Photo by Andrew Bossi

With the D.C. streetcar set to roll out in late 2013, there are still skeptics who ask why D.C. is investing billions in a streetcar network when it dismantled one some five decades ago. In some regards, D.C. officials haven’t done a particularly good job explaining why the streetcar would be beneficial—for everyone.

Arlington County, which is early in the process of planning and building its own streetcar network, has already jumped ahead to explain to residents why the investment is needed. The Examiner reports that the county paid $3,400 to produce a nine-minute-long video explaining and justifying the planned system, which would see lines along Route 1 and Columbia Pike.

The video sells streetcars as a means to alleviate traffic on the two arteries while further promoting economic development. In the video a Portland restaurateur speaks in favor of the streetcars, saying that he has benefited from the certainty that the streetcar route will not be changed or moved, while a commuter sells them on their ability to get people out of their cars.

For its part, the D.C. Department of Transportation did produce an animated rendering of what the streetcars would look like, has a website dedicated to them and has held various town hall meetings to explain their benefits. (The D.C. Department of Planning also published a land-use study showing how streetcars could drive development.) Regardless, some residents remain and officials (Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry, for one) remain skeptical, saying that streetcars will only benefit a certain segment of the population.