Eigth and State

Rob, how did you stand working so many years in a machine shop or IT? You are a natural salesman. :-D

Thinking back on the riots of 2001, it wasn't just the local media but the national media that jumped all over it. After a few days, the County Prosecutor remarked that a majority of the arrests were people coming in from outside the region. Apparently, the media attracted all the troublemakers, and the troublemakers made a story for the media. I guess this is how it works. The 911 World Trade Center bombings, as horrible as they were, finally took the attention off of Cincinnati. Well, I think that the local media is tired of broadcasting bad news about the economy, and just needs a story to sell. Unlike the budget, or unemployment numbers, the streetcar is something that they can take a picture of. And since proponents of each side are so passionate, there's a lot of human interest in it. Finally, it's a pet project of the mayor. I don't think there's any conspiracy going on; it's just news people looking for a story.

Make one a flying pig. :-D

KJP, Chill, bro. Barring nuclear powered electric cars or something of that nature, conventional automobiles are likely to be virtually gone in 100 years or so. Sure, someone, somewhere, will figure out a way to keep driving, but driving at the scale that we have today is likely to ge gone eventually. That said, you think that our highways will be abandoned in 10 years? Even for a peak oil doomer, that is an agressive prediction. In Ohio's climate, the surface layer of our highways is expected to last 20 to 30 years, so it's safe to assume that most of today's highways will last until at least 2030. Here's my prediction: As oil production peaks (indeed, it appears that it already has), people will consume less oil. This can happen due to a number of factors: Drivers will replace their existing cars with smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, thus being able to drive the same number of miles on less energy. The number of drivers will decrease as the Baby Boomers retire. The number of drivers will decrease because fewer young people will start driving, or they will start driving later in life. Federal and State gasoline taxes will rise incrementally, making it more expensive to drive. Drivers will cut back on discretionary driving as it becomes unaffordable. Drivers will cut back on driving when average speeds decrease due to gradually deteriorating roads. So, by 2020, I don't think we will notice a huge difference. Instead of a catastrophe, the changes will be gradual, like watching a tree grow. Will gasoline prices ever reach $10 a gallon? Not necessarily. The price might remain more or less constant as production declines because both supply and demand are declining at the same rate. By 2030, though, it will start to get interesting. By this time, the Baby Boomers will be not just retiring, but dying off. Oil production will really start to decline to the point that we can't maintain what we have by improvements in efficiency. Positions in state highway departments that are currently held by said Baby Boomers will be filled by younger workers (if they are filled at all) who were born into a world of declining oil production, and who can't remember the 1950's, 60's, and 70's. But this is all 20 years away. Any projection over 20 years into the future is just a guess.

There should be a special car named Maketawah. :wink:

^Michigan to curb road projects." He he he :-D

You couldn't come up with any better candidates? I nominate: Doctor Daniel Drake Judge Jacob Burnet Colonel Isreal Ludlow Powell Crosley Alphonso Taft Joseph Strauss :-)

The article is misleading, but the 10 mph issue could have the same effect as the 39 mph that the 3-C had. Historic streetcars were critized for stopping traffic. Just ask Tom Luken. The author is correct that streetcars will impede automobile traffic, but designing streets to maximize vehicle velocity is NOT proper urban design.

"For some reason in Ohio its one versus another..." I am just amazed at the red/blue election results map. Prior to the Bush/Clinton election, the national media showed a simple red/blue map with each state going either red or blue. As I recall, the Bush/Clinton election was the first time that the map was publised at the county level. Even more recently the map has been fine-tuned, with varying shades of purple showing the margin, and a 3-D height showing the number of voters. The general trend is that residents in cities vote blue, while suburban and country areas vote red. It stands to reason, then, that a Republican governor is going to favor the suburban and country areas, because that is where his support is.

^ demonstrates how long big projects can take to build.

Saw Kasich on CNN last night talking about "A high speed train that goes 39 miles per hour."

Dusty Rhodes has been the County Auditor of Hamilton County for many years. Often the sole Democrat in a county administration dominated by Republicans, he has been a critic of many Hamilton County projects such as The Banks.

"I'm surprised that it has interested this many people, because when it comes to old photos, for the most part, people are just interested in the clothes." The same goes for recent photos.

"Harrell accused city budget writers of playing a “shell game” with restricted funds, which they say can’t be used to solve the projected shortfall in the city’s general operating fund. Money from the sale of Blue Ash Airport and tax revenue from a casino scheduled to open in 2013, she said, could be transferred to the general fund instead of the streetcar project." I haven't heard much about funds from the sale of the Blue Ash Airport lately, so I don't know if it is still in the streetcar bedget or not, but here's some news that demonstrates what a tangled web we weave. Some improvements at the Blue Ash Airport were funded by the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates airports in the United States. As a condition of that funding, the FAA specified that the aiport was to be used only for aviation. The City of Cincinnati has the option to sell the aiport, but the funding has to remain in the aviation industry. The City of Cincinnati does NOT have the option to sell the airport and use the funds for the streetcar. The aviation lobby in the United States watches these things. The Blue Ash airport may not look like much, unless you are a private pilot or aircraft owner. If the City of Cincinnati sells the airport for streetcar funding, they can expect to be sued by the aviation lobby.

"Yep, Eighth and State definitely mentioned this." Underground utilities are underappreciated. The challenges can be overcome, but not without funding. I don't know what the estimate was based on, but it seems clear that the utility relocation budget is not enough to do the job.

I saw the position advertised a few months ago. I thought I might apply for it, then figured I would be wasting my time since they probably had someone in mind already and were only advertising to fulfill a legal requirement.

If I hadn't been quick on my feet, I would have been hit by an SUV today. The road has no sidewalks. It was a dark and rainy evening. I was wearing a bright yellow PVC rain coat, which I wore intentionally for visibility, despite it being uncomfortable. I think she saw me with plenty of time to spare, but she braked into a skid on the wet road, lost control, bumped into the curb, and continued through a stop sign, eventually coming to a stop in the middle of an intersection. I saw it coming and darted off the road. She got out of the vehicle. "Are you OK?" "Yea, you scared me, but I'm fine." "I'm glad you jumped out of the way." "Me too." :angel:

Yes, Obviously... But think about it this way. Providence, Rhode Island, is the largest city in it's state. It gets, just about for itself, 2 Representative, 2 Senators, and 4 Electoral Votes. Plus, it's right next door to a lot of other states. Ohio gets 18 Representatives, 2 Senators, and 20 Electoral Votes, which are split among 7 cities, for an average of 2.5 Reps, 0.3 Senators, and 2.9 Electoral votes per city. I didn't even count all of Ohio's other cities. Providence Cincinnati Representatives 2 2.5 Senators 2.5 0.3 Electoral Votes 4 2.9 Total 8.5 5.7 Well, the math isn't exact, but I hope I proved my point. Ohio cities especially come short in the Senate. This is why the east coast cities have an advantage in federal funding.

If it makes you feel any better, Ohio is under-represented at the federal level by the nature of distribution of seats in Congress. Ohio ranks 7th in population, but has only two Senators, just like every other state. It's a rigged game.

"What messages are we missing in our principal outreach pieces...." If I may be so bold, I say that the typical ordinary folk could care less about a stack of pdf's or pamplets, however factual they may be. At least Cleveland people have the Rapid, the Waterfront Line, the Scenic Railroad, and Amtrak. Cincinnati and Columbus people having nothing to use as an example.

"It is the pro-car forces that keep trying to make this a competition." Naw, it's just the status-quo versus the challenger. "If you want to make enemies, try to change something." - Woodrow Wilson

I vote 300,000.

I talked to three different people about the streetcar in the last 3 days. All three of them think that the streetcar is the dumbest idea in the world. One of them gave me the old, "why don't they make a trolley on rubber tires." "You mean a bus?" "Yeah, I guess it would be the same as a bus." "When was the last time you rode a city bus?" (Pause) "Well, when was the last time you rode a city bus? Have you EVER ridden a city bus?" "No, I never have." This guy is about 41 years old. There is an entire generation that has NEVER ridden a city bus, much less any kind of rail, at least in Ohio. This particular guy went on to say that he'd been to Germany, and rode the trains everywhere, and loved it. The streetcar is really running an uphill battle.

Borrowing money can make a good business better, but it makes a bad business worse. The same goes for governments.

:laugh: