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It looks like homeowners along the path of the planned Portland-to-Lake Oswego streetcar line are coming down pretty solidly against such a project. TriMet has proposed constructing light-rail transit (LRT) tracks with all associated frills along a fairly residential corridor. That is not something that would endear itself to any neighbors.

Maybe jumping into this with both LRT feet is excessive. One size does not fit all. How about a lighter footprint with an evolutionary approach to transit? How about starting with something more modest and then improving it as the demand drives it.

A first stage would be good bus transit on existing streets with preferred signals. It’s low cost and pretty close to what exists now. But vehicles would not be removed from streets and buses would not be subject to vehicle congestion.

The second stage would be buses on a separate right-of-way. The existing Portland-to-Lake Oswego rail line would be paved over with bypasses. Rails would stay in the roadway. The right-of-way is wide enough for one-way bus traffic. With signals, buses would wait at bypasses for any oncoming buses. Bus traffic would be prioritized for the appropriate rush hour: northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening.

The third stage would be a bus rapid transit (BRT) system on a single lane through the existing rail corridor with bypasses. BRT looks a lot like a streetcar, with loading from both sides and stops with platforms and shelters. But cost would be fractional compared to a rail-based system. It works pretty well in Eugene. In fact, Eugene is in the process of expanding its BRT system.

The fourth evolutionary stage would be a BRT system that allows for two-way traffic. Sophisticated control systems ensure short headways between vehicles.

The fifth stage would be a diesel-powered streetcar on a two-track system. Diesel engines have come a long way in terms of efficiency and noise, vibration and pollution control. With no overhead catenary, the impact to the environment is minimized, and a lot of money is saved.

The sixth stage would be a streetcar with a full catenary system.

The seventh stage would be an LRT system with longer cars and more capacity.

The dilemma with the Portland-to-Lake Oswego LRT and streetcar solutions is that they are the past generation’s solutions to that generation’s problems. Sensibilities were different, and the federal government had deeper pockets. Times change; organizations need to be flexible. Many major industries have rebuilt themselves to meet the needs of the 21st century, and compete globally. Some don’t look anything like their predecessors. Transit is no different. In fact, transit solutions shouldn’t look like anything like their predecessors if they are to succeed.

Christian Steinbrecher is the president of Ukiah Engineering Inc. and a senior consultant at Capital Project Consultants. Contact him at [email protected].