The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| New Orleans sees revival of historic streetcars Posted: 27 Oct 2012 06:58 AM PDT  A man rides his bike through the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, in this file photo of September 1, 2008. New Orleans is restoring old streetcar lines and seeking to build new ones. – Reuters pic In January, a mile-long (1.6 km) streetcar line connecting the tourist area of the French Quarter to the city's Amtrak terminal is scheduled to open, becoming the fourth streetcar corridor in the city. Two more are proposed, the first of those anticipated to break ground in early 2014. For a city where daily life was changed by the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, the new streetcars are a way to connect to history. The more than 150-year-old line that sails down St. Charles Avenue is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world, according to the city. Revitalising the New Orleans streetcar system has been a slow, arduous process. The city's two other existing lines were built in 1988 and 2004. "New Orleans has not had an incredibly extensive network of streetcars for decades," said Rachel Heiligman, executive director of Ride New Orleans, an advocacy organisation that has been pushing for more streetcars in the city. "This is the first time in almost a decade we've seen an investment in public transit, so it's a very exciting time for New Orleans," she said. As cities across the country explore ways to break gridlock or rejuvenate deadened commercial corridors, streetcars have become an attractive alternative to buses or subways for their affordability to build and maintain. In 2013, inaugural streetcar lines are scheduled to launch in Atlanta; Dallas; Salt Lake City; Tucson, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. Cities considering or planning streetcar lines include Cincinnati; El Paso, Texas; Honolulu; Kansas City, Missouri; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; and Sacramento, California, according to the American Public Transit Association (APTA). Streetcars already operate in cities including: Boston; Denver; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Tampa, Florida; San Francisco; and Savannah, Georgia. Besides their charm, streetcars are being embraced because of the availability since 2009 of grants from the US Department of Transportation meant for long-term projects. The funds helped make streetcars "a growing movement," said Mantill Williams, a spokesman for APTA, a research group in Washington. "For cities that had plans for streetcars on the books for years, this helped lead it to fruition," Williams said. New Orleans received a US$45 million (RM136.71 million) grant for its new line and is seeking a second grant to build another line, which would cost US$98 million. The city sold US$75 million in sales tax revenue bonds to pay for a third new line. The majority of these lines will run along historic streetcar routes that were uprooted in the 1960s, leaving only the St. Charles Avenue line in place by 1973, the year it was awarded a listing on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. Williams said cities with streetcars are finding that they help strengthen property values and spur economic development. "What it shows to your potential business customers is there is a sense of permanency there," he said. For the line set to open next year, that is already happening: A US$90 million apartment and retail complex that received city approval in late August and is expected to be built along the streetcar line in the next two years. – Reuters |
| Romania rescues two brown bears from decrepit zoo Posted: 27 Oct 2012 04:25 AM PDT  File photo shows a brown bear and her cub playing on the road on the outskirts of Sinaia, 140 km north of Bucharest, Romania. Two brown bears were removed from the decrepit Onesti zoo in eastern Romania and driven to Zarnesti, 150 kilometres away, which houses the country's first bear sanctuary in a forest. – Reuters pic The two male bears were removed from the decrepit Onesti zoo in eastern Romania and driven to Zarnesti, 150 kilometres (93 miles) away, which houses the country's first bear sanctuary in a forest. "These bears used to live in small concrete enclosures ... They will be released soon in this beautiful forest area (after quarantine). That's a huge difference," said Victor Watkins, a wildlife advisor at the World Society for the Protection of Animals. Sixty seven bears are now housed in the sanctuary. Many of them were rescued from ramshackle zoos or from cages at roadside inns and restaurants where they were used to entertain guests. Up to 7,000 bears live in Romania's largely unspoilt mountains. Several people, including foreign tourists, have been killed or injured by bears in recent years and experts have warned that their habitat is under threat from construction. A poacher was killed as recently as last month after a bear attacked him after escaping from his trap. The law limits the number of bears that can be killed by hunters to under 350 a year. Officials say some hunting is necessary to control their numbers. – Reuters |
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