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Washington DC Streetcar In Focus
by Eric Miller | Aug 30, 2024
An essential part in implementing any major project is to visit similar projects to see how others were done and learn from them, both the good and the bad. An advantage with public transit projects is that they are extremely easy to visit and test the user experience. I am always curious to see how other streetcar systems work and what that means for what we are building in Omaha. There are currently at least 14 operating modern streetcar systems in the United States (there are more streetcar systems if you count heritage trolleys and light rail systems that operate more like streetcars). I have visited several of these and would like to share some anecdotes, starting with the DC Streetcar. I visited Washington DC in mid-August 2024 as part of a transit conference and set out to experience it firsthand. This is particularly important as there are some similarities with the Omaha system: Operates in mixed traffic. Is run by a private operator (RATPDev). Does not charge a fare. Uses...
Omaha Regional Transit Expansion
by Eric Miller | Aug 13, 2024
Omaha turned a corner in terms of finally “getting real” with transit when it opened the Omaha Rapid Bus Transit (ORBT) on November 18, 2020. This service provides frequent and fast bus transit along the Dodge Street corridor between Westroads and downtown, replacing and streamlining the old Route 2. It did not take long for the ORBR to surpass the Route 2 ridership, even in a post-COVID environment. So what do I mean about “getting real” with transit? I mean a real investment in transit, making something more permanent, doing more than just running a basic bus route with stops denoted by a metal sign on a pole (and perhaps a concrete pad and bench or shelter). The ORBT project featured stops with platforms that included amenities usually only seen at rail transit stations, a dedicated fleet of buses, some exclusive lanes, and Transit Signal Priority. Transit projects like these make a real difference in our communities, cities, and region! We need more transit projects (and the...
Different Types of Transit and What that Means for Omaha
by Eric Miller | Jul 15, 2024
I cringe when I hear someone mention the idea that we need to build light rail between Omaha and Lincoln… not because I don’t agree that more and better transit is needed between the two cities, but because of the lack of understanding of what the most applicable mode of transit should be operated (the correct answer here is intercity bus and commuter rail). Another favorite of mine is when someone questions the need for a streetcar along Farnam/Harney with the ORBT service on Dodge Street, perhaps without realizing that there is currently a local bus route on Farnam/Harney. The purpose of this article is to arm you with the information needed to intelligently explain what optimal type of transit mode could be applied for specific uses in the Omaha metro area as well as have a better understanding of what is discussed by people when referencing transit studies. And yes, there will be a quiz later, in the form of future articles that dig deeper in specific transit corridors! First, a...