Things You Don’t Really Need A Think Tank To Study Include . . .

. . . the lameness of art trolleys:

A think tank cited the Queens Culture Trolley, which was shut down in October 2005 due to poor ridership, in a recent study as an example of how the city’s cultural trolleys hold great promise but need to better address conceptual and operational issues.

. . .

The Queens trolley, which carried passengers for free on weekends around a 90-minute loop of arts and culture stops in and around Flushing Meadows Corona Park, was discontinued after it drew a mere 2,144 riders during its 17 months of existence, a study by the nonprofit Center for an Urban Future found.

The trolley, which was owned by the Parks Department, made stops at the Queens Museum of Art, New York Hall of Science, Queens Zoo, Queens Theatre in the Park, Queens Botanical Garden, Louis Armstrong House, parts of Jackson Heights and hotels near LaGuardia Airport.

“It had wonderful potential, but the practicalities were problematic,” Queens Deputy Borough President Karen Koslowitz said. “It was a great innovation, but as a practical matter you can’t do that with one trolley given the size of the park.”

The study found that when the trolley was launched in May 2004, it “debuted to high hopes and a slew of press coverage, but the sponsors realized that very few people were actually riding it and most of the institutions felt the trolley had no impact on their attendance.”

The capacity for the trolley was 40 passengers per trip, giving it the potential to transport 240 people during its six weekend trips. But the average weekend ridership was a mere 32 people, the study found.

(What’s the civil service title for “art trolley operator”?)