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OPINIONS ABOUT THIS PLAN. THEY COULD CUT 12 MINUTES OFF THE RIGHT FOR PASSENGERS. >> IT WOULD SPEED UP THE PROCESS. SO MANY PEOPLE CATCH THE STREETCAR AT ONCE. AUBRY: SOME PASSENGERS DON’T LIKE THE IDEA OF A LONGER WALK TO GET PICKED UP. >> I CAN’T DRIVE. I HAVE TO USE A STREETCAR. >> THEY ARE BLOCKING INTERSECTIONS TO STRESS -- THE RTA SAYS THERE ARE CURRENTLY 41 CROSSINGS FROM CARROLLTON TO THE RIVER. THE PROPOSAL WOULD REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CROSSINGS TO 19. BY CUTTING THE AMOUNT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO CROSS CANAL, IT COULD BECOME A NIGHTMARE. >> IT WOULD CAUSE A LOT OF TRAFFIC JAMS TO BACK UP AND IT WOULD BE INCONVENIENT. AUBRY: IF APPROVED, THEY WOULD LAST FOR SIX MONTHS. THEY NEED TO DETERMINE IF ANY PERMANENT CHANGES COULD BE MADE. >> TRAFFIC IS PASSING I DO T HOW THEY ARE GOING TO DO IT. TO DO IT WITH THE STREET CAR PASSING THEY HAVE TO GO ACRO

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The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is looking to make drastic changes to the Canal Streetcar line.RTA officials said the proposal would slash time off the ride. The RTA is looking at dramatically decreasing the number of neutral ground crossings for drivers. The changes could also mean fewer stops for passengers on the route.Passengers and drivers WDSU spoke with had mixed opinions on the plan."That's ridiculous," passenger David Ross said."Cut about four or five stops out. Make it more faster for the people, you know?" Willy Jone said."Honestly, I'm cool with it," Micahel Vance said. "It would sort of smooth the process because so many people catch the streetcar at once."The RTA said blocking some intersections to traffic could reduce the number of streetcar accidents. According to the RTA, the Canal streetcars stop 23 times on the inbound route and 26 times on the outbound route from Carrollton Avenue to Harrah's Casino. The proposed plan would consolidate these stops to nine inbound and 10 outbound stops, the RTA said.The RTA said the distance between stops is 0.11 miles. Under the proposed plan, the average distance between stops would be 0.28 miles.According to the RTA, there are currently 41 crossings from Carrollton to the Mississippi River. The plan would reduce the number of crossings to 19.While the RTA said the impact to drivers would be minimal, some drivers said cutting the number of opportunities to cross Canal Street could create a nightmare."It would cause a lot of traffic jams. It would be pretty inconvenient," driver Emily Adams said.If approved, the changes would last for six months so the RTA could determine if any permanent changes could be made."They have to go across. The car has got to go across," Gene Caesar said.Local advocacy group Ride New Orleans is backing the plan. The group told WDSU the proposal would better connect the city and allow streetcar passengers to get to work on time. The RTA said one element of the proposed plan would be adding a ticket-taker at high volume boarding stops to speed up boarding.Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!