the nearby Intermodal Transit Center.

 

I really hope they use that money to invest in some light rail lines for the transit center similar to what Seattle just recently did in their downtown transit tunnel.

NKY streetcar poll

 

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090325/NEWS0103/303240023&s=d&page=2#pluckcomments

 

Heavily in favor

Nice to see that the troglodytes in the comments are in a fairly small minority, even if the poll isn't scientific.

very nice..... large majority of ppl voted YES!... only around 1% aren't sure suggesting this is a polarizing issue... 

I still haven't heard anything official about Covington.  Anyone know what happened there?

Resolution passed

Nice!  Thanks for the info. 

Can anyone address the recent stimulus fund disbursement and if this means the streetcar has indeed been left out?

Can anyone address the recent stimulus fund disbursement and if this means the streetcar has indeed been left out?

 

There are several rounds of funding (including a 7 or 8 billion rail only fund) that haven't gone out yet.  Additionally the 6 year transportation bill will be considered this year, which is another opportunity.

I was under the impression that the rail only fund was "inter-city" rail as opposed to "intra-city".

^

The Cincinnati Streetcar is still in the running for stimulus money.

Under what program/disbursement?

LOCAL MAN NOW FAMOUS

 

See:

 

http://cincystreetcar.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/brad-thomas-interview-with-the-new-colonist/

Cincinnati Streetcar: Reader's Pick Best Use of Public Funds

 

CityBeat, Best of Cincinnati 2009, p. 72

Highway projects are now being prepped with funds from the package, however, mass transit programs nationwide have not yet been fully funded. Stay tuned...

Share your thoughts:

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=blog02&plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3aec38bb2b-982e-46ba-819a-da01a547e8eaPost%3a7b21845a-8011-4ec5-b66b-f1020120023e&sid=sitelife.cincinnati.com

My thoughts: 

 

1) I just threw up a little

2) too bad the structure of the election means he won't be a Ross Perot or Ralph Nader to the Republican candidate.

 

Question: has Mallory already announced his intention to run? 

 

Edit:

3) at least the Enquirer blurb calls him a blogger and not a journalist. 

4) April Fool's?  Please? 

^

He has.

How popular is Mallory in Cincinnati? (I haven't seen any poll numbers lately.) Can we assume he's a pretty strong candidate for re-election?

I don't have any hard numbers, though I'm sure somebody can provide them, but Mallory is probably one of the most popular mayor's we've had in a long time.

 

He has his detractors (NAACP), but the yp crowd and most of the city stakeholders love the guy.

That's good to hear... I keep up with local news as much as I can from NYC, and I've generally had a positive impression of Mallory so far.

Keep him away from the pitcher's mound, and he's a fine mayor.

Incidentally, I checked Google Earth's topographical numbers again.  Looks like the Vine St. hill extension, from the base of the hill at McMicken St. to the Calhoun/WH Taft intersection is 4,600ft.  The vertical rise is almost exactly 300ft., from 545ft. to 845ft.  Do the math -- the average grade is 6.5%.  The steepest part is right around Vine Hill Elementary, where it flirts with 8%. 

 

This appears to be well within the specs of Skoda's vehicles, who have published 8%-9% as their maximum sustainable grade. 

 

I think Vine Street makes the most sense, though I am leaning more and more toward fareless transit.  A real effort needs to be made to get a change in state law to allow for site based taxation for property along transit routes.

that kind of tax could muscle lots people out of their homes and businesses. that would be like the city putting a library next to your house and telling you and your immediate neighbors you are paying the full price of it for the city to use... id just sell my property and move to a township if the city did that to me and since i hate suburbanite lifestyle that would make me very sad lol. A site based property tax could actually dampen the success of tranait oriented development along the route.

Incidentally, I checked Google Earth's topographical numbers again. Looks like the Vine St. hill extension, from the base of the hill at McMicken St. to the Calhoun/WH Taft intersection is 4,600ft. The vertical rise is almost exactly 300ft., from 545ft. to 845ft. Do the math -- the average grade is 6.5%. The steepest part is right around Vine Hill Elementary, where it flirts with 8%.

 

This appears to be well within the specs of Skoda's vehicles, who have published 8%-9% as their maximum sustainable grade.

 

The recent claim that modern streetcars will not be able to make it up the hill is yet another easily-answered argument thrown out by opponents.  The opponents are just trying to scream louder than the supporters, whether or not they have anything logical to say.

that kind of tax could muscle lots people out of their homes and businesses. that would be like the city putting a library next to your house and telling you and your immediate neighbors you are paying the full price of it for the city to use...

 

I don't think that's a very good analogy.  Everyone pays full price for using the libraries, all the time.  Taxes pay for the libraries, and when the library system needs to cut service, they typically try to close the branches that are used the least.  Site based pricing makes sense around transit routes.

Not charging fares for the streetcar seems to be a questionable idea. The use of public transit as a political tool to buy off the poor killed the first iteration of streetcars in Cincinnati - pre-WWII. Mass transit ought to be affordable but nothing should be zero for anyone - by and by, I'd rather the entire library system move back toward a subscription+taxes rather the purely free model that is unsustainable.

Wow.  The jokers at the beacon are now attacking the streetcar idea with "what happens if a lunatic pours motor oil on the tracks?"

 

They are getting further and further from reality with every new argument.

 

What happens if a masked man with a torch boards a diesel powered bus? 

 

Stay tuned for: "What happens when a woman gives birth to a baby alien on a streetcar!?"

I seem to remember stories/rumors of kids smearing lard on streetcar tracks back in the day. 

 

 

Wow. The jokers at the beacon are now attacking the streetcar idea with "what happens if a lunatic pours motor oil on the tracks?"

 

They are getting further and further from reality with every new argument.

 

What happens if a masked man with a torch boards a diesel powered bus?

 

Stay tuned for: "What happens when a woman gives birth to a baby alien on a streetcar!?"

 

I honestly thought you were kidding--nope.

The Beacon gets more "700WLW" with every passing day.

At this rate, they'll be moving into Glenn Beck territory before long.

The Dean says "imagine 199 terrified riders".  So I suppose he's conceded that the streetcar will attract significant ridership. 

You know what I think is interesting?

 

At various times, Haap, Jeffre and Patton have sought to lead our city - Jeffre and Haap in the mayor's office, and Patton in City Council. And yet, they continue to say they can't get answers to their questions from City Hall while spending countless hours imagining scenarios that have surely been considered in the planning and operation of hundreds or passenger rail systems that successfully operate around the world. Their writings are the best evidence of their ineffectiveness.

 

And these guys hold themselves out as leaders of our city?

At various times, Haap, Jeffre and Patton have sought to lead our city - Jeffre and Haap in the mayor's office, and Patton in City Council. And yet, they continue to say they can't get answers to their questions from City Hall while spending countless hours imagining scenarios that have surely been considered in the planning and operation of hundreds or passenger rail systems that successfully operate around the world. Their writings are the best evidence of their ineffectiveness.

 

And these guys hold themselves out as leaders of our city?

 

I've been asking people around town if they heard the news about Jason Haap putting his name into the hat for the Mayoral race, and the answer I get every time is: "Who?"

 

No one outside of the Cincinnati blogosphere knows or cares about him.  He stands zero chance and I wonder why even waste the time and resources to do so unless you just want to make some public statements during the election process that would have otherwise only been heard by a much smaller audience.  Name recognition could also be motive, but that only helps to a certain degree (see Justin Jeffre).

The phrase "A legend in his own mind" comes to mind.

 

In any event, have at it. 

The Dean says "imagine 199 terrified riders".  So I suppose he's conceded that the streetcar will attract significant ridership.

They eventually concede most all of their points. Of course they don't announce the concession, but move onto another boogey man..  They started saying no one would ride it.  Then they tried in succession that it would not trigger development, would not attract transit riders, could not compete with grease powered buses, could not compete with electric buses, that a skytram would attract more attention, could not fit in Cincinnati's "tight" streets, etc etc.  Next will be arguments about the carbon steel content of the rails or some such nonsense.  Alll this, when all they need to do is look around at successful systems already in operation.  Hey, they could even, **gasp** "ride" a modern streetcar.  The crazy thing is that the first modern streetcar any of them will actually ride will be the one in Cincinnati.

^Don't forget about how The Vast Streetcar Conspiracy has removed parking meters from Over-the-Rhine, presumably so that nobody will notice them being eliminated when a streetcar plan is approved. 

 

I'll add that his oiled tracks scenario is actually very real for cars when the timing belt fails (and presumably buses as well).  My first car's timing belt snapped as I was driving down a hill in Tennessee with perhaps a 6% grade.  Because the engine cuts out, you lose power steering and power brakes.  Luckily because this happened to me at 10pm, there wasn't much traffic, but I nevertheless drifted through a red light into an intersection at the bottom of the hill.

^Also, wouldn't dumping oil in the middle of the road have the same effect on cars in that lane?  And yes, I'm fully aware that trying to argue logic with The Beacon is an exercise in futility.

What about banana peals?  Have we thoroughly researched the threat they pose?

What about banana peals?  Have we thoroughly researched the threat they pose?

 

Graphite also... punk kids could rub pencil lead all over the rails. Graphite is a great lubricant.

Has The Beacon thoroughly researched the threat of Preparation H on the tracks?

that kind of tax could muscle lots people out of their homes and businesses. that would be like the city putting a library next to your house and telling you and your immediate neighbors you are paying the full price of it for the city to use...

 

I don't think that's a very good analogy.  Everyone pays full price for using the libraries, all the time.  Taxes pay for the libraries, and when the library system needs to cut service, they typically try to close the branches that are used the least.  Site based pricing makes sense around transit routes.

 

then we can charge the people who live near I-75 for all the upcoming projects too...sure they wont be able to afford homes or businesses anymore but they should have to cover for the rest of us. these arent statistics...they're people who an unbalanced tax like that could hurt. if people want to use the streetcar they can pay to do so. as for its construction it benefits the entire city through enhancing our downtown economy so everyone can chip in or vote not to...which i hope doesnt happen. I think they're calling that democracy nowadays.

What about banana peals?  Have we thoroughly researched the threat they pose?

 

No, this is a very real and significant threat in the area around Findlay Market.

 

I vote to delay any further streetcar efforts until we can find a permanent solution to the threat that Findlay Market produce poses to the Streetcar system.

 

Seconded?

its possible that during rain electricity could arc down and travel through the tracks killing hundreds at any moment on the streets. not to mention moochers who could buy streetcars and place them on the lines for personal travel. :-D

Here are some ideas I've had recently. 

 

#1, a loop of downtown with both directions on McMicken St.  This is a total of about 7 miles of track. 

 

#2, using the Mt. Auburn Tunnel concept for streetcars.  The tunnel could be built to light rail standard for eventual conversion.  If the tunnel is built more steeply, it can be shorter and surface just north of Christ Hospital, avoiding the need for a subway station.  Also, people wishing to travel to the east or west side of downtown could transfer streetcars on this shared section.  Or they could simply stay on since their destination will be reached eventually due to the loop.   

 

Overall view shows how two uptown lines heading to the zoo/hospitals and to DeSalle's corner could eventually *both* converge at Xavier, giving Xavier a lot of options. 

 

 

 

Your might want to continue north on Jefferson Vine to the Zoo and then east on Erkenbrecher to Children's.

Let's not let this happen!

^

It could happen to you!