Eigth and State

The interaction between the streetcar and the Thanksgiving Day Race tomorrow should be interesting.

Here's a graph of the ridership data.

^The arches appears to bear on nothing but air. :-o

^What a sad story!

^This four years includes 2018, when the 1968 agreement expires. The 1968 agreement is a contract between Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati that governs the operation of the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD). It expires after 50 years, in 2018. At that time, it is extendable upon agreement of both parties. No one really knows what's going to happen to it in 2018.

The abbreviated river geology goes like this: Geologists believe that at one time, the Kentucky River continued north to Hamilton through the valley that is now the Ohio and Great Miami River. The Licking River flowed north to Hamilton through the valley that is now the Mill Creek. The eastern Ohio River flowed north to Hamilton via the valley that is now the Little Miami River up to Duck Creek, then through Norwood and the Mill Creek Valley. From Hamilton, the combined river flowed north. When the last glacier made it as far south as Sharonville, it formed a dam and a huge lake, which spilled over the divide at Anderson Ferry to form the present Ohio River. (This is the short version. There are entire books written about this.) Evidence for this theory is most readily apparent by studying topographical maps. The Mill Creek Valley is wider than the Ohio River Valley at Anderson Ferry. The prominent ridge from Northgate Mall through Cheviot and Delhi is interrupted by the Ohio River but continues into Northern Kentucky. The Great Miami River valley, Mill Creek Valley, and Little Miami River valley up to Duck Creek are exceptionally wide. Many smaller creeks point in the old direction and make abrupt turns. All of this supposedly happened between 10 and 20 thousand years ago. Considering that the pyramids of Egypt are believed to have been constructed about 5 thousand years ago, all of this is geologically very recent.

The rendering is of a Cable-Stayed bridge, not a Suspension Bridge. I like the present Art-Deco style, but the bridge is in terrible shape. I can see why a long clear span over the railroads would be advantageous. Incidentally, the City of Cincinnati has an easement over the railroads in the present location, but if they move the bridge farther south they will need a new easement. If the railroads cooperate, then great, but the railroads have a lot of leverage in this situation. The rendering does not show a very large utility pole line just south of the viaduct that would also have to be relocated; that alone would probably cost many millions. Nor does it show a proposed MSD project that is underway.

^ I think if you map out the travel times, you will find that the ferry mostly serves Delhi residents. The farther north or west you are, the more convenient it is to take the interstate to one of the other bridges. The point is that some drivers are willing to pay a cash toll to save time. I think this proves that tolling the Brent Spence bridge is technically a viable option, if the political impediments could be resolved. Those who are willing to pay would do so; if the tolls are set properly, the peak volume will be reduced just enough to keep traffic moving.

^ Per Google maps, the Brent Spence Bridge is 9 miles or 14 minutes driving time from Anderson Ferry on the Ohio side, and the Carroll Cropper bridge is 20 miles or 25 minutes driving time from Anderson Ferry on the Ohio side. With traffic it will take longer. It takes up to 5 minutes to wait for the ferry, and about 5 minutes to cross the river. Thus, the total ferry trip is 5 to 10 minutes depending on wait time. So, the Ferry saves a little time, but not much. I haven't looked for a similar example, but I doubt that there are many ferries left in the United States that are so close to a free bridge.

Metro Buses have been running an ad that goes something like this: "Do you want a better career, and a better life?" Ok, make me feel like a loser for riding the bus. :oops:

The Anderson Ferry is an oddity, in that it has survived for so long with a free bridge so close by - on both sides! Also, the connecting road on the Kentucky side is less than ideal, and the ferry closes during adverse river conditions. What is really telling is that drivers are STILL willing to pay the toll, to save time! The obvious technical solution to the Brent Spence Bridge traffic delay is to toll the existing bridge. It need not be tolled all of the time, but just the busy times. Tolls should be set to reduce the volume enough to keep traffic moving. Drivers who don't want to pay the tolls could schedule their trips around the busy times, use an alternate route over one of the other 5 bridges, or simply skip the trip. Of course, the technical solution and the political reality are two different things.

^ There's a roller rink?

Here's the same data in chronological order:

^Plus some were never moved from Cincinnati Union Terminal.

^Straight alignment, flat grade, wide street - In fairness, it wasn't that hard. Cincinnati streets simply aren't that easy. This particular street in the photo doesn't look all that inviting. Not only does it pass through a sea of parking lots, it is cut off from adjoining property by fences.

The typical population density comparison is number of people per square mile. It would be interesting to compare number of cars per square mile. Here's some data from the CIA world fact book. United States Population: 324 million 4,000,000 km of paved roads Indonesia Population 258 million 500,000 km of paved roads

In Paris, I estimated that 100 people got on or off the subway at one stop. It happened too fast to get an exact count. My buddy timed it with his watch and it took only 20 seconds. Of course, the subway is set up to move a lot of people. I've had stops on Metro buses that took minutes, mainly because only one person can pay the fare at one time.

...assuming that grid electricity is available. There are millions of parking spaces out there without available electricity.

Wow, it's been 28 years since those tennis courts opened, in 1988, for the Cincinnati Bicentennial.

^The Barry Horstman experiment in real life.

Peak oil is a long-term event. No one knows when the actual peak is, but it doesn't really matter. If projections are correct, global oil production will definitely be in decline by 2030.

^If 50% of the users can't figure it out, then it IS that complicated. :wtf:

^ I rode a streetcar in another city, and couldn't figure out how the payment system worked. On my first ride, I didn't pay because I thought I had to pay on board. On my second ride, I accidentally paid twice. (I guess it worked out in the end). In any case, the system was just too complicated. :oops:

^In fairness, there have been so many proposals over the years that I can't find fault with them. I've been watching this board for 10 years and I still haven't figured it all out myself. As I remember, Roxanne Qualls proposed that funding for the streetcar was contingent on support for future extension uptown. I guess it doesn't matter now. The extension may or may not ever happen, but the Over-the-Rhine loop is built and about to open.

Um, the Mt. Adams incline took about 2 minutes.