Pretty much every vintage photo I’ve seen of a streetcar line shows it traveling down the center of the road. But this photo of Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica in 1927 shows us a different, and perhaps more sensible way of laying things out. Placing the streetcar on the side of the road means that the overhead powerlines only extend part of the way over the street. It also means that the streetcars don’t interfere with traffic. And thirdly, passengers waiting for the next trolley don’t have to stand in the middle of the street where they’re vulnerable to inattentive drivers. This photo make we wonder why not all streets were organized this way!

Susan says: “As I recall, to some degree, no one wanted the street car line on their side of the street because it would cause lack of parking in front of their shops. Cities tended to put them down the middle so there would be more on the street parking. I think there was also something to do with keeping storefronts visible to cars driving down the street. Turns were probably easier for streetcars when they were positioned down the middle of the street. We didn’t always wait for the red car in the middle of the street. If it was one with a long enough stop, we waited on the sidewalk. But yes, it could be a bit precarious waiting for a car in the middle of a street. I tried not to do that unless there was a pedestrian corral or street marking allowance for pedestrians. People still got hit sometimes getting on and off street cars. There was a lot more jay walking back then getting to and from the street cars.”