Let a City Council member take a trip to Portland and watch out, she'll come back with big ideas about how to redesign a city. Some smaller ones, too, such as a trolley line to connect the heart of the city and Cal State Long Beach. But the cost of that trolley line wouldn't be so small: $150 million or more.
Suja Lowenthal, the councilwoman whose district includes downtown Long Beach, came back full of enthusiasm for Portland's successes in designing a transit system that includes a streetcar loop between downtown and Portland State University; three light rail lines; a major bus system, and an aerial tramway soaring between the South Waterfront and Oregon Health and Science University on Marquam Hill. When she suggested that Long Beach might emulate some of those successes, two colleagues, Rae Gabelich and Val Lerch, pointed out that their districts deserve to be serviced as well. Consequently, the council voted 5-0 to take a look at costs, feasibility and other issues related to building a transit spine with spokes to be added later, serving the entire city.
There are some really big problems here, starting with just taking a look at the ideas. A serious study could cost up to $500,000 (and
Rail lines are intriguing, especially to urban planners, but they sometimes just shift bus riders to trolleys, at huge cost and with no noticeable improvement in traffic congestion. Also, there is serious competition for transportation money. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is looking for billions to finish off subways to the sea and multi-hued rail lines to the Valley, East L.
A., San Gabriel Valley and such. Long Beach is looking for hundreds of millions for freeway and bridge improvements.
Urban trolleys would have a hard time getting to the top of that list, especially since MTA's first rail project was the Blue Line to Long Beach. But before blowing off her ideas, give Suja Lowenthal some credit. First, she is trained in urban planning (admittedly, a mixed blessing).
Second, her enthusiasm for building a great city is engaging. And finally, this doesn't have to be an either-or decision. When, as the council requested, City Manager Jerry Miller and Long Beach Transit CEO Larry Jackson put their minds to it, they should come up with an informed analysis that doesn't cost $500,000 but does give council members useful information that also stretches their imaginations.
Jackson, for example, can show them recent European designs in transit systems that have some of the appeal of sleek-looking rail cars but at a small fraction of the cost. Maybe you don't believe that ridership would improve just because the systems got glitzier, but at least we wouldn't have to spend $150 million to find out. Portland has had some bad press from the libertarians for imposing a government view of how people ought to live in an urban area.
The new aerial tram has ended up costing twice as much as expected and a ride now costs $4, so it's not an assured success. But few would deny that Portland got many things right, starting with planning begun more than 15 years ago and partly because of enlightened partnerships between local government and private investors. In years past, Long Beach suffered from the government equivalent of get-rich-quick schemes that couldn't take the place of innovation and hard work.
But few would deny that better planning, good fortune and powerful market forces are reshaping the city for the better.
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