Provide a viable, and affordable, transportation option to help de-congest Broad Street, and spur more economic development for the City of Whitehall.
"When streetcars are introduced, development and increased property values show up" (Community Streetcar Coalition). Currently, there are not any streetcars in the Columbus region. The City of Whitehall should be the first to bring the streetcar back to life, which would help not only spur more development within the city but to also attract the millennial generation to live in Whitehall. The City of Whitehall, unfortunately, is currently without a city center. There is hope to have development along Yearling Rd to lead to a city center, which could be a great starting point for a streetcar circulator to take place. Have the streetcar hub located along Yearling Rd, which could be the main terminal. This could lead to having a downtown feel along Yearling Rd, and by implementing this streetcar traffic should be minimal.
Recommendation
We are recommending a trolley circulator loop in one of three locations..
- The Green line includes the Yearling Corridor going south to Main Street where it will then head West until Maplewood Ave, where it will go North to Broad Street, then back East to Yearling.
- The Purple line also includes Yearling Corridor going south, but will go East on Main Street to Hamilton Rd to go North to Broad Street, and then back West to Yearling.
- The Yellow line is proposed to go East on Broad Street, south on Hamilton Rd, West on Main st, then north on Maplewood back up to Broad st.
Figure 2
From the image above, the ideal line would be the Purple because it will include the new development at the south west corner of Broad and Hamilton rd. This proposed Purple line would also cater to the busier Broad and Main St, but also include Yearling and Hamilton. This small loop, which would be approximately 4 miles, would not just help reduce some of the traffic along broad. This loop would also help guide and incentivize new development along Yearling and Hamilton rd.
Strategies
- From the proposed routs, determine which would best suit the City of Whitehall, along with where to place new stops.
- Determine where to place the streetcar hub along Yearling Ave.
- Seek funding through grant opportunities for Streetcar circulator Grant Programs | FTA
MORPC Sustainability Agenda
A Streetcar circulator will help the City of Whitehall in their efforts to achieve the MORPC Sustainability Agenda's target, for the goals listed in the chart below. Depending on how aggressive the City is with this initiative will determine if the City achieves its 2020 target.
| Element | Description | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). | To save on fuel costs, but also to reduce amount of carbon emitted to the atmosphere |
| 1.2 | Reduce the percentage of commuters driving alone and increase the percentage of commuters riding transit, biking, or walking. | To save on fuel costs, but also to reduce amount of carbon emitted to the atmosphere |
| 1.6 | Reduce per capita energy consumption across all sectors. | To save on fuel costs, but also to reduce amount of carbon emitted to the atmosphere |
| 2.1 | Reduce emissions to meet federal air quality standards. | To save on fuel costs, but also to reduce amount of carbon emitted to the atmosphere |
| 4.4 | Target transit and bikeway infrastructure development to serve a higher number of people. | To save on fuel costs, but also to reduce amount of carbon emitted to the atmosphere |
To view the full MORPC Sustainability Agenda 2017-2020, please click on the link below,
MORPC SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA 2017-2020 document
Examples
The best representation for this idea revolves around the document Streetcar Economic Impact Study. This document showcases the economic benefit, and return on investment, for five streetcar projects in various cities across the United States. Even though the documented cities are larger in comparison to the City of Whitehall, the results should still show positive if a streetcar circulator is implemented.
Sources
- Community Streetcar Coalition. The Mobility Benefits of the Streetcar. October 2015. Online http://www.streetcarcoalition.org/pdf/mobilitybenefits201510.pdf. Accessed 12 April 2018.
Images:
- Red Streetcar. Rampart Streetcar, New Orleans, LA. Regional Transit Authority. Online http://norta.com/Getting-Around/Our-Streetcars. Accessed 12 April 2018.
- Map. Orion Thomas. Created February 2018.