New York Times Writer Suggests Harborfront Streetcar Line in Brooklyn to Long Island City Queens

In his article, Kimmelman says streetcars make sense for that part of New York because the sections of Brooklyn and Queens near the line he ...

I am having trouble linking the original article.  More to follow

The line suggested, would go from Red Hook (Ikea) to Long Island City in Queens.  He suggests a new bridge for the streetcar should be built crossing Newton Creek.  Kimmelman suggests this would stimulate development.    I say that this is fine, but any modern streetcar is more comfortable and smooth riding than any bus.   More to follow... Copied Material from NYT article April 24, 2014 below?: I may not have the correct source, please excuse me I am having trouble with my computer (tramway null(0).  I am not sure of the source of the material below:



There’s a wonderful term for the dirt trails that people leave behind in parks: desire lines. Cities also have desire lines, marked by economic development and evolving patterns of travel. In New York, Manhattan was once the destination for nearly all such paths, expressed by subway tracks that linked Midtown with what Manhattanites liked to call the outer boroughs. But there is a new desire line, which avoids Manhattan altogether. It hugs the waterfronts of Brooklyn and Queens, stretching from Sunset Park past the piers of Red Hook, to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, through Greenpoint and across Newtown Creek, which separates the two boroughs, running all the way up to the Triborough Bridge in Astoria. The desire line is now poorly served by public transit, even as millennials are colonizing Astoria, working in Red Hook, then going out in Williamsburg and Bushwick — or working at the Navy Yard, visiting friends in Long Island City and sleeping in Bedford-Stuyvesant. They have helped drive housing developments approved or built along the Brooklyn waterfront, like the one by Two Trees at the former Domino Sugar Refinery. But this corridor isn’t only for millennials. It’s also home to thousands of less affluent New Yorkers struggling to get to jobs and join the work force. Photo On the Brooklyn waterfront, south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Activity on the Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts has revived talk of a route connecting them. Credit Gabe Johnson/The New York Times So here’s an idea: bring back the streetcar. Some of this route is served — barely — by subway lines like the G, the city’s sorriest little railroad. In Astoria, stations for the N and Q are nearly a full mile or more from the East River, meaning a vast swath of that neighborhood is virtually disconnected from the subway system. It’s an area ripe for growth — for new housing, start-ups and other small businesses and industries — all the more so with the coming of the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, just across the river and linked to Queens via the F. One can imagine another Silicon Alley spanning Cornell, Astoria, Williamsburg and Sunset Park. Right now, it’s easier by subway to get from Long Island City to Midtown, or from Downtown Brooklyn to Wall Street, than it is to get from housing projects in Fort Greene or Long Island City to jobs in Williamsburg, or from much of Red Hook to — well, almost anywhere



My Opinion:

1)  Since New York City has been hostile to streetcars since the 1920's with Walker's administration ( it has been close to 100 years ) any new streetcar project should start small, in a situation where there is no or little opposition.  The line described is very long and involves building a bridge.  Could you image the opposition from motorist that will have to give up parking and road space, person's whose view will be blocked by wires, people who do not want to crash into trolley support poles and so on?  The longer the line, more complaints from more people and also the cost.

2)  Pick a area which is underserved by rapid transit, such as eastern Brooklyn or Queens, eastern Bronx and big parts of Staten Island.   Build a  line at the end of heavily used subway line  with no other rapid transit in the area.  Try to make the line partially private right of way.  The passengers will see the difference between the comforts of a modern streetcar and a smelly shaky motor bus.

3)  While it is nice to serve the waterfront community with the hope for development, as other critics said, is this the most underserved community?  While it is true that the waterfront community may be far away from rapid transit, big parts of eastern Queens and Brooklyn is underserved as well.

4)  Keep the cost down by using modern track construction that is not deep and use if possible, modern but second hand cars as a first test. Plan your first line were the public wants such a line.  Very fancy neighborhoods may object to having their views blocked by wires. New Yorkers do not know that world capitals of Europe, such a Riga, Moscow, Sankt Petersburg, and Warsaw in the past had their palaces and art museums surrounded by "wires", both trolleybus and tramway.

5)  Instead of stressing development, which is great, stress the comforts of traveling by tram, which is quiet, odorless and smooth and cost effective and environmentally friendly.  Choose a candidate bus line that meets the criteria for such a conversion.  There are hundreds of bus lines in New York City to choose from.

6)  If the above line which is very long is built, I would, if we had the money, make a branch go over the Williamsburgh Bridge to the Essex - Delancey Street abandoned trolley terminal.  In this way, waterfront communities would have a one seat ride to the Lower East Side and or have excess to various subway lines such as the F, J, M and Z lines.  What a waste if such a valuable transit facility, such as the old trolley terminal at that location with tracks and wires should become a underground park?  But, could you imagine the difficulty of bringing streetcars on a New York bridge because of opposition from the motoring public and the New York City Department of Transportation?   I am not sure of this nor do I have the source, but for a period of time, the BRT or BMT wanted to build an extension for streetcar service north of the trolley terminal at Essex Street.  If this happened and a streetcar subway system developed, chances would have increased for streetcar service would not be abandoned since of the good service that such a service would have provided.  Note the tram subways in Philadelphia and Boston that survived the move to motorize everything.  Note the many tram subways in Europe.

More to follow:  Tramway Null(0)

New Proposals for Light Rail in Long Island City Queens and Red Hook

Hi Folks: I just looked at Bob Diamond's website and there is new information regarding proposed light rail for Long Island City Queens, New York City along 21st Street to Queens Plaza and to Red Hook later in the future. Just heard about this a half hour ago.

http://brooklynrail.net/News_Aug_2013.html

The picture below comes from one of the publications listed in Bob's posting on the subject.  I believe it is a rendition of a proposed light rail line in Queens.
Looks kind of cool?    But,  I do not see any wires.

Deputy Mayor Doctoroff & Other Prominent Urban Planners / Developers Enthusiastically Endorse BHRA's Brooklyn Streetcar Project Former First Deputy Mayor and Current Chairman of Bloomberg LP Daniel Doctoroff, the Chair of Brookfield Associates (and former NYC Planning Commission Chairman) John Zuccotti, and Former NYC Planning Commissioner Alexander Garvin (currently Garvin & Associates), have now whole heartedly embraced and validated our streetcar project. Adopting BHRA streetcar project's route selection, our construction cost estimate of $20 million per route mile, as well as the types of project financing, which we incorporated into the "New Streetcar Possibilities for Brooklyn" (BHRA' PowerPoint presentation on our Red Hook streetcar project), which we gave several months ago at several venues, and which has been publicly available ever since then. The full version of the "Next NYC" forum sponsored by the Regional Plan Association, introducing the streetcar line now being championed by Doctoroff, Zuccotti and Garvin is available here as a PDF or here is the web address. Doctoroff, Zuccotti, and Garvin, are extensively cited in the article above, and Doctoroff even stated that out of the 40 projects featured in their urban planning booklet, The Next New York, that OUR PROJECT (the streetcar project) IS THE BEST ONE - and I quote: "New York has never been a light-rail kind of town—“toy trains,” said a Koch deputy mayor dismissively in the 80s. Yet the time has surely come." "This is the book’s single best idea, said Doctoroff. It would knit together the emerging communities along the 7 and L lines, and would trigger all sorts of incremental growth on the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront, where the greatest potential for growth actually is. What’s more, light rail is cheap—some $20 million [per mile], he guesses." Compare this to the $/per mile figures we cited in Our Presentation. "Zuccotti agreed about light rail, and emphasized that new transportation projects should be in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, because that’s where housing can be built at reasonable cost in areas that are still zoned industrial. He cited the brilliant precedent of David Walentas, who showed definitively in Dumbo, Brooklyn, how to convert empty industrial space into a thriving mixed-used community. Can the same be done in the Bronx and Queens?" According to Garvin: "The capital cost of the new light rail line could be financed from the tax increment generated by new and renovated housing created on underutilized properties within walking distance of the new light rail line." Doctoroff, Zuccotti and Garvin even seem keen on some of the alternative funding mechanisms we presented. Please read the wording of both documents very carefully, especially the part about financing construction/operation via future real estate tax generated along the route (see slides 12 & 32 of Our Presentation) BTW, their entire booklet, The Next New York, can be downloaded here as a PDF. The streetcar project is on pages 12- 13. Note, the map on PDF page 13 of The Next New York, and compare with the maps page of our website. The light rail plan described in The Next New York even utilizes the exact route we've long advocated - passing through the Borough Hall mass transit nexus, then proceeds through the historic Atlantic Avenue Tunnel, and then down along Columbia Street into Red Hook, ending at a streetcar barn at Gowanus Bay Terminal :-) There's an old saying: no man is an island unto himself. In the spirit of this Election Day season, BHRA stands ready and eager to form new partnerships and coalitions with like- minded groups and individuals who share our common goal: to bring about the return of the streetcar as a key transportation mode in the City Of New York. Crain's New York Business article on "Visions for 'Next NYC'" featuring Red Hook Streetcar as idea #1 -Aug 2013 3.7mb PDF Untapped Next NY - 40 ideas that Could transform NY, from the forum of Urban Design. Aug 2013 Crain's New York Business Article on Red Hook Streetcar -July 7 2013 Red Hook Star-Revue "Bob Diamond is One Persistent Fellow" -July 2013


  http://brooklynrail.net/News_Aug_2013.html

Sorry for the bad format at this machine. To be upgraded in the future

Elevation Map of Red Hook with Hint of Structures

In the map presented below, I brought in the available shape file dealing with elevations but I did not add the street grid or other man made structures.  You can see the "hint" of man made structures in the elevation file which is logical. because the elevation file was probably made by aerial photograph.  It is still an interesting map to look at.

Horse Cars, El Trains and Gas Tanks, Oh my!

In doing research regarding gas tanks in Brooklyn, I came across this old map of the 12th Ward in Brooklyn showing the gas tanks and horse car routes near Smith Street Brookyn.  Very interesting 1892 map.  It will be interesting, in the future to see if the horse car routes shown on this map match the historical information provided by Bernard Linder in his series of streetcar history maps.  The Gowanus Canal is still poluted and is the former site of the gas works shown in yellow. It is still unbuilt upon probably because it is a toxic waste site.  I believe last week, a sick whale entered the canal and died an hour before high tide.  The toxic water did not help in the survival of this sick whale.

In this 1924 aerial of the area around Belmont and Alabama Avenues in Brooklyn, we can see a non rigid height adjustable gas tank (holder) with the familar lattice around it.  We can also see four blocks to the left the trackway of the BMT Carnarsie Line and one avenue north of the tank Pitkin Avenue with the BMT Pitkin Avenue City Line Elevated.  The el makes a sharp 90 degree turn north to join with the Carnarsie Line.

In the 1924 aerial, the east side of Manhattan is shown with the 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue Els in view.  Notice how the 2nd Avenue El, which runs near the tanks on First Avenue, swings west on 23 rd Street.  The "tank farm", which is shown as located east of First Avenue between 20th Street and 23rd Streets, is presently the site of Peter Cooper Village.  The large tank is at 20th Street just east of First Avenue.  Since many gas tanks were at the location of gas production, it is possible that the soil under present day Peter Cooper Village is toxic.  I saw this at a web site that deals with former gas production locations.  I did not know that production of gas is very toxic and leaves a residue after many years.  At any rate, it would have been interesting to be in the lead southbound car of a 2nd Avenue El train making the curve on 23rd Street unto First Avenue and seeing the tanks.  Notice that the tanks are of various heights depending on the amount of gas stored.

A more recent picture of the area:

Richards Street Area of Red Hook with Building and Street Elevations

In the map below, I included building and street elevations.  I symboled the lowest elevation, -10 feet to 20 feet in red.  Many buildings have heights in this red area on Van Brunt Street and elsewhere.  Elevation contour lines with posted elevations, hurricane zones and polar ice cap map scenarios are also included with an older file of the building footprint.  Tramway Null(0)

Red Hook Area Polar Ice Caps Melts Flooding Scenarios: 2020, 2050,2080

In this ARCGIS map, I brought in the shape file that was used in the previous post for Staten Island.  The area enclosed by the red polygons are those areas that are projected to be under water by 2080 if the polar ice caps should melt.  The previous precautions state by the City of New York agency applies here.  The area enclosed by the black polygons are those areas to be flooded by 2080 if there is a steady polar ice cap melt until 2080.  The yellow polygons are those areas to be flooded by 2050.  The polar ice cap flooding of Red Hook generally follows, but is not exactly the same as the hurricane warning zones, A, B and C.  The area enclosed by the red polygons represent those areas to be flooded by 2020 and appear to be the lowest elevation areas.  Sorry for the mistake on the map title:  Senarios =  Scenarios.

Source:
This file contains 3 sets of shapefiles representing possible Flood Hazard Zone Areas in the 2020's, 2050's, and 2080's, based upon a rapid ice melt scenario. The NYC Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability (NYC OLTPS) and the City of New York assume no responsibility for the accuracy of this data or its suitability for any purposes. All users should independently verify the accuracy of the data for their purposes. This data on 1-in-100 year flood zones for New York City with Projected Sea Level Rise was produced by the Institute for Sustainable Cities, City University of New York for an analysis of large geographic areas only. 1. Methods and Caveat – The projected flood extents included in this data reflect a “bathtub” methodology whereby a flood elevation is extrapolated landward until it reaches the equivalent contour height on land. This approach does not account for cumulative effects of soils, vegetation, surface permeability, bathymetry, infrastructure and beach structures, friction, and other factors that affect the movement of floodwaters resulting in local variations in flooding extent. 2. Error – Numerous sources of potential error are present in the data. These include limitations of model input and scope (climate and FEMA floodplain models), error inherent in model output, errors in and coarseness of topography, the rounding of base flood elevations to the nearest foot, and in GIS technique. 3. Interpretation - The floodplains delineated in this data do not represent precise flood boundaries but rather illustrate two distinct areas of interest: A) areas that do not currently flood but are expected to potentially do so in the future and B) areas that do not currently flood and are unlikely to do so in the timeline of this research

Downhill Water Flow in Red Hook Brooklyn

In the attached map, GRASS 6.4.1 was used to produce a downhill flow map using local elevations.  The thin black lines shows the direction of water flow and the colors according to the legend show hypothetical low downhill water density flows in the area.  Areas east, near Prospect Park show stronger downhill water flows.  Hurricane Sandy was a sea surge event in New York City with relatively light amounts of rain.  The map shows that in case of large rainfalls, Red Hook is not in any danger and thus the flooding from Sandy was a sea surge.  Areas with more black lines shows increased downhill waterflows.

15th Street Trolley Line in Park Slope and Red Hook Brooklyn

Source:  B. Linder, New York Division Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 3, June 1977, pp. 6, 9.

The 15th Street Line was one of the lesser known streetcar lines in Brooklyn.  It started its' life as a Horse Car line in July 1888 from the historic transportation location of 9th Avenue and 20th Street to Hamilton Ferry.  The line was electricfied in 1893 and cetain cars ran from Hamilton Ferry to Coney Island via the West End right of way.  From 1899 to 1932, the line was extended to Coney Island via the Gravesend Avenue trolley line (McDonald Avenue) from 19th Street and 9th Avenue during various days in the summer season.  In 1929, the terminal was changed from Hamilton Ferry to Erie Basin via Richards Steet to Van Dyke Street.   The line was an early abandonment on November 8, 1941.  I believe this line never used PCC cars.  Historic routing information from Edward B. Watson in op. cit.