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Taking the trolleymay soonContinued from Page 1That trolley could demonstrate the proposed system's usefulness, as well as its charm, he said, and could spark an interest in the system he proposes for the mid-'90s.The cost of restoring about eight trolleys and starting the system in Frederick would cost about $7 million, he said. The price would be triple that if not for the existing railroad lines available for the trolleys.Tracks are existing, except for the sections of Market, Fifth and All Saints streets in the proposed downtown lines, Mr. Metka said.Much of the cost could be carried by business owners, who stand to benefit from the easy access to shops that the troiley would provide, he said. The remainder of the cost, he said, could come from the Maryland Mass Transit Administration, whichsubsidizes publictransportation.Proposed routes, funding and other aspects of a trolley system are preliminary and are a long way from being approved by the Frederick City Board of Aldermen, said Mayor Paul Gordon.If the trolleys do come to Frederick, he said, they will be tied into city’s public transportation system of the '90s.Mr. Metka’s scenario brings to mind the days in the early 1900s, when trolleys, buses, trains and automobiles ran alongside each other to form a public transportation network in Frederick.But by the ’30s, the popularity of automobiles was growing and buses and trolleys were competing for a shrinkingbe realitypool of riders, he said.As the Depression took hold of the city, residents who lost their jobs no longer needed transportation to work, and fewer and fewer riders were I climbing onto buses and I trolleys, he said. S“The competition from buses, the automobile and the Depression all combined to bring the downfall of the trolleys, “ he said.Much of the city's trolley lines were abandoned by 1937, he said. The last car ran in 1954.Some of the tracks were dug out for scrap iron during World War II, and Frederick, like most cities, embraced the age of automobiles, he said.But the love affair has gone sour for motorists snarled in downtown traffic, who fight for scarce parking. The '90s, he said, might be the time to give residents the option of leaving their cars and riding trolleys.The trolley system, as Mr. Metka sees it, would tie into the city’s plans to locate a transportation center in an area southwest of East Street extended and East Patrick Street.From the center, riders could catch buses, taxis, and possibly trolleys to development along Carroll Creek, as well as offices and businesses in the area, , officials said.All reminiscence aside, an efficient public transportation system would bring the city a ' lot closer to solving traffic and-^ parking problems than morey highways and parking decks, Mr. Metka said.And for a city like Frederick that draws tourists from all over the area, he said, trolleys could add just the right touch of charm. He said, “We’re going back to the future.”
Newspaper Details
Frederick News Post Leader
Frederick, Maryland, US
Wed, Apr 11, 1990
Page 2
Full Page
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Frederick C.
MD, USA 16 Sep 2024
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