Utilizing The Streetcar Is, In Fact, Way Faster Than Walking

The DC Streetcar launched in late February, there were a handful of media reports around town that it was barely quicker than walking. That isn't true, and it's important to clarify the situation.

The immediate thing to mention in that initial Laris article is that the streetcar was slow on opening day- there were hundreds of onlookers at the celebratory kickoff, clogging the streets and tracks. Times from that day shouldn't be regarded as typical.

But beyond that, nobody walks from Union Station, where the streetcar route's western edge is, all the way to its eastern end at Benning and Oklahoma in the span of 27 minutes! Doing so would require walking at an average speed of 4.5 miles per hour; the average speed for walking is around three miles per hour, and the typical jogging speed is about six miles per hour.

I'm an avid walker who lives just a few blocks from the Oklahoma Avenue station, and I've walked from home to the station, then to Benning and H Streets, then to western the terminus at Union Station, probably 25 times. The average time is 40 minutes. It typically takes about 40 minutes, as per Google Maps. However, it's a little longer than the 38-minute estimation by Google Maps.

According to reports from recent times that the time it takes to go from one end to the next is between 18 and 20 minutes. In actuality, during the first "Running of the Streetcar", many runners could not keep up with the Streetcar even though they started with a tiny lead. Look at this to find out extra resources on streetcar.

I should acknowledge that I'm writing this post in a slightly different way after the fact the articles quoted above came out when the street-car opened in late February. This is important, because people will keep repeating the error if they don't fix it.

It's true that a lot of people underestimate the time it takes to travel the streetcar route, and underestimate the amount of time required for the streetcar to go there. In reality, the DC Streetcar is about twice the speed of walking.

The public needs to be informed about the facts in the future political struggles over the bowser administration’s promise of expanding the line to the east and west.

The mismanagement leading up to the opening of the route has been well documented, which is appropriate. It is important to remember that even though the streetcar has been in operation, it offers an efficient and functional alternative means of transport within one of the city's busiest transportation routes.