Also, the streetcar shelters seem to be facing the same fate as the bus shelters which is becoming a place for people to panhandle, drink and do drugs.

 

I see people hanging out at the streetcar shelter when it's raining, because they are covered unlike most bus stops. I actually think most of the loitering at stops will go away once the system is in use.

 

I'm not sure the streetcar stops will get any better once the system is running.  More and more I've seen people using loud boom boxes, sleeping, drinking, smoking crack, selling loose cigarettes and panhandling in the bus shelters downtown and in OTR.  Now I'm increasingly seeing the same behavior in the streetcar shelters.  If we really want to make mass transit a priority in the city there really should be some efforts to crack down on this behavior.

 

I'm sure having the streetcar active, and have actual people wait at these shelters who are young professionals/business folk will stop at least a little bit of this activity.

 

 

Being down in Clifton Saturday made me realize how important it will be to get the streetcar line extended to Clifton as soon as possible.

 

I was with 7 friends, and wanted to down to the River to club Pulse. None of my 6 friends drive, and I was the only one who had a car. It just wasn't possible to fit everyone in the car.

 

None of us were really familiar with the metro bus at all, and were afraid we would just end up getting lost and end up in god knows where. Plus the time it would take to get there would be way to long.

 

An uber was out of the question because we didn't have enough money.

 

So it made me realize, damn if there was a street car line, we could have just hopped on and not worried about transportation. It's going to be VITAL to get the line extended to UC as soon as possible. I think the amount of ridership will increase significantly when you consider the population of young people and students who live there, don't have cars, and would like to go down to The Banks, or OTR and have fun. Sure, there's places to go in Clifton, but after a while the whole clifton bar scene gets old.

 

That's why, I really think the success of this street car will really hinder on getting the line extended to Clifton.

 

 

Here's part of the problem with buses.  And I don't really think it has that much to do with the amenities provided at stops (ie shelter/ lack of shelter).  When you can see the infrastructure "your" vehicle runs on it eliminates the fear of getting on the wrong line.

 

Google maps along with transit tracking apps get rid of that fear. You guys are just making excuses at this point...

Do the city and Metro have a plan to deal with the problem of vandalism on the streetcar shelters? Almost every day, I walk by a streetcar shelter that either has a shattered glass panel or a missing panel (awaiting replacement). I'm not sure whether it's neighborhood kids acting stupid or COAST members doing it. But I think there needs to be some security cameras at the stops to prevent this behavior.

 

Nearly certain the TVMs have cameras on them.

Being down in Clifton Saturday made me realize how important it will be to get the streetcar line extended to Clifton as soon as possible.

 

I was with 7 friends, and wanted to down to the River to club Pulse. None of my 6 friends drive, and I was the only one who had a car. It just wasn't possible to fit everyone in the car.

 

None of us were really familiar with the metro bus at all, and were afraid we would just end up getting lost and end up in god knows where. Plus the time it would take to get there would be way to long.

 

An uber was out of the question because we didn't have enough money.

 

So it made me realize, damn if there was a street car line, we could have just hopped on and not worried about transportation. It's going to be VITAL to get the line extended to UC as soon as possible. I think the amount of ridership will increase significantly when you consider the population of young people and students who live there, don't have cars, and would like to go down to The Banks, or OTR and have fun. Sure, there's places to go in Clifton, but after a while the whole clifton bar scene gets old.

 

That's why, I really think the success of this street car will really hinder on getting the line extended to Clifton.

 

 

Here's part of the problem with buses.  And I don't really think it has that much to do with the amenities provided at stops (ie shelter/ lack of shelter).  When you can see the infrastructure "your" vehicle runs on it eliminates the fear of getting on the wrong line.

 

Google maps along with transit tracking apps get rid of that fear. You guys are just making excuses at this point...

 

Even today there's a LOT of people who don't have smartphones for one thing.  For another,  perception is reality for a lot of people.  If something is perceived as too difficult or complicated, then they just shut down.  A big selling point for interurban railways back in the day was their hourly schedule.  So if one went by your farm at 10:37 am you could rest assured that there'd be one going by at XX:37 for most of the day.  Why did this matter?  Because railroad timetables were too hard for most people (especially infrequent travelers) to handle.  Bus timetables are even worse because they don't give times for every stop, just the major control points.  Don't get me started on things like Route 11 Erie-Hyde Park vs. Route 11 Madison Road-Oakley.  Point is, just because *YOU* think it's easy doesn't mean everyone does. 

I'm not stating its a fundamentally easy system (route 11 is ridiculous-I agree and still don't fully understand the silly thing) but there are plenty of tools to mitigate the problems with the convoluted system design, the maps that Nate developed, Google maps transit directions, and bus detective (or similar apps).  Nate is also working on a kiosk that shows realtime information - it also shows a map of the route selected.

 

The bare minimum someone can go onto google on their home computer, print out transit directions using google and be done with it.

 

Also when I encourage people to use the bus, I'm focused on those parts of the city where bus service is sorta satisfactory like Downtown, Northside, Clifton etc.  Its not a big chunk of town, but you have to start somewhere.

Do the city and Metro have a plan to deal with the problem of vandalism on the streetcar shelters? Almost every day, I walk by a streetcar shelter that either has a shattered glass panel or a missing panel (awaiting replacement). I'm not sure whether it's neighborhood kids acting stupid or COAST members doing it. But I think there needs to be some security cameras at the stops to prevent this behavior.

 

Nearly certain the TVMs have cameras on them.

 

Enough with these catchy insider acronyms, BWThomas!!!

Do the city and Metro have a plan to deal with the problem of vandalism on the streetcar shelters? Almost every day, I walk by a streetcar shelter that either has a shattered glass panel or a missing panel (awaiting replacement). I'm not sure whether it's neighborhood kids acting stupid or COAST members doing it. But I think there needs to be some security cameras at the stops to prevent this behavior.

 

Nearly certain the TVMs have cameras on them.

 

Enough with these catchy insider acronyms, BWThomas!!!

 

Ticket Vending Machines

Something that Chicago does is put a route map on the sign at the stop.  Stuff like that can certainly help.

 

I like Nate's kiosk app for the same reason, at least how the beta looks:

 

http://cincymap.org/blog/realtime-app-v0-3/

Is there a consensus out there, which city with a coordinated bus-rail-streetcar system has the best (ie most user friendly) real time vehicle locator gps app that will tell me where's my bus, how long before its at my stop, and what route is it on? (I use Amtrak's train locator whenever I travel, but all it tells me is when did it leave the last station-I must interpolate the exact location.)

The one I used while in SF was super easy to use once you knew what route you were taking. It didn't have a built in route finder (at the time, that may have changed in the last 2.5 years) but once you knew what bus or train you had to take you could click on the route and an icon of literally every single bus/train was on the map and you could watch them move in real time. I could watch a transfer move towards the stop I had to transfer at and knew whether or not I would have to hurry myself or not. My friend lived directly on the the N-Judah line a couple stops before the end of the line and when we'd go out after peak hours (20 minute headway) it was nice to be able to open the app and watch the train approach.

Even today there's a LOT of people who don't have smartphones for one thing. 

 

If we're talking about attracting riders-by-choice, smartphone ownership is pretty ubiquitous at this point. 85% of all young adults (18-29) now own smart phones per Pew survey data (http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/chapter-one-a-portrait-of-smartphone-ownership/). That number is almost surely higher for people with other options (private cars, cash for Uber, etc.). All to say, route info is at the fingertips of a vast majority of the young people agencies should be trying to attract.

 

I agree there's a pretty big intimidation factor and wish transit authority websites did more to address this, including very explicit payment instructions (is exact change necessary? can I use bills? are transfers permitted?). The Cleveland RTA website is an absolute disaster in this way, though they have the added challenge of supporting four different payment routines depending on the service type.

An app where you used your current location through GPS, entered your destination, calculated your route for you with clear instructions of what to do, and handled payment all in one process would be ideal. Combine Uber's payment system with the best real-time transit apps and Google's route calculator and you've got yourself a system that's less intimidating.

Seattle's app worked great. In Portland I used the text message feature on bus stops a few times that also worked great. 

 

I've been burned the past two times trying to use Transit App in Cincinnati.  Over July 4th weekend going to Northside, it said a bus was coming that never showed up, and then the bus info disappeared from the app.  We drove and somehow saw the bus coming up Hamilton Ave. as we parked.  Then on Oktoberfest, it said the next bus wasn't coming for a long time but it showed up within a minute (thankfully.)

The Uber app is fantastic, I use it all the time. Apply the same capabilities to a transit app and you've got a winner. Which brings to mind btw people often ask me "how come you, a streetcar/transit advocate, like Uber wtf? Uber could put you out of business."  To which my short answer is: " the more transport alternatives you provide the more people that will say 'screw it I don't need that car...or that second car.' Which bottom line only helps transit long-run."

Seattle's app worked great. In Portland I used the text message feature on bus stops a few times that also worked great. 

 

I've been burned the past two times trying to use Transit App in Cincinnati.  Over July 4th weekend going to Northside, it said a bus was coming that never showed up, and then the bus info disappeared from the app.  We drove and somehow saw the bus coming up Hamilton Ave. as we parked.  Then on Oktoberfest, it said the next bus wasn't coming for a long time but it showed up within a minute (thankfully.)

 

Yeah I had similar issues last time I was in town :(. Bus detective is jankier but more reliable.

Do the city and Metro have a plan to deal with the problem of vandalism on the streetcar shelters? Almost every day, I walk by a streetcar shelter that either has a shattered glass panel or a missing panel (awaiting replacement). I'm not sure whether it's neighborhood kids acting stupid or COAST members doing it. But I think there needs to be some security cameras at the stops to prevent this behavior.

 

Nearly certain the TVMs have cameras on them.

 

In addition to the TVMs, the street supervisors for the streetcar route will be deputized.  This means that we will have our own streetcar police authority.

Using Nate's map, it's easy to see from which lines are most frequent which lines are also most used. A 'Rapid' version of these lines would probably be very successful:

 

4

11

17

43

78

 

Have the R version turn where the lines split OR go to which ever of the end nodes has the highest ridership (or another high ridership node after the split if the line is very long). I know Metro+ is a Rapid version of the 4 and a little of the 78, so there's already a case for those lines.

 

SORTA already has plans on the book to do just this, though sadly its going to take a ballot initiative to get passed to make it a reality.  See: http://www.urbancincy.com/2014/12/urbancincys-qa-with-metros-new-transit-boss-dwight-ferrell/metro-plus-corridors/

 

Hah! Well SORTA should just hire me then! ;-)

 

LOL!  Are you offering to pay for the system yourself?

Using Nate's map, it's easy to see from which lines are most frequent which lines are also most used. A 'Rapid' version of these lines would probably be very successful:

 

4

11

17

43

78

 

Have the R version turn where the lines split OR go to which ever of the end nodes has the highest ridership (or another high ridership node after the split if the line is very long). I know Metro+ is a Rapid version of the 4 and a little of the 78, so there's already a case for those lines.

 

SORTA already has plans on the book to do just this, though sadly its going to take a ballot initiative to get passed to make it a reality.  See: http://www.urbancincy.com/2014/12/urbancincys-qa-with-metros-new-transit-boss-dwight-ferrell/metro-plus-corridors/

 

Hah! Well SORTA should just hire me then! ;-)

 

LOL!  Are you offering to pay for the system yourself?

 

You know, after I win the lotto! ;-)

Using Nate's map, it's easy to see from which lines are most frequent which lines are also most used. A 'Rapid' version of these lines would probably be very successful:

 

4

11

17

43

78

 

Have the R version turn where the lines split OR go to which ever of the end nodes has the highest ridership (or another high ridership node after the split if the line is very long). I know Metro+ is a Rapid version of the 4 and a little of the 78, so there's already a case for those lines.

 

SORTA already has plans on the book to do just this, though sadly its going to take a ballot initiative to get passed to make it a reality.  See: http://www.urbancincy.com/2014/12/urbancincys-qa-with-metros-new-transit-boss-dwight-ferrell/metro-plus-corridors/

 

Hah! Well SORTA should just hire me then! ;-)

 

LOL!  Are you offering to pay for the system yourself?

 

You know, after I win the lotto! ;-)

 

Well we have several individual Americans with fortunes so large that they could single-handedly pay for London's Crossrail, New York's 2nd Ave subway, LA's Wishire subway extension, AND a second transbay tube under SF Bay.  They pay a lower tax rate on their dividends and capital gains than if a poor person hit The Powerball. 

Some of those new bike racks at streetcar stops:

 

Some of those new bike racks at streetcar stops:

 

I like that they seem to match the colors of my favorite OTR restaurant in the background. I wonder how much the streetcar will add to their business.

Some of those new bike racks at streetcar stops:

 

I like that they seem to match the colors of my favorite OTR restaurant in the background. I wonder how much the streetcar will add to their business.

 

Hate to say it, but not as much as if they'd just accept credit cards. There's no good ATM anywhere near there at the moment.

Main Street has been repaved from roughly Court to 12th and crews are continuing to move south towards 3rd. Meanwhile, prep work has begun for the installation of the final piece of track -- the curve at 2nd & Main. All of this work should be completed by the end of October, which is also when the first streetcar is scheduled to arrive. Very exciting times.

Has everyone bought a T shirt? Seriously, it adds up & will help make sure the system is a success.

Google has updated their Street View images for much of Downtown Cincinnati, including on Walnut right after streetcar construction wrapped up.

This property owner courting big investors at the top of the streetcar line:

https://www.sibcycline.com/Listing/CIN/1469257/112-W-McMicken-St-City-OH-45202

Damn that's a steep asking price for a bombed out one-story warehouse.

Heh. Maybe they saw this: https://cincinnatiideas.wordpress.com/mcmicken-ave-development/

 

By the way guys this is my new website.

Google has updated their Street View images for much of Downtown Cincinnati, including on Walnut right after streetcar construction wrapped up.

 

My first appearances on Google Maps...

Found Ya!

^ Streetview was updated all over OTR and Clifton in August of 2014, and I'm glad to see even more updates now - hopefully they keep updating because I am in Streetview no fewer than 5 times, despite the fact that I actively try to avoid being photographed at all times. Before Google switched the old style satellite images over to Earth, they even managed to catch me working in my back yard from above.

Google has updated their Street View images for much of Downtown Cincinnati, including on Walnut right after streetcar construction wrapped up.

 

My first appearances on Google Maps...

 

I knew you were Metrobot

The final piece of track is being installed at 2nd & Main this week. I'm hearing that there may be a "last weld" ceremony on Friday around 3 p.m.

 

 

It also seems like they will be completely done repaving Main Street within a few days.

Believe in Cincinnati will be hosting a Last Weld celebration Friday at 2 p.m.:

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1699883736909891/

Great picture Travis! Just tweeted it via AAO with Last Weld info.

I'd really like to get a tour of the MOF prior to operations beginning. Anyone know if this would be a possibility?

I was in town for the Chiefs @ Bengals game, and man, I can't believe the change on Vine St. since the last time I was there.  Amazing.

 

We took Uber around most places.  I once told a driver that if the streetcar had been running, we'd have taken it from near the Ballet (where our Airbnb was) down to the Banks.  He just dismissed the idea.  The Fool. 

 

There are already pretty good transit apps out there.  Does Metro/Tank publish google-readable (https://developers.google.com/transit/?hl=en) data?

 

This is the app I use for departure times: http://oeffi.schildbach.de/index.html  The author actively customizes it for use with many, many transit systems. 

 

In conjunction, COAST is holding a Last Supper ceremony.

 

before anyone google's that, it was just a joke....

There are a few transit apps that support metro but not tank as tank hasn't released real time tracking info yet.

 

Bus detective is the most reliable but its interface is janky. Transit app I really like but it frequently in Cincy doesn't capture realtime information (though it does give you a scheduled time if it doesn't get the real time info)

 

One other annoying thing I've noticed if you are looking at outbound buses from downtown and are south of liberty the tracking tends not to show up.

Streetcar track completed on time and on budget -- now what about the next phase?

Oct 16, 2015, 2:00pm EDT

Chris Wetterich

Staff reporter and columnist

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Crews with Messer-Prus-Delta, the consortium of contractors building Cincinnati’s streetcar line, welded the final piece of rail into Main Street on Friday, completing the first phase of the project on time and within the construction budget set by Mayor Mark Mallory and the Cincinnati City Council in 2013.

 

It was a major accomplishment for the city’s first rail-based transportation project in more than 60 years that still is subject to opposition and criticism, including from Mayor John Cranley. The grassroots group that worked to save the project from cancellation in 2014, Believe in Cincinnati, celebrated with a news conference, while the city administration said it would wait until the first vehicles are delivered at the end of the month to mark the occasion.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/10/16/streetcar-track-completed-on-time-and-on-budget.html

What can we do, as a group of streetcar supporters to show City leaders that we care about getting Phase 1b planning started as soon as possible?

Chant "Phase 1B" at the event the city will hold at the end of the month when the first streetcar arrives?

Chant "Phase 1B" at the event the city will hold at the end of the month when the first streetcar arrives?

 

Doesn't exactly roll off the tip of your tongue. What about "Uptown!" "Uptown!" "Uptown!"

Just crank this up!

 

 

Also if the Mt. Auburn tunnel option is pursued, I suggest a change in nomenclature from "Phase 1B". It'd be a more significant undertaking.

 

 

I know the city is in a surplus right now at 19 million.

 

My question is, when phase 1b is ever done..where exactly does financing come from? And how much more would creating a tunnel and light rail cost versus an uptown street car loop?

Cost of the tunnel is unknown at this point. The distinction between light rail and streetcars is not significant in this case. We are buying light rail vehicles for the downtown streetcar loop, and the downtown trackway has been mostly built to light rail specs. When you consider the complexity of building on Vine Street and the time savings for passengers, I'm pretty confident the tunnel will be judged to be superior.

Tunnels scare me as far as costs. You never know what you will run into.

A highly compromised route like Vine Street scares me because you never know how few people will use it.