One thing I learned about UC's endowment is that various parts of it were earmarked for very specific things. The program I studied had a very tiny endowment and thus was dropped after only 3 years of degrees were awarded. Does anyone know what portion of UC's endowment could eventually be eligible for streetcar line expansion or operating subsidies?

Is there  a way to use the Riverfront Transit Center. It's just sitting there what a waste. that would give Cincinnati a subway feel with  the streetcar or light rail

Why not use it now.The streetcar is here

I think the Uptown Connector could be funded without needing an additional tax source. I've been told that Cincinnati is in a good position receive federal funding for the next phase, and if UC or the Uptown Consortium were to step up and provide some of the funding, it would require very little capital funding from the city.

 

I don't believe UC has any buiness getting involved in any streetcar funding. Where is their revenue stream for that - student fees? They already continually up tuition rates driving the students into ever larger student loans. It would be nice to have a money tree but I haven't seen any growing around here recently.

 

As for all the surveys saying a large percentage of people are all for increased public transportation, people are for a lot of things until you ask them to pay for it.

 

How about having Cincinnati apply for an additional federal grant and actually secure one prior to declaring how the Uptown Connector can be funded. I believe with the debacle over Phase I the Feds are going to be very uneasy with believing Cincinnati can hold the course on anything.

 

UC already spends money providing their own shuttle routes and subsidizing Metro passes for students, faculty, and staff. So they are already in the transportation business. If the streetcar took students from campus down to OTR and the CBD, UC could stop running their "Greater Cincinnati Night Time" shuttle altogether.

 

Participating in shuttles to get their students from residences to class is one thing, participating in streetcar subsidy for the entire uptown is another. If they are in fact subsidizing Metro passes for students, faculty, and staff in my mind they are performing a discriminatory act and should be brought to task for it.

C. Smitherman ‏@voteSmitherman 4h

It's unfortunate that informed responsible voters were bamboozled by Council candidates who flip-flopped on anti-streetcar promises.

 

Someone got some sour grapes for XMas

 

Judging by that tweet, I agree with that earlier poster that Smitherman & COAST are planning a mayoral and city council recall charter amendment…EDIT: And COAST just retweeted the Bus Courier.  This pretty much confirms it they are launching some kind of ballot initiative for recall and/or to stop all future streetcar phases

I so called that!

 

bamboozled and hoodwinked the American People into building this boondoggle.

I think the Uptown Connector could be funded without needing an additional tax source. I've been told that Cincinnati is in a good position receive federal funding for the next phase, and if UC or the Uptown Consortium were to step up and provide some of the funding, it would require very little capital funding from the city.

 

I don't believe UC has any buiness getting involved in any streetcar funding. Where is their revenue stream for that - student fees? They already continually up tuition rates driving the students into ever larger student loans. It would be nice to have a money tree but I haven't seen any growing around here recently.

 

As for all the surveys saying a large percentage of people are all for increased public transportation, people are for a lot of things until you ask them to pay for it.

 

How about having Cincinnati apply for an additional federal grant and actually secure one prior to declaring how the Uptown Connector can be funded. I believe with the debacle over Phase I the Feds are going to be very uneasy with believing Cincinnati can hold the course on anything.

 

UC already spends money providing their own shuttle routes and subsidizing Metro passes for students, faculty, and staff. So they are already in the transportation business. If the streetcar took students from campus down to OTR and the CBD, UC could stop running their "Greater Cincinnati Night Time" shuttle altogether.

 

Participating in shuttles to get their students from residences to class is one thing, participating in streetcar subsidy for the entire uptown is another. If they are in fact subsidizing Metro passes for students, faculty, and staff in my mind they are performing a discriminatory act and should be brought to task for it.

 

What discriminatory act? Here in Louisville, UofL students, staff, and faculty ride the bus system completely free. UofL pays for it. More schools should - it's cheaper than building shit loads of parking garages that take 30+ years to pay off.

He's trolling again.

He's trolling again.

trollin trollin trollin

C. Smitherman ‏@voteSmitherman 4h

It's unfortunate that informed responsible voters were bamboozled by Council candidates who flip-flopped on anti-streetcar promises.

 

Someone got some sour grapes for XMas

 

Judging by that tweet, I agree with that earlier poster that Smitherman & COAST are planning a mayoral and city council recall charter amendment…EDIT: And COAST just retweeted the Bus Courier.  This pretty much confirms it they are launching some kind of ballot initiative for recall and/or to stop all future streetcar phases

 

 

Even though some of us were hoping to recall Cranley next year, it may be wiser to let that go if COAST ends up going down the road of mayoral and city council recalls.  We'll just have to see what they plan to do.

 

Also, did we ever find out why Smitherman stepped down as the head of the NAACP?

^ I figure COAST is looking to capitalize on streetcar proponents' dissatisfaction w/ Cranley to open up all future mayors, and current (and future) streetcar-supporting councilmembers, to recall.

 

It's pretty hilarious how Luken and COAST have turned on Cranley.

Talk radio still going berserk.  It's Christmas Eve and Smitherman is there for a half hour on 700WLW this morning STILL whining about the streetcar and what happened last week in city hall. 

^ I figure COAST is looking to capitalize on streetcar proponents' dissatisfaction w/ Cranley to open up all future mayors, and current (and future) streetcar-supporting councilmembers, to recall.

 

It's pretty hilarious how Luken and COAST have turned on Cranley.

 

I'm not sure what they expected him to do.  It's not like he ever gave the project a fair shake.  3 council members changed their minds after reviewing the facts of the situation, removing him from the equation completely.  And... he still refused to sign the legislation.  I'm far from a Cranley-backer, but I don't get why they'd be upset with him specifically. 

They expected him to manhandle Mann, Flynn and Stittenfield.

C. Smitherman ‏@voteSmitherman 4h

It's unfortunate that informed responsible voters were bamboozled by Council candidates who flip-flopped on anti-streetcar promises.

 

Someone got some sour grapes for XMas

 

Judging by that tweet, I agree with that earlier poster that Smitherman & COAST are planning a mayoral and city council recall charter amendmentEDIT: And COAST just retweeted the Bus Courier.  This pretty much confirms it they are launching some kind of ballot initiative for recall and/or to stop all future streetcar phases

 

I think Cranley, Smitherman, and the COAST boys were lied to by somebody about how everything was going to shake down.  They were promised something and that person pulled a fast one on them.  The whole trick was on them and you can tell by Cranley and Smitherman's voice that they are in disbelief over what just took place. 

 

Also Flynn's behavior this month annoyed a lot of people.  He was too eager to help Cranley escalate this whole affair to dizzying emotional heights.  Maybe it was the plan all along to encourage Cranley to show his true, vile nature, to make his fall as hard as possible.  People who know Cranley well know that just under the bully face there is a fool who will enthusiastically chase carrots on sticks, flapping his flippers like a circus seal.   

 

Anybody know if construction can continue uninterrupted throughout the winter?  I would think that at some point frozen ground might force another temporary shutdown.  Hope for a warm winter...the project needs to get back on schedule.

This is the best Christmas present EVER!!  Ditherman is in complete meltdown.  Send in the men in white coats.

I hope the mass electorate finally sees Smitherman for the one issue pony he is.  What has that man ever done FOR Cincinnati?  He's a one man self promoting cardboard cutout.  Look in the mirror Smitherman, and change your ways.

Anybody know if construction can continue uninterrupted throughout the winter?  I would think that at some point frozen ground might force another temporary shutdown.  Hope for a warm winter...the project needs to get back on schedule.

 

Yes, they have to take some additional precautions, but track work is going to continue uninterrupted this winter.

I think the Uptown Connector could be funded without needing an additional tax source. I've been told that Cincinnati is in a good position receive federal funding for the next phase, and if UC or the Uptown Consortium were to step up and provide some of the funding, it would require very little capital funding from the city.

 

I don't believe UC has any buiness getting involved in any streetcar funding. Where is their revenue stream for that - student fees? They already continually up tuition rates driving the students into ever larger student loans. It would be nice to have a money tree but I haven't seen any growing around here recently.

 

As for all the surveys saying a large percentage of people are all for increased public transportation, people are for a lot of things until you ask them to pay for it.

 

How about having Cincinnati apply for an additional federal grant and actually secure one prior to declaring how the Uptown Connector can be funded. I believe with the debacle over Phase I the Feds are going to be very uneasy with believing Cincinnati can hold the course on anything.

 

UC already spends money providing their own shuttle routes and subsidizing Metro passes for students, faculty, and staff. So they are already in the transportation business. If the streetcar took students from campus down to OTR and the CBD, UC could stop running their "Greater Cincinnati Night Time" shuttle altogether.

 

Participating in shuttles to get their students from residences to class is one thing, participating in streetcar subsidy for the entire uptown is another. If they are in fact subsidizing Metro passes for students, faculty, and staff in my mind they are performing a discriminatory act and should be brought to task for it.

 

Not only does UC subsidize Metro passes for students, the run their own entertainment/nightlife shuttles too. I don't understand how subsidizing bus passes for students is any more "discriminatory" than subsidizing on-campus parking for student.

I think Cranley, Smitherman, and the COAST boys were lied to by somebody about how everything was going to shake down.  They were promised something and that person pulled a fast one on them.  The whole trick was on them and you can tell by Cranley and Smitherman's voice that they are in disbelief over what just took place. 

 

Most public figures slip and fall because they misread how popular they are, and/or what they are popular for. They overstep beyond what their public mandate allows and sooner or later are penalized for it.

 

BTW, here's a nice round-up of the streetcar situation......

 

Cincinnati’s Streetcar Plays Out Nation’s Transportation Shift

By Joe Baur | December 24, 2013

 

Call it the streetcar of desire.

 

Cincinnati’s streetcar project passed what seems to be its final political hurdle after two voter referendums, a contentious mayoral election, and a month of dramatic twists that makes House Of Cards seem rather mundane.

 

The core of the debate was whether or not Cincinnati could afford the streetcar, which was first approved by city council in 2008. Conservatives rallied to kill the idea of streetcars in Cincinnati for years to come. Twice voters defeated them, but then curiously elected a mayor in 2013 who campaigned heavily on killing the streetcar. Still, the victorious mayor won in an election with abysmal voter turnout and with less votes than the defeated referendums in favor of the streetcar.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.article-3.com/cincinnatis-streetcar-plays-out-nations-transportation-shift-913128

Most public figures slip and fall because they misread how popular they are, and/or what they are popular for. They overstep beyond what their public mandate allows and sooner or later are penalized for it.

 

In the case of Cranley, that would be the former (sooner).

Most public figures slip and fall because they misread how popular they are, and/or what they are popular for. They overstep beyond what their public mandate allows and sooner or later are penalized for it.

 

In the case of Cranley, that would be the former (sooner).

 

Every conservative voter in the City showed up to vote.

 

For some reason a lot of people that support a progressive local government didn't realize how important this election was and didn't show up to vote for Qualls and the other progressive candidates.  I talked to a lot of people that were surprised after Cranley was already in office that 1) Cranley was elected, and 2) that Cranley was such a hard line conservative.  Their reaction was "whoops, I should have voted." 

 

Cranley mistakenly believed that his easy win in the election meant that he was wildly popular in the City.  Not the case at all.  He simply out campaigned and out organized Qualls.

 

 

Cincinnati City Council's #cincystreetcar motto in song

 

Streetcar has engaged citizens to thank

Believe in Cincinnati gets project restarted

Dec. 25, 2013 11:17 PM 

Written by Cindi Andrews

 

 

A groundswell of citizen support rose up from nowhere in just six weeks to save Cincinnati’s streetcar, pressuring politicians and business leaders into last week’s “Miracle on Plum Street.”

 

“It was so well-organized, well-executed and well-populated,” said Gene Beaupre, a Xavier University professor who has tracked local politics for 35 years. “I’ve never seen (a movement) that effective in terms of every aspect.”

 

The grass-roots group Believe in Cincinnati was born in the Over-the-Rhine living room of sales executive Ryan Messer on Nov. 9, the Saturday after voters elected an anti-streetcar mayor and City Council.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20131226/NEWS/312260029/Streetcar-has-engaged-citizens-thank?nclick_check=1

Wow. Another...well written... article...from the Enquirer?

 

What is happening?

 

I'm kind of scared...

Streetcar work resumes with rail delivery

 

Cincinnati’s streetcar got its official restart today with the delivery of 80-foot sections of rail.

 

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2013/12/26/streetcar-work-resumes-with-rail-delivery/

 

 

Full speed ahead, ladies and gents.

Yes! Can't wait to see rail installation in the CBD!

 

In other news...I'm heading to Atlanta and Tampa in the next week so I'll have to get some pictures of the streetcar lines there for comparison (especially the new modern streetcar line in Atlanta).

 

Great stuff!!

Wow. Another...well written... article...from the Enquirer?

 

What is happening?

 

I'm kind of scared...

What scared me was the complimentary quote from Finney. It's like we're in Bizarro World right now.

Saw a comment on the 'Warp about Amy Murray questioning CAF? Their competence or something? What was that about?

What scared me was the complimentary quote from Finney. It's like we're in Bizarro World right now.

 

I'll gladly take living in Bizarro World if it means we get a streetcar :-p

Saw a comment on the 'Warp about Amy Murray questioning CAF? Their competence or something? What was that about?

 

Sheer, shameless demagoguery and willful ignorance.

Well, the Art Museum likes the Hop On Cincy concept.

 

http://www.architectmagazine.com/infrastructure20projects/the-cincinnati-streetcar-and-other-trends-in-public-transit_o.aspx?dfpzone=culture

Well, the Art Museum likes the Hop On Cincy concept.

 

http://www.architectmagazine.com/infrastructure20projects/the-cincinnati-streetcar-and-other-trends-in-public-transit_o.aspx?dfpzone=culture

 

Did you see the crappy exterior renovation of the old Art Academy portion of the Art Museum?  I don't trust the director of the Art Museum on architecture much less urban planning.

That article doesn't really do much other than criticize Cranley, the streetcar, and American infrastructure priorities, while saying he still supports the streetcar. I didn't take much from it. If he was trying to form a cogent argument, he failed.

Well, the Art Museum likes the Hop On Cincy concept.

 

http://www.architectmagazine.com/infrastructure20projects/the-cincinnati-streetcar-and-other-trends-in-public-transit_o.aspx?dfpzone=culture

 

Good luck getting a $45 million federal grant to expand the art museum.

 

That article doesn't really do much other than criticize Cranley, the streetcar, and American infrastructure priorities, while saying he still supports the streetcar. I didn't take much from it. If he was trying to form a cogent argument, he failed.

 

And the call for many "small buses...as well as vans to meet the need of a sprawling urban landscape" is completely tone-deaf for two reasons:

 

1) Operating expenses would be completely ridiculous for such a network. Driver salaries are the biggest operating expense of the streetcar; if operating large-capacity vehicles in the most densely populated part of the metro is a concern, operating small-capacity vehicles through "sprawling" areas is ludicrous.

 

2) This completely ignores the feedback loop of transportation and land-use. Rail transit promotes a less-sprawling use of land, which is in turn cheaper to serve with transit (and all other public services). Building for sprawl, and then trying to build a transit system to serve the sprawl, is a fiscal nightmare. "Insanely expensive," in the author's words.

The problem is that Aaron Betsky is an incompetent jackass who is so up inside his own rectal cavity that he can't understand an opinion other than Aaron Betsky's. I wouldn't take him seriously at all.

Perhaps he forgot how successful Metro's NUMBER ONE FOR FUN bus actually was. Is.

Saw a comment on the 'Warp about Amy Murray questioning CAF? Their competence or something? What was that about?

 

Murray was asking how CAF has "spent so much money" even though we don't have a finished streetcar yet. Apparently she doesn't understand that these are custom-made vehicles that take months to build. She must think you can just stroll down to WalMart and pick up a streetcar off the shelf.

Saw a comment on the 'Warp about Amy Murray questioning CAF? Their competence or something? What was that about?

 

Murray was asking how CAF has "spent so much money" even though we don't have a finished streetcar yet. Apparently she doesn't understand that these are custom-made vehicles that take months to build. She must think you can just stroll down to WalMart and pick up a streetcar off the shelf.

thanks - she seems more clueless every day.

Well, the Art Museum likes the Hop On Cincy concept.

 

http://www.architectmagazine.com/infrastructure20projects/the-cincinnati-streetcar-and-other-trends-in-public-transit_o.aspx?dfpzone=culture

 

Coincidentally, Aaron Betsky recently bemoaned the size of the Cincinnati Art Museum's endowment compared to the Indianapolis Museum of Art's in explaining why they got an Ai Weiwei exhibit and we didn't, while hinting that tax support could solve CAM's problem.  Was he hoping to get some of the re-appropriated streetcar money that Cranley promised voters?

^Of course, and get ready for way more of this from all sorts of people around town who will blame the streetcar for everything.  And unfortunately the stage is set for an arts vs. public transit county sales tax -- the talk radio type saying passing both would cause Cincinnati to sink into the Earth's molten core. 

 

Building for sprawl, and then trying to build a transit system...

 

The author said "sprawling urban landscape." Small buses, are, in fact, appropriate for urban areas They are not well suited to sprawling suburban landscape.

 

For a given seating capacity, large vehicles are less expensive to operate, because fewer drivers are required. However, larger vehicles are more expensive to use, because more stops means slower travel times. Would you rather take a large bus that stops 20 times per mile, or a small one that stops twice per mile? An effective transit network balances the cost to build and operate with the cost to use.

 

Here is a photo of small buses serving an urban area. The red vehicles are buses; each one is operated by one driver and has a capacity of 12 people. There are three of them captured in this photo.

 

 

For comparison, Cincinnati's first cable car route, the Walnut Hills Cable Railway, used vehicles operated by a crew of two, and carried 12 passengers each. Headway was 6 minutes, with extra cars for a headway of 2 minutes at rush hour! At that frequency, it makes no sense to own an automobile.

 

 

I wonder what the driver salaries are in that country.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/26/cincinnati-streetcar-fight/4212727/

Building for sprawl, and then trying to build a transit system...

 

The author said "sprawling urban landscape." Small buses, are, in fact, appropriate for urban areas They are not well suited to sprawling suburban landscape.

 

For a given seating capacity, large vehicles are less expensive to operate, because fewer drivers are required. However, larger vehicles are more expensive to use, because more stops means slower travel times. Would you rather take a large bus that stops 20 times per mile, or a small one that stops twice per mile? An effective transit network balances the cost to build and operate with the cost to use.

 

Here is a photo of small buses serving an urban area. The red vehicles are buses; each one is operated by one driver and has a capacity of 12 people. There are three of them captured in this photo.

 

For comparison, Cincinnati's first cable car route, the Walnut Hills Cable Railway, used vehicles operated by a crew of two, and carried 12 passengers each. Headway was 6 minutes, with extra cars for a headway of 2 minutes at rush hour! At that frequency, it makes no sense to own an automobile.

 

It's possible that's what the author meant, but I don't believe he was thinking with such nuance or sophistication. Keep in mind that "urban sprawl" and "suburban sprawl" mean exactly the same thing. "Urban areas," as termed by the US Census Bureau, include a lot of suburban sprawl, too. It's not at all clear from the context that "sprawling urban landscape" means urban in the sense of high-density, mixed-use spaces.

 

I have a feeling the buses in that picture are used because of the small area they take up (as well as consequently smaller turning radii), rather than their fast pick-up (which would be the primary driver behind the swiftness of smaller vehicles). In that regard, they'd be less suitable for a sprawling urban area than a hyper-dense urban area, where road space is at a huge premium.

I wonder what the driver salaries are in that country.

 

A big reason why public transportation is no longer profitable is because drivers, mechanics, etc. are paid much better now than they were 100 years ago. 

 

Compare the working conditions and wages of the guys building the streetcar system to this:

 

Keep in mind that the men working in the steel mills and cutting down all those trees were similarly paid a pittance.  Meanwhile the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Carnegies, etc.,  who owned the companies paid no income tax, no capital gains tax, no corporate income tax, etc.  They kept it all and paid for their mansions in cash. 

 

The streetcar opponents are going absolutely nuts on Twitter tonight.

 

Smitherman accused Rob Richardson (long time streetcar supporter) of being a member of the Communist Party. No, that's not a joke or exaggeration; Smitherman actually said that.

 

Cranley continues to tweet anti-streetcar stuff. At what point does he accept the fact that Cincinnati is building the streetcar, it's a settled matter, and it's time for him to stop campaigning and start leading?

 

Dusty Rhodes tweeted tonight that the streetcar will only have 50-100 riders a day. Previously, he had been saying that it will only have 500 riders a day. In reality, I think the projected number is about 4000 daily riders when it opens and constant growth from there.

I wonder what the driver salaries are in that country.

 

A big reason why public transportation is no longer profitable is because drivers, mechanics, etc. are paid much better now than they were 100 years ago. 

 

Compare the working conditions and wages of the guys building the streetcar system to this:

 

Keep in mind that the men working in the steel mills and cutting down all those trees were similarly paid a pittance.  Meanwhile the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Carnegies, etc.,  who owned the companies paid no income tax, no capital gains tax, no corporate income tax, etc.  They kept it all and paid for their mansions in cash. 

 

 

Off topic...pardon me....but if anyone wants to see a monument to Gilded Age excess they should go to Hyde Park NY and visit the mansion of Frederick Vanderbilt, who had it built in 1910. It has the feel of a tomb for an emperor and while interesting was sort of sad since it's just an ostentatious show of wealth. However, just down the road is the home of FDR. History was made here. Well worth seeing.

 

Back to regular programming...

The streetcar opponents are going absolutely nuts on Twitter tonight.

 

Smitherman accused Rob Richardson (long time streetcar supporter) of being a member of the Communist Party. No, that's not a joke or exaggeration; Smitherman actually said that.

 

Cranley continues to tweet anti-streetcar stuff. At what point does he accept the fact that Cincinnati is building the streetcar, it's a settled matter, and it's time for him to stop campaigning and start leading?

 

Dusty Rhodes tweeted tonight that the streetcar will only have 50-100 riders a day. Previously, he had been saying that it will only have 500 riders a day. In reality, I think the projected number is about 4000 daily riders when it opens and constant growth from there.

 

Would love to see these...I like a good laugh!