John Schneider

"Smoke 'em if you got 'em." If a city had its Tax Increment Financing Districts in place by whenever the deadline was, then that city has TIF capacity. In this sense, Cincinnati may have a really unique advantage because the TIF districts are all in place here. Mike Moose's case shows that by speeding up and enriching development sites, the streetcar throws off more TIF than it consumes, like by 2:1. And it spreads benefits around the public realm instead of enriching developers and users. A reporter asked me today about Chris Bortz's goal of getting a starter streetcar line open in two years, and I said that was an ambitious goal. Thinking more about it, I think it could be done if all oars were pulling the same way. Someone else said it here today -- the opening could be delayed because the rolling stock can't be manufactured quickly enough. After pushing the light rail boulder up the hills around here for a decade, I can tell you that there is acceptance, even enthusiasm, for the streetcar coming from surprising places such as above the fold on Page One of the Enquirer on a day with a remarkable amount of news. Still trying to figure that one out.

That's right, and Michael Moose has used a very conservative argument. Portland achieved the 28.5 multiplier in the first five years from the first phase alone; we figured it would take 20 years for the same result in Cincinnati. Portland is now planning the fourth phase of the streetcar. None of benefits from subsequent phases have been calculated yet, but they are substantial, probably exceeding what was built in the first phase. Keep in mind, this is only the fiscal case as it relates to the property tax leverage. The truth is, there will be lots of people working and living in the new buildings along the route, and they will be paying earnings and sales taxes which, in the aggregate, far exceed property tax collections. And imagine the increase in household income because fewer cars have to be paid for. The business case is really strong.

Short and sweet ... even Billy Cunningham was in favor of it.

Chris Bortz on 700 WLW any minute talking about downtown Cincinnati streetcar. [2:35p]

Nice as the rail bridge could be, I suspect property owners along MLK wouldn't want it. Which makes me think MLK is a streetcar street that connects with light rail in a major transit center at Reading or Gilbert. Unless we're prepared to do a lot of tunneling between downtown and Xavier, I think LRT leaves the CBD on a wide street with a shallow grade. Not many choices. Gilbert is interesting. Lots of room. Lots of sites north of Taft Road. There's interest in a total reconfiguraton of I-71 access into a new gateway boulvard along the east edge of Uptown; this could open up a lot of room and make LRT on Reading Road work extremely well.

Yes. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I think LRT from downtown to uptown and through Hyde Park is very feasible.

Just to give an example. it's 8:01a PST in Portland now, and the next streetcar is due at the Library in 5 minutes, then 21 minutes, then 35 minutes -- in real time.

Counting the time that it's boarding and de-boarding passengers, you could perhaps walk faster than a streetcar for a block or so, but not for the average trip length of a couple of miles. People use the Portland Streetcar as a "pedestrian accelerator." They may start walking toward a destination, see the streetcar coming, and jump on board it to speed up their trip. That's a key thing -- by offering frequent service along a fixed route, what the streetcar really does is break the link with the car and gets people walking again. It extends the range of the pedestrian. So what you get is a result is a lot more eyes on the street, more and better street-level retail and more localized shopping. That's what we always see when we take people to Portland -- a lot more people walking or cycling everywhere. In addition to having the next streetcar arrival time displayed at each shelter, I get the arrival times on may Blackberry -- the next three arrivals, actually. So you don't waste time heading for a stop any sooner than you have to. I'm doubtful that City of Cincinnati traffic engineers are prepared to permit "hold on green" to give the driver the ability to speed up the travel of buses or rail.

"John, how would you classify the train STL Metro uses? Definitely not streetcar, but since it runs on it's own track and is electric would you say it's Light Rail? What is Heavy Rail?" It uses Light Rail vehicles but has the "Heavy Rail" characteristic of running in a grade-separated configuration along much of the alignment west of the Mississippi - running through the tunnel under downtown and in a fairly deep cut along much of the way west of there. I'd expect true urban "Heavy Rail" to use longer trains -- say six or more vehicles -- and travel faster speeds. I think the inductry needs to figure out a different name other than Light Rail. There's nothing "light" about 100-ton trains, and somehow the name makes the mode seem like something other than serious transportation. Opponents love to call it "Lite Rail." The Sierra Club here often uses the term "passenger trains" which is pretty descriptive.

Just learned that Cincinnnati City Council member Chris Bortz and City Architect Michael Moore will be on Channel 12 "Newsmakers" this Sunday to talk about the city streetcar study, now underway and due to be complete in April. Starts at 11:00a on Channel 12, Cincinnati. Tune in and see what they say. If you like what you hear, send a note to Chris Bortz @ Cincinnati City Hall, 801 Plum Street, Cincinnnati 45202. Also, send a note to the host, Dan Hurley, at WKRC Channel 12, 1906 Highland Avenue, Cincinnati, 45219. Once in a Blue Moon, he reads letters on the air.

I've heard that Bill DeWitt, a Cincinnatian who is the general partner of the Cardinals, has said that the team believes that the LRT service to the St. Louis ballpark is an integral part of the baseball experience for a lot of Cardinal fans. Castellini was, of course, a partner in the Cardinals before he bought the Reds. Maybe he feels the same way. (Tell me, is the ballpark station better than what they used to have at the old Busch Stadium? The old one was pretty grim.)

Groundbreaking New Analysis: Public Transportation Saves $6,200 Per Household, 1.4 Billion Gallons of Gasoline Transit News January 9, 2007 Virginia Miller 202-496-4816 [email protected] Mantill Williams 202-496-4869 [email protected] (Download In Adobe PDF format) WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) released a groundbreaking new study finding that public transportation use saves 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline every year, and can reduce household expenses by $6,200 - more than the average household pays for food in a year. "This should be a wake-up call as Congress and the President discuss how America can move towards energy independence," said APTA President William W. Millar. "Public transportation provides Americans with greater freedom, access, opportunity and choice. Ridership is up over 25 percent since 1995, because Americans knew instinctively that it saves money and gasoline. Now we know exactly how much." The study, "Public Transportation and Petroleum Savings in the U.S.: Reducing Dependence on Oil," was prepared for APTA by ICF International. It finds that: Public transportation usage reduces U.S. gasoline consumption by 1.4 billion gallons each year - or the equivalent of 108 million cars filling up, almost 300,000 each day. These savings result from the efficiency of carrying multiple passengers in each vehicle; the reduction in traffic congestion from fewer automobiles on the roads; and the varied sources of energy for public transportation. If twice as many Americans had the choice of taking public transportation, these gasoline savings would at least double to 2.8 billion gallons each year. Households that are likely to use public transportation on a given day save over $6,200 every year, compared to a household with no access to public transportation service. These households have two workers, one car and are within three-quarters of a mile of public transportation. Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?" Millar said. "According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average U.S. household spends $5,781 on food - and people who are likely to take public transportation can easily save more than that in a year." As the new Congress begins working on energy legislation, we call on them to make sure that public transportation plays a central role in reducing our dependence on foreign oil," Millar said. The full report is available online at Public Transportation and Petroleum Savings in the U.S.: Reducing Dependence on Oil and www.publictransportation.org.

In today's USA Today: Cities rediscover allure of streetcars In Portland, Ore., ridership of its downtown streetcar system has tripled projections. By Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY The streetcars that rumbled and clanged through many American cities from the late 1800s until World War II helped shape neighborhoods. More than a half-century later, streetcars are coming back and reviving the same neighborhoods they helped create. Several cities have resurrected the streetcar tradition and about three dozen others plan to — from Tucson, and Birmingham, Ala., to Miami and Trenton, N.J.

No, I book these trips when the hotel will give us a good deal. We'll probably go again in June, but the hotel and air fares will be higher then since that's the peak season. We're not going in a week, but in six weeks -- on February 16th. I'm sure you can get there for less than $500.

Dear Cincinnatian, As you may know, our city has commenced a serious study of a downtown streetcar, one of about forty similar efforts underway in the United States and Canada. Some of the thinking is, our downtown is burdened by high-cost parking, especially for residents. In parts of Over-the-Rhine and downtown, on-site or nearby residential parking is unavailable at any cost. So an amenity that enables Cincinnatians to rely less on cars would make it easier for them to live nearer to their jobs, shop at Findlay Market, and access cultural institutions in and around downtown. A starter streetcar project could be constructed without a general tax increase and would act as a spine for later extensions to Uptown and other close-in neighborhoods. Downtown residents seem to like the idea; they voted 2:1 for light rail and streetcars in the 2002 countywide vote that lost 2:1. And there are more downtown residents these days, with many more on the way. Portland, Oregon is the only American city with modern streetcars. Built in the Czech Republic, these vehicles are essentially one-car trains. They have much higher capacity than buses, and they are smooth-riding and very quiet. Developers of new condominiums along the streetcar route in Portland are able to sell very nice apartments with less (or no) parking. As a result, many of the new residents do most of their shopping and entertaining in their own neighborhoods, and much of the money formerly spent on cars and parking gets spent on better housing instead. Also, Portlanders walk a lot more, which is good for commerce and for public safety. Dozens of civic delegations from around the world descend on Portland every year to learn more about how Portland is accomplishing this. It is an amazing story, one of several strategic investments which have completely revived this once-moribund city over the last twenty-five years. The Alliance for Regional Transit has been leading groups of Cincinnatians to Portland for several years to better understand what's happening there -- 268 of us have made the trip so far. Ask around. You undoubtedly know someone who has been on one of these tours, probably several people. The tour starts at Noon on Friday and continues through a late dinner that evening. Most people usually arrive Thursday night and return on Sunday. Mt. Hood's skiing is superb this winter, and you could stay busy for weeks discovering the joys of downtown Portland, probably America's best Cincinnati-sized downtown. We'll be staying at Portland's best hotel: http://www.5thavenuesuites.com/fasprai/index.html. The hotel will charge you $139 per night for as many nights as you want to stay. In addition, the Alliance charges $97 per person for lunch and a great dinner on the day of the tour. We'll have a least one speaker to let us know more about what's going on there. The Delta nonstops to and from Portland are expensive, but they are very convenient. Cincinnatians sometimes find fares in $250 range by flying on Northwest through Minneapolis. Many people bring spouses or friends along on these trips. Sometimes people living in other cities join us. If you'd like to come along, please write back to [email protected], and I'll send more information. It's a fun weekend, and you'll learn a lot. See for yourself. Thanks for your time. John Schneider

I'd be surprised if Cincinnati's study of potential streetcar routes doesn't include a route between Downtown and the Museum Center. Just SWAG, really.

The Zoo ridership could be a surprise. When LRT was extended to the Dallas Zoo in 1996 and to the Portland Zoo is 1998, attendance boomed so much that each of them turned their main entrances around to be opposite the LRT stations. It' skind of charming to see all the school kids going on the train to the Portland Zoo. Some days, half of a train can be filled with zoo-bound passengers, and they tend to ride at off-peak times. The Cincinnati Zoo is landlocked and a large portion of its sixty or so acres are devoted to parking, and so it could be a way of letting them expand without acquiring more land. Having said that, I agree that the Zoo is far from being the most important destination in Uptown.

... unless your business happens to be in the path of the re-routing. There are a lot of trade-offs here.

City Hall knows. As does ODOT.

In October, some people were getting out there for $250 on NW through Minneapolis. Generally good bargains through Indy on NW and Frontier via Denver. But, you're right, the Delta nonstops are expensive.

Next trip to Portland in a couple of months. Let me know if you want to go.

Say we removed the on- and off-ramps at Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Ninth and recovered all the land those ramps take up. Then build two one-way boulevards alongside I-75 from the Museum Center to Second and Third. And intergrate them with seamlessly with Liberty and Central Parkway -- making a whole system of landscaped gateways into the CBD, OTR and the West End. By doing this at FWW, we recovered about fifteen acres of land and reduced the impact of the highway on adjacent land use. You'd gain three or four times that much if you did the same thing along I-75. And you'd breathe a lot of life into the land along Central Parkway and Liberty.

Could you imagine this? Get rid of the ramps onto and off of I-75 and substitute gateway boulevards in their place -- much as we did with Fort Washington Way and Second and Third Streets. It would recover a lot of land and get rid of the jungle of columns and overhead structures that will otherwise serve as barriers casting shadows and creating barriers no matter where I-75 ends up. We could give new life to Liberty and Central Parkway as part of such a rethinking. With respect to the new Brent Spence, the vertical is just as important as the horizontal. Food for thought.