Common sense on streetcar wires

Take a look at the picture here. It's H Street NE. Do you think that street, with its fast-food joint and auto-repair shack, is particularly monumental or historic? Do you think protecting it from the intrusion of overhead wires should be more important than economic development, improved mobility and better community urbanism? Should this stretch of road receive exactly the same protections as Pennsylvania Avenue and the National Mall, or is it different enough for different rules to be applied?

The D.C. Council will take up that question beginning today, when Council member Tommy Wells and most of the rest of the councilco-introduce a bill to allow streetcar wires on H Street. The bill, which is only being introduced and won't be voted on for some time, would apply only to H Street and Benning Roads NE and would permit wires specifically just for streetcars -- nothing else.

The bill is a common-sense solution to an easy problem. While wires may not be appropriate on Pennsylvania Avenue, there is no good reason not to allow them on H Street. Hopefully the legislation will move along and quickly become law. The fact that all but one council member are apparently in support certainly bodes well.

Greater Greater Washington has more, including the text of the bill.

Dan Malouff blogs at BeyondDC.com . The Local Blog Network is a group of bloggers from around the D.C. region who have agreed to make regular contributions to All Opinions Are Local.