Actually, it could. It was a sewer line collapse. A void was created which would consume a streetcar, bus, car, etc.

Can't a guy have a little fun around this place without some knowledgeable person stepping in and throwing facts around?  :evil:

:P

the "no outlet" sign just really makes the picture...

Actually, it could. It was a sewer line collapse. A void was created which would consume a streetcar, bus, car, etc.

 

Sewer lines underneath the streetcar track are being replaced or repaired during streetcar construction, so this would be significantly less likely to happen. Additionally, since the streetcar track is a continuous slab of concrete and rebar, I bet that the streetcar track would stay in place even if a sinkhole opened up underneath it.

EXCLUSIVE: SORTA discussing plans for major bus system expansion, tax increase

 

Chris Wetterich

Staff reporter-

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority is considering a major expansion of its bus system in Hamilton County to better connect people and jobs, but it will require some sort of tax increase.

SORTA Chairman Jason Dunn said that the discussions are preliminary and the board has not decided on any course of action. SORTA’s executive committee discussed the plan, which does not have a cost associated with it, for the first time on Wednesday.

Way overdue. I think it could pass, but a nontrivial amount of money would need to be raised for a campaign. People need to have it drilled into their heads how bizarre it is the county doesn't fund SORTA currently. Also an appeal to rights of the disabled and job access for the growing suburban poor population.

I would avoid the suburban poor argument. There are going to be a lot of people who think expanding bus service in suburbs will bring "those people" into their neighborhoods and ruin their property values.

^ Those folks won't vote for transit anyway. Appeal to the thin majority that voted for Obama, and rally a coalition of streetcar supporters and minority voters for strong turnout.

 

I really don't understand how people expect to help out the impoverished while denying them access to jobs.

Because they think the $20/year extra in their pocket is worth more than others' ability to provide for their families.

It is really insane that the County doesn't support the transit system.  People CONSTANTLY wonder why service in the suburbs is awful.  Well, there's you clear, concise and brutally accurate answer.  We should also make it part of the deal to remove the Zone boundary if the County contributes.  That would make the system SO much easier to use.

Cranley blocked fare hikes for years resulting in massive deferred mainenance & labor issues.

Dunno what he'd think of this.

Didn't Cranley say he would expand bus service during the campaign?

Didn't Cranley say he would expand bus service during the campaign?

 

...AND lower fares!

I assume they'll go with a property tax increase to do this? I wouldn't be so sure that will pass, especially if its on the same ballot as the Music Hall/Union Terminal tax hike (which may also be a property tax increase).  Although maybe putting them on the same ballot might bring out the same big group of voters that will vote yes to both.  I do think some swing voters will vote no to one of the two if they're on the same ballot, though.

Aren't these usually sales taxes? The proposal for Union Terminal and Music Hall is proposed to be a 1/2 cent sales tax.

The UT/MH sales tax has been evaluated at 0.25% and 0.50% sales tax, but it is going forward with 0.25% increase. This will require 9 years to pay off the costs and we will be paying significantly more money in interest than with the 0.50%.

 

The SORTA tax request is not going on the 2014 ballot. They will likely push it to the 2016 Presidential election to encourage people to come out and vote yes.

^ Most of the experts I know who have advised on transit campaigns around the nation say that transit issues should ony be put on the ballot in Presidential election years.

So if we get a 1/4 cent sales tax increase for MH/UT, would that mean its more likely for the transit tax to be a property tax? Does that limit it at all? I know in Lexington, they have a property tax to fund transit, so LexTran is limited to Fayette County for the most part. However, in Louisville, it's funded by a county-wide (due to merger) earnings tax, so TARC provides services to Jefferson County as well as some service to surrounding counties PLUS Southern Indiana.

I'm hoping this goes through.  Metro*Plus is a very smart way to slowly build transit ridership, is it perfect?  No.  But Cincinnati needs these kinds of baby steps before it can run.

 

Unfortunately the very thought of increasing taxes even for pragmatic improvements frightens so many people that there is a nasty battle that will ensue. :(  I hope that given how the media has expanded through the internet and the success of getting the streetcar through will help, but its still going to be nasty, too many people are happy with a broken status quo.

http://www.masstransitmag.com/article/11313881/cincinnati-mero-building-a-different-sysem

Most of the Uptown Transit District stop are complete. What's really nice is that they have redone the streetscape around these stops, including burying the utilities in some places. They are waiting until the official groundbreaking to turn on the new lights. Really, all of our bus stops should be this nice.

 

Anyone have any comments or insights regarding Garcia-Crews stepping down?

I love how they incorporated the ticket vending machines into the informational signage.  The Uptown Transit District officially opens Thursday.

 

I was in town last weekend and was disappointed by the informational signage as it only shows Metro*Plus as a bus route and no others.  The digital displays also work btw, which is a godsend - metro really needs to open its GPS data so apps can be developed to track bus times.  I get so antsy waiting for buses without knowing a close approximate to when they are coming - Chicago has spoiled me.

So the Enquirer had an article about these stations not being compatible with the streetcar - if it makes it up the hill. Will new stations be built for a streetcar or these bus stops retrofitted?

I would imagine they would be retrofitted since space is pretty hard to find in Uptown for these types of stations. Though I don't know definitively.

I think the physical length of the streetcar would make it impossible for a streetcar stop to be possible where these have been built, anyways. Given a route up Vine, the streetcar would either have to stop on the hill south of McMillan, or somewhere north of Calhoun, but not between. There are also some of these on Jefferson that could be used in theory, but that alignment is far from finalized. I imagine the idea would be to build a raised platform in what is currently the bus lane, since the streetcar will be stopping in traffic anyway as it wouldn’t be plausible to have a pull-off lane like the buses currently do.

 

On a related note, there appear to be some sort of bus stop islands that have been built in Central Parkway along with the bike lane. The problem is they are directly in the bike lane, and the bike lanes have been paved directly into the ramps that lead up to the islands. I’ll try and get a photo the next time I bike by it. If you stay in the bike lane, you grab a few inches of air.

 

Those are bus station islands. The bike lane goes in between the curb and the island, and based on photos from the city, it's flush.

 

Those are bus station islands. The bike lane goes in between the curb and the island, and based on photos from the city, it's flush.

 

This plan is so $#! stupid.

^ I figured the plan was to have the bike lanes jog in around the bus stop islands, but it just seems odd that they're outbound of the parking everywhere else. The bike lanes are going to be weaving around for that entire stretch of Central Parkway.

 

Maybe the guys doing the striping just messed up, but as of now the bike lane is striped directly into the side of the island.

^ I figured the plan was to have the bike lanes jog in around the bus stop islands, but it just seems odd that they're outbound of the parking everywhere else. The bike lanes are going to be weaving around for that entire stretch of Central Parkway.

 

Maybe the guys doing the striping just messed up, but as of now the bike lane is striped directly into the side of the island.

 

I think right now the area in between the stripes is the area where the plastic bollards will go, and the area next to the sidewalk that looks wide enough to park a car is the actual bike lane. 

Those are bus station islands. The bike lane goes in between the curb and the island, and based on photos from the city, it's flush.

 

This plan is so $#! stupid.

No it's awesome as I ride in a cycle track everyday where a bus has to weave into bicycle traffic which is dangerous this is a fantastic design and Cincy had one upped Chicago

it is awesome!!!!!

nevermind the people boarding  & disembarking the bus....

The other alternative is having to have people cross the bike lane during boarding/alighting, which is much more idiotic. This way works just fine, and from what I can tell the bike lanes on Central Parkway do not swerve to go around the bus stops, which makes them better than many implementations elsewhere.

 

http://usa.streetsblog.org/2014/06/12/the-street-ballet-of-a-bike-lane-behind-a-transit-stop/

 

https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/riding-around-the-bus-stop/

it is awesome!!!!!

nevermind the people boarding  & disembarking the bus....

 

There is enough room on that platform for people to look and it makes it easy for people to see there is a bike lane once they are off the bus.  Its even better because buses go about the same speed as bicycles and if you get caught in the wrong spot behind one you could wind up constantly having to weave around them if not for these wonderful platforms.  Quimbob, you don't use these kinds of lanes as they don't exist in Cincinnati yet, I'm not sure you understand how they work and how this design is much better than the one I use everyday on Milwaukee Ave in Chicago which is quite possibly the busiest bicycle route in the Midwest.  Cincy is getting better than the busiest bicycle route in the Midwest and that's something all Cincinnatians can be proud about ;)

 

Cincinnatians need to understand a little better when to complain and when to be proud it would make the city a heck of a lot better than it is today :D

A commuting time comparison inked by the inimitable P. Casey Coston- http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/072914-Soapdish-Urban-communting-experiment.aspx

SORTA mentioned a friend of mine who posted about his 30-day trial for going car-free. I believe he was given a Metro/TANK joint 30-day pass to try out.

 

I had no idea there was an attempt in the works to merge the two payment systems with a common card.

 

Here is a picture.

 

Finally!

Oh Lord, yes, FINALLY!

 

I hope the bike share can be integrated, too.

Oh Lord, yes, FINALLY!

 

I hope the bike share can be integrated, too.

 

I'm working on it

Wow!  This seemingly small improvement is a huge deal for the usability of the system(s).  I'll be interested to find out what that card costs.  I'd love to be able to load $50 on one and just use it whenever.

 

EDIT:  Looks like this is $105 per month for unlimited rides on Metro and TANK.  That's a little too steep for me, because I only get to ride the bus occasionally.  Metro has pre-paid cards in $30 increments as well, but they don't work on TANK.  Still glad to see the two organizations are working together, because the current system sucks if you live in Newport or Covington.  Maybe one day...

I'm confused about all of this hype.  The Metro/TANK month pass in that photo has been around for a very long time.  I know for a fact they've been they've been around since at least 2010. 

 

A Metro/TANK Stored Value card is a different story and I also know that Metro is actively working on that, but there's not scheduled release date on that yet.

A Metro/TANK Stored Value card is a different story and I also know that Metro is actively working on that, but there's not scheduled release date on that yet.

 

Exactly.  That's what I thought we were talking about initially.  Sadly, no.  I wonder if we're closer to buses accepting credit cards than a stored value card.  Some food trucks and farmers markets are even starting to accept them.  And the main reasons I'd like to have a stored value card are because when I'd like to take the bus it is unplanned (I'm walking somewhere, but running late, and then a bus happens to pull up) and I don't usually carry change or small bills.

A Metro/TANK Stored Value card is a different story and I also know that Metro is actively working on that, but there's not scheduled release date on that yet.

 

Exactly.  That's what I thought we were talking about initially.  Sadly, no.  I wonder if we're closer to buses accepting credit cards than a stored value card.  Some food trucks and farmers markets are even starting to accept them.  And the main reasons I'd like to have a stored value card are because when I'd like to take the bus it is unplanned (I'm walking somewhere, but running late, and then a bus happens to pull up) and I don't usually carry change or small bills.

 

I don't think the fare boxes are capable of accepting credit cards. However, they are capable of accepting a larger bill (such as a $20) for a fare and giving you the change back on a stored-value card. That would be amazing and I'm not sure why Metro hasn't implemented this feature yet.

Metro has stored value cards already. They just can't be accepted on both Metro and TANK yet. You can buy stored value cards with $10, $20, or $30 on them from the Ticket Vending Machines, at the service center downtown, or at City Hall. I always have a $10 one in my pocket just in case I need it.

Metro has stored value cards already. They just can't be accepted on both Metro and TANK yet.

 

Exactly.  But when you live in KY and spend a fair amount of time in OH, a stored value card that works on only one system isn't very useful.  I guess I could carry two of them, but that just makes my wallet thicker.  The real problem is that we have two transit systems for such a small area.  I don't see that changing any time soon, but it would be nice if the experience was seamless to the users.

From National Geographic's "Best Fall Trips 2014" list, suggesting Oktoberfest Zinzinnati:

 

How to Get Around: Cincinnati is located in southwestern Ohio at the junction of I-75, I-74, and I-71, about a hundred miles northwest of Louisville, Kentucky. The greater Cincinnati area extends south across the Ohio River to northern Kentucky, where the airport is located. Take the TANK (Transportation Authority of Northern Kentucky) public bus (operates 5 a.m. to midnight) from the airport to downtown, where the festival is staged on six blocks of Fifth Street, from Vine Street to Sentinel.

 

Nice to see the transit option featured so prominently. Combined with no mention of hiring a cab or renting a car.

From National Geographic's "Best Fall Trips 2014" list, suggesting Oktoberfest Zinzinnati:

 

How to Get Around: Cincinnati is located in southwestern Ohio at the junction of I-75, I-74, and I-71, about a hundred miles northwest of Louisville, Kentucky. The greater Cincinnati area extends south across the Ohio River to northern Kentucky, where the airport is located. Take the TANK (Transportation Authority of Northern Kentucky) public bus (operates 5 a.m. to midnight) from the airport to downtown, where the festival is staged on six blocks of Fifth Street, from Vine Street to Sentinel.

 

Nice to see the transit option featured so prominently. Combined with no mention of hiring a cab or renting a car.

 

Particularly given the nature of the event.  Transit advocates should make arguments about how its a great tool for preventing drunk driving I don't think they do that enough.  Now CVG just needs more low costs options.

I've heard from multiple sources that if you put your Metro stored value card in a TANK bus, it will work. I don't find myself riding transit in KY that often, so I haven't had the ability to confirm.