Even if you don’t Hop, the 67-foot-long streetcar, which runs in the street along with other traffic, will change the way you get around along its route.

TIPS FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS

KEY: Keep your head on a swivel along the route.

Pedestrians along the route need to pay attention and use common sense: Don’t look at your phone while walking, avoid earbuds (the streetcar is pretty quiet), and cross only at crosswalks.

Bike tires can get caught in the tracks, so be careful along the route. Cross the rails as close to a 90-degree angle as possible. (Turn left across tracks one street at a time.) And the tracks will be slippery when wet.

TIPS FOR DRIVERS

KEY: Drive as usual; be careful where you stop.

Parking along the route is the biggest adjustment for residents when a streetcar starts in a city. Cars parked too close to the rails require the streetcar to stop, though sideswipes and clipped mirrors do happen in other cities. New striping painted along our route – a foot or so wider than a standard curb spot – is your guide. Keep your car on the curb side of that line and your mirrors and fender paint will be safe.

The streetcar has its own set of stoplights, so it may have a right of way that you don’t, even if you’re sharing a lane with it. Keep an eye on your own signals. Watch pavement markings at intersections – you may need to stop farther back from the corner. Don’t turn right in front of the streetcar.