June 28, 200717 yr as a result, the critics have been silenced. Never seen anything like it. From wikipedia: The tram remains somewhat unpopular with those living underneath its route. In April 2007, an unidentified homeowner living under the tram route placed a sign on their roof, visible to all who ride the tram, stating "Fu#K THE TRAM" in large block letters. The sign is not visible from the street, only from the air. Officials were looking into whether or not the sign violated any laws :lol:
June 28, 200717 yr Aight, I get the point :P I was just making a statement that they lose money -- but let me state, that they do not necessarily need to make money to be effective. The perceived and actual economic benefit from the streetcars (and light rail) is enough to justify the expense in laying down new rail, planning out the routes, and buying the cars to lay on the lines. As for highways, most do not make any money. I am wholly in favor of tolling our existing interstates where feasible (where it would not cause horrific traffic delays -- i.e. Capitol Beltway), because we need the revenue to pay for ever-increasing maintenance expenses (esp. after Hurricane Katrina) -- plus, highways do lose money.
June 28, 200717 yr As for highways, most do not make any money. I am wholly in favor of tolling our existing interstates where feasible (where it would not cause horrific traffic delays -- i.e. Capitol Beltway), because we need the revenue to pay for ever-increasing maintenance expenses (esp. after Hurricane Katrina) -- plus, highways do lose money. I would like to see a financial spreadsheet for ANY highway that makes ANY profit on a regular quarterly basis. With the exception of utilities/water...no public infrastructure makes any kind of money. Mass transit does at least try to come close...whereas the others are just pure losers. I guess that's what you get when you try to be self-sufficient...nobody ever wants to give you money anymore.
June 28, 200717 yr Pennsylvania Turnpike, West Virginia Turnpike (excluding the Tamarack), New York State Thruway, etc. are all self-sustaining ventures. The new private-public toll roads in Virginia are all profitable as well.
June 28, 200717 yr which city will get streetcars first, Cincy or Columbus?? is that a trick question??? Newport or Covington.
June 29, 200717 yr Author What is the status of the nky streetcars? I haven't seen any press coverage
June 29, 200717 yr Author I would rather cincinnati get the streetcar before nky (I don't have anything against nky, but downtown cincinnati would be the logical hub for any such system), but if they get it and it proves to be a huge success, it is just one more argument for the project.
June 29, 200717 yr What is the status of the nky streetcars? I haven't seen any press coverage It is non-existant...Nky will NOT get any kind of rail transit, unless it connects to some sort of Cincinnati system. I could see Nky going ape-shit over the streetcar system in Cincy (which they already are), and wanting it badly enough that some private money comes up and funds a connection to the Cincy system. Other than that, Nky is just about tapped out in funding mechanisms with the KY state government growing tired of giving tons of funding to just Nky. The money is going to be shifted around more in the future (good luck Ovation, Nky riverwalk plan, and NOTL expansion).
June 29, 200717 yr Kentucky has never adequately given NKY its fair share of state investment. The power centers of Covington and Newport were always too German and Catholic for those who rule the state from the Bluegrass and the coal barons out East. I do agree that private money could make a streetcar along the river stretching from Ludlow to Dayton work in KY if one takes off in Cincy. If I was looking at a rail system in KY it would be some sort of light rail that connected the airport to Covington. For the region that would be more valuable than just about any other investment. The ability for those flying into the airport to easily get to the urban center would massively multiply the value of the airport and make it far more intriguing to YPs who could commute around the country at the drop of the hat with having a car. Cabs do this somewhat right now, but the quality of cabs in Cincinnati leaves a lot to be desired.
July 2, 200717 yr It was my impression that NKY was kinda the odd one out in KY much like Cinti is in OH. That the recent flurry of investment in NKY was kind of a fluke and was nearing the end of it's run.
July 2, 200717 yr NKY is too much Ohio for it to get any love from KY, and Cincy is too Kentucky for it to get any love from OH, hence the Cincinnati city state.
July 2, 200717 yr ^ I would assume a city the size of Cincinnati would influence NOKY, versus the other way around.
July 2, 200717 yr Author Just to compare the populations of cincinnati (city looking at streetacars) with Tampa (city with streetcars) Tampa- 332,888 Cincinnati- 332,252 Thats about as close as two cities can be in population
July 2, 200717 yr The NKY Consensus Committee met a couple of weeks ago and released a list of projects it wants Frankfort to fund. No form of rail or mass transit was even mentioned. Urban Project List Northern Kentucky Convention Center Expansion -$51 million. Covington Square and Public Market - $3.7 million. Urban Campus of Gateway Community & Technical College - $21 million. Riverfront Commons - $9 million. NKU – Health Innovations Center - $48.5 million. NKU - Founder’s Hall - $27.5 million. Replacement of Aging Water Lines - $65 million. Increase Capacity at Dry Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant -$44 million. Gunpowder Creek Historical Trail - $2.2 million. Florence City Center Revitalization - $9.1 million. Rual Project List Williamstown Lake Expansion - $30 million. Kincaid Lake State Park Regional Lodge & Conference Center - $12 million. Highway 22 Reconstruction -$50 million to $80 million. Tri-County Regional Airport - $7 million.
July 2, 200717 yr Not surprised at all by the lack of rail or transit projects on the NKY list. I think the only way that will change is when and if Cincinnati builds a streetcar or light-rail line that succeeds and makes the folks across the river take notice and want to be connected to it.
July 2, 200717 yr Not surprised at all by the lack of rail or transit projects on the NKY list. I think the only way that will change is when and if Cincinnati builds a streetcar or light-rail line that succeeds and makes the folks across the river take notice and want to be connected to it. Kind of like the smoking ban... :laugh:
July 6, 200717 yr Zimpher wants streetcars at UC City task force studying options for transportation plan funding Cincinnati Business Courier - July 6, 2007by Dan MonkSenior Staff Reporter University of Cincinnati President Nancy Zimpher recently endorsed Cincinnati's new streetcar initiative, in a speech to the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce. "We want the trolley all the way up the hill," Zimpher recently told a crowd of several hundred civic and business leaders at the Chamber's annual meeting. Zimpher wants UC's 35,000 students and 14,000 employees to be able to take a short trip down Vine Street to visit Findlay Market, Fountain Square and Over-the-Rhine's Brewery District. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/07/09/story4.html
July 7, 200717 yr As much as i dislike Nancy; she might be on to something. I dont think that it should be a route that directly connects UC to the downtown route. There should be a line that runs around campus and a separate line that runs connecting the clifton and OTR.
July 8, 200717 yr Here is the full article... Zimpher wants streetcars at UC City task force studying options for transportation plan funding BY DAN MONK | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER July 6, 2007 UPTOWN - University of Cincinnati President Nancy Zimpher recently endorsed Cincinnati's new streetcar initiative, in a speech to the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce. "We want the trolley all the way up the hill," Zimpher recently told a crowd of several hundred civic and business leaders at the Chamber's annual meeting. Zimpher wants UC's 35,000 students and 14,000 employees to be able to take a short trip down Vine Street to visit Findlay Market, Fountain Square and Over-the-Rhine's Brewery District.
July 10, 200717 yr Interesting fact: an executive with Toyota in NKY has written to me inquiring about our next trip to Portland.
July 10, 200717 yr And there lies a potential foot-in-the-door for rail advocates in the Cincinnati area. Like many Japanese-based companies doing business here in the U.S., Toyota depends on rail not just to move it's parts and finished automobiles, but it's corporate executives. I would tell this executive about both the Ohio Hub and the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative and how these high=speed rail plans would not only provide fast, frequent rail travel to places like Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh.... but connections to the internationl flight routes at the major airports in those cities. The appeal of streetcars and light rail (as in Portland) is also important to these companies as an overall quality of life issue for their employees as well as the community as a whole. Even they recognize that rail can perform functions that motor vehicles cannot. A brand new Camry isn't much good if it's standing still on I-75 during rush hour.
July 10, 200717 yr Anybody know who wrote this? They have obviously done their homework: http://connectourdots.wordpress.com/2007/07/10/eastern-corridor-terrible-idea-2/
July 11, 200717 yr Anybody know who wrote this? They have obviously done their homework: http://connectourdots.wordpress.com/2007/07/10/eastern-corridor-terrible-idea-2/ However, the I-74 extension and I-73 in Ohio are dead. In fact they never really were alive to begin with, the State had other tranpsortation priorities. But, if its on Wikipedia it MUST be true.
July 12, 200717 yr Pleease build the streetcar NOW!!!I am not using th bus for leisure travel ever again.(just had a really bad experience) that will bore you so that's all I am going to write. :wink:
July 13, 200717 yr I went to the ULI/Social Compact forum today at McSchmick's. After it was over, I had whatever doubts that the streetcar would never happen smashed. Listening to some of the movers and shakers talk before, during, and after it left me feeling that this thing will be up and running in the next few years. It was refreshing listening to the development community talk about transit and making places matter as being keys to overall economic growth.
July 13, 200717 yr ARTICLE: "PORTLAND'S GREEN DIVIDEND" "Commitment to green policies and the prevalence of green lifestyles has attacted people and business to the region." [Read the entire article - five pages, large type] http://www.ceosforcities.org/internal/files/PGD%20FINAL.pdf
July 16, 200717 yr If any of you locals that are interested in streetcar history are quick (j Meck) etc you can get a glimpse of the old track running up gilbert ave to walnut hills. It is in the center of the gilbert and is exposed from roadwork.
July 19, 200717 yr Question on streetcar funding? Do we know were the funding for the streetcar system is going to come from? Federal dollars, city or state dollars, TIF (is so what TIF district and how will that affect current TIF districts in the area), or vote? Also has the environmental study been done or funded along, with the engineering study and plan? If federal dollars are going to be used, has the applications been submitted to the FEDs and have they given any response to the application yet? What year is the funding being requested for? If not what is the timeline for these studies and their funding?
July 19, 200717 yr Question on streetcar funding? Do we know were the funding for the streetcar system is going to come from? Federal dollars, city or state dollars, TIF (is so what TIF district and how will that affect current TIF districts in the area), or vote? Also has the environmental study been done or funded along, with the engineering study and plan? If federal dollars are going to be used, has the applications been submitted to the FEDs and have they given any response to the application yet? What year is the funding being requested for? If not what is the timeline for these studies and their funding? I'm guessing no Federal Funds to build the streetcar. There's a strong desire to avoid the Federal process - probably adds two years at a minimum. The city manager will report to city council in mid September as to how we going to pay for building and operating the streetcar. If that is well-received, and environmental study with extensive public input costing about $800,000 would follow-on. There's a strong desire to get this done before Jim Tarbell leaves City Council in early December. I think we have at least six votes right now.
July 20, 200717 yr http://www.pulsedt.com/blogs/default.asp?Display=592 This guy needs a reality check!
July 20, 200717 yr The guy who wrote that article is TOTALLY off his rocker. It's people like HIM who ruin the city. That kind of attitude is what creates separation and "race issues."
July 20, 200717 yr that guy is flat out retarded. saying that because something like the streetcar fell into disuse that it will remain that way is like arguing that foods filled with hormones and pesticides are better because they are a modern development when more recent studies have shown otherwise. likewise we are a more socially aware society today than our grandparents generation who did infact do all those things he is saying but that didn't kill downtown. white people were knocked out in those developments too, it wasn't as much about race as socioeconomic class but this guy is obviously stuck in the 50's and has to feel that he deserves something that nobody living today had any part of...whatever I'm not getting into that. buses decentralize urbancores. I wish we could keep them out of cincinnati altogether and make them travel 2 hours around 275...see how mass transit skeptic exurbanite idiots like that
July 24, 200717 yr Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the current status of the street car project, and where can I find such information (city of Cincinnati websites, the paper, meetings to attend, etc)? I usually just hear about things second hand or after the fact, and I want to change that. By the way, this is my first post to the board. A little about me: My name is Brittany and I grew up in suburban Houston, moved to West Chester at 13, lived there until I was 17, moved to suburban Dallas, went off to college in San Marcos, TX then transferred to a school in Austin, TX...then one day realized there was a major called Urban Planning, and decided to transfer to UC for their program. As much as I hated the sprawl of Dallas, I liked that I could get downtown from the suburbs on the light rail system. I would love to see a street car in Cincy. I moved from Austin, TX to Clifton in January 06, moved to Corryville in October 06, and now I'm moving to OTR later this week. In my opinion, OTR is the most interesting neighborhood (in terms of history, potential development, architecture) with easy access to UC, which is why I chose to move this time around.
July 24, 200717 yr that guy is flat out retarded. Please, don't use that word. You sound about twice as ignorant using that word than any person writing about their streetcar opinions.
July 24, 200717 yr Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the current status of the street car project, and where can I find such information (city of Cincinnati websites, the paper, meetings to attend, etc)? I usually just hear about things second hand or after the fact, and I want to change that. By the way, this is my first post to the board. This thread is pretty active. Go back to about page 30 to get an idea of the latest on the actual streetcar project. Keep reading the thread and you will get announcements of meetings and the like Here are links to a couple city PDFs http://www.citystreetcar.net/Presentation/Narrative.pdf http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/city/downloads/city_pdf16341.pdf Welcome aboard !
July 24, 200717 yr Please excuse my ignorance, but what is the current status of the street car project, and where can I find such information (city of Cincinnati websites, the paper, meetings to attend, etc)? I usually just hear about things second hand or after the fact, and I want to change that. By the way, this is my first post to the board. A little about me: My name is Brittany and I grew up in suburban Houston, moved to West Chester at 13, lived there until I was 17, moved to suburban Dallas, went off to college in San Marcos, TX then transferred to a school in Austin, TX...then one day realized there was a major called Urban Planning, and decided to transfer to UC for their program. As much as I hated the sprawl of Dallas, I liked that I could get downtown from the suburbs on the light rail system. I would love to see a street car in Cincy. I moved from Austin, TX to Clifton in January 06, moved to Corryville in October 06, and now I'm moving to OTR later this week. In my opinion, OTR is the most interesting neighborhood (in terms of history, potential development, architecture) with easy access to UC, which is why I chose to move this time around. Did I tip you off on the "I Love OTR" group on Facebook?? I'm pretty sure you're in that group...right? If you want up-to-date information about the streetcar stuff...stay tuned right here. We have John Schneider (one of the main people behind the proposal), a YP Kitchen Cabinet: Transportation advisor (reports to the Mayor), and a few others who are VERY tightly linked to the project. They report their information and answer questions a lot (as you can see from the 38 pages of discussion). Welcome to the forum...you're gonna love it!
July 24, 200717 yr Did I tip you off on the "I Love OTR" group on Facebook?? I'm pretty sure you're in that group...right? If you want up-to-date information about the streetcar stuff...stay tuned right here. We have John Schneider (one of the main people behind the proposal), a YP Kitchen Cabinet: Transportation advisor (reports to the Mayor), and a few others who are VERY tightly linked to the project. They report their information and answer questions a lot (as you can see from the 38 pages of discussion). Welcome to the forum...you're gonna love it! Yes I did find the forum from the facebook group :wave: Thanks so much for posting the links, I didn't even know this forum existed! I'm pretty stoked to see the project progress. I'll visit this forum often. (...I hope I did the quotes corretly)
July 24, 200717 yr appleaday, Welcome. There's also a local blog that just started. It hasn't had a post in a couple of weeks but probably will heat up as this streetcar issue develops: http://connectourdots.wordpress.com/
Create an account or sign in to comment