For the first five months of 2019, streetcar ridership was only 14% of Tank ridership. 

 

For the first five months of 2024, streetcar ridership was 56% of Tank ridership. 

 

In June 2024 it was 69%.

29 minutes ago, thomasbw said:

For the first five months of 2019, streetcar ridership was only 14% of Tank ridership. 

 

For the first five months of 2024, streetcar ridership was 56% of Tank ridership. 

 

In June 2024 it was 69%.

 

At what percentage of TANK’s ridership does the city optimize the traffic signals, get the real-time screens properly working, and adhere to their operating hours with a clear policy?

16 hours ago, Gordon Bombay said:

 

At what percentage of TANK’s ridership does the city optimize the traffic signals, get the real-time screens properly working, and adhere to their operating hours with a clear policy?

and a transit-only lane on Walnut 

I'm baffled why the mayor and city council haven't started working on signal priority and a transit-only lane. The streetcar isn't the political third rail that it used to be (I'd argue it never was a big issue for citizens of the city proper) and most people see the streetcar as a success. speeding up service for it and buses would be an easy improvement that honestly wouldn't get a ton of media coverage, thus making it harder for naysayers even to notice it. It's just bad policy not to work to improve and expand the system.

I have heard anecdotally that there are still 1 or 2 dinosaurs working in the Dept. of Transportation & Engineering that are really holding back any efforts towards transit signal priority, transit-only lanes, traffic calming, etc. Unfortunately, since the mayor doesn't seem to be interested in telling them to step aside and let the progress happen, we may have to wait until these individuals retire to see real progress here.

2 hours ago, taestell said:

I have heard anecdotally that there are still 1 or 2 dinosaurs working in the Dept. of Transportation & Engineering that are really holding back any efforts towards transit signal priority, transit-only lanes, traffic calming, etc. Unfortunately, since the mayor doesn't seem to be interested in telling them to step aside and let the progress happen, we may have to wait until these individuals retire to see real progress here.

 

We should advocate for these changes loudly and publicly so they can't continue to be ignored.

18 routes from 5 different agencies would benefit from transit-only lanes on Walnut. 

Transit-only lanes and signal priority are such a no-brainer and could also help future-proof a few streets if/when the streetcar is expanded or light rail is finally built. There's plenty of room on Central Pkwy for transit-only lanes.

If you look at the top sources of streetcar blockages, they're all on Walnut now. The top three sources of blockages could be reduced or eliminated with a single 0.58 mile transit-only lane. The fourth-highest source of blockages has basically been eliminated. 29 of the 34 blockages occurred prior to relocating Area G by 200 feet on March 1st. 

 

Here's the data for Main 500 Block (Area G)

Edited July 29, 2024Jul 29 by thomasbw

We can fix this for like $500,000.00 in maybe a month or two

 

Had this idea for a streetcar route entirely within KY.

 

Would require two directional travel on 4th in Covington and on Monmouth in Newport.  

 

Would require its own maintenance facility but if cars were same model as Cincinnati then perhaps they could share personnel and maintenance somehow.  

 

(click to enlarge)

 

Edited August 5, 2024Aug 5 by thebillshark

If we're dreaming up options for NKY, have it go through the roundabout, not around it.

Edited August 6, 2024Aug 6 by Dev

On 8/4/2024 at 3:10 PM, thebillshark said:

Had this idea for a streetcar route entirely within KY.

 

Would require two directional travel on 4th in Covington and on Monmouth in Newport.  

 

Would require its own maintenance facility but if cars were same model as Cincinnati then perhaps they could share personnel and maintenance somehow.  

 

(click to enlarge)

 

 

Love it! Thanks. What is everyone's thoughts on using 3rd Street and then down Saratoga in Newport? Plenty of open ROW on those streets.

For 30 of the past 46 months, the Cincinnati Streetcar has had the largest ridership increase compared to pre-pandemic levels of any modern American streetcar system. Tucson and Detroit also went fare-free during this period (and Tampa increased service hours and had recently gone fare free) 

Obviously NYC's average is brought down by running multi-car trains and having 24-hour service but still an impressive showing by Cincinnati and Kansas City. 

 

The fact that the Seattle monorail tops the list means this list really doesn't mean anything

On 8/6/2024 at 12:57 PM, Dev said:

If we're dreaming up options for NKY, have it go through the roundabout, not around it.

 

As a transit nerd, I hung out near this intersection last time I visited Phoenix and observed a few trains pass through. It's really a smart design because car traffic heading straight on the main road can continue while the train is passing through the intersection and the gates are down. It's only through traffic on the minor street and traffic turning left from the main road that are blocked. Within 20-30 seconds of the gates going up, all of the queued traffic has passed through.

On 8/4/2024 at 3:10 PM, thebillshark said:

Had this idea for a streetcar route entirely within KY.

 

Would require two directional travel on 4th in Covington and on Monmouth in Newport.  

 

Would require its own maintenance facility but if cars were same model as Cincinnati then perhaps they could share personnel and maintenance somehow.  

 

(click to enlarge)

 

In Newport, why not follow 3rd and then down Saratoga?

17 hours ago, Rabbit Hash said:

In Newport, why not follow 3rd and then down Saratoga?

The route could go that way, both involve trade-offs.

 

If it took 3rd street, that would bring it a lot closer to the major destinations of Ovation, Newport on the Levee, and the Purple People Bridge, but would it have to go through a second traffic circle at Taylor Southgate bridge and perhaps encounter more traffic and be slightly less direct.  If navigating the traffic circle is not an issue it may be worth going that way for the extra visibility.

 

If it took Saratoga, as Saratoga heads south it looks kind of narrow on each side with potential conflict with parked and parking cars, unless width was taken from the median with trees and added to the road lanes, potentially eliminating the trees altogether.  If the route went down Saratoga, it wouldn’t require the additional project of reconfiguring Monmouth to two way travel, but would also be a block away from the main strip.

On 8/10/2024 at 8:40 AM, thebillshark said:

If it took Saratoga, as Saratoga heads south it looks kind of narrow on each side with potential conflict with parked and parking cars, unless width was taken from the median with trees and added to the road lanes, potentially eliminating the trees altogether.  If the route went down Saratoga, it wouldn’t require the additional project of reconfiguring Monmouth to two way travel, but would also be a block away from the main strip.

 

Yeah...good thoughts. My rationale with Saratoga was that a rail line used to run down the median until the 1980s. I'm just nostalgic for that to happen again. 

 

19 minutes for a train (after knowing how to navigate through the free app and with nothing on the “real-time” signs). Watched a “charter” roll by the station and then several potential passengers including myself left. 
 

Amazing that the city is still so bad at this (although still miles ahead of SORRA). If METRO does in fact move to the RTC in the future, the streetcar MUST become more reliable. 

And just missed the next one because the app is actually about a stop behind where the train really is. 🤷 

At almost every streetcar stop, you can see if a streetcar is coming for several minutes before it gets to you. I don't understand what the point of the app is.  I mean, even if the app's GPS did work accurately, there is no way to know if it's going to get every green light or every red light. 

 

 

I live on the streetcar line. The app tells me when to leave my home and walk across the street to catch the streetcar. Particularly useful when delays are frequent, like game days and special events. 

57 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

 I don't understand what the point of the app is. 

When you see a train is "19 minutes away" and decide to go grab a cup of coffee or do something else with that time until the train comes, the point is to know where it's at. But when you walk back to the 6/Main station thinking you have plenty of time because the app shows the train just beginning to approach 4/Main - yet it's really flying by the station you need - it's a bit frustrating. Wouldn't be a problem if the real-time signs worked, but they haven't been on in over a year at this point. 

 

53 minutes ago, John Schneider said:

I live on the streetcar line. The app tells me when to leave my home and walk across the street to catch the streetcar. Particularly useful when delays are frequent, like game days and special events. 

I live on the line as well and generally, yes, the app works well enough... if you know how to use it. But the app is not user-friendly, to use "GO" you need an account, and things like this happen.

 

The point is that these minor problems are easily fixed and can create a marked improvement in customer experience (especially for the casual folks who are just visiting, etc).

Yet, these problems (and also the inconsistency with "closing times") are never fixed. 
 

EDIT: It’s just all a frustrating bummer. 

Edited August 15, 2024Aug 15 by Gordon Bombay

Lori Burchett is the CEO of the streetcar. Write her @ [email protected]

 

10 minutes ago, John Schneider said:

Lori Burchett is the CEO of the streetcar. Write her @ [email protected]

 

I have before and her response has always been prompt and professional, but on these specific issues the response has generally been the same vague statements. 

I think they've applied for a grant to modernize the system which I understand will be expensive. Maybe she is just waiting on that.

12 minutes ago, John Schneider said:

I think they've applied for a grant to modernize the system which I understand will be expensive. Maybe she is just waiting on that.

 

Could be and just to clarify: I don’t (nor ever would) expect her to reveal any details that aren’t public, etc. I certainly understand that often a standard response is just what’s going to come from a government official. Overall, I feel the streetcar is running much better than 2016, just coming here to grumble after an annoying commute where I would’ve just walked (but it’s gross out), ridden my bike (just got a flat), or taken the number 6 (which was further away at the time). 😁 

Overall, living on the line is a great benefit and I did get good coffee instead of the stuff at my office. 

 

EDIT: Also appreciate your response, John, and appreciate that you’re still such a great advocate for the line. 

Edited August 15, 2024Aug 15 by Gordon Bombay

My understanding is that it's very complicated. It piggy-backs on Metro's system which uses a radio tower in Kentucky, for example. And that this signal is sometimes in the shadow of downtown buildings. All this is second-hand, but I've heard it a few times.

On 8/15/2024 at 1:07 PM, John Schneider said:

My understanding is that it's very complicated. It piggy-backs on Metro's system which uses a radio tower in Kentucky, for example. And that this signal is sometimes in the shadow of downtown buildings. All this is second-hand, but I've heard it a few times.

I heard it was supposed to be hard-wired into the system, but that was removed to save money by Kevin Flynn and now uses less reliable radio signals. There's got to be a way to do this with wireless internet. 

Dear Lord. Just put an old iPhone on the train with the bluetooth turned on and figure out how to track it. I can watch my kids move around town live...how hard can it be? LOL.

Or, uh, AirTag?

 

30 minutes ago I got off the most jam-packed streetcar that I had been on since opening weekend.

 

 

It's absurd that none of the elected officials in this city are using this recording-breaking ridership to push for a study of Phase 2.

20 hours ago, taestell said:

30 minutes ago I got off the most jam-packed streetcar that I had been on since opening weekend.

 

 

It's absurd that none of the elected officials in this city are using this recording-breaking ridership to push for a study of Phase 2.

 

Agreed! Where is the leadership?

Mark Jeffreys has shown the most interest. 

If this wreck didn't happen, we would have beaten the all-time monthly record and broken 120k for the first time https://www.wlwt.com/article/crash-involving-streetcar-reported-on-race-street-in-over-the-rhine/61964258

 

Might happen with Blink this year. 

Will all 5 streetcars run for Blink?

The more time that goes by with record ridership but without a hint of expansion plans, improvement plans, plans to extend hours our buy another train...you know...basically nothing from city council; the more frustrated I get. Cranley is gone and the trolls who fought to kill the streetcar don't have the kind of public support they used to. People love the streetcar now and there's public will to see it expand but our city council does nothing.

 

Meanwhile, in the car-brained hellscape of Kansas City, they're extending their system. I might run for city council with my only policy platform being to expand the damn streetcar.

Write to City Council and the mayor. Especially Jeffreys.

I think getting a transit-only lane on Walnut is a good next goal. It's pretty low cost (should be able to do it for under $500k) and will likely have the best return-on-investment of any possible transit investment in the region. 

4 hours ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

The more time that goes by with record ridership but without a hint of expansion plans, improvement plans, plans to extend hours our buy another train...you know...basically nothing from city council; the more frustrated I get. Cranley is gone and the trolls who fought to kill the streetcar don't have the kind of public support they used to. People love the streetcar now and there's public will to see it expand but our city council does nothing.

 

Meanwhile, in the car-brained hellscape of Kansas City, they're extending their system. I might run for city council with my only policy platform being to expand the damn streetcar.

That frustration is shared. But what exactly does council do at all these days I feel like we hear less and less about them nowadays.

Well they were quite noisy for quite a while now weren't they?

17 minutes ago, Rabbit Hash said:

That frustration is shared. But what exactly does council do at all these days I feel like we hear less and less about them nowadays.

There's only like what six(ten?) working reporters in the region now. 

1 hour ago, Rabbit Hash said:

That frustration is shared. But what exactly does council do at all these days I feel like we hear less and less about them nowadays.

 

They passed the Connected Communities plan, which was a pretty big change

Just now, ryanlammi said:

 

They passed the Connected Communities plan, which was a pretty big change

Jeffreys said he wanted to get through Connected Communities before taking up the streetcar. Well, they're through Connected Communities now. 

In July the Cincinnati Streetcar was the sixth-highest ridership streetcar system in the country and the third-highest modern system. 

 

Here's all the systems to scale, I separated out the two Dallas systems from the original graphic and also updated Tacoma's route from memory so it's probably not exactly to scale, but it's close. Tempe, El Paso, Galveston aren't pictured below and Mattapan & SLC are considered light rail by the feds. Charlotte has massively expanded their system, but runs really terrible headways so ridership is low. 

 

 

2nd in riders per hour

Edited September 7, 2024Sep 7 by thomasbw

On 9/4/2024 at 8:45 AM, JaceTheAce41 said:

Cranley is gone and the trolls who fought to kill the streetcar

 

This week I saw an Enquirer commenter blame the closure of the Mason and Crestview Hills Taste of Belgium locations on Jean-Francois Flechet's support of the streetcar. 

On 9/4/2024 at 8:45 AM, JaceTheAce41 said:

 improvement plans, plans to extend hours our buy another train...streetcar.

 

Yeah the manufacturer is probably onto the next generation of the Urbos 3 by now, meaning the next streetcars we buy will not be fully compatible with the existing fleet.  This means that they will not always be able to swap parts.