I believe this is how #Detroit first missed out on a subway and elevated train network, way back in the 1920s. The mayor at the time, displeased by the streetcar monopolies, quashed a city council-approved transit buildout because the mayor feared that the monopolies would extend to the new lines.
Jake Bermanthis is not true. there was no conspiracy. it didn't matter whether the streetcars were publicly owned (seattle, detroit) or private (los angeles, atlanta). a thread (because i wrote a whole-ass book on this): 1/?