#kcstreetcar fail.

HILARIOUS PHOTOGRAPH BY JILL TOYOSHIBA/THE KANSAS CITY STAR

Kansas City's effort to expand their streetcar network failed 60%-40% on August 5, 2014.

Here are the reasons why, and in a very specific order.

1) The process was not equitable. It was a city led project that considered very little feedback from the community. We were never asked "Would you like a streetcar, or perhaps better buses?" we were simply told, "You're getting a streetcar, so do you want it on this street or that street?"

2) It's a mixed traffic streetcar. This project offered no significant public transit benefits that aren't already being provided by the KCATA's Metro Bus system, or that couldn't be emulated with a much cheaper bus. For an investment of $515M, Kansas City should be getting some type of dedicated rail system that would boost ridership and create new transit routes. (For the record, Kansas City's annual KCATA budget is $87M and that is for 300 buses to operate daily.)

3) It was partially funded with a regressive sales tax, which would heavily impact residents in some of the poorest communities in Kansas City. It is not entirely unacceptable to fund a public transit system with a sales tax, but every respect should be given to the cost and benefit of the project, which was not done in this case.

Any future efforts to make public transit improvements should consider these three things. More about how that process should take place later...