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PORTLAND:
729 N.E. Oregon Street
Suite 115
Portland, OR 97232
t: (503) 231-2300
f: (503) 230-5413
WASHINGTON D.C.:
2267 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
t: (202) 225-4811
f: (202) 225-8941
| Streetcar: A Modern Marvel |
| Tuesday, 28 April 2009 | |
 While a member of the Portland, OR City Council, then-Public Works Commissioner Earl Blumenauer championed the reintroduction of Portland’s streetcar as a way to connect two major destinations: a teaching hospital and Portland State University. When it opened in July, 2001, the Portland Streetcar was the first modern streetcar to operate in a major US city in over 50 years. It soon proved to be an unqualified success, quickly passing its ridership projections and spurring the transformation of a former warehouse district into the City’s hottest real estate market. Other communities were quick to take notice, recognizing the potential that streetcar offered for their own urban areas. In response, Congressman Blumenauer introduced legislation in the 108th Congress, the “Community Streetcar Development and Revitalization Act.” This bill was folded into the 2005 federal transportation bill (the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users Act,” or SAFETEA-LU), creating created a new program aimed at smaller projects that emphasized economic development as well as ridership numbers. This “Small Starts” program would match local funds to provide start-up and capital funding to develop and expand streetcar projects. Under the Bush Administration, however, funding for the Small Starts Program proved problematic; the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) refused to include economic development criteria in its funding formula. As a result, federal funding for streetcar programs throughout the county languished. Today, however, it’s an entirely different story. The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill included $45 million for the Portland Streetcar Loop, which will extend the streetcar to the city’s east side. As new leadership in the FTA demonstrates support for the Small Starts Program, cities around the country are reactivating their applications for funding. Congressman Blumenauer will continue his tireless work to ensure that the new transportation bill, scheduled for authorization this year, includes a strong funding component for streetcars. It is especially rewarding to Congressman Blumenauer to see 25 years of streetcar advocacy and work come to fruition. Congress and the Obama Administration have taken the steps needed to make streetcars a viable component of America’s emerging low-carbon, economically sustainable future. Now it is up to our cities to embrace the Streetcar Renaissance, to make sure they capture the value of this proven technology for their own communities. 
The Portland Streetcar NATIONWIDE:Cities Rediscover the Allure of Streetcars
NATIONWIDE: Desire Grows for Streetcars OREGON: U.S. Transportation Secretary Calls Portland's Streetcar, Light Rail a "Model" for Nation OREGON: Streetcars Soon to Be Made in Oregon |
