TraderJake

Rich I can tell you I wholeheartedly feel your pain right now. Did you talk to Christian about this issue? It's impressive, to say the least. Also, your messages table isn't the only SMF messages table to be corrupted. I'm in that boat too.

No, you actually can't. The minimum lane width requirement for an interstate is 12 feet, and the minimum outside shoulder width is 10 feet. In addition, since I-71 has 3 or more lanes in both directions, the inside shoulder is supposed to be 10 feet as well. You simply can't restripe an interstate to less than the current standards it meets, as such an action would bring the ire of the Federal Highway Administration against ODOT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_standards

I'm not Rich, but Urban Ohio's host's servers (I'm on the same host) tend to run on central time, as the support guy lives in Manitoba.

Now travel forecasting is by no means my specialty, but a 50000 vehicle growth in 5 years sounds totally bunk.

People think that traffic signals make intersections safer. They don't. Unwarranted traffic signals can raise the accident rates significantly over other methods of control. More often than not, the least control is the best control. It's important to realize that unwarranted traffic devices reduce compliance of said traffic control devices. Have you ever rolled through a 4-way stop because there is no traffic there? Or how about those completely unwarranted 35 MPH speed limits in western Hamilton County? The truth is that motorists will drive what they find to be clear and reasonable. If noncompliance seems safe because the signalized intersection has little volume, people will not comply. Of course, there are safety issues with unwarranted signals as well. If people can make left turn movements without jeopardizing their safety, is it fair then to jeopardize the through traffic on the main street who suddenly will see a higher frequency of rear end accidents? What about the red light violations? Simply put, signals are put, or not put, somewhere for a reason. It's not as simple as "Delegate X" wants a signal. There's warrants and criteria for signals, and there is a reason for that. The least control truly is the best control.

Strange, I'm in the DC summer kickball league, and our games are on the national mall by the Washington Monument. The NPS doesn't seem to care. Also, is the grass looking that great really that important right now? If you go to the national mall right now you'll find that what's supposed to be green isn't so green after all. Why does the Statehouse grounds crew find the need to make their grounds perfect? Is it worth taking away a fun activity from downtown? Probably not.

I always thought Covedale existed. I mean, isn't it technically right at the intersection of Guerley and Glenway?

^Impact fees are wonderful. I can show you something that a developer is being forced to do here in Maryland at their expense some time in the future. On the other hand, I am fairly certain that impact fees and requiring the developer to pay for infrastructure mitigation also increases property values / property costs, so there is some trade off.

I don't recommend approval of rezonings, variances, or use permits without first conditioning the proposal to certain items as recommended by staff. For major projects we regularly include that developers pay for turn lanes, streetlights, intersection improvements, etc. Some counties are better than others at requiring mitigation. It sure would have been nice if Hamilton County forced the subdivision developers along Rybolt Road to do relatively minor mitigations like add turn lanes, wouldn't it have?

Baltimore City did that, a traffic engineer got a red light violation, found out the yellow clearance was intentionally set short, subsequently sued the city and won. It was a big deal, apparently. I imagine such a money making tactic is used more often than you'd think. Also, if you ever get a red light violation and wish to fight it, here is the incredibly simple equation to calculate the required yellow time: Y = t + V/(2a+2Ag) Y= Yellow clearance interval in seconds t= reaction time (use 1 second) V= 85%percentile approach speed in ft/sec [can use speed limit, don't forget to convert to ft/sec!] a= deceleration rate of a vehicle(use 10 ft/sec/sec) A= Acceleration due to gravity (32.2 ft/sec/sec) g= percent grade in decimal form(+for upgrade,- for downgrade) this is unknown.

I hope Mercy is required to mitigate their impact. I know that's taboo in Ohio, but here in Maryland it's required by law and works wonderfully. Taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for road improvements that will be necessary because of this project.

That's some crazy math conjuring going on there using the data he's provided. Mr. Smitherman does not realize that there are plenty of other people out there who support the streetcar project and aren't financially invested in it.

The video is fantastic.

Awesome! Thanks!

I imagine the owners of Stumps are dancing on the streets at this news. It should be a boon for them. It is, after all, the closest Bowling Alley to the soon to be closed Western Bowl. Also the Aqua Ball.... wow.

That's really, really sad. Goodbye, West Side institution.

Unfortunately, the general public can't see beyond the delay they experience in their cars. They don't care what the Cost-Benefit Analysis says, just that their commute is terrible and they want something done about that now, regardless of the ultimate benefit. Perhaps laws could be passed that force transportation projects to be ranked mostly on their Cost-Benefit Ratio, and all projects to require an economic analysis such as the one the streetcar was subjected to. The Dutch have done a pretty good job using the Cost-Benefit ratio to determine the scale of flood protection necessary somewhere, and as such money is allocated in a way that reflects the ratio. Perhaps transportation can be prioritized in a similar fashion.

I think it would be pretty cool if there could be a custom profile field for Hometown. There are probably a lot of displaced Ohioans like myself that would love to see that field. I think in SMF 2.0 you can do custom profile fields rather easily. Such a field would be pretty neat.

Not fair, Cunningham at least has the guts to stand up and speak his mind. He realizes the ridiculousness of $200MM for a trolley to ferry people from the non-existant banks to Findlay Market. Any system that requires the majority of its riders to DRIVE downtown to get to it is a waste. Make it part of a comprehensive regional rail system and thats another story. The primary purpose of the streetcar is to serve as a pedestrian circulator downtown. The majority of those pedestrian trips will originate inside of the streetcar service area. People that use cars to get to downtown will more than likely use cars to get to their destination. The primary mode of transportation for people who access downtown from outside the service area of the streetcar will be cars, and no one is arguing that. But, it's quite reasonable to assume that once downtown the people in these trips might use the streetcar to reach a new destination, such their favorite lunch place 5 or six blocks away that normally they would not have time or are too lazy to walk to. After all, the primary purpose of a streetcar is not to commute people into or out of a work center, but to circulate the people already there. The Cincinnati Streetcar Feasibility Study, published by the engineering firm HDR and validated by the UC Economics Department, states that in the 2010 base year 59% of the streetcar trips would originate from with in the service area. By 2015 that percentage jumps to 67%. It is also noted that these estimations are based on conservative variables. Such Bias Constant Variables such as the price of gas have fluctuated wildly since the study was completed, and it's not unreasonable to think that gas prices will continue this wild fluctuation once the economy recovers. I don't see any reference in the study of the majority of streetcar trips originating outside of the service area. If there is a study that states otherwise I would love to see it. Transportation Demand Forecasting is a rather interesting subject and I'd love to review any alternative analysis on this project. Lastly, let's talk about the Banks. The streetcar study's analysis area is much larger than the small area known as The Banks Project. It extends the length of the basin, and development is expected along the entire length of the streetcar corridor in the event the streetcar is built. Also, the non-existent Banks is a improper to say. Sure, you can't see the progress of the project, but you have to construct the piles to support the project. These piles, located on the flood plain alluvium of the Ohio River, must be deep. It's likely that bedrock is 40, 50, 60 or more feet below grade and as such piles to support the parking garages and structures above the garages will have to be deep, and more than likely those piles will extend all the way to the bedrock to prevent uneven land subsidence caused by the structure's load on the weak soil. Sure, it may not look like progress, but it's better to do it right the first time than have a scenario where uneven subsidence causes a massive effort after construction to keep the structures stable (see Kansai International Airport). The truth is that the Banks Project is very real right now, and come June 1, the structures will be on their way up. Quite the magical moment for Cincinnati if you ask me.

I think there is a different warrant for the malls, where the queues for Chick-Fil-A must be at a minimum three times as long as the lines for other places. That must be why the one in Northgate closed. ;)

Doesn't Chic-Fil-A have a requirement that an area must be able to sustain a drive through line that makes a full rotation around the building and onto the street? Perhaps the Chic-Fil-A warrants weren't met. :laugh:

It isn't as though the Banks is slab on grade construction. Given its location on alluvium with a water table four feet down I imagine the piles to support the structures are ridiculously deep. Deep foundations just don't get done quickly. It's better for stupidly deep foundations than to create shallow foundations and worry about inconsistent subsidence on the level of several inches. Now that just wouldn't be good for a structure. Taking your time on piles will only save you money in the long run. Too bad it looks like nothing's happening though because it takes time to drive piles. People need to take a chill pill.

You think big. I like that. Pittsburgh's inclines are major tourist attractions. Why can't we have some of that too? And in places where the inclines previously existed? Even better.

Yep, driven on it many times. It'll be nice when the entire project is finished so there is a significant volume of vehicles heading South on New Rybolt, discouraging people from turning onto Old Rybolt. The intention is for motorists to turn at the double left onto Harrison, but we shall see how that actually turns out.

Planning & Zoning will be best at making the future of Delhi Pike bright for the community. As much as planners and engineers often seem at odds with each other, we all need each other. Proper planning can develop a small area plan for Delhi that creates a vision for the community. Innovative zoning can make the the vision a reality. The thing though about zoning is that it tends not to be retroactive, so unless some philanthropist buys all of Delhi Pike and makes it a location to be proud of you'd see the Pike evolve over time. The future of Delhi lies well beyond transportation improvements. It suffers from poor connectivity and an aging population. From an attraction standpoint, there really isn't anything in Delhi that would draw visitors to the township (aside from maybe the Farm and Embshoff Woods). Their main commerical district is completely forgettable, and would fit in well with Colerain Avenue or northern Glenway Avenue. The sheer number of accesses onto Delhi Pike discourage pedestrian traffic even though sidewalks lie on both sides of the street. It has completely lost its identity as the Floral Paradise of Ohio. It lies on the often forgotten about West Side of Cincinnati. Delhi has a lot of things that run against it. At the same time, one has to look at the glass half full. Delhi Pike's potential for redevelopment is tremendous. Use zoning to sculpt that the township's vision. Brand the township as a hamlet, something to be experienced. Promote the proximity to Cincinnati. It has home rule, for better or worse. Delhi needs to think big, and innovate who they are, and what they want to be. The cards seem at times stacked against them, but if the vision is shared their future can be bright. Also, pretty certain a road diet wouldn't work on Delhi Pike, the road essentially dumps out most of Delhi onto River Road. 23000 vehicles a day drive on Delhi East of Anderson Ferry, and that's a bit more than a three lane facility can handle. That said, a streetscape project that involved access consolidation and a landscaped median would have done wonders for the road. Too bad they killed it.