Rethinking trolleys in a rush-hour era

Re “In L.A., Desire of Some Is Named Streetcar,” Sept. 5

The main differences between the effective but confusing DASH bus system and a trolley are the legibility and fixity of the trolley line and the fun riding experience of being on a special vehicle rather than a utilitarian bus.

Why not:

* Paint a continuous dotted line of circles, each about a foot in diameter, on the street with a big spot at each stop.

* Call it DOT -- Downtown Omnibus Transport.

* Use modern vehicles, with electric power and rubber tires.

* Make the vehicles unique to Los Angeles, brightly colored and high-style, open on top like London’s departed double-deckers and at least partly open on the sides like San Francisco’s cable cars.

* Engage L.A.’s automotive design and coach-building community to produce custom vehicles.

Save tens of millions and get the DOT rolling fast. No track, no power lines. No track is the fast track.

ARTHUR GOLDING

Los Angeles

The writer established the Los Angeles architecture and urban design firm of Arthur Golding and Associates.

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The reverie for trolley cars in Los Angeles is as passe as the Red Cars. Straight lines in our frenetic transport world are for freeways and subways only.

We simply won’t accept slow traffic in the middle of our busiest streets. Not to mention the safety of riders trying to get to or from the centerline and avoid hurtling cars and trucks.

My mother, born in L.A. in 1913, adored the Pacific Electric trolleys in an age when going 10 mph actually meant getting 10 miles in an hour. Cars, trucks and buses were scarce, and the expression “rush hour” had not reached the lexicon. Good for Portland, Ore., and maybe Omaha. But trolleys in L.A. are for Jay Leno or David Letterman.

TOM SLOSS

Fountain Valley