And with the streetcars traveling on arterials at a snails pace, stopping in travel lanes and obstructing other traffic when boarding passengers, streetcars in reality create more congestion than they allege to reduce thereby negatively impacting freight movements and accelerating the need for more street grid

Furthermore, if streetcars were actually economically practical, not a penny in government funding would be required construct and operate the systems. Streetcars would be fully funded with user paid revenues rather than requiring millions of dollars in annual operating subsidies. Development interests would be clamoring to build on properties next to the lines rather than the opposite being true. Taxpayer funded subsidies, give away Portland Development Commission land deals and property tax abatements are handed out like candy to entice developers to these properties. With each new streetcar proposal comes another way for the City to find funding thereby creating an increase in taxes and fees. Streetcars simply create more reoccurring public dept. Increasing taxes to construct and operate streetcar systems only increases the costs of living in Portland and that will only force more people and families to relocate to the suburbs and in Clark County Washington. The remaining and reoccurring public dept will then be forced onto the future generations still in Portland that are wealthy enough to stay, or are too poor to leave requiring additional public assistance.