveraged over $8 million in private investment in the Depot District immediately adjacent to the station.
• Reconnecting America
  While also the name of the national non-profit dedicated to promoting transit-oriented development presided over by Smith, Reconnecting America could be used to describe J.R.’s way of life.  Smith has been Chairman of Amtrak’s board of directors, Vice-Chair for Rail Policy of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Co-Chair of the National Forum on the Future of Passenger Rail.
• Multi-Modality
  Smith’s Reconnecting America’s Transportation Networks program focuses on linking our separate aviation, rail and intercity bus systems into an integrated network in order to improve economic productivity, enhance consumer choice and value, and improve environmental performance and energy efficiency.

To fully appreciate Smith’s influence, ability, and vision, one must take a closer look at his crown jewel, the Meridian Union Station restoration, a fitting gateway to the city. 

The Meridian Terminal Company completed construction of the original station in 1906 at a cost of $250,000.  By 1966, only the east wing of the depot, sans its trademark central tower, remained.  Jumping forward nearly 30 years, under the leadership of Mayor John Robert Smith, Union Station was developed as the catalyst that would spark the re-birth of the Depot District. 

Following a series of town meetings, architectural plans were developed and the Union Station tower was reconstructed to house Amtrak, Greyhound, and the Meridian Transit System, with taxi service to the Meridian Regional Airport, and office space for Norfolk Southern Railroad. Meeting rooms on the mezzanine level of the iconic tower reproduction were designed for community activities, the existing east wing was renovated as the home of the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation and an old Railway Express Agency building was converted into a railroad museum. 

The project evolved into an undertaking that had a total construction price tag of approximately $6.5 million, including $5.1 million in federal and state contributions, $1.3 million from the city and $431,000 in contributions from Amtrak.  The number of passengers originating from or arriving at the station via Amtrak, Greyhound buses, and Meridian Transit System buses averages 242,360 per year in a city of only about 38,000 (~79,000 in county). 

The station has encouraged significant private investment in the Depot District in the form of office space, retail shops, a data processing/computer training center, upper-story apartments on the west side of Front Street, two hotels – the Terminal Hotel and the Union Hotel, the newly renovated Rosenbaum condominiums, two restaurants, and vital records storage buildings.

Beginning with this mental image in a significantly smaller metropolitan area, what are the possibilites for a region such as Rochester/Monroe County in terms of multi-layer intermodal transit solutions?  We sincerely hope you’ll attend Mr. Smith’s lecture with us, Reconnect Rochester, and we’ll find out together.  For more details and ticketing options, please visit the RRCDC’s Reshaping Rochester Lecture Series.

the media

The format of the meeting was more like a career-fair than a town hall meeting. No chairs, no stodgy panel or podiums. There were 4 tables set up with various representatives from the City, and various stakeholders to take comments, questions, and input. Maps of the downtown study area were on display as well as PowerPoint presentations showing the results of the Commuter Survey—which is still in progress, and if you work downtown you should really take it .

Of course I made my plea to consider the economic and social benefits that a streetcar line could have. Everyone I spoke with seemed very receptive. All public input was written down on giant board room memo pads. Several people made suggestions related to bike issues… bike lanes, bike racks, public lockers and so on.

Many people had questions about how the RTS bus network would be affected, and the answer is that it won’t be affected at all. At least not as a result of this study. I was told there may be a separate study for that.

Another common topic of discussion was the study area itself. Several people, myself included, asked for points outside the study area to be included. Areas like the University of Rochester and the Art Walk neighborhood seemed to be popular.

There was one off-the-wall idea which I thought was worth mentioning. One gentlemen thought the inner loop should be turned into an underground parking facility—instead of just filling it in. I’m kind of surprised no one mentioned a valet service. Well, there’s still time. Send any last minute ideas or input to the city’s Transportation Specialist, Mr. Erik Frisch, at (585) 428-6709, or email him.

The potential rewards and benefits of a circulator are enormous. Giving people the ability to move between points of interest without being tied to an automobile will make our region a more attractive location for businesses, residents, and visitors. According to the Center for Transportation Excellence a $10 million investment in public transportation typically results in a $30 million gain in sales for local businesses and more than 570 jobs are created.

But not all circulators are created equal. Rochester tried shuttle buses once before. Remember the EZ Rider? Why were those blue and yellow shuttle buses so unsuccessful? Did they serve the wrong locations? Were they unattractive? Are Rochesterians just too attached to their cars? We don’t believe so. We believe the problem with EZ Rider was that it was only a half-hearted attempt to implement the kind of system this town really needs.

This Monday, 3/22 from 4pm to 6pm…

The City will hold a public meeting to discuss commuting to and traveling within Downtown Rochester and take input on the Center City Circulator Study. NOW is your chance to contribute and help with the effort to reconnect Rochester. We won’t get a second chance to show up.

Location:

Rochester Public Library
Kate Gleason Auditorium
115 South Avenue (Map it )
Park in the Court Street Garage and enter the library on the ground floor. The garage is attached to the library.

Learn more about the Center City Circulator Study

Representatives from the City, Monroe County DOT , RGRTA , GTC , and RDDC will be on hand to take questions and input.

survey

Although the survey only mentions RTS Buses and Shuttle Buses as options for mass transit commuters, there is a comment box on the very last page. This is your opportunity to voice support for a downtown streetcar circulator. We want the City to give strong consideration to the impact that a streetcar line could have on economic development in Rochester. A shuttle bus is a nice idea but will have the same effect. So be sure to leave a comment in that final box!

Read Rochester’s Case for a Streetcar Line, then PLEASE take the survey and forward it to your co-workers. Plans for downtown are being made. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY.

PLEASE PLEASE take the survey!

…Okay great, now here’s an update. Since that article, traffic to RochesterSubway.com has doubled, our Facebook fan club has grown from 100 to over 400 (and counting), and my inbox hasn’t had a moments rest. This is all very encouraging and a sure sign that the people of Rochester really want to see their city thrive. The big question is; do the people of Rochester care enough to make an effort? All signs point to yes. So far we’ve got 12 people (including myself) who have risen to the challenge. Together we will lead a city wide movement to Reconnect Rochester.

Last Saturday morning, one day after a northeast blizzard moved thru our area, 5 passionate Rochesterians dug there way out of their homes and met me for lunch at Legend’s Bar & Grill. Against the backdrop of a bus-lined Main Street we introduced ourselves and got right down to swapping ideas about how we could help put Rochester back on track—pun intended…

Some people around the table already had years, if not decades, of experience advocating for rail transit in Rochester. DeWain Feller, Chairman of RRTC and Christopher Burns, CEO of Rochester Trolley & Rail Corporation have both led similar initiates in the past and freely offered up their experiences and sage-like wisdom. There was Phill B., a law student at UB who took time away from his studies to drive here from Buffalo. Bob, an electrical engineer who regularly blogs about urban development. And Matt Grammatico, son of powerhouse vocalist and songwriter Lou Gramm—no kidding. This group was off to a good start and within days of our initial meeting the group doubled in size.

Howard Decker, FAIA quickly accepted an invitation to help out. If you haven’t already discovered his great commentary on our city please check out his site A Town Square – Conversations About Where We Live . Howard has spent a lot of his professional life working on transit systems. He helped design Chicago’s unbuilt lightrail system in the early 90s, and worked on Houston’s most recently. He has also done transit architecture for subways, elevated and heavy rail.

Another notable member of our new group is Carlos Mercado. Carlos has been an active reader of RochesterSubway.com since the beginning and I was thrilled when he jumped at the chance to participate. He is a retiree from International Banking and has been a local rail transit advocate since the mid 70’s. A member of RRTC, Carlos once presented a concept for a Downtown Heritage Trolley Circulator to folks including Carlos Carballada, Economic Development Commish. His plan called for an initial two mile line from Kodak Office/High Falls on State St. to East and
Alexander via Main St.

Fast forward one week and we’ve now got 15 brilliant members including architects, engineers, and city planners… people with experience in business, law, and marketing… people with a love for Rochester and a desire to improve it.

Reconnect Rochester: Mission

Have you ever wondered why “dinner and movie” involves 3 car trips in this town? Or why all of our open spaces are filled with parking spaces? Maybe our great-grandparents had it right. What if walking really is good for us? What if two cars and free parking isn’t our God-given right? What if Rochester made an effort to (re)build on strategies that made our city great in the first place? Maybe it’s time to take a step back—into the future.

We are citizens and champions of the greater Rochester New York area. We advocate for a new multimodal surface transportation network as a means to increase our region’s economic competitiveness, mobility, and quality of life. Working together we will help shape regional policies that ensure the success of that network and our region’s long-term economic development.

Get Ready to Roll Up Your Sleeves

While we’re working on our web site, www.ReconnectRochester.org you can fan us on Facebook to keep up on what we’re up to. Join in the discussions and stay tuned for public events. Want to do something to help right now? Tell your friends. Help us get the ‘buzz’ going.

America seems to have taken a renewed interest in mobility. Maybe due to President Obama’s recent commitment to high speed rail—or perhaps the positive results seen in towns like Portland and Denver have caught our collective attention. Whatever the reason, from the top down, people are rethinking our automobile-oriented culture—and getting excited about the possibilities.

There’s also good reason to focus on transportation as a way of jump-starting economic development. Industry requires access to people. And people need to have easy access to centers of employment. Continually improving access makes further development possible. Interrupting access will have the opposite effect. Likewise, doing nothing or simply maintaining existing infrastructure for an extended period of time will also hinder development.

For 30+ years Rochester has relied on the infrastructure choices it made in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. At that time we made development choices that encouraged our population to emigrate from the downtown core. We scrapped our extensive streetcar system, choked off downtown with the construction of the inner-loop, and paved super highways to take us from the city to the NY State Thruway and beyond. Since then that’s exactly where our money, our workforce, and our future have gone—down I-490 and out of state.

Rochester Deserves Better

Cities across the country from Portland to Denver to Kenosha WI have adopted urban planning strategies that are helping to catapult their towns ahead of the competition. One key lesson we should learn from these places is that it takes a fully integrated transportation strategy to create an environment that is conducive to growth. This strategy should include automobiles, buses, rail transit, bicycles, and pedestrians. For Rochester’s city core these focus areas translate in the following ways:

Issue 1: Roadways and Parking
Rochester drivers usually find little to complain about other than a few potholes in the winter months. Maggie Brooks would even say our roadways are “highly satisfying”. Our biggest problem is that we’ve got too many roads to maintain. And even parking downtown is typically not a problem—especially at night and on weekends.

Issue 2: RTS Buses and the Broken “Hub and Spoke”
The small segment of the population that ride the bus will tell you it’s an okay system if not for the “hub and spoke” route setup. Just ask travelers who have to transfer downtown to get to locations across town—it’s confusing, a waste of time, and widely unpopular. The hub and spoke system also causes problems for downtown businesses due to the large number of riders waiting on Main Street to make their connections. You’d think crowds of people on Main Street would be a good thing. But not in this case .

Issue 3: Cyclists
Area cyclists generally love the Erie Canal bike path. But most will readily testify to the lack of bike lanes anywhere in the county—let alone in the city.

Issue 4: Pedestrians
Well, we couldn’t find any pedestrians to ask. And I’m not being facetious. This is a serious problem for Rochester. And it’s become our “chicken and the egg”. How do we attract pedestrians with the few businesses we have downtown? How do we attract businesses to downtown with the little traffic we have?

Fixing downtown will require us to take a hard look at each of these issues. We simply can’t address one without addressing them all. That leads me to…

Issue 5: Rail Transit
Duh, it’s non-existant. Yet there are great rewards that can be attained here. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “OH here we go again, this guy’s going to try and shove another ferry down my throat.” Just hear me out. I’m not lobbying for a giant commuter rail network—Rochester (as it is today) can’t support that. I am advocating for a short streetcar line — 8 to 10 miles — to connect the University of Rochester with Main Street and the East Ave district. That is a very achievable goal for Rochester.

Are Streetcars A Fit For Rochester?

When you think of rail transit you probably think of larger cities like Denver or Seattle. But streetcars come in various flavors—making them the ideal solution for nearly any size town. While it doesn’t hurt for us to take pages from the planning playbooks of larger cities, it’s towns like Kenosha Wisconsin and Savannah Georgia that should get us excited. Both of these cities are smaller than Rochester and have fewer people and thinner population densities—by more than half! Both of these cities have installed heritage streetcar lines within the past 10 years for less than $8 million combined. And both cities are now seeing once abandoned industrial corridors transformed into upscale development. We’ll take a closer look at these and other case-studies in a future post.

Encouraged by a few key signs, I think it’s very reasonable to assume streetcars can be a viable asset for our community over the long haul. First, RTS ridership continues to increase. According to Authority CEO Mark Aesch, ridership was up by ten percent from 2008 to 2009—while the national average was 4 percent. 1,700,000 more people got on an RTS bus in 2009 than did the year before—over 46,000 per day on average. Second, several large businesses have moved or are currently making plans to move into downtown. In addition, the residential market has shown signs of life over the past few years and additional developments are planned (including Midtown and Main & Gibbs). Downtown is ready for development to take off but there needs to be more incentive—a catalyst. Now consider this—new streetcar lines always, always, get more passengers than the bus routes they replace. Not only that, they attract development and businesses because investors like the permanence of streetcar lines. Bus routes come and go, but rails rarely pick up and move.

Other Key Benefits to Streetcars

1. Rochester once had one of the most extensive streetcar networks in the world. For 50 years Rochester streetcars were widely used. They were privately owned & operated and were profitable. We know they can work here. They are tested and proven.
2. Streetcars are generally much less expensive to install and maintain than any other form of rail. The cars themselves are smaller and the right-of-ways are already available to us.
3. Streetcars are versatile and they are designed to fit in with their surroundings. They have the ability to operate along side vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and on many different types of alignments including city streets, residential streets, walkways, and green-ways.
4. Streetcars are typically electric and are extremely quiet and clean (no more stinky buses on Main Street). And because they run on electricity they can be powered with domestic energy supplies and not foreign oil.
5. Streetcars are not subways that hide underground, nor are they commuter trains that race through the countryside. Streetcars are highly visible and a very attractive amenity for potential city residents and businesses. They would become a symbol of Rochester and another selling point for our area.
6. Streetcar lines are being built again all over the country and work just as well now as they did in the 1950’s when the federal government pulled the rug out from under them. Streetcars are not a new idea. People are familiar with them and they are commonly associated with “better places to live”.
7. Streetcars appeal to middle and upper-middle-class people who have money to spend in stores, restaurants, and area businesses. Buses don’t attract many riders of choice.
8. Developers are attracted to areas with streetcars because those streetcar lines represent a commitment to lasting, high quality transit service that they can count on for years to come. A bus route can disappear over night.
9. A streetcar will never ship people to Toronto for them to spend money outside of Rochester. It would strictly serve the people and businesses in our area.
10. We can start small and expand later. We’re not commitment to building something based on pure speculation **COUGH**FAST FERRY*. A streetcar line can start small and expand as it proves itself with ridership and private investment.

And the benefits go on and on. This one key investment could change everything for Rochester.

My proposal is this… A streetcar line should run east/west through the center of downtown Rochester connecting some of the most vibrant and vital areas of Rochester’s core with the areas that are primed and ready to benefit the most.

Proposed Initial Streetcar Route (click to open in Google Maps)…

An initial 5 mile route (9.5 track miles) could connect an amazing array of neighborhoods and assets including:
• University of Rochester
• 19th Ward neighborhood
• Cornhill neighborhood
• Monroe County Civic Center
• War Memorial Arena
• Main Street Four Corners
• Riverside Convention Center
• Main Street & Clinton
• Midtown Plaza & Business District (Xerox, B&L, Paetec, etc.)
• Eastman Theater
• Museums and Art Gallery District
• Park Ave neighborhood

Possible Streetcar Extensions (click to open in Google Maps)…

With an additional 5.2 track miles (above) we could eventually extended service to include:
• Greater Rochester International Airport
• Amtrak Rail Station

The key to this idea would be getting RTS on board. Because overlapping a streetcar with bus routes doesn’t make much sense. Streetcars and buses need to work in tandem. That is, the streetcar line should cut thru downtown via Main Street, allowing north/south bus routes to feed into it at multiple points along its east/west route. The streetcar line would essentially become the “spine” of a modified RTS network… replacing the “hub and spoke” system and doing away with the pile of bus traffic at Main and Clinton. Bus transfers would still be made downtown but the streetcar would serve as a circulator. This would probably require 3-5 streetcars to be running simultaneously in order to provide a short enough headway for riders to make their connections easily. Here’s a look at how RTS bus routes would feed into this initial streetcar line…

*Thanks to Bob at urbanchamp.blogspot.com for his work on these bus routes. See his Toronto streetcar case-study .

Envisioning Streetcars in Rochester

Imagining a streetcar in downtown Rochester is not a difficult thing to do. During the first half of the twentieth century local companies built and operated one of the largest streetcar networks in the world—right here in Rochester. It almost didn’t matter where you lived or what street you worked on—most people could hop on a trolley in front of their home and ride it downtown. These beautiful workhorses helped build this town—their removal from our landscape left Rochester with a scar that has never fully healed. The picture above is painful for many of us. It’s a look at what we had and have lost. But the amazing thing about this photo is that it can also be a blueprint for our future.

Rochester has a vision plan for its future…it’s true. “A Vision for the Future” is a community-based vision plan for downtown Rochester. It was developed and presented to the City of Rochester in 2007/2008 by the Rochester Regional Community Design Center . A few of the recommendations made in this plan have been studied and are being implemented (i.e. Way-finding signage and landscaping improvements throughout the city). This is a good start but as time goes by and City leaders come and go, much of this vision plan may never get the attention it deserves. In my opinion there is one recommendation in this plan that has the ability to jump-start development throughout the core of the city and ignite economic growth. A trolley system. See page 109 of the report .

The report focuses on Main Street as the obvious route for a contemporary streetcar line, citing the “physical majesty” of the area and its potential for becoming a “vibrant and symbolic heart of the community” as it once was. The plan also calls for many other aesthetic and functional improvements to Main Street such as giant planters that would separate pedestrian areas from traffic and curb extensions at all intersections. But the crown jewel would be the trolley line running east and west on both sides of the street—sharing the traffic lane closest to the curb with vehicular traffic. Transit shelters would be accommodated at intersections in the new curb extensions. It suggests contemporary-looking trolley cars, reflective of historic streetcars but not copies, distinct in color and pedestrian-friendly in appearance. It goes on to mention state-of-the-art electronic schedule/arrival announcement systems—but those are window dressings and we haven’t built anything yet. After all, a report is just a report if no one is willing to do anything with it. My intention is to take this ball and run with it.

Almost forgot, the video below will give you an idea for how streetcars operate in city streets and what they’re like on the inside. Although nothing is quite like the experience of actually riding in one.

Not With My Tax Dollars

No doubt the main argument against this idea will be “This is NOT Denver or Portland. Rochester is small, and we’ve got bigger problems for our tax dollars to solve.”

Well guess what. I agree—sort of. While I do agree that Rochester has very pressing needs that must be addressed immediately such as schools and public safety, I also know this: Any good business person will tell you if you’re not investing in your business it will fail. Rochester can be thought of as a business—and we are in direct competition with other small and midsize cities in NY and across the country. We compete with other cities for development and investment dollars. We compete with other communities for businesses and the tax dollars they provide. And we compete for population—which in return provides a work force as well as consumers who feed new development and businesses. As a community we need to make sure we’re continually investing in our schools and improving public safety while SIMULTANEOUSLY planning for long-term improvements in other things like infrastructure. If we can bring more people downtown, our schools benefit.

Rochester is small but our city is filled with smart, creative people and has access to incredible resources. With the right group of people and the right plan we can design and build a streetcar line that will drive development, create jobs, improve quality-of-life, and come to symbolize the spirit of this city—without diverting county or city tax dollars from other areas.

Uh, Just How We Gonna Pay For This?

Obviously costs would vary based on a number of things—project length, type of cars (modern vs retro), streetcar stops (simple or elaborate) and on and on. Streetcar lines are generally a third of the cost of light rail (per track mile) and a starter line can range anywhere from $2.6 million per mile for a retro trolley line in Kenosha WI, to $30 million per mile for an ultra-modern system in Tacoma WA with several intermodal connections. We’ll look at case-studies from other cities at a later date.

For now let’s use the 5 mile (end-to-end) route we talked about earlier. As a loop that route would be about 9.5 track miles. With a cost per track mile of, say, $5 million (assuming minimal road work) that’s about $50 million. Add 3 LRV cars at $2.2 million each (like the Portland example shown above) and that takes us to $56.6 million. Then we’d need a trolley barn/maintenance facility—let’s call it $60 million. Now keep in mind, we could reduce that 9.5 miles of track if we needed to for Phase 1. And it’s also important to consider that streetcars typically hold 2-3 times the number of riders and last at least twice as long as a transit bus. With all that in mind, funding could come from a combination of federal and/or local sources…

Federal Assistance

Federal funding such as the Small Starts program, SAFETEA-LU, and grants could account for up to 50% of initial costs. The good news is that in January, the Department of Transportation announced a major transportation policy shift. The D.O.T. indicated that “new funding guidelines for major transit projects would be based on livability issues such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, in addition to cost and time saved, which were previously the primary criteria.” This means the FTA will now evaluate the environmental, community, and economic development benefits provided by transit projects, not just congestion relief benefits. This change opens up new possibilities if we were to consider applying for federal assistance. The downside to federal assistance, however, is in the red tape. The required environmental studies and approval process add years to the length of any project. Not a deal-breaker, but we all saw what happened with Renaissance Square .

Local Ownership

There are plenty of local funding options to explore. Many streetcar lines across the country are supported by public-private partnerships, since the benefits of streetcars on development and redevelopment efforts include: reduced parking requirements, an additional amenity for visitors, and an increased market area as other visitors and transit riders are drawn to the line. Rochester has seen no shortage of community involvement from its business community. Think of how many local businesses and institutions would benefit from a line that runs from the University of Rochester, thru Corn Hill to the Four Corners, down Main Street, and up the East End to Museum Row. A project that is built as a local partnership will increases the community’s sense of ownership and will be more likely to succeed. Other funding options might include state infrastructure bank loans, city bonds, parking revenue, tax-break agreements, and private donations.

Fiscal Sustainability

Once the line is built revenue can be generated from fares and a variety of other ways. For example, advertising (inside and outside the cars), and naming rights. The city of Tampa FL sold naming rights to its entire system for $1 million and even sold naming rights to each of its cars and stations. Patrons can also buy name plaques for streetcar benches. And something else to think about, over time as streetcar ridership increases, RTS/bus ridership would probably increase as well resulting in increased fare revenue.

But I don’t want us to assume that a streetcar line will be profitable right out of the gate. An initiative that serves the public requires some level of commitment from the public. Mark Aesch, CEO of RGRTA said it himself, “Any operation that is focused on moving people around will lose money.” Thanks to decades of Federal investment in the automobile-driven economy, this is generally true. RTS is subsidized, Amtrak is subsidized, all our roads and highways are subsidized, airports and even the airlines themselves are subsidized.

The “bottom-line” for a project like this is not entirely black and white. The value of these systems can only really be calculated over time and by looking at the overall growth of an entire region. Think about it—you wouldn’t argue that all the sidewalks in the city should be torn up because they’re costing us money and we can drive everywhere we need to go.

Next Steps

This proposal is only a rough draft of an idea. My next goal is to build a team of creative and business-minded people who can move this idea forward. What I don’t want to do point to another city and say “let’s build that”. Rochester needs a tailored solution that leverages our unique set of assets—an idea that the people of Rochester can get behind.

If you have expertise or connections in any of the following areas and would like to help, please leave a comment or contact me:
Rochester/Monroe County Government
Transportation (especially rail transit)
Urban Planning
Engineering
Law
Business Development/Finance
Marketing

I’m looking forward to continuing this conversation and hearing your opinion. If you have ideas and would like to help or know someone else who can help please leave a comment or contact me.

Without you, this is just a dream.