Shutting it down from Monday to Thursday on a random week in March is about the best possible option. Hopefully they will decide to keep the OTR loop up and running during the downtown closure. They would probably only need to run 1 streetcar for those 4 days.

I think an engineer could come up with a steel brace that would support the rail while the concrete cured, so that it would only have to be closed for one night.

I took the streetcar to Findlay Market for lunch today, and the arrival signs and Metro's bus-tracker website were pretty much correct.  Bus-tracker was maybe a minute behind, but I saw it jump ahead a few times to catch up.  If they could just make that website mobile-friendly it would be lightyears better.  It doesn't necessarily even need to be mobile-friendly/responsive, just make it actually functional.  Like by put the routes in a pull-down menu instead of a long list that won't scroll without accidentally clicking on a route you don't want, or getting stuck when trying to zoom, or diverting clicks/pinches to the map rather than the list.  Or at the very least allow routes to be saved/bookmarked for easier retrieval.  Who do I talk to about this?  I'll have my people get in touch with their people and we'll do lunch. 

Units 207 and 208 have been staged and listed at the new 15th & Race condos...the streetcar is featured prominently in the listings:

 

https://www.sibcycline.com/Listing/CIN/1528919/1509-Race-St-208-Cincinnati-OH-45202

 

https://www.sibcycline.com/Listing/CIN/1528935/1509-Race-St-207-Cincinnati-OH-45208

^ By my calculations, $500/sq. ft. If they get that I am impressed.

Those seem pretty nice in places - casement windows seem rare in new construction, and many of the other finishes seem nice - but man did they cheap out in the closets with that bargain-basement shelving.  I mean, why not spend a couple hundred bucks for better materials in a $425k apartment?

Not sure why they didn't put in a double vanity in the master, at $425K with all the counter space seems like a given...

 

Also, I have noticed all these new condo has the microwave low, how do you control the thing? are there buttons on the top when you open it? or do you have to bend down to operate it.

Wow, that seems way overpriced to me.  I am no expert, but it seems the smaller developers get way way more bang for the buck.  The windows are cool though with a sweet view ;-)

 

jmblec2: My girlfriend's parents have a microwave like that after they re-modeled their kitchen, hard to see if that is the same type though, but theirs has a button that slides it open then you place the food inside the microwave from the top.  The keyboard for the controls also angles up so you just look downward at the keyboard to type in what you want after it opens so no bending over really.

 

 

City Council is getting a presentation on the city's plan to repave 120 lane-miles of streets this year and do preventative maintenance on another 150 lane-miles. Of course, this discussion is bringing out a bunch of wacky, off-topic comments from anti-streetcar council members. Smitherman is talking about how building phase 2 of the streetcar would prevent the city from maintaining our streets. (Why are the streetcar opponents so obsessed with Phase 2 right now when no supporters are even proposing a streetcar extension?) Winburn said that the streetcar doesn't belong downtown because the streets are too narrow. Alrighty then.

Wow, that seems way overpriced to me.  I am no expert, but it seems the smaller developers get way way more bang for the buck.  The windows are cool though with a sweet view ;-)

 

jmblec2: My girlfriend's parents have a microwave like that after they re-modeled their kitchen, hard to see if that is the same type though, but theirs has a button that slides it open then you place the food inside the microwave from the top.  The keyboard for the controls also angles up so you just look downward at the keyboard to type in what you want after it opens so no bending over really.

 

Thanks for the insight!

A few months ago I heard someone at work complaining that they couldn't make a delivery on Main St. because the "trolley tracks" took the loading zone.  I showed them that block's loading zone on Google Streetview.  They flicked their eyes over but said nothing.  Later in the day, they repeated their claim.  Today, I heard the claim made once more. 

 

Facts don't matter.  Anti-streetcar hysteria is permanently ingrained in the minds of all the knuckleheads out there who think that they "think for themselves" when really they're total suckers for 700 WLW. 

That's true for the hardcore opponents, but I think a lot of people in the middle who were skeptical are starting to come around. They are starting to realize that the current problems are due to the city's mismanagement of the system -- inability to keep cars from blocking the tracks, refusal to re-time traffic signals to make traffic move more efficiently, inability to run enough streetcars during big events, closure of the streetcar during events when it would have high ridership, etc. But what do you expect when you put an anti-streetcar administration in charge of running a streetcar?

Two streetcar articles currently on Cincinnati.com...

 

 

Want to ride the streetcar on Opening Day? You'll have to wait

 

The Cincinnati streetcar won't run on Opening Day until after the parade ends.

 

Specifically, on April 3 the streetcar will begin running in Over-the-Rhine after the parade ends and no later than 3 p.m. for the Downtown loop. The news emerged at Council's Major Transportation Committee.

 

Paul Grether, rail manager for the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which oversees the streetcar, urged patience.

 

"We directed Transdev (which operates the streetcar) to move as quickly as possible," Grether said. "We'll need to inspect the line and check the power just to make sure everyone is safe."

 

[/url]

 

 

Finally, monthly streetcar passes coming

 

Regular streetcar riders have been clamoring for the option to buy a monthly pass since it opened in September, only to be told it's not possible.

 

But that will change come summer.

 

Sallie Hilvers, a spokeswoman for the agency that oversees streetcar operations, announced the limited-time offer during Cincinnati City Council's Major Transportation Committee meeting Tuesday.

 

Beginning in May, passes will be sold for June, July and August.

 

Cont

 

 

Of course, no headlines for:

 

In February, streetcar ridership rose for the first time, clocking in at 36,677 riders. That's up from 35,334 in January. Fares through January, the most recent data available, show the project is running in the black, $147,730 above projections.

Is the Cincinnati Streetcar part of the transit system?  If so, isn't a monthly pass something that exists already?

I certainly hope that the digital signs are made to read "Service Resumes at 3pm", not "DELAYED". 

If you have a Metro Zone 1 or higher monthly pass, you can use it to ride the streetcar for free. However it doesn't make financial sense, because the streetcar is only $2/day to ride and the Metro monthly pass is $70. So you'd be spending more to get a monthly pass than to buy a new ticket every day. What people are asking for is a monthly streetcar-only pass. Portland charges $40/month for their streetcar-only pass.

Thanks

Cincinnati streetcar sets partial shutdown date

 

 

The Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar will partially shut down for repairs after its weekend service concludes.

 

The streetcar will shut down on Sunday, March 19 after its regular service ends at 11 p.m. At that time, the downtown loop will close for four days for repairs. It’s expected to reopen on Thursday.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/03/14/cincinnati-streetcar-sets-partial-shutdown-date.html

I'm somewhat amazed that the streetcar is being shut down at all during this event.  The parade could simply be shifted to Vine St., where it would cross the streetcar tracks at a 90 degree angle at 12th and Central Parkway.  The parade could then turn east at fifth, as it always has, and again cross the tracks at right angles at Walnut and Main.  The streetcars can simply be directed to cross the parade by police officers.  It will take 30 seconds for the streetcars to pass through the intersections.  The business with danger from the overhead wires is eliminated by telling everyone who is twirling a baton to look the hell out.

 

They just don't want to make it work. 

They just don't want to make it work.

 

There could not be a more perfect summary of the current administration's attitude towards the streetcar.

Finally, monthly streetcar passes coming

 

Regular streetcar riders have been clamoring for the option to buy a monthly pass since it opened in September, only to be told it's not possible.

 

But that will change come summer.

 

Sallie Hilvers, a spokeswoman for the agency that oversees streetcar operations, announced the limited-time offer during Cincinnati City Council's Major Transportation Committee meeting Tuesday.

 

Beginning in May, passes will be sold for June, July and August.

 

Cont

 

At the last council meeting where monthly passes were brought up, we were told that it would take potentially up to 8 months to implement, because any time we want to change the fare structure, we have to get permission from the FTA (since we used their money to build it). However Metro is allowed to do a "promotional" rate without seeking permission. So the are doing monthly passes for the summer as a promotion to see how it works. In the mean time they will continue to seek FTA permission to implement monthly passes permanently.

I tuned into 700WLW this morning for the first time since the election.  Was treated to 30 minutes of anti-streetcar anger.  I thought they were done but they left for a news report and came back to bash the streetcar some more.  In addition to ragging on the streetcar and predicting that it would be rendered completely obsolete by driverless cars, the host asserted that you can't find Mark Mallory to answer for this disaster because he's away on an island with his man-servants. 

 

This was all in response, I think, to the announced Opening Day closure.  So Cranley's stunt won him 48 hours of talk radio adulation. 

 

I tuned into 700WLW this morning for the first time since the election.  Was treated to 30 minutes of anti-streetcar anger.  I thought they were done but they left for a news report and came back to bash the streetcar some more.  In addition to ragging on the streetcar and predicting that it would be rendered completely obsolete by driverless cars, the host asserted that you can't find Mark Mallory to answer for this disaster because he's away on an island with his man-servants. 

 

This was all in response, I think, to the announced Opening Day closure.  So Cranley's stunt won him 48 hours of talk radio adulation.

 

 

Two whole years after Casey wrote this wonderful article, it still rings true on an almost daily basis. Cant wait till all these elected officials 'move on' Not in attitude, since that will never change but out of city and other elected positions. Get out there and VOTE everyone!!! http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/042815-casey-coston-streetcar-opponents.aspx

 

I tuned into 700WLW this morning for the first time since the election.  Was treated to 30 minutes of anti-streetcar anger.  I thought they were done but they left for a news report and came back to bash the streetcar some more.  In addition to ragging on the streetcar and predicting that it would be rendered completely obsolete by driverless cars, the host asserted that you can't find Mark Mallory to answer for this disaster because he's away on an island with his man-servants. 

 

This was all in response, I think, to the announced Opening Day closure.  So Cranley's stunt won him 48 hours of talk radio adulation. 

 

 

WLW had lost interest in the streetcar almost completely; they replaced it with talking about the Reds instead. But if they are given an opportunity to talk about how the streetcar could somehow negatively affect the Reds they are going to prance with glee.

Two whole years after Casey wrote this wonderful article, it still rings true on an almost daily basis. Cant wait till all these elected officials 'move on' Not in attitude, since that will never change but out of city and other elected positions. Get out there and VOTE everyone!!! http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/042815-casey-coston-streetcar-opponents.aspx

 

Right. One of the loudest voices out there who seems to be Tweeting and Facebooking anti-streetcar stuff 24/7 is Dusty Rhodes, who is supposed to be working as your Hamilton County Auditor. He also continues to be endorsed by the Hamilton County Democratic Party, which is yet another reason why that organization needs an enema.

I tuned into 700WLW this morning for the first time since the election.  Was treated to 30 minutes of anti-streetcar anger.  I thought they were done but they left for a news report and came back to bash the streetcar some more.  In addition to ragging on the streetcar and predicting that it would be rendered completely obsolete by driverless cars, the host asserted that you can't find Mark Mallory to answer for this disaster because he's away on an island with his man-servants. 

 

This was all in response, I think, to the announced Opening Day closure.  So Cranley's stunt won him 48 hours of talk radio adulation. 

 

 

While they tend to skew against the streetcar, obviously they have concerns, some are unfounded others are legitimate. As a supporter of the streetcar, how would you address their legitimate concerns about the project. What are some flaws with the current project you do see Jake?

 

 

While they tend to skew against the streetcar, obviously they have concerns, some are unfounded others are legitimate. As a supporter of the streetcar, how would you address their legitimate concerns about the project. What are some flaws with the current project you do see Jake?

 

The remaining streetcar opponents are dead set against it, and nothing you can ever say will convince them that it's not a complete and total failure. They do not have "legitimate" concerns -- they are "concern trolling".

 

Leading up to the streetcar's opening, they would say "no one will ride it" or "only hipsters will ride it". Now that it's open and anyone can see that it's packed full of people, mostly white baby boomers, every single weekend, the opponents have changed their arguments and say, "well, it's still useless!" Literally nothing you can say will ever change their mind. Those people are not worth arguing with.

 

That's why people like Chris Smitherman aren't even taking about the current streetcar anymore, they're yelling and screaming about how "phase 2 will bankrupt the city!" Because no reasonable people are against Phase 1 anymore...it's open, it works, and it's on track to have over 1 million rides in its first year of operations. New developments are popping up along the route, and landlords and realtors are using proximity to the streetcar as a selling point. Fare revenue is above expectations so it's running in the black. There is no way any reasonable person can spin it and say, "it's a failure."

^ There is certainly a faction of dead set against it and will never change their mind. That is true. However, listening through the muck, there are legitimate concerns that can be separated from the absurd concerns that by addressing the legitimate concerns it makes proponents arguments stronger when it comes to pushing for expansion, changes, etc.

 

I heard Amy Murray today, and while she is not a streetcar supporter, she takes a very pragmatic view of things and did address some concerns that were legitimate, and as a stakeholder, she was actively trying to address. She did not go on saying that this project is a big boondoggle that should never happen and no one should ride it for that reason, which the trolls do, but rather how to improve the system. WHen people express their concerns constructively like this, they merit discussion.

 

As for me, while a fan of the streetcar, I would have much rather seen a larger more comprehensive rail service akin to Metro Moves, but alas that was defeated.  While I hope to get there someday, the success of the streetcar is imperative to that, which is why it is important to understand and address the areas where it is coming up short.

 

My biggest complaint about it, is that it offers very little convenience. Either traffic gets in the way or it is behind schedule from Red/lights etc. this defeats the point of the system. I have ridden the car about 3 times so far. The last time was from ftn square to the banks with a group. I would have preferred to walk and it would have been shorter because of the wait and delay in the streetcar. The majority of areas where I would go in the city would be more convenient to walk than ride the streetcar. This is a legitimate concern I think. If there was an effective way to improve service times, then it may make some judgment calls about riding more favorable.  This is just one concern I would say is legitimate.

I tuned into 700WLW this morning for the first time since the election.  Was treated to 30 minutes of anti-streetcar anger.  I thought they were done but they left for a news report and came back to bash the streetcar some more.  In addition to ragging on the streetcar and predicting that it would be rendered completely obsolete by driverless cars, the host asserted that you can't find Mark Mallory to answer for this disaster because he's away on an island with his man-servants. 

 

This was all in response, I think, to the announced Opening Day closure.  So Cranley's stunt won him 48 hours of talk radio adulation. 

 

What are some flaws with the current project you do see Jake?

 

 

I have a few ideas...some are free and some that are multi-million, but I don't see anything improving until Cranley is out of there.  It's imperative that anyone with time this fall get out there and canvass or volunteer in some other way for Richardson or Simpson. 

 

 

 

 

To answer your question, there are many legitimate issues that need to be corrected. They include:

 

• City needs to do a better job of ticketing/towing people who park on the tracks. They need to install better signage, and in some places bollards, to prevent people from doing so. They are slowly doing this, but it's like pulling teeth. They finally just installed "do not park on the tracks" signs at Findlay Market, which was the area that had the most delays.  I also noticed on Friday that the Rhinegeist valet has finally been moved to the west side of Elm Street so that it doesn't block the tracks.
  
• New traffic signal timing plan needs to be implemented. City Council passed a motion stating that the traffic signals should give priority to the streetcar and Metro Plus buses, but the administration has ignored this request. From what I'm hearing, the administration is doing such a scaled-down traffic study right now, that it might not even improve traffic flow at all. The streetcar signal at Government Square also seems to malfunction from time to time, resulting in the system having to temporarily shut down. Fix it!
  
• The city needs to stop shutting down the streetcar during big events. Make the parades and festivals move off the streetcar route so that the streetcar can keep running. This is such a no-brainer. Shutting the streetcar down on days that would have huge ridership is a sure way to make it fail.
  
• Implement monthly streetcar passes. A lot of people like me would subscribe to a monthly pass at $40 or $50 a month, instead of only buying a $2 pass on the days that we ride. Easy way to generate money from supporters.
  
• Install signage and/or move the traffic signals at certain intersections to make it clear to people where to stop at red lights in order to not block the tracks. For example at 12th & Main or Central Parkway & Walnut, people pull way too far into the intersection and block the tracks. When the streetcar comes through, it has to blow its locomotive horn to get the car to back up so the streetcar can go through. Little delays like this add up.
  
• Get real time streetcar tracking to work with the Cincy EZ Ride app and other apps.
  
• Work with CAF (the streetcar manufacturer) to fix the remaining issues with the streetcars. All of the problems are covered under warranty, we just need someone at the city who gives a damn to put in the effort and have them fix the problems.
  

 

Most of these things are not expensive or hard to do. It just requires a city administration who cares about fixing these problems. If we get a pro-streetcar mayor in office, these problems would be fixed in 3 months.

 

I also want to give credit to the city, Metro, and Transdev for all of the problems that have fixed already. Real-time arrival screens at the stations seem to be working now, with the exception of 12th & Main. The new ticket buying process is much less confusing. Drivers seem to be getting used to driving near the streetcar and the number of accidents has fallen off quite dramatically.

I tuned into 700WLW this morning for the first time since the election.  Was treated to 30 minutes of anti-streetcar anger.  I thought they were done but they left for a news report and came back to bash the streetcar some more.  In addition to ragging on the streetcar and predicting that it would be rendered completely obsolete by driverless cars, the host asserted that you can't find Mark Mallory to answer for this disaster because he's away on an island with his man-servants. 

 

This was all in response, I think, to the announced Opening Day closure.  So Cranley's stunt won him 48 hours of talk radio adulation. 

 

What are some flaws with the current project you do see Jake?

 

 

I have a few ideas...some are free and some that are multi-million, but I don't see anything improving until Cranley is out of there.  It's imperative that anyone with time this fall get out there and canvass or volunteer in some other way for Richardson or Simpson. 

 

 

Don't vote for Richardson, he is a complete clown. Simpson is genuine. Richardson is just pandering.

Regarding Amy Murray: For most of the past 3 years, she has been the "adult voice" in the room. Even though she opposed the streetcar originally, she has been working on solutions to these problems as head of the Transportation Committee. Unfortunately, now that it's campaign season again, she has shifted back into streetcar bashing mode. (Thank God we have 4-year city council terms now so we get 3 productive years out of Council members before they shift back into campaign mode.)

Regarding Amy Murray: For most of the past 3 years, she has been the "adult voice" in the room. Even though she opposed the streetcar originally, she has been working on solutions to these problems as head of the Transportation Committee. Unfortunately, now that it's campaign season again, she has shifted back into streetcar bashing mode. (Thank God we have 4-year city council terms now so we get 3 productive years out of Council members before they shift back into campaign mode.)

 

Is there some kind of rail-hating disease in Cincinnati, so bad that even Democrats, like the current mayor, oppose and bash projects like the streetcar?  I realize it's really an Ohio disease whereby we in Cleveland have it pretty bad, too, even where we have a legacy rapid transit system.  But Cincy seems the worst especially since it is the most ideally suited Ohio city for rapid transit but yet, going all the way back to the 1920s subway project, local pols always burnish their reps by trashing and usually killing rail transit projects. 

Most commutes today are from suburb to suburb, which of course is not compatible with transit. Only 14% of jobs in Hamilton County are located downtown. When suburbanites who need a car just to get out of their own subdivision were asked to vote for a sales tax for Metro Moves, I don't think it really helped the cause for public transit, especially after the stadium project ending up costing about twice what it was supposed to cost. 

 

It's not for a lack of planning that Cincinnati doesn't have better transit.

 

I lived in Cleveland for a while, used to ride the Rapid when going downtown, but it was not the most convenient. It did not connect some of the key job centers there in Strongsville, Independence areas, and did not extend far enough to really make an impact on some of the emerging suburbs like Richfield.  Being so close to Akron probably did not help either.

 

What it did do well was connect areas of town not easily served by the highway. Shaker and University Circle areas were not convenient to the highway, neither was some of the near West Side areas. The brilliant thing, although probably minimal was that it was able to encourage those who would otherwise have to drive, to have another option. This is what light rail should do in Cincy. Have an E/W line to go from Delhi to the uptown. have a N/S going from Mason to Blue Ash to Downtown through Clifton and Norwood. Continue the E/W line to Newtown and Eastgate or Milford. All these areas are underserved by highway. Don't compete with the highway, complement it. 

Most commutes today are from suburb to suburb, which of course is not compatible with transit. Only 14% of jobs in Hamilton County are located downtown. When suburbanites who need a car just to get out of their own subdivision were asked to vote for a sales tax for Metro Moves, I don't think it really helped the cause for public transit, especially after the stadium project ending up costing about twice what it was supposed to cost. 

 

Only a fraction of all trips are commutes.  That's why slower in-street light rail has had such a high ROI as compared to new commuter-oriented light railroads.  Houston's slow in-street light rail is blowing away the suburb-oriented DART network in Dallas. 

 

 

Don't compete with the highway, complement it. 

 

Well putting transit stops right at the big suburban office nodes like Rookwood and Kenwood would certainly compete and compliment.  There is a lot of potential here in Cincinnati for TOD's at the major I-75 interchanges at Hopple St. and Mitchell Ave.  That's right where the existing subway leads. 

It's not for a lack of planning that Cincinnati doesn't have better transit.

 

It was a lack of planning that allowed sprawl to happen in the first place, which allowed for people to move to these auto-dependent places. And the taxpayers of course funded all of the roads, highways, water and sewer systems that allowed development to happen in those places.

 

If we (America) had planned better over the years, we would've put policies in place that encouraged new development in areas that were already served by transit, roads, water, and sewer, and if developers wanted to build outside of that area, require them to pay for all the infrastructure themselves instead of getting a handout from the taxpayers.

 

But these are the mistakes that were made in America over the past ~70 years that current and future generations of Americans must correct.

...I have ridden the car about 3 times so far. The last time was from ftn square to the banks with a group. I would have preferred to walk and it would have been shorter because of the wait and delay in the streetcar. The majority of areas where I would go in the city would be more convenient to walk than ride the streetcar. This is a legitimate concern I think. If there was an effective way to improve service times, then it may make some judgment calls about riding more favorable.  This is just one concern I would say is legitimate.

 

Why on earth would anyone want to take the streetcar from Fountain Square to The Banks?  That's only three blocks.  By my estimate it takes on average about 1 minute 30 seconds to walk a Cincinnati block at a leisurely pace.  I just don't understand why anyone would take the streetcar for a trip that would take less than five minutes to walk (weather notwithstanding).  The only reason I have run across from a few people was that they just wanted to try out the streetcar even though they had no real reason to do so.  It makes little sense to me to use it as an amusement ride, but to each their own I guess.

^ I thought the same thing myself but we were with a group, and they wanted to take it so I reluctantly agreed.

I guess I'm just not getting why someone would complain about frequency and speed when the streetcar arrives on average ever six minutes or so and they're wanting to travel the distance of three blocks.  It's like when someone complains about their commute when they just moved across the river from where they work.  It's entirely bad decision making not poorly designed infrastructure.

It was a lack of planning that allowed sprawl to happen in the first place

 

Naw, sprawl was deliberately planned. Read old planning documents from the 1920's through the 1950's and you will see that auto-oriented development was encouraged by policy. These policies continue to exist in the form of zoning codes, highway policies, etc., though today's planners are starting to lean away from auto-oriented development.

 

The 1948 plan specifically said that the bus system would be temporarily necessary until all citizens had automobiles!

 

 

 

"The central cities need to come down." - LeCorbusier, "City of Tomorrow."  :-o

And what the "planning" of that area failed to predict is the long-term consequences of those decisions. The cost of maintaining all of that new highway infrastructure that future generations would be unwilling to pay. The additional burden placed on low income individuals who can't afford a car but now live in an auto-oriented city and country. Like I said, these are the mistakes that were made in America over the past ~70 years that current and future generations of Americans must correct.

Well, they say that Generals are always prepared for the previous war.

 

"Times change, and we change with them." - William Henry Harrison

It's fascinating to read these old plans. Here's a comparison between streetcars and buses from 1924:

 

"It is generally agreed by traction specialists that unless there is enough available clientele along a route to warrant an average of a 10, or at most, a 12 minute headway, autobuses are more economical than street cars, (operating and overhead expenses both included.)"

 

So, they said in 1924 that if you can fill a streetcar every 10 minutes, then build the streetcar. If you can't, then operate a bus instead.

Well, they say that Generals are always prepared for the previous war.

 

"Times change, and we change with them." - William Henry Harrison

 

Almost all of the New York Subway system is 100 years old and serves 6 million riders per day.  Pretty confident it will still be running in something close to its current configuration in another 100. 

 

All around the world, cities are building subway lines and lots of them.  As we speak, tiny Qatar has 24 TBM's digging 3 or 4 subway lines simultaneously. 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what you're arguing for. Are you saying that since many parts of Hamilton County are suburban, we should simply not serve those areas with transit and not ask them to pay into Metro? To a certain extent, I agree with that. I think if Hamilton County is unwilling to pass a Metro tax, Cincinnati should try to increase frequency within city limits and decrease or eliminate routes that go outside city limits. Unfortunately I don't think it's quite that simple. While Cincinnati provides the funding, SORTA was founded as a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and there are certain legal privileges and requirements that come along with that. For example, SORTA has to provide paratransit service anywhere it's needed within its service boundaries.

I'm not sure what you're arguing for. Are you saying that since many parts of Hamilton County are suburban, we should simply not serve those areas with transit and not ask them to pay into Metro? To a certain extent, I agree with that. I think if Hamilton County is unwilling to pass a Metro tax, Cincinnati should try to increase frequency within city limits and decrease or eliminate routes that go outside city limits. Unfortunately I don't think it's quite that simple. While Cincinnati provides the funding, SORTA was founded as a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and there are certain legal privileges and requirements that come along with that. For example, SORTA has to provide paratransit service anywhere it's needed within its service boundaries.

 

Yes, but that service area is defined as within 3/4 of a mile of fixed route service. If metro cuts routes, it could reduce it paratransit service to match.

I'm not sure what you're arguing for.

 

Sorry about the rambling.