Restored Green Line serivce would promote economic development and tourism.
LRVs increase transit ridership. While #39 bus ridership has fallen from 28,000 1988 to 17,400 in 2000, LRV service is projected to increase transit ridership (MBTA statistics). This will result in decreased auto usage in the community. It means more residents walking to Centre Street to use public transit. Foot traffic is good for business.
Franklin Park vintage trolley link will provide attractive environmentally sound shuttle service to the Park and its attractions discouraging reliance upon auto access to Jamaica Plain and the Park.
Put Centre Street back on the subway map. Green Line service will encourage visitors and tourists to come to Centre Street on their way to places like the Pond, the Arboretum, and the Sumner Hill historic district.
A 1992 City of Boston Transportation Department parking study concluded that LRV service would not result in significant losses of legal on-street parking spaces along Centre and South Streets. In fact, the study concluded that parking in the business district would actually increase by three spaces.
Reduce the cost of traveling locally. Round-trip bus fare from anywhere in JP to Centre Street or the VA Medical Center is $1.80. Round-trip Green Line fare would be only $1.25!
Calm traffic. LRVs discourage speeding autos, double parking, and "drive through" auto commuters who do no business in Jamaica Plain
But the few bus enthusiasts still claim that rail makes traffic worse. They're wrong! There is simply no historical basis for making such a claim. It is fear-mongering at its most blatant. In its 1987 Arborway Study, the MBTA concluded that there would be no appreciable difference in the traffic impacts of LRV service or bus service along Centre Street. This conclusion was reaffirmed by the MBTA's own consultant as recently as February 28, 2001, when the consultant told a Jamaica Plain community meeting that "our general conclusion was that the introduction of [LRV] service should not have a negative impact on congestion on the corridor."