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Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker
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It was an interesting video - they should translate it and play it on English TV. Speaking of the Paramount, and the other downtown theatres - the experience of going downtown to see a movie was somehow more exciting than going to a mall, and the theatres themselves were more impressive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrChills
It kills me that pretty much every city in North America pulled out street cars. I watched a documentary years ago and don't recall the details exactly but the jest of it was GM bought up pretty much every public transit under the guise of improving them, but actually tore every street car out more or less overnight as they saw it as a threat to car production.
I know when the streets get real bad in the winter, especially on the far West end of Water St you can see the old tracks in potholes. It would be amazing to see them bring back a street car service for Water and Duckworth. It would certainly help with parking and would be a big tourism draw and easy transit for anyone staying in hotels.
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The story of the streetcar's demise is one of the few conspiracy theories that is actually true. They were seen as an impediment to modern transportation; more automobiles would be sold if they were gone, the tracks made it harder to drive in cars, and they were seen as causing traffic problems. Their replacement with buses also provided new business opportunities for companies like General Motors, and even for rubber tire companies. However, when the prospect of bringing them back again is taken seriously, it comes with the realities of reviving a technology that hasn't changed much since the 19th century. I guess everybody has been to Toronto so can judge accordingly for themselves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General...car_conspiracy