bfwissel

Apparently there must be issues with the streetcars again today. I noticed the arrival time signs at lunch were no longer showing actual times and noted that the streetcars will arrive every thirty minutes. It's embarrassing, but my daughter and I are going to be picked up in a car to go home to OTR after work since we cannot depend on the streetcar showing up for our commute. I'm looking forward to the day that the streetcar lives up to its service promised 18 months ago.

There is no call for snow in the forecast and I'm not sure why they couldn't just use salt instead of a liquid that sticks to the tracks.

The streetcar driver was warning people this morning to not stand so much (I didn't hear the message too well as I was playing pretend games with my daughter). Later as we were disembarking the driver noted that for the second day in a row the City of Cincinnati sprayed the tracks with beet juice making them slippery/dangerous. It seems the Administration is really doing everything it can to make the streetcar fail. I just wish there were something we could do about it over then next few years, but sadly elections are far away.

Massive number of fire ladder trucks and fire SUVs around 8th and Walnut this morning causing the streetcar to shut down. Traffic was nearly at a stop anyway with Metro buses and cars at a near standstill.

Curse you for making me go to that rag's site for the first time in over a year! Cuuuurrrrssseee yooouuuuu... :P

To be fair not having a good transportation system does hold back those who cannot afford cars. Consequently, since those individuals cannot reach jobs is keeps them from benefiting economically.

I wonder how long it's going to be before there is a run on the "bank". At that point the failure to pay out in a timely fashion would even further depress the value of this so called "currency".

Apparently the streetcars are getting hit hard by the cold weather. Only one is running right now because the others are all experiencing issues due to the cold weather. The solution is that City Council needs to hold CAF's feet to the fire and get them to fix these mechanical issues. They've been having various issues with the streetcars for 18 months. If they haven't done anything by now to hold CAF's feet to the fire it's highly unlikely they ever will.

True, but what's the solution. He's in office for a few years longer now. I supported the streetcar because of it's value to the community. Regardless of why the streetcar is a hot mess it is so. I just can't support something that's been perpetually broken for 18 months.

I give up using the streetcar unless it's a necessity. Real time arrival wasn't working at any of the stops this morning, so trudged through the snow in ten degree weather. About half way to work one of the signs went into a scrolling marque mode at the top to say streetcars arrive every THIRTY minutes. What exactly is the point of a system that 18 months in is still so plagued with issues?

I really don't mind the streetcar being a bit slow in the CBD if I knew when/if it was arriving. As it is I'm fighting close to zero degree temperatures or getting soaked in the rain because I don't want to just stand at a station hoping that a streetcar will arrive.

I use the streetcar sometimes for commuting especially when it's cold or rainy out. There are all too often still issues with reliability as well as issues with arrival time displays to the level that I don't count on it as a commuting option. Luckily, my work schedule is a little flexible, so it isn't a big deal if I'm ten minutes late on occasion. However, it's still annoying being forced to walk in bad weather because I have no idea when/if a streetcar will come by.

Yeah. I believe Macy's is a sponsor and therefore we use their star logo.

The GPS on my phone always puts me easily within one hundred feet of where I am regardless of the part of downtown I'm at. It just makes sense that the streetcar would at least be accurate to one block, but it's often many blocks off, or the arrival signs are completely blank.

Can anyone explain to me why the arrival time and announcement system is still so 5#!^ after all this time? At least in the mornings the arrival time is only populated about half the time. Even when it is populated the announcements are more often than not over two stops behind. I text them all the time to report the issues, but never get a response back and never see an improvement.

This! Very much this!

Given his vote for the tax plan do you really agree with him on fiscal issues? Seems to me he's all talk on being fiscally responsible with no real principals of the sort.

If it does maybe it just needs to be extended/enhanced to include additional situations for pickup as well as longer stays to get people into the services they need.

OK, here is the only "solution" I have been able to come up with. I appreciate that is seems nearly impossible to implement this, but it's all I got. Obviously, I'd love your thoughts in particular how we could rectify the solution that would pass some Constitutional muster. What we could do is set up Mental Institutions like we used to have, but with very strict parameters as outlined below. Obviously we've learned a lot about mental health over the last five decades, so I don't think that individuals would suffer as much in these types of institutions as they did in the past. I'm hopeful having an improved upon permutation on what we had in the past would be a way to catch those that currently fall through the quite wide holes in our safety net. OK, firstly I think these institutions would be for temporary triage situations only. There'd be a soft limit to how long individuals could be there. After some time of getting to understand the individual's needs they would be moved on to secondary solutions based on their situation. Secondly, there'd be a couple of ways to be admitted. One would be from voluntary self admission by individuals that have a moment of clarity and realize they can't currently take care of themselves. The other would be from involuntary admission (I can see red flags being thrown through the Internet as I type this). Even if an individual isn't actively breaking any laws, if they're engaged in life threatening situations I think that they should be able to be picked up and at least temporarily detained to assess ways to ensure they are not able to do themselves any permanent harm. The devil would be in the details here. Certainly there'd be financial burden as well as benefits to a system like this, but what do you think about the general plan? Would we be able to implement a plan like this in this country?

"There was no shortage of beds in shelters in the frigid pre-dawn hours when Ken Martin died this week, said the head of local agencies working on behalf of the city's homeless. The problem is getting people to use them." This article describes exactly what has vexed me for years. I just can't get my brain around any real solutions for this problem other than nibbling at the edges of it. https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/plenty-of-beds-available-in-homeless-shelters-agency-head-says

Wouldn't giving giving cash to these "incapable" individuals just be pouring gasoline on fire though? I've noticed that the panhandlers near our home will immediately turn over any money collected into buying drugs and alcohol. After a short break to get their fix they return right back to where they got the money to try and get their next fix. I'd be curious to hear how to use this Universal Basic Income idea to help those that cannot handle the regular payments.

So what would be the solution to the cold shelter problem to make it more accommodating? Would it be to allow alcohol, mixed gender rooms, smaller rooms, etc...? I'm not really liking any of these options except maybe somewhat smaller rooms. It would be better to have them off the streets in the first place, but given behavior issues and addictions I don't know how to house these individuals except in a secured facility. The only way to do that now would be through compulsory confinement which takes us back to criminal court. As I said I'm at a loss.

Something has been bothering me for the better part of two decades. How do we help people who are mentally ill and addicted when they refuse to avail themselves of resources set up to help them? We've all seen them. They're the perpetual panhandlers. They're the ones who refuse to go to cold weather shelters when it's six degrees outside and end of dying on the streets. They're the ones prescribed and given medications, but do not take them (sometimes selling them for quick cash). They're the ones walking around at 8am carrying a small bottle of fortified wine in a paper bag, or hanging out in an alley waiting for people to stop walking by in order to shoot up. They're the disheveled ones shouting profanities at no one in particular as they walk down the street. They're the ones who seem to have a knack for making the worst possible life decisions at pretty much every turn. I'm not talking here about people who are just down on their luck in this "great" country that drives people with illnesses into poverty. Those "down on their luck" people will often at least try to find/use services set up by private charities and the government to help themselves. I'm talking about those that cannot seem to be helped as they have no urge, will or ability to even get help for themselves. The only solution now seems to be to pursue these individuals via the criminal code in order to compel them to get the help they need. I know when we used to have mental institutions that the issues weren't as bad, but there were issues with abuse of the system locking up individuals who shouldn't be there. It's been suggested we can do things here and there like paying people to walk the streets in advance of severe weather to compel people into shelters. Regardless of what we could try, any solution would require resources/money. With the current state of politics in this country it's harder than ever to care for the vulnerable in our society. Are there any ideas out there for things we can do to get the best bang for our buck to help these individuals? What about if money were no object? What could we do to help what I'm calling the "incapable" in our cities?

Also, drug overdose deaths are usually from younger individuals which lowers life expectancy higher than cancer deaths which tend to hit people on average much later in their lifetimes.

Merry Christmas everyone! :)