Comments on: Metro May Stick with Electric Trolley Bus with Benefits

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:29:00 +0000

I would guess that if the overhead wire is no longer needed in Seattle, because the Trolleybuses get replaced with Diseasels, then the property owners may demand that KC Metro remove the anchors. It’s a straw argument, and these same anchors might be needed for future streetcar installation, but one must consider all factors and impacts and mitigations when compiling these types of reports.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:29:00 +0000

So why are they talking about removing them? Makes even less sense if having these bolts are code

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Those anchor bolts have been in the buildings since they were built. They were used by the streetcar system before conversion to “Trackless Trolleys”. They are also part of the building code for any new construction.

By: Transit Jeff

Transit Jeff — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:13:00 +0000

I suggest that Seattle consider the off-wire method used on Philadelphia’s electric trolley coaches, called trackless trolleys there. The new trackless trolleys feature a small Diesel powered generator to operate off-wire . By using this method, there is excellent range and no need to recharge batteries. It’s actually possible to operate Philly’s trackless trolleys several miles off-wire for detours or emergencies. Philly’s trackless trolleys also feature semi-automatic trolley poles that lower at the touch of a dashboard button by the operator.

By: Scott Thomsen

Scott Thomsen — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:35:00 +0000

Seattle City Light fully offsets all the carbon emissions related to its operations. City Light started this in 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to do so. As a result, the carbon footprint for using City Light electricity is zero.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:12:00 +0000

My favorite part of the Trolley Evaluation Preliminary Findings –

Removal of anchor bolts and overhead wires may impact historic structures.

Ah, didn’t you guys ‘impact’ historic structures when you drilled the bolts into the historic buildings in the 1st place? And how does removing the wires (leave the bolts in place if they’re so critical) ‘impact’ historic structures – these buildings have gotten used to the obscured view and will be bummed if they get a clear shot at the sky??

Of course ‘impact’ is value-neutral, so perhaps they’re talking about a positive impact, but I doubt it. ‘Impact’ is bureaucratese for ‘negative effect’

Also interesting – the chart shows the fuel costs as surprisingly small in either scenario. Yet, when fuel prices rise, we always seem to hear about how much it’s going to cost the transit system. The charts don’t show even a 25% fuel increase having a substantial (negative) impact.