Newport Looks At Possibility Of Having A Trolley

The City of Newport is exploring whether a seasonal trolley could ease summer congestion and improve access to key tourist districts, but consultants and staff stressed at an open house Tuesday night at the PAC, that no decisions have been made and no routes, vehicles, or stops have been selected.

At the community open house this week, the city’s beautification and tourism program coordinator opened the meeting by emphasizing that the project is still in the feasibility stage and that the purpose of the event was to hear from residents before any plan is drafted. Willow Ryon, the Newport tourism and beautification coordinator, told the audience, “There are no routes identified, there are no areas identified, there is no actual vehicle or model identified,” she said. “We really wanted to learn from our community about what they would like, what they would not like.”

Interactive boards were set up around the room so participants could mark preferred destinations and comment on concerns such as traffic, parking, and neighborhood impacts. A Yachats trolley was parked outside for people to tour and react to, including whether that style of vehicle fits Newport’s character. Transportation Consultant and Nick Mesler, with AKS Engineering, told the crowd that his team’s role is to identify opportunities and constraints and to make sure any future trolley program “really makes a lot of sense” for Newport.

He said the trolley concept idea is to help address familiar problems, within the city, such as heavy congestion on U.S. 101 in summer and during spring break, limited parking in hot spots like the Bayfront and Nye Beach, and steep hills that make walking difficult between districts and parking lots.“Summertime is upon us, 101 gets very busy, congestion is a problem, finding parking in certain areas is very difficult,” Nick said. “The trolley might be a solution to not necessarily solving that, at least relieving a lot of that.”

One goal, he said, is to allow visitors to park once in a centralized location, then use a trolley to move between the Bayfront, Nye Beach, South Beach, the aquarium, and other districts, rather than driving and circling for parking at each stop. Data from local tourism partners shows many visitors currently stay in a single district and do not move around town, limiting the spread of visitor spending.

“Another opportunity that may come from a trolley program is allowing folks to visit one area, hop on a trolley, get to the next area pretty quickly, and continue to spend dollars, invest in the local community, support local businesses,” Nick said. Accessibility is another theme. He pointed to limited safe crossings on 101 and the steep grade between the city center and the Bayfront. Walking down the hill can be challenging, he said, and walking back up “in the middle of the summer” is even harder. A trolley could offer an alternative for people with mobility challenges, especially if vehicles include wheelchair access and other ADA features.

The project, however, is not intended to function like a traditional city bus system. Nick said the concept is “tourist-focused” and meant to reflect Newport’s character, including potential for local branding, advertising, or distinctive paint schemes. At the same time, locals would be able to ride, and the team is trying to balance visitor needs with everyday destinations for residents. “To the extent that we can balance the two and make this available to the greatest amount of people is really one of our primary goals,” he said.

Consultants are also weighing where stops would go and how often a trolley should run.

“We’ve heard from some of the folks… one hour may just be too long, and it’s really easy to be 20 or 30 minutes that it comes by every time for it to be really useful,” Nick said. “But in order to do that, if you only have one vehicle that might not be able to serve as great of an area, so finding that balance between service area versus frequency is one of the top of mind considerations.”

Parking relief, accessibility, and overall visitor experience were named as leading goals so far, but he said community feedback will determine which issues get the most weight.

City staff and consultants indicated there will be additional opportunities for public input as the feasibility study continues, before any formal recommendation goes to the Newport City Council. To view the community meeting click here. More information on the project can be found on the City of Newport's website https://www.newportoregon.gov/