# Streetcars are just a tool

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com) · 2014-08-26

architect-this-city, atc, athiscity, city-planning, consultant, economic-development, economic-impact, jarrett-walker, light-rail, lightrail, mobility, portland, roi, streetcars, tool, toronto, toronto-star, transit, transit-planner, uncategorized, urbanism

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Earlier this month the [Toronto Star published an article](http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/08/01/us_rediscovering_its_love_for_the_streetcar_but_not_without_critics.html) talking about the resurgence of streetcars in American cities. According to the Star, 89 cities in the US are currently implementing or at least considering building some form of surface-rail system.

But the article also goes on to argue that it could be a snobbish fad. Streetcars are new. They’re shiny. And they make yuppies –  who don’t like taking buses – feel better about themselves. But is the ROI really there? Is the [economic impact of streetcars](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/94259627058/why-light-rail-isnt-a-waste-of-money) as big as people are making it out to be?

To support this argument, the Star quoted transportation planner Jarrett Walker, who [I’ve mentioned here before](http://brandondonnelly.com/post/94480122348/understanding-the-radius-of-demand-for-transit) on Architect This City. But according to a [follow-up post that Walker did on his blog](http://www.humantransit.org/2014/08/dear-toronto-star-if-a-carpenter-cant-be-a-hammer-opponent-then-i-cant-be-a-streetcar-opponent.html), it would appear that he was misrepresented in the article. Here’s a snippet of his response:

> _Here’s the bottom line. Streetcars are just a tool. They can be used in smart ways and in stupid ways. Asking a transit planner for an opinion about a transit technology is like asking a carpenter what his favorite tool is. A good carpenter sees his tools as tools and choses the right one for the task at hand. He doesn’t use his screwdriver to pound nails just because he is a “screwdriver advocate” or “hammer opponent”. Yet the Toronto Star assumes that nobody involved in transit debates is as smart as your average competent carpenter._

I wanted to share this because I think it’s a great way to approach transportation planning and because I think it gets at a larger issue that we continue to face here in Toronto: We keep politicizing mobility tools. Cyclists have become pinkos. Streetcars are a war on the car. And the list goes on. How about we just look at the problem, and figure out what solution would work best?  

_Image:_ [_Flickr_](https://www.flickr.com/photos/jason-rodriguez/3845748174/in/photolist-dtWpsX-o5C4fy-6RQsX1-3fu7DJ-oiEJcE-fZ5TX-fcQryy-okUjhk-cpVf-azQBSh-8B6J1X-4duSKW-ceKEWC-azMVmr-7eHG1P-cuEjaw-m86uXH-9ytadj-7N2fpf-dWhQxT-cpB3Am-6de8TG-nUkT2f-89V8hE-cXtoHm-mpupdp-388D4e-4cfWex-g7hYCf-4oewmx-6FQVMQ-cHEwKA-cwYusY-bSevPx-3aUrTB-cuEjp7-9RjiE-6jT3wi-9YSdDn-eUzTtP-5yCQuD-cXtnBw-4eUjj6-9bbdJo-faMv8e-dWx3Vc-ih4W2-kuPrsK-2UyodD-jwnb5h)

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*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com/streetcars-are-just-a-tool)*