I biked across the bridge yesterday around 2pm and the riverfront park was full of families with kids. 

 

On the 23rd I had the very strange experience of boarding a streetcar with about 40 passengers on it (about 20 adults and about 20 kids) at The Banks and absolutely nobody getting off.  There were not just one but several families out with their kids apparently riding the full length of the streetcar route for fun.  If you remember back to 2007 the opponents warned that homeless people would ride it all day but now they're mad that people with mortgages are riding it all day.   

 

 

I rode it a few times over the weekend and there were families doing the same thing. They would announce to each other "I think we've done the loop".

 

I use it usually every weekend and recently it seems as if the frequency of the streetcars has greatly improved. I was able to successfully take it to dinner in OTR on Friday (with extra time to spare before a reservation) and take it to Findlay for groceries on Saturday. As these problems get ironed out and it becomes more reliable and faster, there will be an uptick in usage again. For the time being we just have to ignore the noise from the opposition, since in the long run they will be proven wrong.

I biked across the bridge yesterday around 2pm and the riverfront park was full of families with kids. 

 

On the 23rd I had the very strange experience of boarding a streetcar with about 40 passengers on it (about 20 adults and about 20 kids) at The Banks and absolutely nobody getting off.  There were not just one but several families out with their kids apparently riding the full length of the streetcar route for fun.  If you remember back to 2007 the opponents warned that homeless people would ride it all day but now they're mad that people with mortgages are riding it all day.   

 

It used to be kids playing Pokemon Go, not sure if that's still popular, but the family and kids riding the whole loop 'for fun' segment of the ridership is very funny and not expected.

The Streetcar Facebook page posted yesterday afternoon that a 4th car was put into service because of heavy ridership. So they apparently have the ability to do that when needed, maybe I missed the discussion about that.

 

I think the record high temperature of 71F played a big role. Even though it was a holiday, I doubt that many people would have been out and about if it were 10 degrees. It'd be interesting to chart daily ridership against weather conditions, events, holidays, etc. and see just how big a role they all play.

 

They have always had the technical ability to put additional streetcars in service when needed but, when the system first opened, it was a question of who would pay for it. If you recall, there was a big debacle about who would pay for the "third and fourth streetcars" for Oktoberfest. Within the first month of operations, it seems that the city and TransDev came to some sort of gentlemen's agreement where they just said, "f*** it, we'll run extra streetcars when there's demand and worry about the costs later." It should all even out by year's end. The bigger problem is that if we're regularly running more streetcars than we originally planned, we're putting more wear and tear on the vehicles. Which means we need to buy more streetcars.

^ At the price they paid for them, they should have a 20+ year service life in them. What kind of warranty did the streetcar have? I know they had some issues a couple of weeks ago. But nothing major like a burn out engine.

Well we are required to run the system for 30 years. Streetcars probably aren't designed to last for a certain number of years, but for a certain number of miles or service hours. But again if you're running 4 streetcars instead of 3, you're putting 33% more wear and tear on the fleet. So if the fleet was designed to last 30 years at the anticipated levels of service, it might only last 20 years (33% less) at these higher levels of service.

 

This is yet another argument for why we should be retiming traffic lights and making the streetcars faster rather than putting a band-aid on the problem by running an extra streetcar.

Turning back the clock to 2011, we were going to order 7 if not for Kasich's machinations.  But I'm now not confident that 7 would have been sufficient for the system that was planned to UC.  Also, when watching the streetcars brake at the corner of Third & Walnut, I get the impression that about half of the brake wear for the entire system is happening right there.  But the way the streetcars climb the Main St. hill so easily is pretty impressive. 

 

If we can boot Cranley out next November we could place an order for more streetcars in early 2018 but it would take until 2020 to actually get them here and have them running. 

Another anecdote I've heard is that when the city was trying to value-engineer the system to cut down costs, we considered buying only 4 streetcars instead of 5 for Phase 1A. The feds said no way. Imagine how screwed we would be right now if we could only run a max. of 3 and couldn't have put the fourth in service during high demand times.

Kansas City only has four for a system of a similar size.  They're probably going to run into problems before they receive the two more they ordered in the fall in late 2018 or early 2019. 

The Streetcar Facebook page posted yesterday afternoon that a 4th car was put into service because of heavy ridership. So they apparently have the ability to do that when needed, maybe I missed the discussion about that.

 

I think the record high temperature of 71F played a big role. Even though it was a holiday, I doubt that many people would have been out and about if it were 10 degrees. It'd be interesting to chart daily ridership against weather conditions, events, holidays, etc. and see just how big a role they all play.

 

They have always had the technical ability to put additional streetcars in service when needed but, when the system first opened, it was a question of who would pay for it. If you recall, there was a big debacle about who would pay for the "third and fourth streetcars" for Oktoberfest. Within the first month of operations, it seems that the city and TransDev came to some sort of gentlemen's agreement where they just said, "f*** it, we'll run extra streetcars when there's demand and worry about the costs later." It should all even out by year's end. The bigger problem is that if we're regularly running more streetcars than we originally planned, we're putting more wear and tear on the vehicles. Which means we need to buy more streetcars.

 

I just wasn't aware there was any type of gentleman's agreement - I assumed putting the extra car into service would have had all sorts of red tape involved, purposely put into place by the administration. It's nice to see that the operators have the ability to quickly put a car into service when they feel its needed without having to go through some excessive approval process - especially on a holiday when it would have been next to impossible to get red tape cleared. I don't know exactly how long it took for someone to decide they wanted an extra car in service to actually having one running, but it seems like it was very quick. I remember that during Oktoberfest the additional cost of operating the extra car was more than offset by the fares, and I assume that will be the norm. I don't think it will become too regular, though. That 70 degree weather on a federal holiday in December was a pretty rare occurrence. If there are only 20 or 25 days a year they have to run 4 cars, the impact on service life wouldn't be all that significant.

Regarding the traffic study, I asked for some clarification through the Fix it Cincy app. Amazingly it was routed to someone who could provide a clear answer. It's not the one I wanted, but here it is for those interested; it would be good if someone with good press contacts would be able to get a piece done on _why_ the traffic study is not moving forward, especially since all of the reporting strongly suggests that it is.

 

"Mr. Uber,

 

My name is Andy Carter and I received your request concerning a traffic study for the downtown area.

 

Currently there is not study [sic] underway to investigate downtown traffic patterns.  There is a request for proposals prepared to study downtown traffic volumes and patterns but a decision has not been made on whether the study will move forward.  The proposed study would look at existing traffic volumes and make recommendations for improving balanced movement through the downtown area for all users.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.  Thanks.

 

Andy Carter, P.E.

Supervising Engineer

City of Cincinnati

Department of Transportation & Engineering

Traffic Engineering, Traffic Signals

801 Plum Street, Room 450

Cincinnati, Ohio  45202

Phone (513) 352-5272

[email protected]"

Regarding the traffic study, I asked for some clarification through the Fix it Cincy app. Amazingly it was routed to someone who could provide a clear answer. It's not the one I wanted, but here it is for those interested; it would be good if someone with good press contacts would be able to get a piece done on _why_ the traffic study is not moving forward, especially since all of the reporting strongly suggests that it is.

 

"Mr. Uber,

 

My name is Andy Carter and I received your request concerning a traffic study for the downtown area.

 

Currently there is not study [sic] underway to investigate downtown traffic patterns.  There is a request for proposals prepared to study downtown traffic volumes and patterns but a decision has not been made on whether the study will move forward.  The proposed study would look at existing traffic volumes and make recommendations for improving balanced movement through the downtown area for all users.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.  Thanks.

 

Andy Carter, P.E.

Supervising Engineer

City of Cincinnati

Department of Transportation & Engineering

Traffic Engineering, Traffic Signals

801 Plum Street, Room 450

Cincinnati, Ohio  45202

Phone (513) 352-5272

[email protected]"

 

It will be introduced at the first Major Transportation Committee meeting of 2017.

Another anecdote I've heard is that when the city was trying to value-engineer the system to cut down costs, we considered buying only 4 streetcars instead of 5 for Phase 1A. The feds said no way. Imagine how screwed we would be right now if we could only run a max. of 3 and couldn't have put the fourth in service during high demand times.

 

Also, I believe that they have a few spare wheel bogie sets in the car barn.  So if there is a serious problem with one of the streetcars they can switch them out pretty quickly and get a disabled streetcar back on the tracks the next day.  My guess is that it's a lot easier to switch out the motorized wheel sets on these streetcars than it is to put a new engine in a diesel bus. 

 

 

Big crowds on the streetcar again today

I noticed a lot of people walking around OTR in the middle of the day today. Not sure if that's because people are off work this week or if this is just the new normal for OTR. Either way, it's good news for the streetcar.

Business Courier: Streetcar triggers millions in development along line

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/12/30/streetcar-triggers-millions-in-development-along.html

 

...

Over the past five months, the Business Courier has examined county property records and Cincinnati building permits for nearly 650 properties located directly on the streetcar line. We interviewed dozens of property owners to find out whether – and to what degree – the streetcar factored into their decision to build. It represents the first effort by a Cincinnati news organization to measure one of the primary reasons the city built the streetcar: to spur investment in the urban core.

 

About 60 percent of streetcar-line developers who both agreed to rate and talk about whether the project influenced their development said the streetcar played a role in their decision to build. Most also said it was not the sole reason. Some had been considering their projects for years and the streetcar sped up their timetable, attracted investors or led them to enlarge their investment.

....

^ Subscribers only.  Did they come up with a bottom line number, and is it greater than the construction cost?

The article is pretty lengthy with a lot of caveats and various opinions from developers along the route.  I'd recommend getting a Business Courier subscription as they're the only legitimate paper in the area and consistently produce good content.

^ Subscribers only.  Did they come up with a bottom line number, and is it greater than the construction cost?

"The Courier’s research confirms what supporters and planners of the project long have said: The streetcar is stimulating development along its path, playing a role in at least $25 million worth so far." They also are very clear that their analysis is extremely conservative (only properties directly on the route; only permitted $; only owners - nothing for market factors affecting rents, etc). Also, agree with bfwissel[/member] on the value of a subscription.

It's also nearly impossible to quantify the number of investments that were made before construction even began and what we would've lost if it would have been cancelled. For example, I bought my condo after Issue 48 failed and it seemed pretty sure to me that the streetcar would be built. If the streetcar would have been cancelled I definitely wouldn't have bought at that time and by now probably would have been living in another city (one that has rail transit). It's also hard to quantify how much more valuable retail spaces along the line have become due to the increase in foot traffic. I can't wait until Findlay Market announces how much their business has increased since the streetcar opened. I've heard some rumors and the numbers are pretty impressive.

Here is the Courier's free synopsis of the paywall article/database.

 

A deeper look at the Courier’s big streetcar project

Dec 30, 2016, 11:04am EST Updated Dec 30, 2016, 11:12am EST

Chris Wetterich

Staff reporter and columnist

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

 

It’s a question that has bugged me for years as I’ve written about the most-divisive political topic in the city’s recent history, the Cincinnati streetcar. The city has seen hundreds of millions in development in its basin – downtown and Over-the-Rhine – over the past decade-plus, with much of it happening as the city has been planning and building the streetcar project.

 

But how much of it was actually because of the streetcar?

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/12/30/a-deeper-look-at-the-courier-s-big-streetcar.html

Business Courier subscriptions are usually $100 per year (whether you get print or just digital, the price is for some reason the same).

 

I recently got a business courier subscription (comes with the weekly print edition) for 3 years for $170 via UrbanCincy https://secure.bizjournals.com/promotion/urbancincy

 

The website is a little janky, but it works. That's about $1.09 per week. Well worth it.

I noticed a lot of people walking around OTR in the middle of the day today. Not sure if that's because people are off work this week or if this is just the new normal for OTR. Either way, it's good news for the streetcar.

 

It looks like some people have figured out that they can take their kids and their out-of-town guests with kids down to Smale park and then take them on a lap around the streetcar for a lot cheaper than taking them to the zoo or the Museum Center or Entertrainment Junction or any of those sorts of places.  To some extent people just want to do something different but people can spend $50+ less taking their kids downtown than taking them to one of those places, even if they have to pay to park since they have to pay to park at those other places too.   

^Yeah. Also, kids pretty much universally love trains, so it's an easy choice.

I noticed a lot of people walking around OTR in the middle of the day today. Not sure if that's because people are off work this week or if this is just the new normal for OTR. Either way, it's good news for the streetcar.

 

It looks like some people have figured out that they can take their kids and their out-of-town guests with kids down to Smale park and then take them on a lap around the streetcar for a lot cheaper than taking them to the zoo or the Museum Center or Entertrainment Junction or any of those sorts of places.  To some extent people just want to do something different but people can spend $50+ less taking their kids downtown than taking them to one of those places, even if they have to pay to park since they have to pay to park at those other places too. 

 

As a father of three <10yo stuck out of the core for various reasons, I'll readily admit to using the streetcar in this manner. My wife and I love the idea of parking at one node or the other and sampling all the city has to offer in between.

 

The fact that the kids love it helps. My oldest asks questions about the architecture and the obvious construction.

 

While the entertainment purpose of the streetcar is not our endgame, I think it's important to note how critical these riders are to numbers NOW and that most of them are typically making two+ stops and supporting businesses.

 

Edit: We rode yesterday between 4:00p and 6:30p. Volume was good. Headways? No complaints. 5 minutes at TBX and 7 minutes at Race/Liberty. Tickets were validate on a driver switch at Race/Findlay and the whole process was fast and friendly.

The funniest thing I heard a little kid declare on the streetcar was "the streetcar is like a car...but you don't have to wear a seatbelt!" 

 

there are pages of nice chat here, but can we get some photos up from you guys?

 

thanks!

^ Subscribers only.  Did they come up with a bottom line number, and is it greater than the construction cost?

"The Courier’s research confirms what supporters and planners of the project long have said: The streetcar is stimulating development along its path, playing a role in at least $25 million worth so far." They also are very clear that their analysis is extremely conservative (only properties directly on the route; only permitted $; only owners - nothing for market factors affecting rents, etc). Also, agree with bfwissel[/member] on the value of a subscription.

 

And when they said directly on the route, they mean only Main, Walnut, Elm, Race, 12th and Central, 2nd and Henry.

 

Pleasant Street despite being in the middle of the tracks isn't counted. Nor are any numbered streets in OTR aside from 12th. It would be like looking at the development from the MLK Interchange and ignoring a massive new facility on Reading. I would guess this analysis underestimates the development by at least a factor of 2.5x (and keep in mind this is only month four of streetcar operations. I'd like to see this analysis again in three years)

there are pages of nice chat here, but can we get some photos up from you guys?

 

thanks!

 

Here is a short video clip from Dec 23:

The funniest thing I heard a little kid declare on the streetcar was "the streetcar is like a car...but you don't have to wear a seatbelt!" 

 

 

My son LOVES it. He also thinks it's cool how if you're driving under the wires and you have an AM station on, you can hear the train getting closer or moving away.

I was in Cincinnati over the holidays. Since I voted on the CBC twice and had to move to SLC during its construction, it was nice to see the system up and running. Here in Salt Lake we have a light rail system, commuter rail and a streetcar so I was excited to compare the CBC to the SLC Streetcar. Here are some thoughts.

 

- I got on the CBC at the Banks. I liked the cheeky "Cincinnati Cylcones" stop right next to GABP.

- I waited about 10 minutes for the streetcar to arrive and I didn't mind the wait but I would have liked to seen a display indicating the car's ETA. We have that option with the SLC streetcar.

- I thought the speed was fine and the overall ride comfort was great.

- Like the SLC Streetcar, I understand that the Cincinnati cars were built to light rail spec? Is this true? Here in SLC, we use Siemens for our light rail line and the streetcar. The streetcars themselves are just one Siemens car, identical to the light rail car, with a different paint scheme. If Cincy wants to use the same company for light rail, they're going to need something with more seating IMO.

- CincyEZride kind of sucks.

 

Overall, I enjoyed using the CBC and I look forward to using it again when I'm back in town this summer.

^ In short: we have real time arrival signs but they're not working accurately yet, so they're turned off for now. Our streetcars (CAF Urbos 3) are actually light rail vehicles, and we can order them in longer configurations (with more seating) if needed. Stations would need to be extended and the power system might need to be upgraded, but the track is capable of handling longer and heavier trains.

If you're driving under the wires and you have an AM station on, you can hear the train getting closer or moving away.

 

So THAT's why 700 WLW is so opposed to the streetcar!  :-D

If you're driving under the wires and you have an AM station on, you can hear the train getting closer or moving away.

 

So THAT's why 700 WLW is so opposed to the streetcar!  :-D

 

lol ... yeah, it's kinda crazy. You can tell if it's coming from behind without actually seeing it! I'm sure this may vary based on vehicle's AM antenna.

We will get December ridership numbers during today's transportation committee meeting? Have to assume the CBC folks want those out after the less-than-stellar November.

We will get December ridership numbers during today's transportation committee meeting? Have to assume the CBC folks want those out after the less-than-stellar November.

 

No. But Paul Grether did say that initial testing on the GPS and signs went well and they'll be deploying to all vehicles and testing. Should be ready by 1/17 at the latest.

The traffic study was passed by Council, 6-2:

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/01/05/downtown-traffic-study-first-decades/95347070/

 

I'm hoping that signal pre-emption/priority is considered as part of the study, not just for the streetcar but more broadly for Metro buses and emergency vehicles. The technology exists and this study is the perfect opportunity to figure out how to incorporate the technology into our downtown street grid.

Good quote from the Enquirer:

 

"Councilmen Charlie Winburn and Christopher Smitherman cast the no votes, as they always do on anything streetcar-related."

I didn't see the ballot language for what they passed today, but the pervious version that they voted on explicitly mentioned giving signal priority to streetcars and Metro Plus buses.

Yesterday, I saw an anti-streetcar guy posted a video of a streetcar apparently struggling to move up a slight grade on Walnut because of minor snow.  I wasn't sure by the video if that is what it was really showing, but I remember we discussed snow on the rails years ago on this thread, and this should not be happening.

 

I rode the streetcar yesterday evening and it was about 10 degrees F, and the only problem I see is the continued lack of real-time tracking.  The wait wasn't too long, but if the tracking was on my phone, we would have timed it to get to the stop right before the streetcar.  While we were waiting at our stop, a city plow came by and sprayed a brine along the tracks.

 

Also, I've had my ticket checked twice now by a uniformed police officer, so I don't think many people are riding for free.

They have devices that will drop sand on to the tracks to give them more traction. I'm not sure if it was malfunctioning on that particular streetcar or something.

They're not supposed to salt the tracks. Corrodes embedded electrical devices and deteriorates the rubber boot that prevents stray currents. They were probably spraying beet juice. Streetcars are equipped to drop sand on the tracks for traction.

I didn't see the ballot language for what they passed today, but the pervious version that they voted on explicitly mentioned giving signal priority to streetcars and Metro Plus buses.

 

It does not. This is the language in the ordinance:

 

AUTHORIZING the use of streetcar construction contingency dollars to fund a downtown traffic signal timing study.

 

WHEREAS, the City Administration has requested that City Council enact legislation to guide the Administration in prioritizing use of remaining streetcar project funds; and

 

WHEREAS, the City Administration has consulted with the Federal Transit Administration and determined that unallocated streetcar construction contingency funds are eligible to be used to pay for a downtown traffic signal timing study; now, therefore,

 

BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Cincinnati, State of Ohio: Section 1. That Council, with the anticipated concurrence of the Federal Transit Administration, hereby approves the use of unallocated streetcar contingency funds to pay for a downtown traffic signal timing study at an estimated cost of $300,000. The City Administration shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the signal timing study results in recommendations for the efficient movement of all users of the public right-of-way taking into account, at minimum, users of automobiles, buses, the Cincinnati Bell Connector, bicycles, and pedestrians. Study recommendations shall be consistent with best practices for traffic engineering.

 

Section 2. That the City Administration shall present a signal retiming plan to Council based on the final recommendations of the signal retiming study and obtain approval by Council prior to implementing any such plan.

 

Section 3. That the proper City officials are authorized to do all things necessary and proper to carry out the provisions of this ordinance.

That's unfortunate. Hopefully signal priority is still studied since council already passed a resolution requesting DOTE does so, even though it was not mentioned in this ordinance.

Jason Williams from The Enquirer was just on WVXU and declared that "all of the streetcars are empty".  He also didn't know who Rob Richardson was until this past week. 

He must be very impressive to be able to be on all the streetcars, all the time, to be able to make that assessment.

He must be very impressive to be able to be on all the streetcars, all the time, to be able to make that assessment.

 

Incidentally, I have been the only person on the streetcar 2-3 times late at night on a Monday or Tuesday.  It seems like the thing rides a lot more smoothly when there are at least a dozen and more like two dozen people aboard.  It accelerates and brakes a lot more smoothly with some weight in the back. 

Looked like pretty decent crowds today despite the bitter cold.

Online Poll (I think this is relevant for obvious reasons):

 

If you were voting today, which candidate would you select for Cincinnati's mayor?

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/pulse/poll/if-you-were-voting-today-which-candidate-would-you-select-for-cincinnatis-mayor/20955645

Wow, Simpson is crushing them so far