natininja

Ain't nothing French about the French Quarter. But so what?

From National Geographic's "Best Fall Trips 2014" list, suggesting Oktoberfest Zinzinnati: Nice to see the transit option featured so prominently. Combined with no mention of hiring a cab or renting a car.

Yes, I was (cryptically, I guess :) ) making both of those points: 1) A joke about the LTE's author not realizing that the garage he wants already exists (two of them, in fact, though admittedly WPark isn't at the "end of the line" -- but it is on the periphery of the CBD and directly on the streetcar line), and 2) That the LTE writer's suggestion of a free streetcar pass w/ the parking fee is in fact a good idea. (I've been saying for years that this should be the case for these two garages.)

Here's a streetcar LTE from a Westside suburbanite who wants to make the streetcar work. I think they have a pretty good idea, but why stop at one garage when there could be two? http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/09/04/add-parking-garage-to-streetcar-stop/15070977/ Furthermore, we could tuck the garages underground instead of taking up valuable real estate and assaulting the eyes. Then the streetcar stops could just be near the garage exits instead of inside the garages. I vote we call them "The Banks Garage" and the "Washington Park Garage". What do you guys think? Too fanciful?

The best part about this is that it's basically the main 4th of July event for the city. Because Cincy is somehow not 'Merican enough to have a big mainstream event. (Instead, the big fireworks display is on Labor Day.)

This is very true, and the ones who choose to drive and park everywhere would benefit from a reformed parking program. I hope you two are right that UC will see it that way. I agree with your thinking (I think it would be a benefit to UC students), but I'm afraid UC might jump into reactionary mode at the mention of parking cost increases.

This, and she did the same thing relative to other taxes in Hamilton. She got close to a million of taxpayer $ to open at the Banks. Probably a very nice lady but she doesn't know how to run a restaurant which is why Comisar is going to start managing the place, lol. You know she charges a $10 cover on weekends with zero entertainment, all that does is keep people away. Not the thread for this, people. You guys knew what FakeCinEnquirer meant, whether or not you agreed with it. That's all that's relevant to the streetcar.

Agreed. The chances for support from UC would be much less if parking fees (in Uptown, paid by students) are planned to fund the streetcar. Just look at what happened to Cranley's plan to raise parking prices and extend hours Uptown.

It's irresponsible for the Enquirer to report that without fact-checking whether it's consistent with federal contracts. That's probably what Flynn's angle is; he's done it before.

It seems to me there is little economic incentive for approving a special taxing district when the streetcar is going to happen, regardless. Could it pass on good will alone? Maybe, but that's highly questionable. Would it be possible to approve an SID on condition of council committing to an Uptown extension? Or is there some sort of standard (e.g. ballot language) required for SID formations that would preclude such a stipulation?

There are now buildings in the reflections on the glass in the rendering, instead of just sky. And the corner with the "lightbulb" breaks up the monotony of the rest of the building in a very Banks-y way. Look how hideous the second phase of the Banks looks from across the river. :(

What is the ridership of the HealthLine, compared to the rapid lines they're talking about converting to bus? From what I hear, the HealthLine is way overcrowded, despite very high frequency. A logical solution to that situation would be upgrading to LRT. Not investing where there is demand because there is a lack of demand elsewhere makes no sense. That would be like choosing not to upgrade the Northeast Corridor because the Wolverine doesn't sell enough tickets.

^ Wow, that S design is really slick. I've never seen that before.

Just imagine a streetcar going through the lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel on the PPB! :wink:

That was a significant part of it, though perhaps more significant was political viability. It is a connection between two big clusters of undeniable destinations which are near each other (but separated by a hill). Think about all the loonies that were arguing "there is nothing on the streetcar line," and think of how many more people would've been swayed by this argument with a different proposal.

Totally agree. I can think of two or three spots that would be perfect for that in Newport alone. I really hope that Newport and Covington get on board with the bikeshare in the near future. The word is next year.

The newest UrbanCincy Podcast is up, and it features an All-Star cast of UrbanOhioans. Episode #39: UrbanOhio http://www.urbancincy.com/2014/08/episode-39-urbanohio/ Note: This episode contains a bit more explicit language than you are used to hearing on the podcast.

That's classic! Haha. Must be a member of the Church of the Congested Spaghetti Monster.

There was a huge flood in 1997, which FWW rebuild helped bolster against another, and enthusiasm for new ballparks (and by extension the Banks). The FWW rebuild was not controversial, from what I can recall. 1997 flood:

^ At the rate rail projects in the US move, 2030 is probably about when vying for a spot between Chicago and Atlanta will be relevant. Remember, we're halfway between 2000 and 2030.

I think if Cincinnati went all-in leveraging ownership of track (a big assumption, perhaps), that would tip the scales. I don't know how the details would play out, and maybe legislative/bureaucratic procedure would preclude rationality, but Cincinnati is in the position to provide a huge "local match" for capital costs. I suppose if the route were under 750mi, that would likely mean more. But if it's over 750, it may help sway the minds of legislators and/or bureaucrats. So as an intercity rail guy, what do you think -- would Cincinnati's position (as owner of the Southern Railway) be more beneficial if the route length is <750 or >750?

I don't actually think the success of the streetcar matters to him. Many people in his camp won't recognize it as a success, no matter what. The only way he is likely to "lose" this fight is if farebox revenue exceeds operating costs. What matters to him is having a broad constituency, which includes his long-time backers in the black community and his new conservative/Westside/WLW drones. He's banking on this coalition keeping him around in city politics long enough to get him in the mayor's seat and/or county/state office. Keeping the streetcar as a proxy culture war wedge issue gives him red meat to throw to rally his constituents; without it, he has to find something else which motivates them equally -- that's hard to come by. (Same reason the local media has fanned the flames of the streetcar debate for years -- it excites people more than other things.)

One thing that is safe to say is that if Cincinnati wants to beat Louisville in a competition for a rail line between Chicago and Atlanta, Cincinnati has the upper-hand.

Posted this a while back in the photo of the day thread...

Anti-sprawl acoustic folk punk out of Cbus