Conversations About Where We Live
Recently I discovered the existence of a new kind of streetcar - the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit tram, which has been dubbed ART. The system was developed in China and is trackless - it operates on existing streets (!!). The system has a cost of about one tenth (!!!) of railbound streetcars and it can … Continue reading Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch
We’ve just enjoyed a screening of Stephen Low’s wonderful documentary entitled “The Trolley” here in our city. The theater was packed, and while Mr. Low’s film compellingly advocates in favor of streetcars, in fact defines them as critical to our urban future, I heard no voices expressing doubt about his point of view. Bring on … Continue reading Playing with Trains
Tomorrow evening here in Rochester, our city's very active and helpful transportation advocacy group, Reconnect Rochester, will screen Canadian Stephen Low's brief (46 minutes) documentary entitled "The Trolley." We had the good fortune to see this film in an IMAX theater in Ottawa last year, and Low tells a powerful tale of trolleys as essential … Continue reading A Double Decker Surprise
The intersection of South Clinton and Bly, in Rochester. The green and tan building on the right of Bly is early - from before 1890. The red building on the left of Bly dates from around 1915. Recognizable? It should be - it is almost certainly present in your city - perhaps right around the corner. Even now … Continue reading The Song is Ended, But the Melody Lingers On
For those of you who have been following us here at A Town Square for a while – 8 years(!?) – what follows may seem like a bit of heresy, but, as we often say, onward. It didn’t have to turn out this way. It’s true that the way it has turned out is what … Continue reading The Good City and the Culture of Convenience, continued
The Good City, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, 1338. Rochester, New York, 2013. What if Rochester were a good city? Would it be different than the city we live in today? How would it be different? I find myself reflecting on these questions because I remain preoccupied with my sense of the difference between a good city and … Continue reading The Good City and the Culture of Convenience
In the interest of trying to come to a better understanding of what we believe is a very misguided decision to locate a Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) in Alabama, New York, out in Genesee County, we hopped in the car for the voyage west to the site. The STAMP here is aimed … Continue reading STAMP Act II – An Update
Item #1 is the proposed Rochester Intermodal Transit Facility. It will house a new station for Amtrak, inter-city buses in Phase 2, and eventually high-speed rail. This project was recently funded by a $15,000,000 grant from the federal government. Total budget is in the range of $24,000,000. Item #2 is our regional transit authority's (Rochester … Continue reading ereH sgnihT oD eW woH
Rochester, Baseball Park, 1910. We've been moved by automobiles here in Rochester for a very long time. But wait! Now we Rochesterians have a great chance to try something both old, and new again. On June 21st Reconnect Rochester is mounting the 2nd annual ROC Transit Day, and we Reconnectors are inviting the entire region - dazzling … Continue reading Moving Rochester
Despite the bad news about cars and the cities they have ruined, we can report that we saw some amazing transit systems during our recent walkabout. Okay fellow transit nerds, herewith, three examples. In Hong Kong, we delighted in riding the double-decker streetcars. The system, now over 100 years old, is wholly owned by a … Continue reading A Busman’s Holiday
A Town Square 