Just over a year ago, the Arlington County Board voted to scuttle the county’s controversial streetcar project.
The next day we conducted a poll, asking whether the County Board made the right decision. About 62 percent of 3,280 respondents said yes, while 38 percent said no.
Over the weekend, the Washington Post published an article entitled “How D.C. spent $200 million over a decade on a streetcar you still can’t ride.” The article details a decade-plus-long string of delays, questionable decisions and cost overruns.
Also published over the weekend on YouTube: “The D.C. Streetcar Song,” a re-dubbed clip from the classic Simpsons monorail episode.
Meanwhile, Columbia Pike — for which the streetcar was to provide an enhanced transit experience — continues to be clogged by traffic and long lines of buses at rush hour. The Pike is continuing to develop, albeit slowly.
Given the continued bad news about the crash-prone and long-delayed D.C. streetcar — or a year of reflection on the current state of traffic and development on Columbia Pike — we’re wondering whether any Arlington residents have changed their minds.
A year later, do you agree with the decision to cancel Arlington’s streetcar project?