That is very unusual. Usually the drivers will wait for someone purchasing tickets.

Stopping and waiting (“dwell time”) before arriving at the Banks stop sounds utterly implausible. Hate to call out a new forum user but these posts seem suspect to me.

Stopping and waiting (“dwell time”) before arriving at the Banks stop sounds utterly implausible. Hate to call out a new forum user but these posts seem suspect to me.

 

???

 

I don't understand what is suspect about my posts? I had an older account (maybe 5-6 years old) that I couldn't access, albeit with only a few posts.

 

I am in the Dayton area, but I visit Downtown/OTR any chance I get. It feels like another world outside of Ohio, I spent some time in  Europe and it makes me feel like I am back there. The streetcar just adds to that feeling and is a great asset even without major improvements. I just wish a couple of these smaller issues could be ironed out to improve upon that (and its expanded at some point).

 

I have introduced maybe 10-15 people to rail transit for the first time via the streetcar, including some middle-aged suburbanites who only hear mis-information spread by the media. They turned a 180 and try to find an excuse to ride it when they are downtown for any event or at the market or whatever.

 

I just thought that transit fans like me (I lurk a lot here) would be interested in hearing feedback from one of the target crowds, "tourists" who park in the basin somewhere and use it to circulate between attractions or events.

 

I guess you don't have to believe the "dwell time" comment, but I thought I would share it because its the first time that had happened in that location. It was a little painful to sit there in plain view of the Banks stop and just be stuck waiting. The leg from central parkway to the banks on walnut is the most painfully slow part of the system, and the leg I ride the most. (I often park in OTR and eat somewhere there before riding to a Reds game). Main northbound seems to move a lot faster. And, as already posted, Elm/Race are quick enough as well.

Streetcar presentation today at 1pm at city hall. Starts around page 73: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/meeting-agendas-minutes/major-projects-smart-government/

Stopping and waiting (“dwell time”) before arriving at the Banks stop sounds utterly implausible. Hate to call out a new forum user but these posts seem suspect to me.

 

I live on 4th street so I walk around this area a lot. Just this past week I saw the streetcar waiting between 3rd and 2nd street on 4th, in the northern section of the block. It was very odd to see this and I've never see it do this before. It was waiting there and not advancing to the light. I'm not sure if this is a "dwell time" but I did witness something like this (what greenville2 is describing).

Streetcar presentation today at 1pm at city hall. Starts around page 73: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/meeting-agendas-minutes/major-projects-smart-government/

 

Somebody botched this pretty badly... I know the revenue here should grow over time, but this estimate was way off:

 

Original projections for the VTICA budget line for FY 2018 was $400,000...

 

For FY 2018, the revised projection, based on actual Auditor values and VTICA invoices, totals $36,000 resulting in a $364,000 shortfall to the Streetcar budget.

 

What about the recently studied Subway extensions(specifically completing the Walnut Street subway)? If the streetcar is built, wouldn't subway construction close the Walnut Street running portion? Would the streetcar prohibit this extension?

 

Here's a post of mine from 9 years ago. I guess I started reading here about 11 years ago, time flies.

Streetcar presentation today at 1pm at city hall. Starts around page 73: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/meeting-agendas-minutes/major-projects-smart-government/

 

Somebody botched this pretty badly... I know the revenue here should grow over time, but this estimate was way off:

 

Original projections for the VTICA budget line for FY 2018 was $400,000...

 

For FY 2018, the revised projection, based on actual Auditor values and VTICA invoices, totals $36,000 resulting in a $364,000 shortfall to the Streetcar budget.

 

Yes. It is incredible that they developed budget projections assuming that the Auditor would value buildings based on the renovation cost. It's almost as if these sorts of critical calculations are just left to some low level IT staff person who knows how to query a data base, as opposed to someone familiar with the process the Auditor actually uses.

There has to be more to that story than auditor valuations. Seems like a more drastic mistake was made -- i.e., mixing up the property tax earned in 2017 with the property tax payable in 2017, or something of that nature. On top of that, several of the big projects that were going to pay into VTICA have stalled. And of course some projects like the Court & Walnut tower have been exempted from paying into VTICA at all.

yes part of it is delays - they mention both that and the valuation in the reporting. But their assumption of valuation == cost could result it, say, a 50% long term reduction in income estimate. I don't think that's out of the question at all.

 

Whatever it is, it is stupid.

Cranley just posted this short video on Twitter of him riding the streetcar... it doesn't have any commentary, which makes it rather cryptic. Is he trying to send a political message (no other passengers visible on the vehicle)? Does he know how to use his phone?

 

^if he was trying to make a statement about an empty streetcar, he didn’t notice all the new construction visible outside the windows

I am a bit suspicious of the pro-streetcar social media messages from Cranley and certain SORTA board members. I think they are starting to realize that their apathy/neglect towards the streetcar is going to blow up in their faces if something really bad happens (i.e., Cincinnati Bell decides to pull their sponsorship).

Stopping and waiting (“dwell time”) before arriving at the Banks stop sounds utterly implausible. Hate to call out a new forum user but these posts seem suspect to me.

 

I live on 4th street so I walk around this area a lot. Just this past week I saw the streetcar waiting between 3rd and 2nd street on 4th, in the northern section of the block. It was very odd to see this and I've never see it do this before. It was waiting there and not advancing to the light. I'm not sure if this is a "dwell time" but I did witness something like this (what greenville2 is describing).

 

Yeah, it makes no sense. Just take the dwell time at The Banks stop with access to the doors.

I heard the streetcar make as much noise as I've ever heard today rounding the curve at 12th & Main.  It's pretty obvious that they aren't being properly maintained. 

Cincinnati considers making its streetcar free

 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/05/22/cincinnati-bell-connector-councilman-proposes-eliminating-fares/633246002/

It should have been free from the beginning.  If they change to make it free moving forward I would think they'd have to come up with/revise the way money gets put into the streetcar budget.  They already started down a slippery slope allowing the new Kroger building/garage/apartment complex to be exempt from giving toward the streetcar. 

Hopefully City Council can figure out the financing to make this happen. The point of the streetcar isn't to make a profit from people riding it; it's to make it extremely easy for people to get around the urban core and encourage new development along the route. So make it free. The existing TVMs at all of the stations can continue to sell bus passes. The only "gotcha" I can imagine is that security costs will likely go up as the number of riders increases. As long as the city can pay for that, I think it's a great idea.

700WLW just suggested selling advertising on the side of the streetcars.  Seems totally unaware that the streetcars are wrapped in Cincinnati Bell festoonery, plus have a second advertisement. 

Has everyone seen the additional advertising signage available on the sides of the station pay locations as well?  Seems like they are doing plenty if not too much on the advertising part.

Has everyone seen the additional advertising signage available on the sides of the station pay locations as well?  Seems like they are doing plenty if not too much on the advertising part.

 

This move also covered up the route maps, so anyone not familiar with the route or who is from out of town would have no idea where it goes.

700WLW just suggested selling advertising on the side of the streetcars.  Seems totally unaware that the streetcars are wrapped in Cincinnati Bell festoonery, plus have a second advertisement. 

 

Sweet! It's so awesome that people who have never even looked at the streetcar are providing helpful suggestions on how to improve it!

If making it free can generate more revenue and sufficiently increase ridership (not just add a few new riders) then I am all for it. The biggest flaw with the streetcar is that it does not go to where people need to go in a fast enough manner. It is not necessarily a good transportation model.  I think part of the vision was that all the people who live in OTR and work downtown would use it to commute to work, which has proven false and also was not realistic from the start.

 

What it does well is circulate to the attractions on the track but it misses certain key attractions like the Casino and Convention Center and also the majority of hotels (only really touches AC, 21C, and Westin. Downtown being so compact also does not play well to using the streetcar.

 

With some of the Breweries and growth of OTR as an entertainment area, Music Hall, Rhinegeist, Washington Park, people now have a reason to take it North. The soccer stadium will help this too.

 

Any expansion should not be to bring it to uptown, we need other regional transportation plans for that. It should be to add spurs to the convention center & Casino and maybe even Museum Center. Have it touch the key attractions in the area, that is why people will take it. Heck imagine the city or Museum Center being able to generate additional revenue by selling parking for Reds or Bengals games. They cant do this now but with the Streetcar extension that is feasible.

As John Schneider has said, the decision was made very early on to make it a system focused on residents rather than visitors. I know people who live in OTR who use it to commute to work. The bigger problem is that dense development along the route is happening slower than expected, i.e., with projects like Liberty & Elm being delayed. That will change as more residential projects along the route move forward. Additionally it's hard to build daily ridership when it doesn't run reliably on schedule. That's not a problem with "the streetcar," it's a problem with the city administration and their unwillingness to ticket cars that block the tracks, to encourage CPD and CFD to not block the track unless it's an actual emergency, to fix the GPS tracking, and to adjust the downtown traffic lights to reduce the amount of time that the streetcar spends stuck at red lights.

Right now we only ride the streetcar when I have my kids downtown and they want to ride the trolly around to Washington Park, etc.

 

When I am downtown and want to go from Ft. Sq to the Stadiums or to Washington Park, it is much easier and enjoyable to walk it. This is the biggest shortfall of the Streetcar. The red light fix will take care of some of the problem, but running in traffic on the downtown streets does not really help with a speedy commute process.

 

THe only issue I have about the resident issue is what is the critical mass to make it worth commuting from and using during the week. I don't think you can ever really get there for 2 key reasons.

1) most of OTR is not on the streetcar line or even 1 block away. Walking more than a block or so only to wait 10 minutes to go downtown, is not any more efficient than just walking from the start.

2) it is assumed that everyone in OTR along the line works downtown and will commute downtown. While downtown is on the rise, the jobs there are not significantly more than what where there 20 years ago. Plus, as with the first point, not all of those downtown jobs are on the Streetcar line. If I worked in say 4th and Vine tower or 84.51, I don't know if my first thought would be the streetcar. In addition, there are plenty of people who live on the line who may work in Uptown or Blue Ash or NKY, which having the Streetcar does them little good for commuting during the week.

 

That was a key flaw in thinking of it as a residential transportation modal.

 

 

When I am downtown and want to go from Ft. Sq to the Stadiums or to Washington Park, it is much easier and enjoyable to walk it. This is the biggest shortfall of the Streetcar. The red light fix will take care of some of the problem, but running in traffic on the downtown streets does not really help with a speedy commute process.

 

There really isn't that much traffic on downtown streets other than at certain peak times. I rode the streetcar from Washington Park to the Aronoff Center yesterday and most of the duration of that trip was spent stopped at red lights. Even though there was virtually no traffic on those streets. I think giving the streetcar more green lights (or better yet, signal priority) would be a much bigger overall improvement than giving it dedicated lanes

 

THe only issue I have about the resident issue is what is the critical mass to make it worth commuting from and using during the week. I don't think you can ever really get there for 2 key reasons.

1) most of OTR is not on the streetcar line or even 1 block away. Walking more than a block or so only to wait 10 minutes to go downtown, is not any more efficient than just walking from the start.

2) it is assumed that everyone in OTR along the line works downtown and will commute downtown. While downtown is on the rise, the jobs there are not significantly more than what where there 20 years ago. Plus, as with the first point, not all of those downtown jobs are on the Streetcar line. If I worked in say 4th and Vine tower or 84.51, I don't know if my first thought would be the streetcar. In addition, there are plenty of people who live on the line who may work in Uptown or Blue Ash or NKY, which having the Streetcar does them little good for commuting during the week.

 

That was a key flaw in thinking of it as a residential transportation modal.

 

Just because it's not primarily used as a tool for going to and from work doesn't mean that it's not a good tool for residential transportation. The vast majority of trips I make are not going to and from work. They are random point to point trips. I use the streetcar to go to the hardware store. Or to Smale Park. Or to meet friends for dinner. Or to Findlay Market for lunch. None of these are home-to-work trips but it's still a useful transportation tool to me as an OTR resident. I think some people have this idea that "if the streetcar doesn't take every person exactly where they need to go every time, it's a failure." That's just not true. If I'm going from Point A to Point B and the streetcar will help save me several blocks of walking, I will take the streetcar. If it doesn't, then I go another way. The net effect is that I go more places in the urban core because the streetcar exists. Just because other people use it as a novelty doesn't mean that it's not a valuable transportation tool for other people. (The same is true for RedBike.)

I don't necessarily disagree with you per se. but my main point is (and I don't know where you live) but chances are you are either Downtown and the Banks Or you are in OTR. It is not overly efficient to ride the Streetcar from 5th or 6th Street to the Banks or Smale Park, but yes it would work for going there from OTR and vice versa.

 

You point out how you use it for short trips which is great, as I mention, the key is creating destinations or opportunities for people to want to use it more. For example, the downtown Kroger will be a great asset. It is something people will use regularly and more importantly, allows people the ability to travel closer to home with their grocery bags without having to walk or drive. You mentioned the hardware store as another example. Any destination like this helps;

That was a key flaw in thinking of it as a residential transportation modal.

 

I don't believe that was the case.  The Findlay Market area was completely bombed-out back in 2006 when the streetcar route that now exists was first conceived.  The whole reason why a modern streetcar makes sense in a downtown area is because there exist wildly differing uses throughout a week.  Commuting is just one of them.  Festivals should be another, but Cranley loves to shut the thing down when a lot of people are in the area.  Thanks to Cranley, only 2 of the 5 streetcars were operational (the usual Sunday night service level) last year for Riverfest -- the biggest event of the year. 

 

The original late-2006/early-2007 streetcar proposal was Race/Elm from Second St. up to Findlay Market.  The lower half was shifted to Main/Walnut because of a perceived conflict of interest centering around Chris Bortz.  I have suggested in the past that the initial expansion of the streetcar system should be construction of Race/Elm below 12thSt to Second St.  So all streetcars would lead to Findlay Market and the Brewery District.  Someone in OTR could then choose which route to take depending on where they want to go downtown. 

 

It should be noted that the Race/Elm alignment to Second St.  is about 1200 feet shorter (3 blocks and 3 stoplights), so with the help of protected lanes, 2 streetcars could probably establish the same level of service as 3 do on the existing route.  The one high expense would be redecking the FWW overpasses, which was unnecessary at Main/Walnut due to preparations made back in 2000 for the I-71 light rail line that was studied by OKI in the late 90s. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think some people have this idea that "if the streetcar doesn't take every person exactly where they need to go every time, it's a failure." That's just not true.

 

I have to admit, even as a longtime advocate and someone who was so happy to see it get built, I was guilty of this mentality early on. On days when I wouldn't take the bus into Downtown for work, I'd drive and park at The Banks to ride the SC up to my office. Eventually, it became far easier/reliable/time efficient to just park in a garage closer to work for the same or a similar price. However, in that time, I've found myself constantly thinking about the streetcar for any random trip. If I want to run to lunch, grab a drink, hit a store, etc., it really comes in handy. Especially with OTR having so much stuff now, it's really a good way to get from the CBD to up that way when I don't want to deal with heat, cold, etc. Often, it truly saves me time when running errands.

 

Now, to Brutus' point: if it was more reliable/frequent it'd be nice. There are certainly times where I walk out of the office, see the wait times, and elect to walk (depending on destination/how much time I have). However, both of my parents (two Suburban Hamilton County Republican voters) have found the SC to be a tool that opens up the city to them. They're Reds' partial season ticket holders and now that the SC exists, they've seen it as a tool to get around. They now make a point to make a day out of ballgames. They specifically park in OTR, ride to the stadium, visit their games, and visit Findlay Market/other shops or grab food before and after via the streetcar. They're definitely not as familiar with the city or up for walking as much as I am (they like the idea of Redbike, but are wary of riding in the street), so they don't mind waiting for a train usually. They truly enjoy it and never seemed to have a view of "if it can't get me everywhere, what's the point?" For them, it has opened up Downtown as more than just a place to go see a ballgame.

 

They constantly bemoan that it doesn't go to Uptown for FCC matches. Working on introducing them to Metro+

Obviously all would have been better had not Kasich reallocated the State funds away from uptown. Uptown would have been wonderful and we would be seeing far greater ridership.  But let’s not blame the victim.  What happened in Columbus is not the city’s (Cincinnati) fault.  I live way north, when I come to Cincinnati for any reason, I park on Ohio Ave. for free, walk down the Ohio steps, hop on the streetcar, and I’m at Riverfront in minutes!  Please don’t tell anybody about this Lol:) haaa hahaa!  or all my free downtown parking spaces by Bellevue Park on Ohio will be taken?

It's amazing that more downtown office workers haven't discovered that they can park for free in northern OTR and take the streetcar down to the CBD for $2/day.

It's amazing that more downtown office workers haven't discovered that they can park for free in northern OTR and take the streetcar down to the CBD for $2/day.

 

The problem with this is that it adds 15 minutes to your commute even if you time it exactly right. So let's say it actually adds 20 minutes to your commute on average. That's 40 minutes per day lost. People really value their time.

Well, after driving for 30 minutes or whatever to get downtown, would you really want to spend an extra 10-20 minutes as well as the hassle of changing modes?  That's a tough sell for people who don't even like parking one or two aisles, let alone blocks, away from their destination (plus there's going to be extra walking to the office downtown from the nearest streetcar stop regardless).  $2/day comes out to about $45/month which is about half of what most lots/garages charge depending on the specific location, but that's not really a lot of money.  It's also hard for in-and-out types who might have to go to meetings because you can't rely on daily parking availability in a lot of places, especially in the 8:00-10:00 time frame, so in many cases you either need to go monthly or not at all, and once you do that there's no incentive to take an alternate mode because of the sunk cost. 

Not that long ago, people used to park at Broadway Commons for cheap and walk 15+ minutes to their office in the CBD to avoid the cost of a parking pass for an expensive downtown garage. Personally I wouldn't do that, but a lot of people did. These are the people I would expect to take advantage of free street parking in OTR.

A lot of places validate your parking if you have to drive downtown for a midday meeting, which discourages people from taking the bus or a cab. 

 

Also, renting space in a newer office building with on-site parking has a lot of value for this reason alone.  Many customers and vendors expect to simply drive into a garage and drive back out 90 minutes later.  They don't want to screw around with "finding parking". 

 

The reconstruction of FWW seems to have been tied directly to the eventuality of the Queen City Square tower.  Anyone driving to that tower from the east side has to negotiate exactly one traffic signal after exiting either I-71 or Columbia Parkway to enter that garage.  A few years ago I listened to some guy whose office is in that building gush about how "easy" it is to "get in and out" of that building.  It's always funny how self-imagined tough guys are so agitated by city "hassles". 

 

 

 

 

 

I just noticed that the Taste of Cincinnati shifted so all of the events are east of Main, allowing the streetcar and Govt Square buses to operate normally. Is this the first year that they are using this new layout?

Cranley will probably shut down the streetcar anyway

That was a key flaw in thinking of it as a residential transportation modal.

 

I don't believe that was the case.  The Findlay Market area was completely bombed-out back in 2006 when the streetcar route that now exists was first conceived.  The whole reason why a modern streetcar makes sense in a downtown area is because there exist wildly differing uses throughout a week.  Commuting is just one of them.  Festivals should be another, but Cranley loves to shut the thing down when a lot of people are in the area.  Thanks to Cranley, only 2 of the 5 streetcars were operational (the usual Sunday night service level) last year for Riverfest -- the biggest event of the year. 

 

The original late-2006/early-2007 streetcar proposal was Race/Elm from Second St. up to Findlay Market.  The lower half was shifted to Main/Walnut because of a perceived conflict of interest centering around Chris Bortz.  I have suggested in the past that the initial expansion of the streetcar system should be construction of Race/Elm below 12thSt to Second St.  So all streetcars would lead to Findlay Market and the Brewery District.  Someone in OTR could then choose which route to take depending on where they want to go downtown. 

 

It should be noted that the Race/Elm alignment to Second St.  is about 1200 feet shorter (3 blocks and 3 stoplights), so with the help of protected lanes, 2 streetcars could probably establish the same level of service as 3 do on the existing route.  The one high expense would be redecking the FWW overpasses, which was unnecessary at Main/Walnut due to preparations made back in 2000 for the I-71 light rail line that was studied by OKI in the late 90s. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bridges over FWW on Main and Walnut had sacrificial slabs to allow the tracks to be installed without rebuilding the bridge while the other bridges did not.

That was a key flaw in thinking of it as a residential transportation modal.

 

I don't believe that was the case.  The Findlay Market area was completely bombed-out back in 2006 when the streetcar route that now exists was first conceived.  The whole reason why a modern streetcar makes sense in a downtown area is because there exist wildly differing uses throughout a week.  Commuting is just one of them.  Festivals should be another, but Cranley loves to shut the thing down when a lot of people are in the area.  Thanks to Cranley, only 2 of the 5 streetcars were operational (the usual Sunday night service level) last year for Riverfest -- the biggest event of the year. 

 

The original late-2006/early-2007 streetcar proposal was Race/Elm from Second St. up to Findlay Market.  The lower half was shifted to Main/Walnut because of a perceived conflict of interest centering around Chris Bortz.  I have suggested in the past that the initial expansion of the streetcar system should be construction of Race/Elm below 12thSt to Second St.  So all streetcars would lead to Findlay Market and the Brewery District.  Someone in OTR could then choose which route to take depending on where they want to go downtown. 

 

It should be noted that the Race/Elm alignment to Second St.  is about 1200 feet shorter (3 blocks and 3 stoplights), so with the help of protected lanes, 2 streetcars could probably establish the same level of service as 3 do on the existing route.  The one high expense would be redecking the FWW overpasses, which was unnecessary at Main/Walnut due to preparations made back in 2000 for the I-71 light rail line that was studied by OKI in the late 90s. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bridges over FWW on Main and Walnut had sacrificial slabs to allow the tracks to be installed without rebuilding the bridge while the other bridges did not.

What sacrificial slabs?  Elm, Race and Vine are built the exact same way as Main and Walnut between 2nd and 3rd. 

 

What sacrificial slabs?  Elm, Race and Vine are built the exact same way as Main and Walnut between 2nd and 3rd. 

 

Actually they were not.  They appear the same but they had their concrete laid like layers in a cake.  Second St. above the transit center was also built this way.  It costs about 10% more to do, which is why it isn't done everywhere. 

 

So to lay tracks on the other overpasses, the concrete deck will need to be completely replaced, at least in the strip where the tracks are placed. 

 

Did they do that work as the streetcar tracks were being installed or did they actually do it when the bridges were originally built?  They certainly tore up the roads as the tracks were being installed but it didn't seem like they dug up more then a handful of inches. 

They did it back in 1999-2000 when FWW was rebuilt.  Parsons-Brinkerhoff designed FWW and they did the OKI I-71 light rail study 2-3 years earlier.  That study planned a pair of light rail tracks on Main and Walnut and then Second and Third.  The line was going to travel to UC via a tunnel under Mt. Auburn, with portals at Main & E. Clifton (next to Rothenberg School) and then cross the Ohio River on a new purpose-built bridge next to the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. 

Page 11 of this presentation shows the planned route of the LRT alignment on 2nd and 3rd with a turn around on Main and Walnut.

 

https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityofcincinnati/cache/file/AB5AAC2A-B843-495A-B160075D01C31C07.pdf

Streetcar was discussed at Council today. Mann and Landsman seem on board and committed to making it work.

City Council struggles with streetcar budget as revenue source lags

 

 

It was supposed to be a major answer to the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar’s revenue problems when the City Council and Mayor John Cranley passed it in 2014.

 

By asking developers to donate to the streetcar’s operations some of the savings they would receive from property tax abatements for constructing new buildings and renovating old ones, the city would have a much-needed revenue stream for the project. And that revenue stream, known at City Hall as the voluntary tax incentive contribution agreement (VTICA) would come from people who would benefit from the project.

 

But VTICA has lagged and council is now left to figure out how to avoid spending down a surplus in the streetcar operations fund over the next two years while VTICA theoretically catches up.

 

The fiscal year 2019 budget proposed by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority calls for spending all but nearly $292,000 of a $1.1 million surplus in the streetcar’s operating fund. The surplus stems from parking revenue contributed by the city starting in 2015, another major source of revenue for the project. That year, council raised parking rates and extended hours throughout downtown and Over-the-Rhine, with $1.5 million going to the streetcar and the remainder heading to the city’s general fund. Collecting revenue for the project for more than a year before it opened allowed some financial cushion and for the VTICA revenue to ramp up.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/06/04/city-council-struggles-with-streetcar-budget-as.html

Do they use revenue from the parking lots for the streetcar?

When parking meter rates were originally increased and enforcement hours were extended, we were told that the money would be used for streetcar operations. After that, the city raised parking meter rates again while Kevin Flynn simultaneously cut the streetcar budget (cutting back on advertising and police detail), and that extra parking meter revenue got stolen from the streetcar and diverted to the city's general fund. So this is another fake funding crisis, all based around the ridiculous idea that the streetcar's operating budget must come from "special sources" instead of just paying for it using the city's general fund. They should give the streetcar back the parking meter revenue until the VTICA stream really kicks in.

Originally streetcar operations were to have been funded from casino revenue.  When Cranley took office he diverted the casino revenue in order to create a fake funding crisis which he gets to exploit over and over again because the public has never actually looked at a city budget.  Reporters get fooled left and right, too.   

Cranley's latest proposed city budget includes a lot of cuts for banal-sounding things like "traffic control device installation and renovation", "traffic signal installation and renovation", and "traffic signal controllers and detectors". Maybe I'm paranoid but I wouldn't be surprised if this Cranley's attempt to delay or cancel the downtown/OTR traffic signal retiming.

 

It also cuts money for the "street calming program" and "street improvements" so I wouldn't be surprised if that affects the Liberty Street Road Diet as well.

It sounds like an attempt to make it difficult to change street configurations, generally. Which in this day and age usually means accommodating pedestrians, bikes, and transit.