There has been a lot of talk recently about adding trolley service to the transportation mix in Washington. Advocates say that it is a highly efficient tool in that it can transport large numbers of people without adding anything to the air quality problem (assuming the vehicles are powered by electricity). They say that trolleys will provide a bit of nostalgia, as trolleys were a bit part of Washington’s transportation system back in the early part of the last century. Photographs from that era show trolley cars sharing the broad boulevards of downtown Washington with horse-drawn carriages and, later, with automobiles that were more often than not carrying only one passenger.
Because of that, I’m down in New Orleans for a couple of days to get a firsthand look at this city’s trolley system; one of the earliest and longest-running trolley systems in the country. My first impression is that these trolleys take up a very large amount of space. The run down the middle of Canal Street in a space that is wide enough for three or even four vehicular travel lanes. These trolleys are also very popular.
