Culture
Think You’re Faster Than the D.C. Streetcar? Think Again.
Streetcars without dedicated lanes tend to be on the slow side. But beating this much-maligned public transportation mode on foot wasn’t as easy as it looks.
There’s a running joke in Washington, D.C., that you can literally outrun the city’s streetcar.
The 2.2-mile H St./Benning line, running along a busy commercial corridor in the city’s northeast quadrant, has evoked mixed reactions from locals since it opened in 2016. Between stories of streetcars getting stuck in traffic and behind improperly parked cars (and at one point rear-ending a Metrobus), some Washingtonians have been skeptical about the reliability and usefulness of the $200 million project.