Washington D.C.'s new streetcar line opened to a chorus of media naysayers who mocked the slow moving transit, but reality shows it's not quite as slow as some would have you believe.
It's not breaking any land speed records, but that was never the point. In a post on Greater Greater Washington, Ben Bowman writes that the media pile-on during the opening of the new D.C. streetcar line mischaracterized the speed and purpose of the new transit line. Bowman points to an article in the Washington Post that claimed that one could walk faster than the streetcar could travel, end-to-end along its route. This in fact may have been true during the opening, however speeds have appeared to pick up as regular service has begun.
As for the streetcar's speed, more recent articles say it's taking an average of 18-20 minutes to get from end to end. In fact, in the inaugural "Running of the Streetcar", many runners couldn't outpace the Streetcar, even when starting with a small lead...
The fact of the matter is that people have underestimated how much time it would take to walk the streetcar route, and overstated how much time it takes the streetcar itself to travel it. Really, taking the DC Streetcar is about twice as fast as walking.
Bowman writes that it's important to set the record straight, particularly as plans to expand the streetcar system will rely on public support.
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