Vancouver History: Streetcars

Transportation is always a big issue in Vancouver. With our mish-mash system of bridges, tunnels, skytrains, and buses (and the occasional ferry), new developments are usually welcomed - until we subsequently use them and then proclaim that they're horrible and lots of taxpayer dollars were wasted. Such is life in Lotusland, I suppose. Regardless, it seems that while we're currently trying to come up with new ways to get around Vancouver, we used to have a very effective means: Streetcars!

The first streetcars were operated by the British Columbia Electric Railway company (later to become BC Electric) and began roaming our fair city on June 27, 1890 taking a route along Main, Cordova, Granville, and Pender street. And, as last week's Vancouver History mentioned, many other neighbourhoods such as Kitsilano, Fairview, Kerrisdale, and Mt. Pleasant among others were created by the construction of new lines. Power was supplied to the lines by diversion projects at Buntzen lake and on the Stave River system created specifically for the new streetcars and interurban rail lines.

Originally, the idea was to use mass horse-drawn transit (a large stable having already been built), however delays in the process convinced the company to go electric, beating both Toronto and Montreal by two years in electric travel. Although, with the decision to "go electric", passengers needed to be reassured by local newspapers that they would not get electrocuted.

Unfortunately for all of us today, the streetcars are no longer in service. On April 24, 1955 the last car was put into retirement, as cars and trolley buses had made them redundant (Ed. note: I can't believe I just wrote that sentence). To make us feel worse about having thrown out something environmentally friendly and incredibly useful, here's an old clip of the streetcar in action as well as a map of the entire streetcar and interurban rail line in 1940.

Although, on the plus side it seems that the city is trying to bring back streetcars with it's proposed Downtown Streetcar Initiative. So, at least now we're trying to bring back good ideas but dare I say that perhaps they never should have left?

(Photo by Flickr user knightbefore_99)