jacksparrow82

John, you mentioned the all star game in 2015...Is the city actively trying to make sure this system is running by then? The first thing I thought of when I heard the announcement that we're hosting, was "I wonder if the streetcar will be done by then." That would really be a huge help for all those out of town visitors and would really make the city look great in the eyes of the entire country (at least all the baseball fans).

I thought some of that work was installing new natural gas lines as well? I know for sure that's what they've been doing on Central Parkway, but I'm not as sure about 12th St.

Very good! I really like the Mark Miller and Barry Horstman one! Although, that must have taken a while to put together...

Of course its been delayed 2 years! We've had at least 2 years of delays that were NOT the city's fault. Namely, 2 separate ballot initiatives aimed at stopping the project, state funding being pulled due to Kasich being elected, and this whole ridiculous fight with Duke Energy, plus we have to operate on the schedule of the federal govt. (FTA) because they are the ones funding so much of it. We have no control over these things, but the Enquirer is trying to make everyone think its the city's fault. I'm sure there are more, but the city has been moving as fast as it can. The project is already under construction, money is being spent on it right now. It takes time though.

Also, I hope no one here is actually subscribing to their website. I really hope they go out of business.

GOD I HATE THE ENQUIRER! I mean really? We are finally starting construction on a project promised to bring so much good to downtown and all our local newspaper can do is print a terribly negative article like this? I feel like I'm living in Nazi Germany the way they print such BS propaganda. Unbelievable!

I was just getting on here tonight to see if anyone has heard anything about all this. Glad to hear things are still moving forward. I've been driving by the 12th street water main work daily and a couple of weeks ago I actually saw them pulling up old streetcar rails from the streets. Kind of crazy to see those ancient tracks out in the light of day again. Its still hard to imagine seeing new line being laid, but maybe we'll actually get a glimpse of it this year?

Those are all valid points, but again you seem to be looking at the system of the past. Take a look at Metro's Transit Plan below. Several of your concerns are being addressed and are already funded. For example, MetroPlus service on Montgomery will follow the same path as Rt 4 from Evanston to Kenwood but will have far fewer stops and increased frequency. There is also a listing of transit centers and select stops where they plan to add informational signage and well lit shelter. The transit centers will include realtime information like they've already implemented on Government Square. A few of those transit centers will be built this coming year in Uptown. Check out the second link to se a PDF of the plan. The point is that Metro has REALLY stepped up their game in recent years and I no longer have any reason to believe they won't be able to handle the Streetcar. Metro Transit Plan: http://www.go-metro.com/about-metro/way-to-go Uptown Transit District: http://www.uptowncincinnati.com/sites/default/files/120223%20METRO%20uptown.pdf All good points, thanks for the info!

Fair enough. I recognize that I've complained about this several times. I guess its just a pet peeve of mine. I feel the whole system is very user un-friendly compared to other systems I've used. It works if you already know your route and where the stops are, but imagine someone from out of town coming here hoping to get around using only our bus system. Its tough to figure out. I'll be honest that I haven't used their website lately, but a couple of years ago when I was using the system to get to and from work I tried using their website to figure out other routes, stops, and times and I found it to be very cumbersome. I guess its not fair to compare our bus system with New York City, San Francisco, or Seattle, but all three of those system are great examples of what we're missing out on. The first time I went to Seattle we stayed in a hotel outside the city (Belleview I think). We rented a car from the airport, but used the buses to get around the rest of the week. Within 5 minutes of stepping outside our hotel I was able to walk to a bus stop, look at a clearly displayed, easy to figure out transit map and we were on a bus headed right to where we needed to go downtown, no problem. We were also able to figure out how to get back late at night with no trouble. It was completely easy and stress free. That is impossible to do here in Cincinnati in my opinion, for the vast majority of the routes. Our bus stops rarely consist of more than a small sign with the route numbers on them. Are there even maps of our routes at any of the stops? I suppose gov't square might have them, but I've never seen them any where else. (although I'll admit I only use the downtown to uptown routes) Maybe its better now with iphone maps, but I haven't tried it lately. Another thing I hate is how many stops there are along each route. They literally have a bus stop at every corner downtown. That's very inefficient and makes it difficult to maintain nicely equipped stops with all the proper signage and maps. They need to simplify things and have far fewer stops that are all equipped with a shelter and map of the routes its serving. People should have to walk a little to get to a bus stop, but it should be a well equipped stop that has everything needed for someone who's never ridden before to be able to figure out where its going. San Francisco and New York are the same, though I think San Francisco's system is more user friendly than NYC. I've also had several metro bus drivers nearly run me over while I was riding my bike (in a bike lane once actually!) so I'm sure that's playing a role in my frustration. I apologize for the rants, I'm just venting I guess.

No, the streetcar route will not eliminate any bus routes. I've not been happy with the thought of Metro managing the streetcar all along. Our bus system is one of the most embarrassingly bad systems I've ever used for many, many reasons. And the worst part of it all is that they haven't changed a thing about how they operate for as long as they've been in business. I'm very concerned they are going to do a really bad job with the streetcar too. In fact, I fear they could cause it to be the first unsuccessful new streetcar system in the country.

I feel like we're still 10 years away from seeing the streetcar running here. Its unbelievable how many battles the city has had to fight for this project.

Perhaps it is. Although, its a couple blocks away from Pendleton. Its currently going on between Main and Vine St. I thought maybe they had to bury all the overhead power lines so that they could make room for the streetcar power lines that will eventually be installed? Oh well, I'm just anxious to see some more progress being made with this system! With another 4 years of Obama I don't think we have to worry about the federal govt. trying to take away our funding like Kasich did.

Does anyone know if the utility work being done along 12th St. in OTR right now is streetcar related? It looks like Duke is burying all of the power lines or something. Just curious if this is part of ongoing work on the streetcar route?

Yes, metro will be operating this, which is the one and only thing that really worries me about this system. In my opinion, Metro has serious issues running an effective bus system and I have fears they could be just as bad at running the streetcar system. I guess time will tell. As to your question about their monthly passes...I wouldn't assume that they will do what makes sense. Nothing they do with the bus system makes any sense or lines up with real bus systems in major cities, so I wouldn't assume they would doing something as common sense as make their monthly passes good for both bus and train.

You wouldn't be talking about a blonde girl with short hair would you? If so, I know her too! She's actually 30 now:) Anyway, her apartment is nice and I think that is the same building. Great price for the location!

Thanks for posting that! I just signed up too! That will save us some cash on flights when we go on vacation in february!

"This delusion people are having that somehow tons of people are going to make a day of downtown by going to the casino is absurd. " I disagree 100%. Would love to hear your argument! Theres no way to prove or disprove this, but I can say that naysayers in Cincinnati have a history of being wrong. People laughed at the notion that Fountain Square would improve and people would start coming there. Boy were they wrong. People still laugh at the notion that OTR is a destination for people in town for reds games or whatever, but they are wrong about that as well. (I saw a bunch of reds game people out the last couple of days for dinner after the games were over). What makes you think people wouldn't want to come to the casino, grab dinner in OTR afterwards, or go shopping or stay at a hotel for the night and make it a fun weekend event? I know my family would do it in a heart beat. And when the streetcar starts running all of these things will be easily connected and will make these sort of trips even more likely. Lots of people (not everyone, but a lot) enjoy going out on the town occasionally and spending time in the city. Thats a lot of what cities are for and I have every reason to believe that the casino will enhance those trips tremendously.

My feeling is that if council backs out of building the streetcar now just because a bunch of crazy, suburban republicans showed up to this meeting, then they are complete morons. After all the crazy stuff we've been through up to this point, nothing should sway them from finishing the project. My only worry is that we'll have some of the new, young, inexperienced council members make a stupid mistake and decide to listen to the crazy opponents. If they do that and this project gets stalled or cancelled, I'm out of here. I'll put both my properties up for sale and I'll move out of this city for good. That's how strongly I feel about this streetcar. It's one of the only reasons I moved back to Cincinnati 5 years ago and its the only reason I'm still here. To me it represents a city that's serious about making its core strong. That's the kind of city I want to live in and thats the kind of city that younger generations will continue to seek out.

I still can't believe that moron psychopath actually got elected to a government position. Only in Cincinnati...

Something like that can't be legal. Probably not legal, but I'm not surprised that those a**holes are doing it anyway.

I've seen the water main workers moving down Race St. recently. They just crossed Liberty heading towards Washington Park. Living down here I'm constantly seeing the line being worked on and it makes me very happy everytime I see it. I just think of how hard we had to fight just to get to this point where actual work is really being done!

HA HA HA HA!!!!! Oh my god, his hair shows how out of touch with reality he truly is. God, why can't Cincinnati get rid of these type of clowns!?!?

Sittenfeld was the other No vote. "Also voting “no” was Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, who said he would prefer the city work out the $12 million financing issues with Duke Energy before “moving forward with any significant streetcar expenditures.”

Interesting...I don't know what to make of that. What are their alternatives if they can't get the building they want? Have they looked at any other potential sites? There are quite a few vacant lots without buildings along Race/Elm, however I would think that would end up being pretty pricey to have to build a new warehouse type structure and wouldn't exactly look nice next to all those historic buildings that will end up being renovated.

This goes to show we have to be careful what we post here. Are they allowed to just pull quotes like that without asking permission? That doesn't seem right to me. I wouldn't want them quoting me without my permission.