We’ll all admit to it: St. Louis public transportation is currently in a state of disarray. St. Louis Metro posts losses every year, and service hours and bus routes have been cut since Proposition M failed in St. Louis County last November. Metro’s stops are often viewed as unsafe and plagued with crime, and the MetroLink’s limited scope contributes to a social, economic and racial disconnect between residents of St. Louis City and residents of St. Louis County.

It is near-universally recognized that public transportation is beneficial in urban centers such as St. Louis, fostering a well-connected population and an urban sense of culture. Moreover, when would-be drivers ride on public transportation, they reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Given these facts, we feel it necessary to critique the University’s support of the Loop Trolley project. The proposed trolley system is an unnecessary and unbeneficial use of limited civic resources, diverting money away from potential improvements in the infrastructure of the existing Metro system.

The project—a planned 2.2-mile trolley track—would cost up to an estimated $57 million, with an additional $4.2 million required each year to cover operating costs.

The unnecessary expenditure of resources on this scale is irresponsible in today’s economic climate. The trolleys’ proposed route—from DeBaliviere Avenue to the corner of Trinity Avenue and Delmar Boulevard—is already covered by the MetroLink and MetroBuses. The proposed allocations of the trolley project should be used to improve the existing Metro system by reestablishing normal service hours on buses and trains and re-commissioning the bus routes that have been canceled since the failure of Proposition M.

If the trolley is placed in the center lane of Delmar, there will be no turn lanes and traffic flow on the Loop will be fundamentally impeded. The traffic that the trolleys would create on Delmar may harm local businesses by deterring people from driving to the Loop, running counter to its goal of fostering local culture and community.

The project would fundamentally alter the environment of what is and has been a pleasant pedestrian street. Because the trolley’s track would run 2.2 miles, it would only serve to encourage walkers to hop on the trolley for a short ride. Moreover, since those who drive will still be driving, the trolley project nullifies the potential environmental benefits of increased public transportation.

Perhaps the most ironic part of the proposal is that the trolley’s advocates believe that students would make up a significant portion of its customers. We support initiatives to bring more students off campus, but we feel that the trolley system would not accomplish this objective. The route runs along the Loop, not from Wash. U. to the Loop. It runs to Forest Park, but the walk to Forest Park is not a significant deterrent to students spending time there. The route may appeal to tourists but would create advantages for few others.

A cost of $27 million per mile is a hefty price to pay for an unnecessary tourist attraction, especially in a city wrought by socioeconomic problems—problems that could potentially be remedied by better public transportation. We’re perfectly happy walking down Delmar. We encourage the University to reconsider its support of the Loop Trolley proposal.