Why did LA get rid of streetcars?

Cheaper to operate and requiring less maintenance, buses began phasing out the streetcars very early. As Richmond points out, in 1926, 15 percent of the total miles traveled by Pacific Electric riders was along bus routes; that share would more than double by 1939.



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The real problem was that once cars appeared on the road, they could drive on streetcar tracks — and the streetcars could no longer operate efficiently. Once just 10 percent or so of people were driving, the tracks were so crowded that [the streetcars] weren't making their schedules, Norton says.

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LISTEN: Unearthing London's transportation history introduced the horse-drawn trolleys in 1875. Two decades later, the system was converted to electric streetcars.

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Electrification of streetcars began here in 1892 in Brooklyn. The last NY streetcars were removed in the late 1950s in favor of diesel buses.

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There are 11 miles of service tunnels beneath the streets of LA. These became the conduits of smuggling and the passageways to the basement speakeasies. Most of the tunnels are blocked off today, but there are some that are accessible, and there is (potentially) a guided tour that can guide one down into them.

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The real problem was that once cars appeared on the road, they could drive on streetcar tracks — and the streetcars could no longer operate efficiently. Once just 10 percent or so of people were driving, the tracks were so crowded that [the streetcars] weren't making their schedules, Norton says.

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However, the demise of the streetcar came when lines were torn out of the major cities by bus manufacturing or oil marketing companies for the specific purpose of replacing rail service with buses. In many cases, postwar buses were cited as providing a smoother ride and a faster journey than the older, pre-war trams.

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In 1883 New York City's first steam-driven Cable Car emerged, which ran until 1909 when electric trolleys hit the urban scene of all five boroughs.

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1909: Electric trolleys replaced the steam-powered cable cars in all five boroughs, giving NYC transportation a sudden boost in speed and efficiency. 1957: The last streetcars disappeared, fully replaced by the city's bus system.

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The quiet death of the streetcar As they fought to stay alive during the Great Depression, many companies invested in buses, which were cheaper and more flexible. Initially they operated mainly as feeder systems to bring commuters to the end of lines, but as time went on, they began to replace some lines entirely.

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People in NYC have cars. Most people who live in the island of Manhattan, especially below the upper east or west side, do not own a car, because train or buses can take you anywhere in the five boroughs, faster, and cheaper ($2.75), than a car.

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