Traffic congestion!!  

Pollution!!

Soaring gas prices!!

Welcome to the reality of US urban living. Every sensible soul seems to be screaming, “Oh! Stop this chaos! Give me a break!’’

But where is the solution? While many people have come to see a possible solution to environmental hazards and fast diminishing energy storage–and their number is increasing day by day—in the hybrid cars, it is still the smaller segment of the population that is driving down the roads in expensive Toyota Priuses or Honda Accords.

In order to effectively tackle the environmental pollution caused by the vehicles, we must consider a complete revamp of the public transportation system. And the recent enthusiasm surrounding streetcars in the USA sparks off new hope in the minds of those concerned about the deteriorating environment.

The streetcars are not new phenomena in the USA; but people in the USA seem to suddenly wake up to its potential as the most environment friendly public vehicle only of late. The buzz is in the media too; everywhere you will come across the speculations about a possible comeback of the streetcars in the USA! (Check with USA Today)

You can already find the streetcars rambling through the tracks in San Francisco, Portland, Charlotte and New Orleans.

More and more cities— about three dozen of them- – including the cities like Tucson, Birmingham, Ala., Miami and Trenton are weighing up the pros and cons of investing in such a mode of transport.

Columbus is finally all geared up for its modern streetcar system.

The Minneapolis city’s 2007 budget includes the researches on revival of the streetcars in the city.

All these trends are pointing towards one definite trend: a resurrection of Streetcar system across the USA. And there is no reason why it should not be welcomed by the greater section of the population. Let’s just check its benefits:

• A passenger carrying capacity of a streetcar is lot higher than that of ordinary buses.
• The usage of fuel per passenger per mile is also lot lesser than any other means of public transport.
• Streetcar tracks can be installed sans expensive infrastructures like that is needed in building subways. As Shelley Poticha, the President and CEO of Reconnecting America likes to put it, “It can be built quickly, inexpensively, right into the street to get around without a car more easily.”
• Most important of all, they provide a pollution free means of transport as the electric streetcars offer you carbon free transit.

While a section of people worry over the possible tax hike following streetcar projects, the business community displays a generally upbeat response; in fact the projects are expected to fetch good amount of investment from the developers who see a possible tourist influx in the areas due to the appearance of the streetcars.

Different people have different reasons to rejoice over the revival of streetcars in the USA. As of us, thumbs up for those Mayors who are taking firm steps for reintroducing this pollution friendly transport system in their cities.