natininja

Nice! Next time, check out Mansion Hill in Newport and the tree-lined streets to the south (Overton, Monroe, etc.).

Cranley getting elected certainly flipped a switch with the local media regarding transit issues. But now we're seeing Republicans touting the streetcar and hoping it will bring the GOP convention. And we have conservative Westsiders trying to get a piece of the action. Gotta embrace and cultivate this. Especially since the west side could really use some transit options and TOD. Not mentioned in the video is the fact the subway leads right to the Western Hills Viaduct.

^ Whenever I think about this bikeshare, there is a broken record in my brain saying "NKY NKY NKY NKY NKY." Occasionally, a portion of that chant makes it into one of my posts on UO. Now is one of those times.

Why did Ohio never fight PA for Pittsburgh like Michigan fought us for Toledo? What a prize that would have been.

So then upgrade his status. If what you're saying is true, the only reason I can see for keeping him as an interim manager is for Cranley to hold the possibility of selecting someone else over his head to keep him under Cranley's finger.

Can we please get a permanent city manager? I'm not comfortable with Cranley having so much influence over the "interim" manager who decides these strategies. "Cranley will have to rein in his dictatorial tendencies," as the Enquirer put it.

Not sure how to post the pic on mobile, but you can view the cycles here. Looks like it's still B-Cycle. (Hat tip to John Schneider.) https://mobile.twitter.com/prostreetcar/status/465131488535908352

Is 3CDC still reviewing the project?

Cranley's charm & good looks. Duh.

Huh. Sadly, my first thought is they'd do better in Kenwood. Hope that turns out not to be the case! Anyone know how the improvements on 4th Street might affect foot traffic near their location at 6 W. Fourth?

Funny the Enquirer latched onto that. Seems like they are looking for ways to take digs.

Exactly. People just use the word to describe people with several traits they don't like. That is why everyone hates hipsters. They know they're supposed to hate them, but an actual definition is elusive, so they just select from a grab-bag of things they don't like and that's a hipster. Hipster is dead and the continued use of the term says more about the people who hate them than people who were part of the movement when it was actually a thing some 10 years ago. It's just replaced the word "alternative" which was a catch-all in the '80s/'90s that never really meant anything in particular (unlike "punk" or "grunge" which were distinct). But with the added "I know I'm supposed to hate 'em" bit.

I am surprised he only lost by 10%. It was his fellow Republicans who elected him mayor.

I'm not convinced Jefferson is better from a transit planning perspective. I'm only partially talking about development as in raising property values. I am primarily talking about building density and an environment hospitable for transit to thrive and grow. Unless you're coming from UC, you'll be crossing Jefferson to get from anywhere to the southbound stops. Yuck! That's a huge barrier and will greatly damage the usefulness of the line, its impact on the city, and the growth potential of transit that needs a critical mass of development density (TOD) and ridership. Also keep in mind that by virtue of being a streetcar, there is a lean toward economic development over speed. I am all for speed where it makes sense, and for building track that can double as light rail track. But a streetcar through Corryville should absolutely go through the heart of Corryville. Edit: And if the problem is that the private sector isn't being cooperative re: University Plaza, that is what eminent domain is for.

There would have to be a bit of a balance, but I don't buy that festival streets and streetcars don't work well together, because I've seen them work pretty well in Europe. It's possible designers would have to come up with a way to subtly (and/or perhaps not so subtly) say "don't hang out on the streetcar tracks," but that's certainly doable without scrapping the festival street spirit. Put the tracks and stops in the middle of the road so it's just one condensed strip to avoid standing on. Put some yellow textured paving on the sides to denote caution. Stencil "do not stand on tracks" between the tracks if necessary. Maybe give the track bed a few inches of elevation (with gentle "curbs" that don't pose a problem for wheelchairs, etc.). I don't know, study best practices in similar spaces elsewhere. Certainly ceasing streetcar operations on Friday nights would be out of the question, but if the street is crowded and the driver has to slow down and ding-ding a bit on his way through, that's acceptable on Friday nights IMO -- it's not like there will be a ton of people hurrying to work, and it gives streetcar riders something fun and lively to look at. The street can be closed off to auto traffic and not streetcars. Yes, it precludes setting up a stage across the centerline of the road every Friday. So what? Work with the space available, of which there is plenty. If people on the tracks is a problem on Fridays, temporary barricades could be set up at intervals to clearly mark the trackbed as somewhere not to stand but also easy to cross. Here's a picture from Denver, where there's a lane for a bus but there is clear overall priority to pedestrians on the streetscape: I don't think pedestrians are tempted to hang out in that bus lane, but I don't think they feel intimidated by it either. That is how I envision streetcar tracks on Short Vine to be. Here's a much narrower street in Amsterdam, showing shared space w/ pedestrians and a streetcar: Short Vine would not have these space constraints, so it should in fact be more functional than this example (where some level of pedestrian-streetcar conflict appears evident).

What happened to gfi? (yaoming?)

If one direction is on Short Vine, I'd expect both directions to be. Development potential is far higher (less walkshed sunk into UC). Vine is obviously far more pedestrian friendly. I'm not sure about the effect on speed, but walking distance to more destinations is cut and the appeal of walking somewhere from/to the stops is increased. Remember this is a streetcar, not LRT (any sacrifice in speed would be far less than that of inefficiently winding around the CBD). Overall, Vine is far better IMO. Especially if University Plaza is utilized, which is really a golden opportunity for the city to make a crappy space into a good one (or at least push it in a better direction) while simultaneously streamlining the streetcar route.

Just trying to save anyone from clicking who was hoping for details.

At the very least, the garage should be positioned so it can be hidden in this way in the future.

^ Important quote: "INDOT was not divulging the contents of the proposals or even their thrusts on Monday."

The city definitely doesn't have money for a garage across the street - they are stretching to even redo the seventh st garage. So make a deal w/ the developer to build a garage there. They already want to build a garage anyway. If you spent $1.3 million on a building & lot, and were going to invest another $20-30 million rehabbing it, why would you then take your money to build a public garage on city land that you wouldn't have 100% control over? Or if you did have 100% control over, you realize Merchants of Main and every other Main Street business would be furious. There's no indication the city is gonna build a garage or give him the land to build his own garage. Sadly, we almost all still have cars... And those same Pendleton residents against the field having parking would be FURIOUS if 160 cars started parking on 14th & Broadway. There would be multiple ways to work out a deal, transferring ownership being one. The lot could be transferred w/ the stipulation that X number of spots be publicly available.

I was wondering why I hadn't heard of the transit link before.

The city definitely doesn't have money for a garage across the street - they are stretching to even redo the seventh st garage. So make a deal w/ the developer to build a garage there. They already want to build a garage anyway. Wouldn't bother me if they wanted to rebuild the block as buildings, but slapping a garage on the space next to a nice historic building is no good.

^ Couldn't the city lot have a garage built on it?

There was a recent Enquirer article about them. Apparently they were where streetcars (and buses?) used to stop, and the color is due to the old orange color of the local transit company (pre-SORTA). DOTE says they are too expensive to replace, so as they die or get hit by cars they are simply removed. The article was about them being endangered. I was thinking the cost of manufacture could likely be significantly reduced by 3D printing.