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"Tweens" using free service to pop over to the mall, Old Town
By AARON CLAVERIE
TEMECULA — Two trolleys have been cruising the streets of Temecula since Sunday and the reviews are in.
"They're a lot of fun," said Mayor Maryann Edwards, who rode the city's red line trolley from The Promenade mall to Old Town on Monday.
Edwards was accompanied on her trip by four teenagers who also were impressed with the new-for-the-area form of transportation, two compressed natural gas-powered trolleys that will take people from the Harveston community to the mall and from the mall to Old Town.
Their critique: "It's pretty cool."
For the first year of service there will be no charge to ride either of the trolleys. The $300,000 cost of providing the service has been paid as part of a deal brokered by the city and the developer that built the Harveston.
Both trolleys run in 15-minute loops.
The green line, which runs from Harveston to the mall, is scheduled to run from 6:30 to 8 a.m. and from 2:30 to 4:15 p.m. daily. Those time frames should allow parents and students to use the line, which includes stops at area schools, for daily commuting.
The red line, which travels from the mall to Old Town, is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. weekdays. On Saturday, the red line will run from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
There are multiple stops at the mall, including a stop near a Chinese restaurant and one near the movie theater.
Edwards said she expects the trolleys, transplanted to Temecula from Riverside, will be especially popular among "tweens," teenagers old enough to be on their own but too young to drive.
"Heaven forbid they be seen with mom!" she said.
One of the teenagers who rode with the mayor, 14-year-old Angelic Barlow, said she had a blast on her first ride.
"It was an adventure," she said.
Angelic hopped on the trolley Monday with three of her friends: Matthew Mallari, 15; Lauren Ruiz, 15, and Ryan Sebastian, 15; all of Temecula.
All three were effusive in their praise.
"It's a nice way to explore Temecula," Matthew said.
"It's an efficient way to get home," Lauren said.
"The seats were comfy," offered Ryan.
After offering up their respective one-sentence reviews, the teenagers said they would probably ride the trolley again.
The seats on the trolleys are wooden benches arranged along the edges so that riders sit facing each other.
Edwards said that seating arrangement was great and she expects it will be conducive to conversations among riders that will help Temecula residents get to know each other.
Earlier this week, there weren't many people waiting for the trolley at the stops on the red line's route, which connects the mall with Old Town.
Officials with the city and the Riverside Transit Agency expect that to change once word gets out that the trolley service is free.
"We expect ridership will exceed our expectations," said Bradley Weaver, the agency's spokesman.
If they are as successful as the agency hopes, Weaver has said the trolleys could become a permanent fixture. This makes the next 12 months a sort of experiment for the agency to find out which routes and which time periods are popular.
Over at the Harveston green line stop, five teenagers were hanging out waiting for the 2:30 p.m. trolley to the mall.
Two of them, 14-year-old Marcus Gill and 12-year-old Keith Kaup, were already trolley veterans. Marcus rode the trolley on Sunday and Keith rode one of the first weekday routes at 10 a.m. Monday.
It was an inaugural run for the other members of the group: Pierce Bryant, 10; Liz Hurd, 11 and Haley Magee, 12, all Harveston residents.
For Liz and Haley, the allure of the trolley was primarily that it wasn't a bicycle.
"We ride our bikes everywhere," Haley said.
Call staff writer Aaron Claverie at 951-676-4315, ext. 2624.
The Californian
July 2, 2009 |
