Several GGW editors and contributors are in Seattle this week for the Railvolution conference. While there, they’ll offer a series of short posts about their experiences.

Seattle is home to America’s 2nd largest trolley bus network. Trolley buses are buses on wheels powered by overhead wire instead of diesel fuel or battery. They’re quieter and smoother than normal buses, but more expensive, and some people don’t like the overhead wires.

Seattle trolley bus. Photo by BeyondDC.

I’m a big fan of these, and would like to see them in more cities. While still a step down from streetcars, trolley bus wires offer some of the same sense of permanence as rail. They’re a sign a bus line isn’t likely to change.

Cross-posted at BeyondDC.

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Tagged: events, seattle, transit

Dan Malouff is a transportation planner for Arlington and an adjunct professor at George Washington University. He has a degree in urban planning from the University of Colorado and lives in Trinidad, DC. He runs BeyondDC and contributes to the Washington Post. Dan blogs to express personal views, and does not take part in GGWash's political endorsement decisions.