September 17, 200915 yr Not directly related to the streetcar, but this says a lot about the level of stupid to be found with COAST's friends in the teabagger movement: Tea Party Protesters Protest D.C. Metro Service Protesters who attended Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington found a new reason to be upset: Apparently they are unhappy with the level of service provided by the subway system. Rep. Kevin Brady called for a government investigation into whether the government-run subway system adequately prepared for this weekend’s rally to protest government spending and government services. Seriously. That's right. They're not upset that Metro exists. They're upset because the trains were too crowded.
September 17, 200915 yr LIG: I loved the tag line at the bottom of your messages: "Never send a bus to do a train's job." Awesome. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 17, 200915 yr Not directly related to the streetcar, but this says a lot about the level of stupid to be found with COAST's friends in the teabagger movement: Tea Party Protesters Protest D.C. Metro Service Protesters who attended Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington found a new reason to be upset: Apparently they are unhappy with the level of service provided by the subway system. Rep. Kevin Brady called for a government investigation into whether the government-run subway system adequately prepared for this weekend’s rally to protest government spending and government services. Seriously. That's right. They're not upset that Metro exists. They're upset because the trains were too crowded. Most metro systems in the US have massive amounts of wasteful spending. I don't see how it's stupid to point that out when your stated goal is to point out wasteful government spending. COAST is one organization who I disagree with on this one issue. Talk about the issue, don't try and make enemy with an entire half of the country.. that's only going to hurt the case for the streetcar.
September 18, 200915 yr The critique of the DC Metro subway, and the critique of the complainants, should be discussed at: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,7852.msg427988.html#msg427988 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 18, 200915 yr Author The Absurdities of Issue 9 Read the Rest Here: http://cincystreetcar.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/the-absurdities-of-issue-9/
September 20, 200915 yr Does anyone know how the streetcar would operate with events closing down main and walnut at 5th? Would it just run the northern loop, or will cross-connect tracks be laid on 6th and 7th from walnut to main to use in these situations? I know these streets are closed for six or seven days throughout the year with oktoberfest, the taste, heart mini marathon, etc.
September 20, 200915 yr It's possible those events could be moved to other venues such as the Central Riverfront Park, or that the streetcars would be permitted to travel (slowly) through the areas even if the streets are closed to automobile traffic.
September 20, 200915 yr Does anyone know how the streetcar would operate with events closing down main and walnut at 5th? Would it just run the northern loop, or will cross-connect tracks be laid on 6th and 7th from walnut to main to use in these situations? I know these streets are closed for six or seven days throughout the year with oktoberfest, the taste, heart mini marathon, etc. There are several locations for cross-connects in case of road closures for construction, special events, or accidents.
September 20, 200915 yr Major events are headed to the Riverfront, but if the streetcar would have been running today, cars would be turned back at Central Parkway and would only operate from there north.
September 21, 200915 yr Major events are headed to the Riverfront, but if the streetcar would have been running today, cars would be turned back at Central Parkway and would only operate from there north. Off topic a bit, but where have you heard about events going to the Riverfront, and which ones? As nice as the new Riverfront/Banks area is going to be.. there's so much nostalgia with Oktoberfest, Taste, etc. being centered on Fountain Square.. I'd hate to see them go! New events at the Riverfront would be nice though....
September 21, 200915 yr There is actually not a whole lot of history with the Taste being around FS as it was previously on Central Parkway. With that said I've heard discussions about the Taste of Cincinnati and Oktoberfest both moving down there. If Oktoberfest moves it opens the possibility of a two-week long event with large beer tents. Cincinnati festivals are already great and would then be right up there with Chicago's that are held in Millennium/Grant Park.
September 21, 200915 yr If Oktoberfest moves it opens the possibility of a two-week long event with large beer tents. That would be an amazing festival, and could turn into a huge tourism draw. I hope that if they decide to go that route, that they are also smart enough to coordinate with Oktoberfest Munich on dates and key events, cementing Cincinnati as THE host of Oktoberfest in the western hemisphere.
September 21, 200915 yr Looks good except the text is difficult to read because it moves too fast. Wow, that is FAST!!! Cool video, though.
September 21, 200915 yr Agreed... The text moves way too fast, and there's way too much of it for such a short spot. I think any streetcar ad should rely less on zoomy computer graphics, and more on a simple message and powerful visuals that stay with the viewer after the ad is over. More Stanley Kubrick, less Wachowski Brothers.
September 21, 200915 yr No QCSI in the vid! I don't think the text was really meant to be studied in-depth, but if you pass a glance at it, I think that is all that was intended.
September 21, 200915 yr Okay, here's my brutally honest opinion of the video, as a political junkie, as a streetcar supporter, and as an amateur film critic: I appreciate the effort that went into making the ad, and I agree with its message. But to be totally honest, I don't think it makes a very good case for opposing Issue 9. The motion and quantity of text is very chaotic even in HD. I'd have to slow down the video to 1/4 speed to even read half of it. The streetcar rendering on the right doesn't seem to know whether it's going backwards or forwards, and the background music could be much better. I'm just not sure how effective it would be in reaching a skeptical mass audience watching it on TV... With the exception of the closing line, I think it would leave people more confused than before. Streetcar supporters need to show that the streetcar isn't some exotic invention from the future, nor a throwback to historical trolleys. It's a decidedly low-tech, cost-effective way to improve the quality of life in the city, with a proven track record in other cities. Instead of lots of computer graphics, I think an effective video should incorporate actual footage from the existing streetcars in Portland and Seattle. (I'd love to see some photorealistic video of the Portland streetcar cruising the streets of downtown and Over-the-Rhine, but I'm not sure that would be possible without enlisting the help of Industrial Light & Magic. If somebody can make it happen, though, great.) Also, I think Cincinnatians for Progress is wise to separate the streetcar project from the Issue 9 battle, as one doesn't need to be an ardent streetcar supporter to see why Issue 9 is such a terrible idea for the city. When anti-Issue 9 ads are loaded with images or renderings of the streetcar project, it plays into COAST's lies that Issue 9 is only about the streetcar, and undermines the argument that Issue 9 will impact all forms of rail transit in Cincinnati and the region. As much as we support the streetcar, I think it would be wise for our ad campaign to focus on the big-picture ramifications, rather than just on the streetcar itself. By way of comparison, I think the graphics and text shown here could be very powerful if they were formatted into a 30-second video by somebody with some professional video production chops.
September 21, 200915 yr True. Even though this particular video doesn't do much for me, I hope they keep coming in, and I look forward to seeing them.
September 21, 200915 yr If I had the technical know-how and the spare time, I would. Unfortunately, I've already got way too much on my plate for the next several months. I can whip out graphics and drawings pretty quickly, though, so I'll probably contribute some more as the ideas come to me.
September 21, 200915 yr http://theoverheadwire.blogspot.com/2009/09/ads-begin.html The Ads Begin It seems silly that any city should have to vote on passenger rail when they don't have to vote for another city service such as improvements to water and streets. ...
September 21, 200915 yr I've got some photos of a new Cincinnati area tunnel under construction. This is approximately the same geology of a possible deep tunnel from Over-the-Rhine to the U.C. area. http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,20751.0.html
September 22, 200915 yr Where can I find a good discussion as to why the streetcar effort should not be voted on by the people of Cincinnati? I don't believe it should be voted on, and I am definitely FOR the proposed streetcar development!
September 22, 200915 yr New post at Queen City Discovery today: The Cincinnati Streetcar Virtual Tour! "See the route, see the potential!" http://queencitydiscovery.blogspot.com/2009/09/cincinnati-streetcar-virtual-tour.html
September 22, 200915 yr ^ Anyone else having this problem? Starting with Slide 6 the images and text fall into the lower right corner. I love what I can see, though.
September 22, 200915 yr Total wild-ass guess. These cities will get Federal streetcar funds: Milwaukee, San Antonio, New Orleans, West Sacramento, and Cincinnati. Tucson, Boise or Fort Worth could break through and knock any of these cities out.
September 22, 200915 yr ^John, it's working fine for me on multiple computers and multiple browsers. If anyone else is also experiencing trouble I will try to re-upload and fix it later.
September 22, 200915 yr Author ^ Anyone else having this problem? Starting with Slide 6 the images and text fall into the lower right corner. I love what I can see, though. no problems here.
September 22, 200915 yr Where can I find a good discussion as to why the streetcar effort should not be voted on by the people of Cincinnati? I don't believe it should be voted on, and I am definitely FOR the proposed streetcar development! Maybe we need an "Issue 9" thread to do exactly this for both regular forumers and people directed here by search engines. Wading through 257 pages here for that information wouldn't be pleasant.
September 22, 200915 yr More graphics for anybody's use... These might make for good campaign buttons.
September 22, 200915 yr I guess both Brad Thomas and Mark Miller were interviewed by Fox 19 today and will appear on the 6:00 news.
September 22, 200915 yr Here's my "Vote No on 9" graphic sized to fit a standard 24"W x 18"H yard sign if anybody's interesting in having some printed up. (The 400x300 pixel JPG image below is a preview for your convenience; use the 24"x18" PDF file if you're having it printed at full size.)
September 22, 200915 yr Good job Brad. Unfortunately, Ch 19 poll at the moment is 87-13% against at the time of the report.
September 22, 200915 yr One can still be a supporter of the streetcar without being a regular user... And the poll doesn't define "regular". Daily commuting? Once a year?
September 22, 200915 yr You should log onto the chatroom they have on Fox19.com some time. It's like a live chat with the people leaving the stupidest Enquirer comments.
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