Tucson 4th Avenue Streetcar - Essay Example

Tucson 4th avenue streetcar Introduction With a population of more than a half a million people, Tucson is the second largest city in the state of Arizona coming second to Phoenix, which is one hundred and sixty miles away. Additionally, the city has a metropolitan population of close to a million people thereby making it one of the most active cities in the state with numerous businesses key among which is tourism. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the city daily; furthermore, the city is expanding thereby making transportation an integral part in the development of the city’s economy. Transportation is pivotal in the development of any economy; it is with this understanding that the council government of the city of Tucson devised the plan to develop the streetcar. So far, the development plan is underway and the streetcar is soon getting an operation, however, the project draws a number of criticisms right from its planning to the effects of the finished railroad in the city. Efficiency in transportation reduces time lost in traffic thereby making the economy more efficient. For a long time the city of Tucson has merely relied on the efficient road network to provide connections to all the places within the city. The city has a dedicated metropolitan bus service coupled with a number of private taxi services that have by far ensured efficient transportation in and out of the city. However, the city just as any other part of the country is expanding. The city continues to attract more investors, which implies that more people move into the city all of who require effective means of transportation. This implies that while the sizes and the conditions of the road network have remained unchanged for quite some time, the demand has significantly increased resulting in both congestion in the public places such as bus stations and traffic jams on the roads and major highways. The city therefore needed some more radical means of transportation, one which could transport a large number of people and do so efficiently fast. This could drastically reduce congestion and save time. Expansion of the road networks seemed more expensive and had more severe economic ramifications, the rest of the world and even New York among other cities in the United States have all tried and tested the efficiency of streetcars a feature, which prompted the council government of Tucson to employ one. However, the cost constructing one would overburden the taxpayers, which is the key source of revenue for the council government. The project, which expected to complete in June 2013, had an initial budget of one hundred and fifty million dollars but that has since increased to two hundred million owing to readjustments on a number of construction features (Golem and Janet 33). The project draws its funding from the voter approved regional transportation authority and federal agents both of which rely on taxes. Once completed the project is expected to relieve the public transport system and revamp business in the city’s major business districts. The project has so far served as one of the highest employers in the city of Tucson, its construction process alone has caused more than a thousand temporary construction jobs but the streetcar project is expected to create more than two thousand permanent jobs once it gets operational. Additionally, more than twenty construction companies set up in the neighborhood to sustain the construction process. More than one thousand five hundred more people will be employed by the Sun Link Tucson Transport Company to sustain the entire transportation process. Furthermore, the electricity powered streetcar promises efficiency, The Sun Link Tucson, which is the company mandated with operating the streetcar, has a success history with managing public transportation and won the Best Transit system in 2005. It is therefore expected that the streetcar project will attain similar efficiency thereby decongesting the city. The mapping of the streetcar route passes through all the busiest locations in the city, which include the University of Arizona’s main gate, the Congress Avenue shopping and entertainment districts and the 4th Avenue business district. This implies that the streetcar integrates its operation of the previously existing public transportation facilities. The careful selection of these train stations shows the city planner’s intention of providing a faster and more convenient means of connection to these points. However, this may contradict the initial plan of constructing the streetcar, which was to decongest the city. The streetcar merely provides a faster connection to the city’s busiest locations but does not solve a number of the problems of congestion, which the city is still likely to face. The streetcar is likely to result in the congestion of the parts of the city it connects owing to its reliability, which will make these the most preferred destinations for most city travelers. The streetcar hopes to create more employment to the residents of the city of Tucson. However, it is also more likely to result in as much job losses as it seeks to create. The government reserves the control of the use of public land. This implies that the map of the streetcar route and substations have the right of way. Despite the fact that the streetcar uses underground routes, the city will still experience a number of demolitions of its previously existing structures in an attempt to accommodate its new wider stations. The demolition of structures resonates in direct financial losses to the investors and a number of job losses to people most of who may never find employment in the newly constructed transportation system. The council government therefore has to incur an additional financial loss in order to compensate the investors owning the victim structures and seek additional employment opportunities for those likely to lose their jobs. The demolition of structures is independent of the number of inconveniences and financial loses that most businesspeople have so far suffered since the commencement of the project. On April 8th 2013, the KVOA.com reported a closure of a great part of the 4th avenue. This is the greatest business hub in the city receiving more than two thousand tourists daily. A closure of the street even for an hour results in massive financial loss that not even the council government cannot afford. This was one of the numerous closures and arguably the greatest beginning at the University Boulevard to the 6th street. However, construction officials promised that that would be the last closure sparking a myriad of reactions from the businesspeople most of who were excited for the completion which promised to revamp business in the city. The anticipated increased movement in the city’s busiest district is likely to spark both public and private development and economic growth a feature that has motivated the council government to bear all its numerous inconveniences and recurrent costs. The streetcar project has a number of negative environmental ramifications, which the council government and the regional transportation authority will have to deal with. The streetcar will definitely attract jitters from the public, especially during its first operations, which will result in more people booking for trips to varied destinations. The streetcar operates on tight schedule a factor, which is likely to result in congestion at the popular train station. One streetcar has a sitting capacity of one hundred and thirty people only, the city planners will therefore have to contend with newer emergency facilities and an increased security apparatus to maintain law and order at the new favorite fan spots that the city is about to have. This implies that the spread of certain contagious diseases will occur in split seconds and the city’s medical system will require some effective restructuring to contain the serious health challenges presented by both overcrowding and the faster transfer of people from one location within the city to another. The same will be applicable to the city’s police services. The streetcar is electric a pivotal aspect of the car which ensures efficiency in the use of energy and lack of environmental degradation as is common with other locomotives consuming gasoline. However, the national grid will have to consume more electricity to sustain the massive commercial consumption. This has an indirect effect on the environment, which will have to yield the increased energy required to run the streetcar. Among the most obvious direct impact of the streetcar on its immediate environment arises from the vibration of its movement. The streetcar moves on underground rails, the city planners have tried to map its route away from buildings but the fact that the city is expansively develops still leaves a number of buildings close to the Underground Railroad. The extensive vibration of the earth caused by the movement of this heavy machine threatens the safety of most buildings especially those close to the rail. The city will therefore require reevaluation of most of its buildings to determine their habitability in order not to endanger the lives of its residents (Golem and Janet 43). This may not only render more people jobless but may possibly result in the loss of human life in the city. In retrospect, the streetcar project is the most effective means of transport in the city of Tucson and marks the beginning of its growth and development. The project seeks to connect out the busiest business districts in the city with the world’s most efficient means of transport. It is therefore likely that this investment in transportation is opening up the city for businesses. The streetcar will provide a cheaper and faster transportation that will evidently attract more investors both local and foreign in the region and open up the city for tourism and education. However, the project also presents a number of controversies some of which arise from the expansive financing schemes owing to the fact that the construction budget keeps increasing. Additionally, the project is likely to result in a substantial number of job losses besides the numerous environmental challenges it presents. The city planners therefore need to determine the common ground for the operation of the streetcar, which will include accepting additional costs and sacrificing some aspects of the previously peaceful ecosystem. Works cited 4th Avenue trolley in its last weekend | KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizona ." KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizona Home. N.p., 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. . About - 4th Avenue – Tucson, AZ ." 4th Avenue – Tucson, AZ - Fourth Avenue Merchants Association . N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. . Golem, Ron, and Janet Heimer. Relationships between streetcars and the built environment. Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board, 2010. Print. Rail Conference: 2008 Proceedings : June 1-4, 2008, San Francisco, Ca. Washington, D.C.: APTA, 2008. Print. Sun Link Tucson Streetcar Project | City of Tucson Web." Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT) | The Official Website for the City of Tucson, Arizona. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. . Tucson Modern Streetcar." Tucson Modern Streetcar. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. . Read More