Tacoma Residents Complain of Noisy, Dilapidated Streetcars
Mayor Linck demands action against the Pacific Traction Company as citizens protest the jarring noise of 'triangular' wheels.
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Manager Dimmock of the T. R. P. Co. says the flat wheels on street cars were caused by the snow storm. He declares the company will remove them just as fast as the shop can attend to the work. In accordance with the edict of Mayor Linck that all flat wheels must go, the Pacific Traction Co. will have to get to work on its rolling stock also. Several of its car wheels are triangular in shape judging from the clatter on the track. People residing along this line are protesting strenuously against the terrific jar and noise caused by the flat wheels.
“Several of its car wheels are triangular in shape judging from the clatter on the track.”
Infrastructure failures, like the clattering streetcar wheels of 1909, reveal the friction between transit monopolies and the quality of life in the neighborhoods they serve. This complaint resonates with contemporary frustrations over neglected public transit maintenance.
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