A streetcar named delusion in downtown Brooklyn

On Sept 9, 2010, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle ran a very informative article about a study of the possibility of streetcars in Brooklyn.

Now, the city is going to do "a five-month study to determine the feasibility of a streetcar network linking Red Hook with Downtown Brooklyn and surrounding neighborhoods."

Now?

Back in 2006, the New York Times ran an article about streetcars. They were being considered then, as well, and back in 2002, and back in 1982.

Still, no trolleys.

The last time a trolley trolled through Brooklyn was 1956, 53 years ago. No one has been able to get one running since and most of the tracks have been torn up now.

Trolleys were abundant in Brooklyn in the 30s, 80 years ago. We moved on to what we thought were bigger and better things -- buses and cars.

Now, we have pollution, high gas prices, overly expensive cars, insurance premiums and accidents. Yeah, that's a lot better.

All this talk of trolleys over the last 50 years, is it just that --- talk? Is it elusive pipe dreams and nostalgic romanticizing?

Or could we actually manage to lay a few tracks like they did in the good old days and hop on the trolley?

Maybe the city's new five-month study will tell us if we're capable of doing what we did 80 years ago?

Sources:

Brooklyn Eagle, "City To Study Feasibility of Streetcars in Brooklyn", Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Jennifer Bleyer, "A Desire Named Streetcar," The New YorkTimes