Some trivia just for fun:

 

Streetcar companies in Ohio are required to provide free fares to police and firefighters in uniform.  :police:

 

Some trivia just for fun:

 

Streetcar companies in Ohio are required to provide free fares to police and firefighters in uniform.  :police:

 

I think that's a great policy

I'm not sure that's actually state law.  It was definitely part of the Cincinnati Street Railway's 50-year franchise agreement which started around 1896, but that was not state law.  Rogers Law, the circa 1895 act of the Ohio legislature that permitted 50-year franchises, might have created that condition, but it was thrown out by the state Supreme Court around 1905. 

 

Also, I discovered this year that the ban on streetcars on Central Parkway (except at cross streets) was revoked when Cincinnati took over ownership of the Parkway around 1955.  Previously, the city had to abide by the terms of the 1911 lease.   

Not just Cincinnati, but interesting......

 

Can streetcars save America's cities?

CNN iReport By Katherine Dorsett, CNN

December 17, 2010 8:58 a.m. EST

 

 

(CNN) -- In a down economy, pursuing the American dream can be challenging, but restaurant owner Todd Steele was willing to take a chance.

 

For nearly 20 years, Steele worked all levels of the restaurant game, from dishwasher to general manager, before partnering with his mom and opening his own eatery called Metrovino on Portland, Oregon's, 11th Avenue streetcar line.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/17/light.rail.streetcar/index.html?hpt=C2

^ With obligatory drivel from the CATO Institute and the Heritage Foundation, but otherwise a good article.

CNN's "in the middle" now. They have to include the religiosity of the status quo.

Right... Gotta push that whole false equivalence thing. "Mountains of data and real-life experience have proven the value of streetcars, but here's Randall O'Toole to provide a rebuttal, without a shred of credible evidence to back him up, but we're going to put him on the air anyway."

Can Streetcars Save American Cities?

 

Full CNN report at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/17/light.rail.streetcar/index.html?hpt=C1

"I'm not sure that's actually state law."

 

 

ORC 4951.54 Free transportation of police and firemen.

Upon the granting of franchises to traction companies or motor or bus transportation companies throughout this state for the use of streets, roads, and highways for the transportation of passengers, it must be provided, as one of the considerations for such use of the public highways, that such traction companies or motor or bus transportation companies shall carry free as passengers on all regular cars and busses, policemen and firemen when on duty and in uniform.  :police:

 

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

 

 

 

 

On another note - here is a possible modernist streetcar shelter design -

http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?106051

 

That is a good law.

Interesting to note that it went into effect after most streetcar systems quit running, but of course it covers buses as well.

It doesn't say anything about rail transit-- so who knows.  I like that Portland Streetcar shelter- the glass is very attractive, the stop itself doesn't block any views. 

 

And for a second there I thought that was the banks construction in the background :P

Yeah I'd say it's questionable as to whether that law applies to publicly owned transit companies like Queen City Metro since I'm not sure Metro was in fact awarded a franchise.  If it was, it's certainly a very different one than the type awarded to private companies. 

If something like that is applied to the public sector it probably becomes a matter of policy rather than law.

That law probably existed when cops were doing foot patrols.

gfi probably needs to get moderated.

 

###

 

What can we do to support the streetcar?

^write letters to the editor, attend the budget meeting tomorrow and voice your support

I'm not in Cincinnati but will continue to email letters to the editor.

 

 

Its interesting, operating the new Washington Park and Central Riverfront Park will cost $1.9 million annually out of the general fund, but no one makes a fuss about that.

Dude, don't give anyone that idea! I'm surprised there hasn't been more complaining from the "OTR Peoples' Movement" folks and homeless advocates about Washington Park.

LK, what's interesting is that fear of the city didn't really exist until post-1950, when people became unfamiliar with their fellow citizens due to the triple attack of cars, air conditioning, and television.  Much of this fear was completely manufactured, but it was only possible because people weren't seeing things for themselves anymore.  Think about all the old people around town who haven't walked anywhere since moving to the suburbs in 1950 and who have spent the last 25 years in retirement watching television 5+ hours per day. 

 

Also, in the streetcar era, citizens were personally familiar with their city's politicians because they obviously rode streetcars too unless they had a stagecoach or early automobile.  As a politician, your act was to people in real life doing regular things, not just stump speeches and televised press conferences.  But what's interesting is that these guys were just as effective at tricking the hell out of people. 

 

LK, what's interesting is that fear of the city didn't really exist until post-1950, when people became unfamiliar with their fellow citizens due to the triple attack of cars, air conditioning, and television. Much of this fear was completely manufactured, but it was only possible because people weren't seeing things for themselves anymore. Think about all the old people around town who haven't walked anywhere since moving to the suburbs in 1950 and who have spent the last 25 years in retirement watching television 5+ hours per day.

 

 

Jake, I really like what you have said here observing the critical mass that those three factors have had on society in the last half of the 20th century.  No doubt it is an issue that could be delved into and explored with a good level of fascination.  Maybe the streetcar can do something to put the toothpaste back in the tube.  Lofty, I know.

LK, what's interesting is that fear of the city didn't really exist until post-1950, when people became unfamiliar with their fellow citizens due to the triple attack of cars, air conditioning, and television. Much of this fear was completely manufactured, but it was only possible because people weren't seeing things for themselves anymore. Think about all the old people around town who haven't walked anywhere since moving to the suburbs in 1950 and who have spent the last 25 years in retirement watching television 5+ hours per day.

 

I think that there was still a "fear of the city" in the sense that areas of the city were considered dangerous and places where vice naturally grows (in the sense that people think crime occurs in OTR or the West End naturally, rather than the fact that people often go to these places to conduct criminal activity and law is simply not enforced as often there); the big difference is that after 1950 you could begin to have the advantages of the city in places that were politically distinct from the City, as the state began to spend money on stuff that you once needed to incorporate in order to have the money to build.

 

Also, in the streetcar era, citizens were personally familiar with their city's politicians because they obviously rode streetcars too unless they had a stagecoach or early automobile. As a politician, your act was to people in real life doing regular things, not just stump speeches and televised press conferences. But what's interesting is that these guys were just as effective at tricking the hell out of people.

 

There was also more of them.  The progressive era typically had either an outright reduction of the number of office holders (like for Cincinnati- they got rid of the independently elected mayor and reduced the number of council seats) or they simply stopped adding people to the legislature, like they did with Congress after 1920 or something around then.

"I'm not sure that's actually state law."

Has anybody told Kathy Harrell ?

 

ORC 4951.54 Free transportation of police and firemen.

Upon the granting of franchises to traction companies or motor or bus transportation companies throughout this state for the use of streets, roads, and highways for the transportation of passengers, it must be provided, as one of the considerations for such use of the public highways, that such traction companies or motor or bus transportation companies shall carry free as passengers on all regular cars and busses, policemen and firemen when on duty and in uniform.   :police:

 

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

 

 

 

 

The one amazing thing that I think politicians picked up on really quickly in the 1950's is that even when people see things with their own eyes, they will wait for the mass media to do the thinking for them, or allow it to override their opinion.  I think before television a group of people could witness a chaotic event and come away with a million different opinions but a leader would create the official story of what happened and everyone would fall in line with that.  So in the old days you had to know how to hold people's attention in real life whereas now you just have to be good at getting on TV and out of a 10-minute appearance have some slick one-liners ready beforehand that you think they'll run. 

^The same thing has always happened with newspapers and other media. The difference is that today's media reaches more people. Keep in mind that throughout history, literacy rates were very low until the last century or two. There is more information in one edition of the weekly newspaper than some people in history were exposed to in their entire lives.

 

The Cincinnati, Portsmouth and Georgetown Railroad officially gave it's reason for going out of business as competition with radio. No longer did people travel to Cincinnati for entertainment.

City of Cincinnati To Initiate Process for Streetcar Construction Contractor

Federal Funding Requires New Selection Guidelines for Local Transportation Initiative

By Meg Olberding, City of Cincinnati, December 22, 2010

 

Cincinnati, Ohio -- The City of Cincinnati’s Streetcar Project now has $150 million allocated to it from local, state and federal sources.  With the $25 million in funds secured through the federal Urban Circulator Grant*, the City of Cincinnati is required to initiate procedures for selecting a general construction contractor for the Cincinnati Streetcar project in accordance with Federal Transportation Administration (FTA). The City is working with FTA and anticipates issuing a Request for Proposals in mid-January.

 

Prior to the award of federal money, the City of Cincinnati had a contract for initial design and construction management consultation services with Stacy and Witbeck, Inc., a general engineering contractor, which expired on December 13, 2010. Now, the City will proceed under FTA guidelines in procuring construction services. Stacy and Witbeck is eligible to apply in the City’s process for the Cincinnati Streetcar construction contractor.

 

The City of Cincinnati will manage the procurement process, working with the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), and will publish details and information about the process through its procurement division.

 

# # #

updated City streetcar website- http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/noncms/projects/streetcar/

Sess Urges Streetcar Poll

Cincinnati CityBeat

Posted By: Kevin Osborne

 

A community group known for its controversial and antagonistic tactics is asking other neighborhood organizations to take a vote on whether they support Cincinnati's proposed streetcar project.

 

In a recent e-mail sent to leaders of the city's network of neighborhood councils, John Sess, president of the Westwood Civic Association, wants to gauge sentiment about the project. Sess states he will be "keeping tracks of the results," presumably to lobby city officials to reconsider the project.

 

Some activists connected to the Civic Association have opposed the project, and observers say Sess' appeal is an effort to rally support for their cause.

...

Here is the text of Sess' e-mail:

 

Dear community leader,

 

At your next community council meeting, please consider polling your membership on the streetcar issue.  Many groups have weighed in on the issue, some for and some against.  I believe it is important for the Cincinnati City Council to hear from each and every neighborhood, since the future of this project could have a dramatic impact on every citizen.

 

I will be keeping track of the results, so please contact me as soon as you have made a decision.

 

more: http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/blog-1633-sess-urges-streetcar-poll.html

In their polling materials, I sure hope they include this information.....

 

Is ‘Peak Oil’ Behind Us?

Read: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/is-peak-oil-behind-us/

 

 

Oil at two-year high on demand expectations

Read: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/crude-oil-remains-near-91-a-barrel-2010-12-23?reflink=MW_news_stmp

 

 

Average price of gasoline heading toward $3 for Christmas and $4 in the spring

Read: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/12/average_price_of_gasoline_head.html

 

 

Ex-CEO of Shell Oil Predicts $5/gallon gasoline by 2012

Read: http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/27/markets/oil_commodities/index.htm

 

 

Gas prices drive up foreclosures

Listen to the story at:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/02/25/pm-commuter-foreclosures/#

 

 

Ohioans spent $11.7 billion on motor gasoline in 2009, ranks 6th in nation, according to new EIA data

Read: http://www.policymattersohio.org/pdf/EIADataPR2010_1220.pdf

 

 

Can Streetcars Save American Cities?

 

Full CNN report at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/17/light.rail.streetcar/index.html?hpt=C1

 

Yes. It's hilarious how they follow up that tool's comment about how rail doesn't do anything buses can't by mentioning the $3.5 billion in development next to a Portland streetcar line.

 

Would anyone here go as far to say that a streetcar line would revitalize depressed parts of the city, like Price Hill? I'm guessing that at one time there was a successful streetcar line that linked it to Downtown.

Another 'poll'.....interesting. The polling materials should also say that investments with the help of the streetcar project will be spent in ALL 52 neighborhoods of Cincinnati.

 

Another thing - what would be the best route for an NKY extension? A line through Newport and Covington would not only link the soon-to-be three largest transit centers in the area (future Uptown Transportation Center, Government Square, and the TANK Covington Transit Center) but also other major attractions (e.g. MainStrasse, Newport Aquarium)? Is there any chance this would get built?

 

 

^

 

From Second and Main, east on Second Street Ramp to Taylor-Southgate Bridge through Newport to a new bridge over the Licking River at Fourth? Street and through Covington to MainStrasse.

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but with such a huge thread I don't have the capabilities to search for it, but is there an anticipated ground breaking date for the streetcar?

^January 2011?

Jake Mecklenborg wrote a terrific article about what's really going on with the Eastern Corridor project:

 

http://www.urbancincy.com/2011/01/809m-identified-for-long-planned-i-74-extension-through-hamilton-county/

^ It makes me furious that there won't be an outcry from "fiscal conservatives" on this billion dollar several mile extension through a sparsely populated area. 

OK, back to streetcars! Please discuss the highway project here...

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2897.0.html

^

I dunno Ken. I think it's especially relevant to this page because the Eastern Corridor project has long been sold as a rail project when, in fact, it is a highway project. I think it's important to understand the games the highway guys have become good at playing.

Then it should be discussed in the Eastern Corridor thread, not the Cincinnati Streetcar thread.

Ordnung muss sein! 

 

sorry, couldn't help myself.  :) 

 

 

Ya, das ist gut mein freund. ;)

There is a direct connection. A while ago, council refused to recommend the Eastern Corridor project for a (federal?) grant. Republicans went nuts, because they were favoring the city rail project over the county "rail" project. Or supporting one and not the other (due to there being actual competition between them).

 

So the fact that this is becoming less transparently a highway project helps to vindicate city council for their exclusive support of the streetcar.

There is no project to extend I-74 thru Cincy and to the hinterlands. Only the projects specified by the Eastern Corridor plan, for better or worse. The I74/73 plan in Ohio has been dead for years.

In other news--- People keep saying January is the month that construction will start on the Streetcar-- Any word?  There are only 27 days until it becomes "construction starts in February".

^ It's getting there. When you accept Federal funds, there are a lot of hoops to jump through.

I understand that the city manager doesn't want to make any major press announcements until there is a major event with this, but are there any details that can be had anywhere? I'm need my streetcar fix. lol

^ None that I know of.

Start date of early Spring according to the latest Enquirer article.

^ If tracks aren't in the ground by election day I think the whole project will be in trouble.

Read through for some fucking awesome comments from Chris Finney.

 

Streetcar foes mull 2nd ballot issue

By Barry M. Horstman, Cincinnati Enquirer, January 4, 2011

 

After years of acrimonious debate, the Cincinnati streetcar project is on track to finally become a tangible presence in 2011, with groundbreaking on the $128 million-plus system expected early this year.

 

Not, though, if opponents get their way.

 

Even as the city looks to hire a contractor to oversee construction of the Downtown-to-Uptown line - now expected to start by early spring - opponents hope to derail the project, if not before work begins, then shortly after it starts.

^ A May Ballot issue is a scary thought-  That only leaves a few months to get people engaged and since the project will probably just be breaking ground by Primary time, I think this thing isn't a done deal. 

Every day that they don't get started makes this challenge more dangerous, IMO. 

Every day that they don't get started makes this challenge more dangerous, IMO. 

 

Ya from what John said earlier, I guess a lot of it just takes time.  Very frustrating

 

^ A May Ballot issue is a scary thought-  That only leaves a few months to get people engaged and since the project will probably just be breaking ground by Primary time, I think this thing isn't a done deal. 

 

Ugh this is what I was afraid of.  I don't understand how they can form another ballot initiative on the exact same thing that was shot down a year ago.  They had their chance to word it however they wanted to.