urbanpioneer

I feel the study bolsters the case for the need to proactively encourage economic development in OTR. It should be a wake-up call to anyone who's satisfied with the status quo in the neighborhood. We can argue about the methodology of the study, but the method was universally applied. There's no denying that OTR and particularly the West End are grim areas when it comes to crime and it's humiliating that they've caused us a Number One ranking we'd rather not have. But this is ALL THE MORE REASON something like the streetcar is needed, and needed badly. The alternative -- doing nothing major to promote economic development -- will only allow conditions to fester and worsen. By working against the streetcar proposal, opponents are in effect fighting to maintain a #1 crime status.

Ms. Ghiz may be under pressure from the Nowhere Men to withdraw her support for the streetcar. I've voted for her in the past but there are other candidates to chose from who have the vision to see that economic development will help our city prosper and that better transit is long overdue. Nowhere Men are modern-day versions of Nattering Nabobs of Negativism. For whatever reason they harbor ill will towards our city and fail to show appreciation for its many assets. Why else would anyone say Downtown, Clifton and various points along the proposed streetcar alignment are "nowhere", when they're home to most of the cultural, educational and entertainment venues of our entire region? If the Nowhere Men don't want to ride the choo choo train, so be it. There'll be more room for the rest of us to visit the many wonderful attractions along its route. As the lyrics say, "He's as blind as he can be, just sees what he wants to see". To any and all Nowhere Men, I hope you find happiness someday. In the meantime, maybe Prozac could help.

Tsk, tsk, since we're nitpicking, "Here are a few facts..."

Here's a link to The Enquirer cincinati.com article about Mallory and the streetcar, if anyone's interested in adding to the comment section: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090226/NEWS0108/302260005

Nothing posted about the substance of the debate on the cincinnati.com blog yet. Maybe everyone's having a merry old time at Monty's!

I'm not trying to make light of what happened, but what helped make it an international story was this kind of exaggeration. Coverage often lacked perspective and proportion -- I was here when it happened and saw things with my own eyes. Fear-mongering is a proven ratings booster. And framing a Streetcar story as though it's public transit to and from the Freedom Center is aimed to rile people, make no mistake.

What was I saying about the media tendency to inflame rather than inform??? WLWT Ch.5 just did a piece on the Streetcar and said the route begins and ends at the Freedom Center! Nothing like pushing certain peoples' buttons :roll: Please excuse the digression but this is the TV station that showed the same ****ing closeup of one burning garbage can over and over during the "riots", as if to imply that the entire OTR neighborhood was a blazing inferno. Correct me if I'm wrong but total property damage in OTR then was something like $250,000. Just had to vent...

I watch FOX19 news at 10:00 and saw the Brewery District piece last night. Timely, informative and interesting story. Very well done.

Let's be thankful The Enquirer had a big color photo of a modern [Portland] streetcar on its front-page today! And Margaret McGurk's article was very good -- she's been great. Poor-quality news media shouldn't cause people to believe some beat-up or funky old trolleys are what we're going to get for all of the millions the project will cost. If anyone does believe it, well, they're in for a big and pleasant surprise. It just goes to show that rather than being in the information business, the news media all-too-often aim to inflame public opinion these days.

Well, with fuel prices so high, it seems like an opportune time to be making the case to the business community about contributing to Cincinnati's first foray into modern rail. Who knows, maybe the more ambitious plan of expediting the Uptown component will get UC, et al, involved and help stir up interest. OR, maybe the Administration will get feedback from the business community and Uptown to get the Downtown/OTR circulator finished first and work on Uptown later. Depending on the connector's route, it's possible IT could ironically end up being a Streetcar to nowhere.

Metaphor, not a pun! A pun would be if I said something like, "This motion may give Council much more opportunity to choo on the issue and cause delay." :roll:

I hate to be a party pooper but adding the Uptown Connector to Phase I has the potential to cause tremendous delay, in my humble opinion. I hope I'm wrong. I don't see a big reason to celebrate yet -- the issue has moved farther along the track but has a long way to go before it arrives at the station.

Can someone update us on the final disposition of the Finance Committee meeting? Was there a vote or will there be more deliberation? ETA: Great news! How so a unanimous vote? Surprising. Just thinking out loud and wondering if Cranley (and maybe even Qualls) is anticipating future opportunities to impede or meddle.

:clap: :clap: :clap: can we have a halleluyah for cramer and his updates??? :clap: :clap: :clap: Minor point: Crowley may take umbrage at the notion of Winston Churchill being his contemporary

I have another suggestion. That is, why not consider using red, white and blue??? I'm serious :whip: I consider support of the Streetcar to be one aspect of my general, heart-felt patriotism, so there's honestly no cynicism intended. Besides, I think using red, white and blue (and maybe even some stars and stripes -- no kidding!) may help make the case with some opponents by drawing their attention to the message. We don't need to convince any believers, after all. However, I can understand if supporters would prefer to have stickers whose purpose is showing solidarity rather than trying to win the hearts and minds of opponents. My second choice would be taxicab yellow with bold black lettering.

I think a solution could be a bumper sticker that says: [glow=red,2,300]I'D RATHER BE RIDING A STREETCAR![/glow]

I have to take exception to the characterization that Ms. Crowell has been viciously attacked. I've read this kind of thing over and over again on the forum. It's true that proponents of the Streetcar don't wait very long to refute misinformation, misrepresentation, mischaracterization, or out-and-out lies. I've also read a lot of civil back and forth between people who don't agree about every aspect of the plan. Ms. Crowell complains that her voice is ignored but that's obviously not true. That her voice is unheeded so far says a lot, though. Maybe one reason why is that she calls the data of experienced consultants hired to analyze the plan "glorified" and implies hers are superior. This, coming from a person who according to a University of Cincinnati DAAP site, is in the Class of 2008. The term jejune comes to mind (been wanting to use that word forever). edale, I hear what you're saying though about getting lathered up over one person's article in The Pulse. Perspective's always important.

^I think it's very telling that she constantly touts her degree but not her professional experience in Eastgate property management when she expresses her opinions. Gee, I wonder why? :roll: Academic credentials are one thing. Professional experience is another. Methinks the woman's looking for a job.

I suppose this is possible. But it's my understanding that OTR was originally a predominently white, working-class neighborhood until the West End was razed for I-75 which created an influx of poor black families. There are people living in the suburbs and exurbs of Greater Cincinnati who have roots in OTR and can't help but look at it as the past instead of the future. Maybe they've worked hard to overcome their working-class backgrounds and are proud of it. But let's face it, there are and always will be people who just don't like being close to people very much. They have no desire to live in dense, urban areas, or live in old, multi-family buildings, or use public transit. Fine. To each his own. I just wish they'd butt out and stop trying to insinuate themselves into the Streetcar debate. We're not telling them how to live, and I resent what is essentially modern carpetbagging.

It must be horrifying for those like Cheryl who are heavily-invested in beltway-type real estate to see the rise in fuel prices, ponder the consequences and imagine what the future holds. And equally horrifying to see the urban core becoming more and more attractive to suburbanites and other middle-class people. OTR is an untapped mine on the verge. Location, location, location.

IKWYM. There's chicken pox, measles and in Cincinnati we're exposed to the grumps as well as the mumps. It's a pervasive infection. Symptoms can include fear of change, a no-can-do attitude, malcontentedness, complacency, and over-consumption of talk radio. Treatment includes broadening one's horizons and traveling somewhere other than the west coast of Florida via automobile.

Dear bfwissel - First of all, howdy neighbor :wave: Secondly, I couldn't agree with you more. There are people who will simply never understand the joys of urban life and will always be naysayers. Some have a disdain for those of us who want to live differently from them -- in diverse environments around people who may be totally unlike ourselves. They'll never understand the value of better transit because better transit to them is more and wider roads with potholes promptly repaired (and with more parking on the side, preferably surface lots). The kind of transit we desire competes with the transportation funds required to maintain their lifestyle, so they're loath to share. The fear of parallel parking is probably enough of a deterrent for many when it comes to discovering what downtown has to offer. They don't understand the joy of being able to walk to get or do simple things required for everyday life because most of them don't even have sidewalks where they live. Some are probably secretly envious of the infrastructure we have in the city and downtown -- sidewalks, sewers, buried electrical lines, etc. Then there's the quality architecture... I don't consider them losers, but I wish they'd try harder to be tolerant and open-minded. Everyone can't be alike -- it would be boring if we were.

I wish I knew someone in Dayton who could mail a Letter to the Editor for me -- I bet it would get printed. But maybe not if it's in favor of the Streetcar -- it seems The Enquirer isn't on board.

It also seems The Enquirer would indulgently print a letter that says 2+2=3 if the author were someone from any outlying area, thus proving the paper's "reach". This is essentially what it's done by printing the absolute falsehood that downtown Portland isn't accessible by cars. Didn't Randall O'Toole spout this lie during his recent 700WLW interview? It's especially sickening when lies are perpetuated by the news media. I have to keep reminding myself that newspapers aren't necessarily in the business of information, but merely in business.

IMO, the very fact that some people on this forum are doing the academic exercise of plotting an Uptown route shows that the opponents have gotten traction with this red herring. Now, it may just be sport, or a desire for as much transit as possible, but from what I've read it's my sense there are Streetcar supporters who've been persuaded of the necessity of an Uptown route and have bought into the rationale. This is okay I suppose, but they should be mindful of playing into the hands of Qualls and Cranley. I'd be willing to bet that their surrogates on this forum are delighted that people are investing their time and thought into Uptown. But the practical reality is that it's a distraction that's delaying progress.