If you thought the idea of a streetcar died after the mayoral election this spring, think again. A group that is rallying around the idea of an Omaha street car, is motivating the community to put the conversation in the forefront of residents' minds.
Jay Lund with Modern Streetcar Advocates tells NewsRadio 1110 KFAB that they see the streetcar as a part of a bigger, better public transportation system in the metro. "That of course includes our existing bus system. That includes the new Omaha Rapid Bus Transit, ORBT, and fixing roads and talking about all modes of transportation. So this is just one piece of a bigger network that we need to build."
Lund says they don't want to see Omaha fall behind the curve and lose out to other competitive cities. "We've now seen successful streetcar projects get built in other cities that are very similar to Omaha and those are the cities that are succeeding in attracting and retaining talent and growing their economy."
The proposed streetcar system would bridge the gap between Omaha's Downtown and Midtown. They envision commuters being able to navigate some of the metro's most densely populated areas without a car, which in turn would lessen the need for more parking in those areas. They also envision the streetcar giving businesses the opportunity to grow.
There may also be more support for the streetcar than many realize, and Lund wants to make sure people become educated, saying that Kansas City is a great gauge for what Omaha could do. "It's been open for not even two years yet, it's resulted in over $2 billion worth of development on the line. They see 7,500 riders a day. They have seen retail sales tax receipts increase by 58% within the streetcar corridor."
Overall, the Modern Streetcar Advocates want Omahans to weigh the idea of a streetcar and not just brush the project off.
For more information about Modern Streetcar Advocates visit their website here.