City Blights

Sounds like a curious fund-raising idea... I'm wondering if they are like prepaid Mastercards where some of the purchase price is donated to streetcar operations. It would be cool if businesses on the route would give discounts for purchases made with them, thereby covering some of that donation themselves rather than putting it all on the person who bought the card. Or if they are just usable for participating businesses along the route, who would then kick in some money toward operations. Or...or...hmmm Like MUBucks? :-P

Park and ride bus service from Cincinnati State, Seymour Plaza, Rookwood Commons and Tri-County Mall feeding the Ohio side terminus of the LRT line would increase demand. Cincinnati has gone too long without having its airport connected to the center city.

The fare-payment system where people can board and exit streetcars and buses via all doors is called the "honor fare system." In Toronto, Ontario, the Toronto Transit Commission has named it "POP," meaning "Proof Of Payment," used mainly on their Queen Street streetcar route. People buy tickets from machines at stops, or use daily, weekly or monthly passes. When boarding, they insert their tickets into small validating machines located by each door - these machines stamp their tickets with the time and day, making them good for trips of up to two hours from that point. On many systems, validated tickets are also good for transfers from streetcar to bus and subway, or vice-versa, as long as an entire trip is completed during the two-hour window. When using the honor-fare-payment system, or POP, a typical rider may find that four out of every five times he/she rides, no one comes by to check to see if they've got a properly-stamped and -validated ticket with them. Essentially that person can take their chances and ride for free and get away with it. HOWEVER, if that same person happens to be "unlucky," a roving ticket inspector shows up and asks everyone present to show their POP (Proof Of Payment,) and if anyone's unable to, the inspector immediately issues that person a fine of up to $200.00. In California, The San Diego Trolley uses the Honor Fare System. Last I knew, the fare-evasion rate in San Diego was pretty low, under 5%. People board and exit the San Diego Trolley by all doors. There are sometimes three cars in one train, but there's only one operator, in the front car. Each of the three cars in that train has four sets of doors per side, so there are TWELVE doors for everyone at crowded rush-hour stops to use. To board, riders waiting on the platform press a button next to the door they're standing closest to when the streetcar or train stops, and the door opens. Same for when they're ready to get off - they press a button on a stanchion by the door they're standing or seated closest to. San Diego Trolley's operators therefore don't have to open and close the doors. If no one presses a button either inside or outside the car or train, that particular door doesn't open. The trolley or train cannot move until everyone has boarded and/or alighted and all doors are shut, thanks to a safety-interlock system. The great advantage of the proof-of-payment honor system is that it lets passengers rapidly board and exit via all doors at all stops, greatly reducing the time the old-fashioned fare-payment systems waste while people slowly file, one by one, in through the front door to drop their fares into the fare box or swipe transit passes. People rummaging through their purses or pockets for bills and coins to pay further slow down the already maddeningly-slow service. This aggravation is a major reason why so many car drivers hate to use public transportation - people don't want to be kept waiting whilst others board and fumble for change at every stop. I assume that Cincinnati's present bus system still uses the old-fashioned one-person-at-a-time-thru-the-front-door payment system. I hope the streetcar introduces the much faster, more efficient honor-fare system. It is used throughout Europe. The honor system works in Brussels, though I hope Cincinnati's streetcar system will be more efficient and on-schedule than theirs. Amsterdam had the honor system once upon a time but has smartened up and made the switch to block fare to maximize the investment of patronage. Transit mostly operates at a deficit, so paying ridership is important in a market like Cincinnati.

The Rams are better than the Browns, so when Cleveland players start screwing up, will Bernie have that same passion? Fisher did overreact. Can't stand Fisher but he can coach.

^I've noticed that Cincinnatians don't use the word much because there are a lot of people that think the grass is always browner on the other side, but the region has a lot of corruption. Dave Pepper, Bob Bedinghaus, Mike Allen, Joe Deters, Uncle Drunkie Luken and his soaking wet father, Chris Smitherman, Alicia Reese, Leslie Ghiz, Carl Lindner when he was alive... Where would Cincinnati be without the aforementioned undercutting progressive projects for a cheap backroom payoff?

What housing exactly are you speaking of? East of downtown is Barren? Can you be more specific? Westside is difficult to get go? How? and via what mode of transportation? South of Euclid going towards the community college has a lot of generic infill. Also, there are many cleared lots south of Euclid inside and around 55th. Between Euclid and Superior inside 55th is industrial. As for crossing the city by car, there aren't many options between 480 and 490. With the Rapid going east to west, you need to hop trains unless you're already on the Red Line. How have these area's been historically? The highways destroyed almost all the brownstone housing South of Cedar and the rest then became public housing, later Tri C moved in. Chester and Payne's housing was destroyed and CSU built. Most things North of Superior were industrial with a small amount of housing. Cleveland unlike CIN & CBUS hasn't historically had housing adjacent to downtown on the Eastside. The driving thing? Really? In Cleveland its difficult to get around? Sorry cannot agree with that in any manner. We have several wide avenues that make transversing the city easy. But I guess the River and the Industrial valley are not to blame. Also the building of the highways closed cross any crossing. There used to be a crossing at Clark and/or Fleet IIRC, it was discussed when I was at SOHIO. Honestly I feel you're comparing apples to pineapples. Different cities, growth patterns, climates, topography, etc. You're saying some things I never did, like Cleveland being difficult to drive around. I said between 480 and 490 it is difficult to get from one side of town to another. The point I was making about housing within three miles of downtown was that the infill that exists is mostly of a suburban charm and that the momentum downtown Cleveland wants to create for the city is nullified by not having intact, healthy neighborhoods east and southeast of DT. Columbus is mostly flat like Cleveland. Its downtown is boxed in by expressways on four sides. East of DT Columbus is a terrible neighborhood, and west of it might be worse, but the Scioto and highways cut it off severely from the core of Columbus. The difference between that bad planning in Central Ohio and the realities of the DT Cleveland area is that DT Columbus is far behind Cleveland's but the city is still growing from the inside out because of German Village, Victorian Village, Short North and Campus.

What housing exactly are you speaking of? East of downtown is Barren? Can you be more specific? Westside is difficult to get go? How? and via what mode of transportation? South of Euclid going towards the community college has a lot of generic infill. Also, there are many cleared lots south of Euclid inside and around 55th. Between Euclid and Superior inside 55th is industrial. As for crossing the city by car, there aren't many options between 480 and 490. With the Rapid going east to west, you need to hop trains unless you're already on the Red Line.

The cookie-cutter tract housing that gets put up on the Eastside is a problem. Cleveland is a city that prides itself on having character. One thing that Columbus and Cincinnati have in common is that they have intact cores within 3 miles of downtown with many amenities. Cleveland east of downtown is near barren and the Westside can be difficult to get to depending on which direction you're coming from. The amount of investment and concentration into revitalizing DT that the City has made is futile if the bordering residential is either suburban or nonexistent. For example, Cincinnati has poured billions into downtown over the last 17 years, but OTR now and in the late 90's before the riots has been the key to bringing day-to-day vibrancy to the business district. After the riots when there was no investment in OTR, DT was a 9-5 neighborhood.

^I think the Reds are in good position to get a Wild Card spot, but does anybody have confidence that they won't get blown out in that play-in game?

Is a nine-story apartment structure really going to take 20 months to complete? Even 18 months is too long.

The greater good is there with projects like U Square and the Banks. Urban development and financing is more complex in Cincinnati than most cities because a)the City is poor, b) the architectural heritage of a Queen city that has residents spoiled and c) the tragic demographic reality that keeps the city at large stagnant. The City is struggling to build a three-mile transit loop downtown. Cincinnati has to crawl before it walks.

^I agree that the Reds aren't cooked, but unusualfire's frustration is definitely founded. I'm tired of seeing them fold every time they get a chance to show something, too.

African Americans (as a whole?) aren't happy with a black mayor and a black city manager? What does this have to do with the price of eggs?

I think the locals call it that because the airport is in Vandalia, Ohio. It might have been called Vandalia in the past that stuck culturally, but I'm not sure.

I'm not from Dayton, but I know that no one calls DAY by its full name. I call every airport by its name except those that are named after the city, like CVG. Hartsfield, Heathrow, Lambert...

^Interesting correlation, mrnyc.

I'm not sure that filling the urban core of Cincinnati will change the mindset of corporate decision makers very much. The expressways of London and Paris, among other global cities, are lined with suburban office space that could be mistaken for Sharonville. I've seen ten Banks/U-Square looking projects in European capitals for every one that I've seen in Ohio. The responsibility of a company is to the shareholder or the ownership group, not the urban enthusiast, and that theology is in full gear nowadays. I think DT Cincinnati will experience a boom in the next 20 years, and companies will still be trying their hardest to get tax breaks and free parking from the City of Mason. Regional rail could even hurt the DT office market because those corporations that already want a lease in an office park can sell their suburban locales to the public as physically connected to downtown, minus the traffic.

Maybe if you consider Cinci and Dayton to be some kind of megalopolis. Downtown Cinci to DAY is approx. 70 miles. that's a bit too far to be considered a co-terminal (think JFK/LGA). Flights such as CVG-DAY and CVG-LEX are tag end flights. It's not expected that they generate much O&D. In fact that's why such city pairs have exorbitant fares and another reason why, in its' heyday, CVG had the highes average fares. CVG had alot of short stage length flights which were high fare thus driving up the average airfare. How many regions around the world have over 3 million people with the kind of economic might that SW Ohio has? Not as many as most Americans think. There's more industry in SW Ohio than in most countries around the world. You're a pilot so I'll assume that you knew this, but there are a lot of airports within 70 miles of major economic centers that aren't central to that city. That's why when you search flights, there's an option to include airports within 80 miles or so. Ohio is behind on this, but many of those regions have some form of transit to get passengers from the airport to the city center, so maybe that's why the two cities appear more disconnected than they really are. Cincinnati and Dayton are connected socially, physically and economically, just not politically. If a flyer can save a chunk of funds by flying into Dayton and having someone pick them up from the airport and drive them home to the Cincinnati metro, they will do it. It's been happening for years and CVG hates it. That's why I consider Cincinnati to have two domestic ports.

This is exactly what happened. Third St. started complaining and Castellini came out, with much sarcasm for the whiners, and said that he would lower the buildings by six stories.

Cincinnati has two airports: CVG and James Cox. The region is at an advantage domestically. There should be rail between the two ports.

You're probably right about Edwin's mechanics, but Toronto hasn't had a good season in forever, so I don't know if their evaluation of anything is that great. I do think he could have played LF though.

If the Reds would have just hired somebody to show him how to throw from third, they would still have a third basemen. Encarnacion was one of my favorites on the Reds teams he was a part of. He came through in clutch moments and had a good OBP to accompany his power. I thought the Rolen trade was a whiff from the moment it happened. People want to talk about the Reds making the playoffs in 2010 because of him, but realistically all Rolen gave the Reds was two good months of baseball for several million. He was also overrated as a leader. It's not that Scott didn't lead well, it's that Jocketty thought his leadership would rub off on the core players and it evidently hasn't. Even in LF, Encarnacion could be helping the Reds right now. Fans and media want to blame Baker because they think the team is so good, but what has Jocketty done to make his manager's job easier? - Four years with the worst leadoff hitting options in the league - Zero team speed outside of Stubbs, who is gone now - Standing pat year after year with the offense, just hoping that their core players would have career years all at the same time - Blind faith that Jay Bruce would evolve into Joey Votto with more power - Assembling the worst benches in baseball. Mike Leake has been their best bench bat for years. - Playing shorthanded for weeks at a time every time someone is injured. How hard is it to make a roster move to get back to 25 men? Maybe the golf course is more important to him. Fans pretend to not notice these things, but they get worked up about lineups and sac bunts. The construction of this team is seriously flawed. Not enough feared hitters in the lineup, plain and simple.

Hitters paid to hit not hitting is Baker's fault?

My argument is how to prevent the desire to commit a violent crime is a more proactive and potentially successful measure than a Three Strikes law that has been proven to not deter crime. The amount of violent offenders in the country is incredible considering how controlled American society is. No other nation puts as many resources into law enforcement and surveillance.

For violent felonies, absolutely. Can you tell me how the current system helped all if the invidious la this guy beat during felonious assaults, aggravated robberies and domestic violence? What is another option? Hugs? We need to get more serious about diversion programs for youth offenders, but if you're 30 with a rap sheet like that, you are NOT changing and should be removed from society. Your solution is to mold Ohio's crisis into California's system, nationally recognized as THE most dysfunctional of all of America's penal networks. That is not very well thought out, CincyGuy. Does anyone ever ponder why there is so much violence in the United States? I'll take prevention over response every day.