I went to Rhinegeist last night. Man are they going to get a ton of business when the streetcar opens. That stop literally at their doorstep is going to be huge for them (and anything else that pops up in that area in the coming years).

 

I like the look of the stops. Being slightly elevated gives them that slight separation necessary to elevate (no pun intended) them above a typical bus stop. The one by Washington Park looks especially nice.

 

I actually think that Rhinegeist may be one of the biggest drivers of streetcar ridership early on because of that stop location. I know I will walk from 12th street to Rhinegeist, but not many people are willing to do that, especially in the evening.

^ Can you imagine how much business they will do before and after Reds and Bengals games?

I agree. I also think that a large portion of people visiting Downtown on game days, for shows, etc. will likely take a ride to get to it. I live on Race a block south of Liberty so it's plenty close for me to walk but if I happened to be, say, at Fountain Square or at The Banks or riverfront I'd surely take the streetcar up there if that was where my night was taking me.

 

I also think it might help push for longer operating hours on Fridays and Saturdays for the streetcar. I haven't heard an update recently but when they announced it would only operate until midnight I was, frankly, kind of annoyed. That makes it GREAT for getting TO the bars but once you're finished, not so much. If it ran, even in limited capacity, until 2:30 to catch the after-bar crowd it would get so much extra ridership on weekends. And with the northern terminus being by Rhinegeist many visitors are going to have to have some form of transportation back to wherever they live, are crashing for the night, or are parked.

^It'd be cool if Reds/Bengals tickets came with a free ride (or two) on the streetcar.

^It'd be cool if Reds/Bengals tickets came with a free ride (or two) on the streetcar.

Here in Salt Lake City, your Utah football and basketball ticket also serves as a round-trip TRAX ticket. I think it actually covers the streetcar and FrontRunner commuter rail too.

I thought that the stadium contract says that the Bengals get the parking revenue. Is it in their interest to encourage people not to drive?

^I'd say that they should support anything that puts a$$es in seats, but I'm not Mike Brown.

I thought that the stadium contract says that the Bengals get the parking revenue. Is it in their interest to encourage people not to drive?

 

They might get the parking revenue from the on-site garage, but not from any of the other lots all around downtown.

^It'd be cool if Reds/Bengals tickets came with a free ride (or two) on the streetcar.

 

Parking at the Banks and Washington Park should include streetcar tix (I'd say maybe 4 to cover a fairly full car; maybe 2 adults and 2-3 kids). Some cities in Europe have parking lots on the periphery of ring roads with subsidized rates and free transit tickets (primarily for commuters). It's a good model for keeping city centers ped/bike/transit-oriented.

I thought that the stadium contract says that the Bengals get the parking revenue. Is it in their interest to encourage people not to drive?

 

They might get the parking revenue from the on-site garage, but not from any of the other lots all around downtown.

 

I think Eighth & State's point is that it might reduce the number of people parking in the Banks lot, which reduces revenue to the Brown family.

^It would be interesting to see a breakdown of what they see on average from parking versus what they make on average per fan from ticket and concessions.  My guess is that the money gained from filling that stadium on a regular basis overwhelms what they make from the parking, but I could be wrong.

^ You're assuming Brown would expect the change to increase ticket sales, or (more precisely) increase revenue from ticket sales more than it decreases revenue from parking. Considering his rumored opposition to the streetcar, that might be a big assumption (and, who knows, he might even be spiteful enough about it to risk taking a small hit to lower ridership).

 

Regardless of speculation, these things should be considered. I favor attaching the tickets to parking spaces rather than sports tickets, because I'd rather keep cars on the ends of the streetcar route. It also so happens that the city/county (and, consequently, SORTA) have more influence over (semi-)public parking garage tickets than sports tickets, too, so it would be easier to implement and more universally useful. Though I guess SORTA could just tell ticket spotters to accept same-day Reds/Bengals tickets as a valid pass (however it could invite forgery).

Turn it on 700wlw right now!

 

Mike McConnell is praising the streetcar and OTR and slamming haters ...

That's exactly right.  He was just talking to "Sensible" Don, making fun of trolley buses and I was cracking up.

Wow. 

 

That said, we always knew eventually public opinion would come around, just like with Fountain Square, the Riverfront Park, OTR.....

Mike McConnell was always pro-rail.  Then he left for Chicago around 2009 and was replaced by Doc Thompson, who was an A-1 stooge. 

Mike McConnell was always pro-rail.  Then he left for Chicago around 2009 and was replaced by Doc Thompson, who was an A-1 stooge. 

 

Yeah, but he was a little more aggressive and passionate in his comments this morning ... I think living in Chicago for 4 years made him a little more pro-rail.

 

Few comments, paraphrased:

"I've never ridden on a bus and probably never will, but I've ridden on the L a hundred times. Some people just will not get on a bus, but they'll ride a train." After making fun of trying to use a bus dressed as a trolly.

 

He was also commenting on how people and investors need to take note because OTR property is going to be a very expensive market to buy in .... referencing condos will eventually hit a million + mark because of its proximity to the city.

 

He also praised OTR, the Banks and Downtown for how much progress has been made in such a small amount of time.

 

It was just refreshing to hear him speak and I'm glad he's back.

He grew up outside Philadelphia and rode the commuter trains.  Meanwhile prices in Chicago are out of control and obviously he saw the insanity during his time there.  Meanwhile Cunningham travels to NYC 30 weeks out of the year and comes back here to do his local show acting like he doesn't see anything when he's up there.  It's disgusting. 

We got nothing on San Fran and still a ton of emptying neighborhoods with good transit access.

He grew up outside Philadelphia and rode the commuter trains.  Meanwhile prices in Chicago are out of control and obviously he saw the insanity during his time there.  Meanwhile Cunningham travels to NYC 30 weeks out of the year and comes back here to do his local show acting like he doesn't see anything when he's up there.  It's disgusting.

McConnell is also the only one on the station (besides the android that currently resides in Jim Scott's body) who isn't bombastic just to get ratings. He did his own thing and the powers that be at WLW just let him go.

No he left to take a $2.5 million contract in Chicago.  It was $500,000/yr but they pushed him out with two years to go on his contract.  From what I've read he still made something like $2 million before parting ways with WGN.  That's why he sounded so relaxed this past week while making fun of people making minimum wage, which is something he spent an hour doing on Wednesday or Thursday morning. 

So the streetcar helped bring GE to town. Who would have thought? Not Cranley.

When do we quit making Cranley the enemy and bring him into our big tent of transit?

WE are making Cranley the enemy?

Is it confirmed that the streetcar was a motivator for bringing GE? Is there an official quote somewhere?

Is it confirmed that the streetcar was a motivator for bringing GE? Is there an official quote somewhere?

 

Hasn't been an official story, yet, but officials said that it was integral to locating at the Banks, especially early on in the process.

GE's offices are schedule to open at The Banks in summer of 2016. The streetcar is scheduled to open in September 2016, but if things keep going as smoothly as they have been, you can expect it to open in the summer of 2016 as well.

Is it confirmed that the streetcar was a motivator for bringing GE? Is there an official quote somewhere?

Chris Seelbach said on FaceBook that a GE exec told him that

“Parking was absolutely critical,” said Tom Gabelman, a Frost Brown Todd attorney who advises the county on the Banks project and other economic development initiatives.

 

“I can tell you that unequivocally in one of our first meetings with General Electric, the access in terms of transit was very critical. The fact that the city had committed to doing the streetcar was one of the items that they cited as important for them to move forward in looking at the Banks as a potential location.”

 

But Allen cautioned that no single factor put the Banks over the top.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2014/06/why-ge-chose-the-banks.html

Last night I was walking around the streetcar route and noticed they out up the first stop signal.

 

Sorry for the poor quality:

 

I also noticed that they hung new stoplights on the far side of the intersection. These don't make any sense unless they plan to convert 14th Street to two-way:

 

I believe I read they do plan on a two-way conversion of 14th. Which makes sense. It'll reduce people going around the block around the park.

Is it confirmed that the streetcar was a motivator for bringing GE? Is there an official quote somewhere?

 

The story I just posted on The Banks thread discusses it.

“Parking was absolutely critical,” said Tom Gabelman, a Frost Brown Todd attorney who advises the county on the Banks project and other economic development initiatives.

 

“I can tell you that unequivocally in one of our first meetings with General Electric, the access in terms of transit was very critical. The fact that the city had committed to doing the streetcar was one of the items that they cited as important for them to move forward in looking at the Banks as a potential location.”

 

But Allen cautioned that no single factor put the Banks over the top.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2014/06/why-ge-chose-the-banks.html

 

Yes add another one to the cap!  Cranley is continually being proven wrong with every one of the announcements for development downtown.

“Parking was absolutely critical,” said Tom Gabelman, a Frost Brown Todd attorney who advises the county on the Banks project and other economic development initiatives.

 

“I can tell you that unequivocally in one of our first meetings with General Electric, the access in terms of transit was very critical. The fact that the city had committed to doing the streetcar was one of the items that they cited as important for them to move forward in looking at the Banks as a potential location.”

 

But Allen cautioned that no single factor put the Banks over the top.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2014/06/why-ge-chose-the-banks.html

 

Yes add another one to the cap!  Cranley is continually being proven wrong with every one of the announcements for development downtown.

 

Cranley is still denying that the streetcar had anything to do with GE coming in.  On 700wlw, he said that no one from GE told him & that if it did happen, 'we'll take it but I'm skeptical'

Cranley just cannot fathom that this billion dollar deal just paid for the streetcar.  Uptown extension, here we come!

We'll look back on this week as the watershed moment when the streetcar gained acceptance by Cincinntians.

Well, I have some suspicion that the big wigs bought off Flynn, Mann, etc. to make the streetcar go through, both because it is a good thing for the city and because it was a way to embarrass Cranley and send him a signal that they are in charge of this town, not him.  Now we see Castellini, etc., keep Cranley out of this process in order to keep him from taking a victory lap.  Having someone from GE say the streetcar was part of their decision, even if it wasn't, was a way for GE to let Cranley know they're coming here on their terms and blocked him from making their business decision all about him. 

Who will be the last person to still be against the streetcar?  Cranley or Smitherman?  The longer they wait to say they were wrong ...the worse they will look.

Be interestnig to see how this plays out ... I mean, people are so on the record. Some will look very smart and others very stupid.

Enquirer just published another hit piece against the streetcar. I can't link it on here. Jason williams wrote it

^ No news there. Just stirring the pot.

Cranley is still denying that the streetcar had anything to do with GE coming in.  On 700wlw, he said that no one from GE told him & that if it did happen, 'we'll take it but I'm skeptical'

The fact that nobody from GE is talking to Cranley about anything is significant.

Washington Park streetcar stop:

 

Track construction on 12th Street last week... right at the corner where the OTR revitalization kicked off just a few years ago:

 

Finished curve from Central Parkway to Walnut Street:

 

I'll post some more later this week.

What's the deal on the operating costs story? Can someone break it down better?

Streetcar operating deficits could be higher

Jason Williams, 7:32 p.m. EDT June 23, 2014

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/06/23/streetcar-operating-deficits-higher/11286971/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=

 

A new analysis on the streetcar shows its annual operating deficit will be higher than it was projected in December, when city leaders approved moving forward with construction on the 3.6-mile route through parts of Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.

 

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority estimates the annual operating deficit will be $2.6 million in 2017 – the streetcar's first full year of operation – and will continue to rise over the next eight years when the deficit hits $3.85 million in 2025. The authority is expected to operate the city-owned streetcar.

 

A study by international auditing firm KPMG released in December estimated annual deficits to be between $1.88 million and $2.44 million.

So did Cranely get SORTA to do this so that he could try and poo-poo the streetcar when and if the streetcar was cited as the reason something located near the line?

Streetcar operating deficits could be higher

Jason Williams, 7:32 p.m. EDT June 23, 2014

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/06/23/streetcar-operating-deficits-higher/11286971/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=

 

A new analysis on the streetcar shows its annual operating deficit will be higher than it was projected in December, when city leaders approved moving forward with construction on the 3.6-mile route through parts of Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.

 

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority estimates the annual operating deficit will be $2.6 million in 2017 – the streetcar's first full year of operation – and will continue to rise over the next eight years when the deficit hits $3.85 million in 2025. The authority is expected to operate the city-owned streetcar.

 

A study by international auditing firm KPMG released in December estimated annual deficits to be between $1.88 million and $2.44 million.

 

I just had a friend who opposes the streetcar mention this article to me.  I asked him if they do similar cost deficit studies on pretty much any stretch of road.  It would have the same or even worse deficits, as I had to remind him that most roads don't collect a direct fare as the streetcar will. 

Seems like the cost of electricity has gone up over the past 6 months.

Hi to everybody,

Prague, CZ has population 1,25m, that's comparable to Cincinnati urban area (pop. 1,5m) (because taking into account Cincinnati within it's administrative borders is prety much useless with all  that sprawl). Prague Transportation Authority (PTA) has annual operating deficit operating subway, streetcars and buses well over $600,000,000 (PTA gets only $200,000,000 a year directly from riders) which the city is paying out of it's own tax income (overall city of Prague budget is cca 2,5bn a year). Almost no one has a problem with that though, because the city greatly benefits from well-functioning mass transit (Prague has 1bn. rides by mass transit a year/more than 3m a day). So  if the operating deficit for Cincinnati streetcar is going to be $2,000,000 , it will be 300 times lower than what Prague is willing to pay for the transit. :-)

What's the deal on the operating costs story? Can someone break it down better?

I would guess that, as SORTA was asking for cash, they estimated high.