Trolleyology: A Glimpse at New Orleans Streetcars: Desire, Canal, St. Charles and More

[@rynovoski]

Really enjoyed the presentation... however! It was really disappointing to see this group of people kind of trashing ADA requirements, or talking about the limited number of people that ride the system that actually need it. Can you blame them? Earl mentioned that 30 minute service basically did not count as service, and these ADA-accessible cars run every 45 minutes per his comments. It may be a small percentage of ridership, but if you need ADA accessbility, your experience isn't diminished: it's completely eliminated. ADA compliance helps older people (like just about everyone attending the Zoom event), people with strollers or just reduced mobility, as well as people who are disabled. Imagine being told "hey, sorry, I know you literally can't participate in this thing at all that is enjoyable to millions worldwide, but... sorry, we prefer things to stay the way they are." I think too many people grew up in an era where it was broadly accepted that equity was somehting that's too expensive/not worth spending money on. The /real/ problem is that ADA compliance mandates are not well-funded. It's embarassing that this country does not allocate the money required to do this work, and it's really surprising to me that in a meeting full of people, no one managed to point out that THAT is the problem, not the idea that a transit system should be required to serve everyone.

[@EarlHampton-j1t]

Problem is 100% ADA compliance would destroy the historical line. This piecemeal effort to provide service is really bad, ADA stops every 12 to 15 blocks does not work. If one is in wheelchair between those stops what can one do? I think the cars that were built by NORTA look great in green but they only run two at a time on the St. Charles line which means a 45 minute wait between cars. Not a great thing when its 90 plus degrees. The feds were not happy with the Riverfront line, which ran an old Perley car and a handicapped car right behind and demanded that the Riverfront line be 100% accessible thus came the construction of the cars 458 to 463. I do not have an answer but throwing more money will not solve this problem. It will destroy the historical aspect of the line.

[@rynovoski]

@@EarlHampton-j1t sounds like the solution in that case, for both of those things, then has to be some accessible cars for the tourist aspect of it, because honestly, I do believe that people with ADA issues have as much right to enjoy the history of the line as anybody else, and then truly excellent bus service along the rest of the line. If that’s transit, it has to serve everybody. If it’s not, then transit is needed along the corridor. I love riding that line in the historical cars as much as anybody, but that’s definitely not more important than actual accessibility.

[@norbertdx]

​@rynovoski you do understand they would have to rebuild the St. Charles line from Carrollton to Lee Circle?

[@rynovoski]

@@norbertdx ​​⁠you do not seem to understand that disabled people have a right to experience things! Seriously. You’re sitting here saying “oh, they’d have to do X, I don’t want to do X.” OK, so keep thinking. It is deeply screwed up for your answer to be “those folks just don’t matter.” Really disappointing.

[@EarlHampton-j1t]

@@rynovoski I would love to see a count on how many wheelchair folks use the ADA compliant cars on St. Charles. I ride the line frequently and have not seen one in three years.

[@EarlHampton-j1t]

I may have the solution. If you look at San Francisco they have platforms that go from a station to the car via a ramp. Clear out all the junk in the vestibule and re configure the doors to operate like the new cars. Of course that would mean moving the stops to the middle between Howard Ave and the end of the line and I am sure the folks that love and live on the avenue would scream "you can't build these ugly ramps it destroys the look of St. Charles." There is NO good answer. Relocating the rails for 14 miles would be way too costly to widen the tracks would allow for boarding in the middle. OK lets do the same thing in San Francisco, make the cable cars ADA accessible? Never happen.

[@rynovoski]

The status quo is in and of itself an answer, and it's "disabled people don't really matter." Why is that OK? Surely ramps could be built in a Creole style/meant to blend in, for somewhat more money. Which we seem to find for all sorts of things more objectionable than ADA access (like maintaining an empire). Again, though, it sounds like the real solution is to run 10-15 minute headway service on a #12 bus line alongside the line, and have the current (or more) number of wheelchair accessible streetcars to cover the tourist aspect of the line.

[@EarlHampton-j1t]

@@rynovoski nowhere did I say that disabled people don't really matter. What I said I cannot see spending a colossal amount of money (talking about millions) on this project when transit has always been provided on the St. Charles line via use of a bus that one can call.

[@rynovoski]

@@EarlHampton-j1t Are you talking about the Paratransit service?

[@EarlHampton-j1t]

Yes