Mean while gas is $3.69.

It's not on-line, but here's the text:

 

Now is The Time For Unity On The Streetcar

 

 

Just listened to Darryl Parks 9AM hour from Saturday... He started his show off with The Simpson's monorail song, had a couple fake callers, then spent two segments reading/attacking Brad's letter. Followed all that up with Tom Luken who ended the hour with "Don't forget it, it's not going to be built.".

 

To answer his question, I have been to Findlay Market.

As a side note--- In those photos of the Streetcar construction, the new Dunnhumby office & residential tower will be noticeable to the left of the Millennium hotel tower.

As a side note--- In those photos of the Streetcar construction, the new Dunnhumby office & residential tower will be noticeable to the left of the Millennium hotel tower.

 

I don't think it will be tall enough. 

 

Great pics!

Can we get back on topic? All this belongs in the Enquirer thread...

 

On Topic:

 

Now that we have the first leg under construction, anyone have any speculation as to what would be the second one? Aside from the extension up town? Any word on if a comprehensive plan is being developed for a true system?

^I think the best bet for the second leg would be anything around 2nd. St. or Fountain Square/CBD. Especially with the World Choir games coming this summer, better to get this out of the way as soon as possible.

 

In terms of a true system, I haven't heard anything aside from Portune yapping about the Oasis line. Many, even rail supporters, seem to oppose that. Wasoon seems like the way to go, but aside from a facebook page I haven't heard anything about that.

 

I think establishing commuter rail to link up with the Streetcar at the RTC would be an easier way to sell rail on the people that looking straight into light rail. Although, to be honest, if we could move all destination busses to the RTC (megabus, chinatown bus, etc) and make it a transfer point for Tank/Metro - I think it would be great. You could have all that under there, linking up with the streetcar and southbank shuttle on top.

Cincinnati has a chinatown bus?!!? Are there truly more bus options here than just Megabus and Greyhound?

^Yep. Direct over night service to New York City: http://www.urbancincy.com/2012/02/chinatown-buses-offer-direct-overnight-travel-from-cincinnati-to-new-york-city/

 

However, they board in Springdale off Rt. 4 by the Chilis and that random Chinese buffet.

Enquirer discussion has been moved to the Enquirer thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,3762.0.html

New Video

 

Not going to lie. I'm starting to develop a crush on the update lady.

She's married to a MMA fighter.  Best take your business elsewhere.

:(

She's married to a MMA fighter.  Best take your business elsewhere.

 

That's hilarious!  Don't hit on the streetcar girl or else!

She's married to a MMA fighter.  Best take your business elsewhere.

 

That's hilarious!  Don't hit on the streetcar girl or else!

 

He protects her from Barry "Legs" Horstman.

I'm more of a Yvette fan as of late

Wandering off topic ....

In Athens, OH, they have to guard the red bricks on Court St. whenever they dig them up for utility work because they all have "ATHENS BLOCK" stamped on them and at some point OU students started taking them as souvenirs and professors used them as bookends in their offices.  The tradition got so out of hand that a whole block of Court St. is now paved with asphalt in place of thousands of missing bricks, and the city has a stockpile of ATHENS BLOCK bricks from various side streets that were paved over years ago. 

 

And in case you were wondering, if a drunk OU student dressed as The Skipper from Gilligan's Island falls 15 feet off the head of a homemade Trojan Horse onto a brick street, yes, you can feel the ground shake 40 feet away. 

 

I'm starting to get nervous seeing all of these maps with no stop at 4th and Main.  I work in customer service at that intersection and know that there is a HUGE corporate population centered on 4th that will not walk as far as 2nd or 6th for lunch.  If there is any chance of getting that lunch rush to Findlay Market or the restaurants in OTR there must be a stop in front of the Federal Reserve. 

 

 

In addition to kids smearing lard on the rails, Cincinnati's new Streetcar could have other imaginary problems...

 

 

 

In addition to kids smearing lard on the rails, Cincinnati's new Streetcar could have other imaginary problems...

 

 

Where'd you get that picture of Chris Finney?

I work in customer service at that intersection and know that there is a HUGE corporate population centered on 4th that will not walk as far as 2nd or 6th for lunch. 

 

One of the saddest comments ever.

When I worked downtown, few parked out of sight of the building, or had any idea what lurked more than one block from where we were. 

In addition to kids smearing lard on the rails, Cincinnati's new Streetcar could have other imaginary problems...

 

 

Where'd you get that picture of Chris Finney?

 

LOL (yes, I actually did Laugh Out Loud)

^We think of Downtown Cincinnati as an urban paradise where everyone walks, but I think the reality is that Downtown Cincinnati is a lot more auto-oriented than we on UO like to give it credit for. Downtown Cincinnati does have the advantage of easy highway access that's even better than many suburban locations, with downtown streets connecting directly with numerous ramps to highways in 6 directions.

 

In round numbers, 80,000 are employed downtown. About 20,000 to 30,000 take the bus to work, and a few live within walking distance and walk to work. The other ~50,000 drive, and many of those park in parking garages and barely walk on the street at all.

 

 

^True.  Hence the need for the streetcar.  I'm really glad that construction is finally underway.

for years, I worked 2 blocks from Findlay Market & about 3 blocks from the West End Popeye's. The vast majority of co-workers would not patronize any of the various lunch spots. It was not because they didn't like any of the choices, it was, despite the fact I brought my take out back to work along with menus, because there was nowhere to go.

Well that & the fact that YOU WOULD DIE IF YOU WALKED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.

I'm still alive. (although that Popeye's didn't do me any favors)

^I worked in Mt. Auburn and was told that I was crazy to walk around the neighborhood at lunchtime.

 

I think we all, myself included, tend to underestimate how much fear and animosity there really is. The real world is not necessarily rational. Plus, I don't think that most suburbanites do a whole lot of walking around in their own neighborhoods, not to mention one that they think is dangerous.

 

Well that & the fact that YOU WOULD DIE IF YOU WALKED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.

I'm still alive. (although that Popeye's didn't do me any favors)

 

An old friend of mine lives on the NE side of Cincy. In my younger days, I used to drive over from Indy and hang out and hit the bars downtown. We used to drive through OTR and he would comment about how dangerous it was, talk about the riots, etc.

 

When I was there for the streetcar ground breaking, I brought my wife and son. We brought our dogs. We parked, left the dogs and walked to Memorial Hall and ya know what? It didnt seem scary at all. Plus, I had plenty of friendly conversation with folks along the way that some suburbanites might label as hoodlums.

I think one of the issues OTR faces is its built environment.  It feels extremely urban - no way around it.  This, coupled with few people out and about, leaves an impression of being unsafe, true or not.   

Well that & the fact that YOU WOULD DIE IF YOU WALKED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.

I'm still alive. (although that Popeye's didn't do me any favors)

 

An old friend of mine lives on the NE side of Cincy. In my younger days, I used to drive over from Indy and hang out and hit the bars downtown. We used to drive through OTR and he would comment about how dangerous it was, talk about the riots, etc.

 

When I was there for the streetcar ground breaking, I brought my wife and son. We brought our dogs. We parked, left the dogs and walked to Memorial Hall and ya know what? It didnt seem scary at all. Plus, I had plenty of friendly conversation with folks along the way that some suburbanites might label as hoodlums.

 

I'm curious how long ago your "younger days" were because it would be wrong to give the impression that OTR has never been dangerous.  Amazing changes have occurred in the past decade, and I'm thrilled to hear that you felt completely safe with your family during the groundbreaking.  Perception of safety is sometimes more valuable than actually crime statistics....which are also improving steadily.  CHEERS!

I think one of the issues OTR faces is its built environment.  It feels extremely urban - no way around it.  This, coupled with few people out and about, leaves an impression of being unsafe, true or not.   

 

Still, the French Quarter in New Orleans is also extremely urban and that's commonly perceived as a safe neighborhood.  OTR is changing daily, and it's undoubtedly becoming more comfortable to walk in.

I think one of the issues OTR faces is its built environment.  It feels extremely urban - no way around it.  This, coupled with few people out and about, leaves an impression of being unsafe, true or not.   

 

Still, the French Quarter in New Orleans is also extremely urban and that's commonly perceived as a safe neighborhood.  OTR is changing daily, and it's undoubtedly becoming more comfortable to walk in.

 

There is also a lot more people out and about.  I said the urban aspect, couple with no one on the streets.  More suburban areas by nature have no one on the streets but the built environment doesn't have the same affect on your psyche.  IMO. 

One thing to remember about public safety is, statistically the most likely target of a crime other than rape are young black males, even if one were excluding homicide from the analysis as well.  If you're a white guy, you should feel more safe walking downtown than black guys engaging in identical behaviors, especially if he's poor (Cinti black poverty rate 54%).

 

In the recent past I've had several black women from Detroit who studied and worked in Cincinnati in the past 10 years tell me that they felt less safe walking the street in our fair city than the off-and-on murder capital of the United States.  This is not to be confused with, "Cincinnati is more dangerous than Detroit", they all agreed that Detroit is Detroit for a reason.  You're going to see a ton of weirdos in any city.  The consensus with Cincinnati was the astounding number of strange men wandering around the city can be intimidating to a woman, and even among cities with similar issues controlling general safety and promoting wealth, the men would try to talk to them in Cincinnati.  That was the real difference from Detroit to them.  Isolated sample size, but intriguing points they offered me regardless.

^this comment cracks me up.  I am just picturing DT and OTR running rampant with 'strange' men.  Seems to sound eerily similar to my Saturday nights at gay bars in Cincinnati: lots of handsy old creepers. 

We've wandered off topic but maybe Cincinnati could capitalize on its aggressive creepers with a new slogan: Keep Cincinnati Creepy

^We think of Downtown Cincinnati as an urban paradise where everyone walks, but I think the reality is that Downtown Cincinnati is a lot more auto-oriented than we on UO like to give it credit for. Downtown Cincinnati does have the advantage of easy highway access that's even better than many suburban locations, with downtown streets connecting directly with numerous ramps to highways in 6 directions.

 

In round numbers, 80,000 are employed downtown. About 20,000 to 30,000 take the bus to work, and a few live within walking distance and walk to work. The other ~50,000 drive, and many of those park in parking garages and barely walk on the street at all.

 

 

 

I don't know--my experience is a lot different than some of those described above.  I work at 4th and Sycamore, and co-workers and I go various places for lunch, for example--the Banks, up to Court street, over to the Square--because there is such a great variety.  And I invariably seem to run into people who work near me when I go to these places.  I think there is a good amount of walking done by a lot of the folks working downtown. 

I signed up to the city's email list. Below is the first update. Nothing ground breaking. You can also download a poster. Print it out at work to tweak your co-workers.

 

http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=1065770531&msgid=6054335&act=DIRZ&c=44193&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincinnati-oh.gov%2Fnoncms%2Fprojects%2Fstreetcar%2Fdocs%2Fnews_handout.cfm

 

Streetcar Construction Has Started!

 

Greater Cincinnati Water Works is replacing the water main on Elm Street between 12th Street and McMicken Avenue in Over-the-Rhine to provide a clear zone for track construction.

 

Work hours are typically from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, with occasional weekend work possible.

 

The construction zone will not exceed one block at a time as it moves northbound on Elm Street.

 

Vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be maintained at all times as both a lane of traffic, and the sidewalk will remain open.

 

If you have construction concerns, call the City's construction manager, Dave Krusling, at 513-352-3479, or speak with the on-site inspector, Dave West.

 

If you would like to see video of the project, check out the Streetcar YouTube channel.

 

If you would like to leave a message for the streetcar team, please call the Streetcar hotline at 513-352-3333.

 

We're excited that the project is underway, and look forward to bringing more to Cincinnati with the Streetcar!

The 30-minute lunch that has gotten popular in recent years doesn't help.

I signed up to the city's email list. Below is the first update. Nothing ground breaking. You can also download a poster. Print it out at work to tweak your co-workers.

 

 

That was either funny or unintentionally funny

The 30-minute lunch that has gotten popular in recent years doesn't help.

 

I'm sure. I have an hour, but I usually eat while I'm working and take my hour to go for a walk. Today I decided to walk the perimeter of the CBD (Central Pkwy to 5th & Plum to Broadway.. ok not the exact perimeter..) and did so in under an hour, and still had time to stop in at Coffee Emporium for a cup o coffee.

 

People don't realize how much distance they can cover in an hour.

What's His Name says he can cover the entire route in that time!

What's His Name says he can cover the entire route in that time!

 

Its true.  Barry Horstman has become so efficient at walking that he sold his car.  He now walks up and down I-71 to work weaving in and out of traffic.  He cut me off the other day and gave me the finger as he blurred by me like Road Runner

 

In fact he's gotten so efficient walking that 700wlw now will not put him on the air to promote his non car lifestyle

When I worked downtown, few parked out of sight of the building, or had any idea what lurked more than one block from where we were. 

 

There are definitely a lot of people like that.  When I worked in the 580 Building at 6th and Walnut, I remember a lot of people complaining about not having enough lunch options (an opinion I never understood).  One day I had picked up a sandwich at the former Jimmy John's on 4th Street.  Someone told me that it was too far for him to walk.  I also had people tell me that they had no idea how to get to the post office in 515 Vine or even to Tower Place Mall after the skywalk over Fountain Square was removed.  I hope that the streetcar will get people out more.

"Plus, I don't think that most suburbanites do a whole lot of walking around in their own neighborhoods, not to mention one that they think is dangerous."

 

Excellent point and this is the root of the problem right here IMO.  We live in an EXTREMELY auto-centric, suburban based city where the vast majority of people living here have no clue about any other way of life.  Its no coincidence that the extreme ignorance and hostility towards public transportation and walking around downtown is coming from the same city where people actually ask about what highschool you went to because the majority of people living here as adults also grew up here.

I can testify to this because I grew up in the suburbs here and was just as ignorant and afraid of downtown as any other suburbanite until I spent 8 years of my life away from Cincinnati visiting real cities and going to school.  It wasn't until I moved to OTR 4 years ago that my perception of the neighborhood completely changed.  Now there's nowhere else I would rather live. 

I wouldn't call Cincinnati extremely auto-centric, compared to American cities in general. There are too many walkable neighborhoods, whereas many cities have hardly any.

 

It speaks volumes that, despite all the hills and no rail system, Cincinnati is the most walkable major city in Ohio.

^ Greater Cincinnati is incredibly car based.  Cincinnati Proper is moderately car-based.  But certainly far more than most urban cores.  Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, DC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Charleston (SC), are all less auto oriented than Cincinnati.

"Most urban cores"? Really? That's not even true of all the ones you cherry-picked.

 

http://www.walkscore.com/OH/Cleveland/Downtown

http://www.walkscore.com/OH/Cincinnati/Central_Business_District

 

The cities we always talk about as models of urbanism are not average. Sometimes people seem to forget, but that really should go without saying.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_by_population

Find Cincinnati on this list (62) then work your way up the list asking yourself about average walkability.

Excellent point and this is the root of the problem right here IMO.  We live in an EXTREMELY auto-centric, suburban based city where the vast majority of people living here have no clue about any other way of life. 

Hey it's really no different in a lot of places. I grew up in the south suburbs of chicago in an "idyllic" post WWII development. We went downtown once or twice a year and said we were "from chicago."  I also migrated to dense urban hoods that have nothing to do with where I grew up, but lots of friends live in the same suburbs- 35 years later. And they love it!

 

My point is that Cincinnati often thinks its an unusual place (often in a negative way) but it's really just typical.

>whereas many cities have hardly any

 

The entire American South probably has less walkable urban area than Cincinnati.  How large a city was before about 1920 is a good indicator, but at the time Cincinnati was more densely populated than any other city its size and uniquely oriented around neighborhood business districts.