Myrtle Beach considering a trolley system

[scaleybark]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/15890167.htm

"After years of talking about futuristic monorails to shuttle tourists around, city planners are now considering the old school approach of laying tracks and developing a streetcar system.

This beach town is visited by about 14 million tourists a year, most of whom come by car, causing congestion when they take their vehicles shopping, to the beach or to other attractions."
...
The system might run 3 or 4 miles along the oceanfront boulevard. Similar trolley systems cost $24 million/mile in Tampa, $11.5 million/mile in Portland, and $8.5 million/mile in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Proponents say the system could be added little by little to avoid sticker shock, and the presence of the tracks will serve as a constant reminder that the service is available.

[thelakelander]

Little Rock, AR trolley - $8.5 million/mile (JTA BRT $21 million/mile)

Population 2005
Little Rock - city 184,564; metro 643,272
Jacksonville - city 782,623; metro 1,248,371

http://www.cat.org/grf/river_rail/river_rail_schedule.jpg

http://www.gomacotrolley.com/Resources/photos/littlerockphotos/grandopening11_04/OF-110411-D015.jpg

http://www.gomacotrolley.com/Resources/photos/littlerockphotos/grandopening11_04/OF-110409-D011.jpg

http://www.gomacotrolley.com/Resources/photos/littlerockphotos/grandopening11_04/OF-110409-D008.jpg

http://www.cat.org/rrail/

[Charles Hunter]

Cool. Those are really old-looking trolleys. Are they really old (maybe retired New Orleans trolleys?), or modern-made-to-look-old?

[thelakelander]

Made to look old. Similar to Tampa's trolleys.

[danno]

I can envision those going up Main Street into Springfiled.

[fsujax]

It would be neat to have a streetcar system connecting Downtown with Springfield, San Marco, Riverside and Avondale. I guess all we will ever have is busses made to look like trolleys. Well, at least we have the Skyway, if it only connected to where we live and want to go.

[Charles Hunter]

This is a real (not snarky) question - there seems to be dislike of JTA's rubber-tired buses that look like trolleys, but great love for steel-wheel trolleys. Why?

Oh, and [as I'm sure he knows] fsujax's desired trolley routes are pretty much what the old Jacksonville Traction Co. ran before buses took over in the 30s and 40s.

[thelakelander]

I don't hate trolley buses. They're good ways to get around downtowns in cities like Lakeland or Ocala. However, the difference between the two is one not only moves people, but it also brings economic development, which in turn enhances the area's quality of life and the other doesn't. Without a doubt, a trolley bus is cheaper, but so is a Yugo compared to a Camry. In the end you get what you pay for. If you strive for mediocrity, you'll end up with mediocre results.

[Claude91098]

Current day I cannot say. But when I lived in San Francisco in the early 70's, they had the BEST organized mass transit system I had ever seen. The only one that I ever saw that came close was the London Underground system.

A trolly system for Myrtle Beach? They tore down the Pavillion on the beach street. It was like tearing down the boardwalk at Atlantic City! All that's left are tourist trap shops and over-priced older hotels. (A few new...but many older ones.) We have a condo in N. Myrtle Beach. We AVOID going "downtown" at any costs. It once took us 3+ hours to drive a mile and a half down the beach street during spring break. NEVER AGAIN! LOL

We're about 3/4 mile from the Apache Pier, next to the Brigadoon. An older complex built in the early 70's. We love it there. Right on the beach! :-)

[Jason]

Another great thing about Little Rock's system are the loops at each side of the river. The skyway could be scaled down significantly if it were to build say a one way loop from Hogan down Bay Street to the sports district and then back to the terminal bus/skyway station. Less tracks, less interference with traffic, and more coverage. Our radial system seems to be another drawback.

[Charleston native]

...A trolly system for Myrtle Beach? They tore down the Pavillion on the beach street. It was like tearing down the boardwalk at Atlantic City! All that's left are tourist trap shops and over-priced older hotels. (A few new...but many older ones.) We have a condo in N. Myrtle Beach. We AVOID going "downtown" at any costs. It once took us 3+ hours to drive a mile and a half down the beach street during spring break...
The beach street is known as Ocean Blvd., but the Pavilion has not been torn down...yet. Unfortunately, DT Myrtle Beach has been plagued with a real estate firm known as Hillsborough and Chapin, who did not invest any additional funds to renovate and modernize the Pavilion. They also let cheap souvenir stores run rampant in occupying much of the retail space around the park, providing nothing but T-shirts with crude, suggestive messages on them and disgusting souvenirs such as a bubble blower that has been crafted to show a man blowing bubbles out of his anus!:mad:

With plans for the future of the Pavilion in limbo, the area will continue to deteriorate, regardless of new hotels being built and trolleys being placed on Ocean Blvd. The area will need a destination park, and the nearby Family Kingdom or Ripley's are not sufficient to improve the quality of the entertainment there.

Trolleys themselves do not improve the quality of the city. You have to give people a reason to use it...a place to ride the trolley to. Jax, on the other hand, should be able to get something like this, considering its many amenities.

[Claude91098]

Sorry Dave....My wife's parents called us from there a few weeks ago and said that it had been torn down already. (Maybe they mean't closed in prep for demolition?) We took it as it being torn down. They heard that the "plan" is to replace it with "shopping complexes"...Like MB doesn't have enough of THOSE already!

The wife's family spent many, many summers around the Pavillion with many fond memories of it. Personally, I've never been to the Pavillion. We're older now, married not too long. We just stay near the condo and frequent the Great American Buffet now! :-) (We still prefer Capt. Nance's in Calabash tho!) :-) (OH...and the golf! I always play golf there!.LOL)

[Charleston native]

Hey Claude, I didn't think it was torn down yet since it had its finale opening at the end of September, and it was going to permanently close at the beginning of October. My wife and I visited the park on the 3rd weekend of Sept., but maybe the company has started demolition by now. That truly sucks.

The plans to create more shopping demonstrates how short-sighted the real estate firm is for the improvement of DT Myrtle Beach. While a trolley system along Ocean Blvd would be a great novelty, it was never used as a source of transportation in MB's history. The street has been an avenue only for "cruising the strip"; the city even tried using a bus system on the street, and it failed.

For a trolley to work, DT MB needs a prime destination in its vicinity. I think many cheap motels and cheap T-shirt stores could have been purchased adjacent to the Pavilion, then the park would be modernized and expanded. More retail will not necessitate trolley usage, and the developers should know that.

[Claude91098]

I agree. A trolley down Ocean Ave wouldn't be anything other than a "ride" attraction...not serious public transportation. AND...it would further congest an already congested area. We drove our daughter down the "stripe" when she was still in high school. It took us almost 3 or 4 hours to go the 15 blocks or so. It was CRAZY! (But it was spring break too!)...We AVOID the strip nowadays. We limit our excursions to the All Americal Grill and Buffet! LOL

Our favorite place is still Cap'n Nance's in Calabash tho! :-)

(Actually, our real favorite is just eating at the condo watching the ocean...we're ground floor, on the beach!) :-)

[Charleston native]

Your condo sounds like the best location to me! :) I hope that when I become a health care exec in a hospital or other organization, I will be able to buy one of those condos for my family and I to have the same experience.

Another good point about the trolley...traffic would get much worse on the strip during the tourist season.

Cap'n Nance's is pretty good, from what I hear. My wife and I usually go to the places around Broadway or Barefoot Landing. The All-American Grill and Buffet is impressive; you have to limit your visits to that restaurant if you don't want to gain 25 pounds during your vacation. :D I recommend eating at Sara J's Seafood in Garden City. My in-laws love the place, and I think it's pretty good. Gorgeous views of the intercoastal waterway, and the seafood is excellent.

[RiversideGator]

My kingdom for a streetcar system in Jacksonville. IMO, leave the Skyway downtown and tie it into a streetcar system which goes into the adjacent suburbs (just like it used to). Why can smaller cities get this right but we cant??