natininja

^ Which means there's a product people want, and if it were advertised we could rake in even more dough. Maybe we should poll the tourists about what they like and make some ads touting those things.

^ You're right, I figured there would be some other idiots in the village. Whenabouts do you think the Viewliner II shipment will be completed/delivered?

Would be pretty crazy if Obama vetoed the bill due to the Cincinnati amendment, as Schwartz's post suggests could happen (in fact it has allegedly been threatened).

Assuming Chabot's amendment is killed, that 750-mile business would seem to increase the chances of a daily Cardinal, no? It seems to me it would free up equipment with however many <750-mile routes being suspended, freeing up equipment and maybe revenue for the Cardinal frequency increase.

Since this is in a federal bill, I think it deserves being posted outside just the streetcar thread: Cincinnati streetcar attack could block highway, railroad, bus, ferryboat projects Contact: Ken Prendergast, All Aboard Ohio, 216-288-4883 Jack Shaner, Ohio Environmental Council, 614-446-1693 A Cincinnati congressman today hailed an over-reach of the federal government’s power as he attempts to snuff out federal funding for the Cincinnati Streetcar project. U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-1, Cincinnati) and many of his House of Representatives colleagues flexed their federal muscle to bully the locally-driven, urban economic development project. By voice vote, the House voted June 27 to adopt Rep. Chabot’s measure to prohibit the use of any new federal surface transportation funds for a Cincinnati streetcar. The amendment to House Resolution 5972 (the 2013 appropriations bill funding the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies) says: “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to design, construct, or operate a fixed guideway project located in Cincinnati, Ohio.” More at: http://allaboardohio.org/2012/06/28/cincy-streetcar-attack-could-block-highway-railroad-bus-ferryboat-projects/

It could delay, e.g., studying BRT for a year+.

He doesn't care. He just wants to get you talking to/about him. And if he can get a rise out of you, that's a bonus. He cares nothing for facts or truth. To him, willful ignorance is a tool, a virtue, and a point of pride.

^ Exactly. And it doesn't help that even hipsters claim they hate hipsters, since you're disqualified from hipsterdom if you admit to being one. Thus there is just about no one left to defend them. I will defend them, I think without risk of being accused of being one. Though I guess I share some traits with them, being a youngish urbanist cycling advocate into craft beer and indie rock. The only thing which I believe I am on the cutting edge of is advocacy of Midwestern/Ohio urbanism, which applies to everyone on this forum. No penchant for irony or trendsetting leaves me out of hipster candidacy, I'm pretty sure. Not to mention an aversion to skinny pants.

I don't claim to be an expert on global urbanism, by any means. However, of the places which I am quite familiar with, the Netherlands (pretty much the whole country, Amsterdam in particular) and Copenhagen are just lightyears ahead of anywhere in the US (or Canada). I know some people in bicycle advocacy groups in Holland, and it is seriously laughable the issues which they get fired up about, relative to the issues faced in NYC or Portland or wherever (though I admit I haven't been to Portland and am not that familiar, but I have read articles talking about opposition to urbanism/progressivism there). I hear people say they are moving to NYC, SF, Portland, Minneapolis, because they "get it" whereas Ohio cities do not. But to me this is ridiculous, because these places do not "get it" at all, compared to e.g. Copenhagen or Amsterdam. The tension is palpable in NYC with battles over bike lanes (flaring up especially with your NIMBYs at Prospect Park and Hasidim on Bedford Ave., both in Brooklyn). If they had ballot initiatives, they would be locked in battle like Cincinnati has been over the streetcar. And I'm not so sure it's a great thing they have such a strong mayoral system where softdrink bans and the like can be pushed through without much recourse by the citizenry. Good or bad, it's certainly not a sign of progressivism when progress has to be forced dictatorially. If you want to stay and fight for better cities, you might as well be in Ohio, which has very nice cities worth fighting for, all of which (at least the 3Cs) have positive momentum. If you want to leave to where progress is the norm, you need to GTFO of the USA. That's my take.

I think it could backfire on Chabot if the city raises hell about it applying to a light rail line suburbanites favor and bus lanes/BRT.

^ What is the story with city population loss in Cincy? Things seem pretty good, then the census comes out. I suspect it's not well understood.

Agreed, haha. And the shutout did not help. But last night eased things up a bit.

I think the term 'hipster' is so poorly defined that a lot of people take a bunch of attributes they don't like, put them together, and use that as their definition of hipsters. In that thread on city-data, people were alternately describing hipsters as the essence of mainstream and a subculture outside the mainstream. The contradiction shows how people talking about hipsters are often talking past each other. It also cuts to the core of what hipsters are (to me): postmodern and contradictory. Simultaneously absorbed in the mainstream and its diametric opposite. Self-aware of their own absurdity, laughing at people trying to peg them down. However, to me, self-consciousness of absurdity does not erase or redeem the absurdity. Still, who cares? I have a bunch of hipster friends and they are some of the most interesting people I know. Knowledgeable about a lot of topics and, dare I say, they have good taste in lots of things (indie rock, craft beer, green/urban lifestyles, etc.). I hate their obsession with Apple products, though.

better in the paper than online. online, you'd probably be read by more people getting in a first comment on a popular article. in the paper is a whole different audience.

^ I am hoping you are correct, because others had me believing it was in the bill passed yesterday!

I think you underestimate support outside of the west side.

Almost everyone I know who lives in Cincinnati is pro-streetcar. Many suburbanites I know are also pro-streetcar. I have suburban relatives who are against it.

^ You got your wish for suburbanites to be heard.

Doesn't sound like you are agreeing with David. If Chabot is going to have egg on his face anyway, why stoop to his level?

This is an unprecedentedly dirty way of doing politics. Think about how many local issues could be federally regulated in this manner. If this is the new normal, normal is now fullblown chaos.

Wow, I am so mad about this bill I need to blow off some steam somehow. Edit: Now that is looking like a false alarm. Yesterday I was so angry... Chabot's anti-rail amendment was apparently on another bill which hasn't passed yet.

Well we know there won't be any light rail preparation involved in the B$B project if things go according to his plans.

The best bet of getting rid of it is probably to get Sherrod Brown to do the same trick in reverse, on any random bill.

Ah, sorry, I missed the part where the Senate passed it. Wow. This is way worse than I thought. When does this go into effect? It seems like the Amtrak Cardinal will have to find a way to bypass the city.

Write to your senators.