There’s no doubt that most Bryan-College Station locals know about College Station’s Northgate district. The social hub’s plethora of bars and restaurants consistently draws a large crowd nearly every Thursday through Saturday night. However, moving toward Bryan from the Northgate area, one can find another string of promising or already successful institutions grabbing for a piece of the weekend action. Currently, the only efficient way to move from Northgate to downtown Bryan in the evening and back is by personal vehicle or by CARPOOL.
Of course Carpool won’t take people from one bar to another (and rightly so). Luckily, there is another safe and efficient way of moving between Northgate and downtown Bryan in the works. A plan by the Bryan City Council may soon change that. The council is considering a plan to implement a trolley system running on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between Northgate and downtown Bryan, according to the minutes of the March 14 meeting. The trolley plan is a good idea for both economic growth and the safety of B-CS residents and should be pressed through the city council and into implementation.
The system would run from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The proposed route, as presented to the city council, would cost approximately $158,000 per year to provide the service, according to the meeting minutes. There are several reasons why this system would be a boon to the B-CS area.
First, the system would offer the opportunity for economic growth in the area. The additional means of moving to the downtown Bryan area would mean that more people, especially on-campus students without cars, could more easily go out to eat, shop and socialize than now, meaning more revenue for both the area businesses and Bryan.
An even more important reason to implement the trolley system is that people drinking on Northgate often have to drive themselves there, especially if they live in the Bryan area. One too many drinks means that these people are stranded on Northgate unless they try to drive home, endangering themselves and others. A trolley system would mean that customers both at Northgate and the downtown Bryan area restaurants and bars could safely move to another area of the city without having to drive themselves. Quite frankly, an enormous amount of alcohol is consumed on Northgate, so minimizing any associated risks, such as driving home when the bars close at 2 a.m., is just good sense.
Finally, the trolley system is already set up to be an efficient operation. Running only during the prime business hours of Northgate and downtown Bryan, $158,000 per year is a small price to pay, especially for the added safety. Moreover, the additional revenues created by providing another form of transportation between the two areas would likely cover the trolley system’s operating expenses.
If the financial and practical benefits of the trolley system are this great, there is little reason not to implement the program. It would be a welcome addition to the development of the B-CS community.