The long-delayed H Street NE streetcar still isn’t running. But, for now, the H Street Main Street organization has a solution: run pedicabs decorated as streetcars along the empty tracks.

To celebrate the eventual launch of the streetcar route, H Street Main Street, which promotes business development along the corridor, will offer free pedicab rides from Union Station to Maryland Avenue NE.

“The H Street Corridor has really undergone a dramatic transformation over the last decade and we’re excited the streetcar line will open soon, making travel to H Street NE even easier for District-area residents and tourists,” said Anwar Saleem, executive director of H Street Main Street, in a press release. “H Street NE has so much to offer—exceptional food, shopping and entertainment—and we hope that the public will take advantage of these events and explore the area.”

The events, the Streetcar Stroll and Roll, will be held on Saturday, July 26, and Saturday, Aug. 23, with the idea of exposing locals to new businesses in the area. Local artists will also show their work along the corridor.

The street car still isn’t expected to open anytime soon, and with all the controversy, delays, and financial woes surrounding the project, this may raise a question: Would city-funded pedicabs decorated as streetcars have been a better and cheaper public transit option for the H Street NE corridor?

Photo from the D.C. Streetcar Flickr page