The First Hill Streetcar won’t start service between Pioneer Square, the International District, and Capitol Hill until this fall or later. We don’t suggest you borrow this idea from a project already well known to the Internet but new to us for putting tram, trolley, and streetcar lines to work for alternative purposes.
It’s surely dangerous and likely against the law. But it does stoke the imagination.
Hat tip to @mattargyle!
UPDATE: Seattle Bike Blog points out you also shouldn’t do this:
Can’t wait to see pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles safely navigate ice-covered trolley tracks…
If there is ice anywhere near any portion of this track its best we all stay home. Ice on these tracks is the least of our worries at that point because you can’t safely navigate anything in this city. We’re not equipped for it.
Won’t happen – we get snow one day a year, every other year. Most we ever get on average is some incredibly light frost on the grass. There won’t be any issues with ice frozen on light rail lines.
Boston – a city that experiences quite cold winters, with frequent snow and below freezing temps – has a 100+ year old subway system that includes surface light rail streetcars. There’s rarely an issue there with frozen over tracks in Boston – its mostly a risk from severe winter ice storms (which we don’t have), and even then de-icing solutions are available.
There’s always gotta be idiots that ruin nice things for the rest of us…
[…] the meantime, it might be time to find some alternative uses for the underutilized […]