Category: Politics

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Development News Politics Transportation

Cincinnati Streetcar Update

While there hasn’t been a whole lot of big news relating to the Cincinnati Streetcar lately there have certainly been things going on. On November 5th the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to design, build, operate and maintain the Cincinnati Streetcar project was sent out.

As of 8:30pm November 16th there have been 21 companies to download the RFQ packet. Now this does not necessarily mean that all will submit bids for this project, but the range of companies goes from local companies like Glaserworks and DNK Architects to national companies like URS and Parsons Transportation Group. These companies have until the end of the workday on December 18th to submit their bids.

I also got in touch with City Architect Michael Moore and was informed that City Manager Milton Dohoney should be reporting back on financing in early 2009. This is important because since the Streetcar motion was passed by City Council in late April this has been the number one tast for Milton Dohoney – raising the necessary private contributions. If these contributions aren’t raised then the motion that was passed is no longer good and things will go back to square one. So far I have heard positive feedback about this fundraising process, but nothing specific outside the $3.5 million that Duke Energy has pledged to the project.

In addition to all this I decided to have a little fun with that streetcar congestion graphic I posted last week. That graphic was from almost 100 years ago, so I thought it might be interesting to give it a 100-year update. I attempted to keep the look/feel as close as possible, and with the help of Brad Thomas we calculated out numbers for the modern version.

Ford Taurus dimensions were used for average auto size with an average of 1.2 passengers. Skoda ST10 dimensions were used for average streetcar size with an average of 85 passengers. What was seen is an increase in both the average space taken up by streetcar passengers and auto passengers. Auto space saw a 142% increase which dwarfed the 26% increase for streetcar passengers.


Early 20th Century Graphic vs. New 21st Century Graphic
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News Politics Transportation

Regional SORTA agreement reached

At at 10am meeting this morning City and County leaders announced an agreement over an expanded transit authority. Currently the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), which operates Metro, is bounded by Hamilton County’s boundaries.

This agreement will for the first time extend their jurisdiction beyond Hamilton County and into Butler, Warren and Clermont Counties. This sets the course for expanded transit service into those surrounding areas underneath one unified authority.

This reorganization, of SORTA, has long been an issue with City Council member John Cranley, County Commissioner Todd Portune and has been championed by Mayor Mark Mallory. These three along with SORTA Board president Melody Sawyer Richardson addressed the media at this morning session.

The reorganized SORTA will now be known as the Greater Cincinnati Regional Transit Authority, and will have a 13 member board made up of 7 members appointed by the City of Cincinnati and the remaining six from Hamilton County. As of yet, the Business Courier has reported that no other elected officials from surrounding counties have committed to participate in the new regional system.

Of those 6 County appointees, three will be selected “with input” from Butler, Warren and Clermont Counties. If those counties decide to formally join the new authority they would then be able to directly appoint board members. The majority control is up for grabs with the City of Cincinnati maintaining that majority for now. If another county or city decides to contribute more than 50% of the authority’s budget then they will gain majority control.

The catch here is that those contributions can be measured either through the entities direct contribution or by measuring the total fare revenues paid by that entities constituents. It could also be determined on a per-capita basis of the entities share of their state and federal transit dollars allocated to the Greater Cincinnati Regional Transit Authority.

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Development News Politics

Giving the ‘Soapbox District’ some teeth

W. 4th Street has seen a buzz of activity in recent months. New stores have opened, new buildings have gone up, and new residents move in. In addition to this the area has also attempted to be rebranded as the ‘Soapbox District.’

A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. This is one of the angle that the branders were getting at. The other was to pay tribute to Cincinnati’s soap making history and the shape of many of the buildings in the W. 4th Street area.

I find the angle of public speech and discussion to be most interesting. Fountain Square was seemingly that spot, but that public space has been converted into a hybrid public/private space where I doubt this kind of thing would be tolerated any longer. The branders also mentioned how this could be the spot, in Cincinnati, where young people make their voices heard. Great, many of the new residents in that area are indeed young so this seems to possibly have some traction.

The problem is that there seems to be no concerted effort to make this into reality. I look to London’s Hyde Park. In the park’s NE corner (aka Speaker’s Corner) people come to speak publicly about what they wish. They are allowed to continue as long as it is considered lawful. I look at this example and see a huge opportunity at 4th & Plum (GoogleMap) in Cincinnati.

That location is right in the heart of the ‘Soapbox District’ and is currently occupied by a surface parking lot. An ideal scenario would be to acquire this lot and turn it into a park. Create a much needed dog park area within it, sitting places, and lots of trees. In addition to this, make the park the epicenter for public/free speech in the newly dubbed ‘Soapbox District.’ The idea is great, now let’s give it some teeth.

Categories
News Politics Transportation

Cincinnati’s auto-dependency and how to improve

Cincinnatians, like many people in America, are stuck in their cars. We were a nation that developed in a dense, walkable fashion (see East Coast and most Midwestern cities). As the industrial revolution took hold cities increasingly became places synonymous with disease, overcrowding, pollution, and overall poor living conditions. Throw in a few skewed federal policies (The American Dream, Eisenhower Interstate System, Urban Renewal) and you have yourself a rapidly changed nation.

So over the years we have continually built our cities to be more like machines rather than the living/breathing places they ought to be. All of a sudden public right-of-ways were no longer the public domain, but rather the cleared land for fast/efficient vehicular travel. Established neighborhoods made way for new interstates and ‘The American Dream’ of everyone owning their own suburban dwelling, away from the troubles of the inner-city, became firmly implanted in the minds of every American.

In 2000, over 81% of commuters in the Cincinnati region’s 5 largest counties (Hamilton, Butler, Clermont, Warren, Kenton) got to their job by driving alone. Public Transportation accounted for a mere 3.2% which wasn’t much higher than the 2.7% that worked from home. Hamilton County predictably finished as the most diversified county in terms of means of commuting, but even its numbers were nothing to write home about.

Breakdown of the Cincinnati region’s 5 largest counties – Graph by UrbanCincy, data from U.S. Census

I expect that these numbers will look a little different with the 2010 Census data, but I also don’t expect it to be dramatically different. As oil prices have soared, inner-city school districts improved, crime plummeted, and overall quality of life improved…our public transportation system has lagged behind. Similarly things like carpooling/ridesharing and walking/biking, that can see improved participation through relatively inexpensive measures, have also not seen much change/improvement over the past 8-10 years.

Part of the answer could be the proposed streetcar system, an improved bike/scooter infrastructure, possibly a light rail system, expanded bus service with new/innovative programs (real-time arrival information) that make the system easier to use. All of these must be done and more. Another item that I propose is that businesses/institutions offer financial incentives for their employees to bike/walk, bus (transit), or carpool to work.

This can be done relatively cheaply and could potentially have a major pay off. As we continue to improve our city/region we can not afford to forget about our transportation system and habits. We can only be as strong as our weakest link, and this is an area that has long been ignored.


Read my full proposal for a Walk/Bike, Bus, Carpool to Work incentive program HERE!

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News Politics

Regionalism in Cincinnati

Guest Editorial by Steve Johns, Executive Director of Citizens for Civic Renewal

It is not very often that the Cincinnati Enquirer does a story on regionalism. To get more than one on the same day – now that is impressive! The Enquirer identified how the Greater Cincinnati region’s fire service is broken due to gaps and overlaps in fire coverage. Fire departments in the region are unevenly spread, leaving many areas heavily overlapping each other, while some are not as covered as they should be. This would make one think that a more regional fire department could more efficiently provide fire protection to the region.

With the economy slowing down, communities are looking for ways to cut costs. Merging certain fire departments that are redundant in location can increase efficiency without compromising the service and response times. Fire department consolidation is beginning to pick up momentum. For example, CCR has been working with the Village of Mariemont on merging its fire department with the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District (part of Columbia Township, the Village of Fairfax, and the Village of Newtown). The fire chief of Mariemont is nearing retirement and the two current fire stations are almost a stone’s throw away. The merge opportunity coincides with the construction of a new fire station in the near future. Other communities have already taken this initiative and merged fire departments, such as Indian Hill-Madeira and Deer Park-Silverton.

In the current climate where regional cooperation or shared services can elicit a knee jerk reaction, opportunities like retirements, new local leadership, or financial stress still are the primary catalysts for change.

But that’s not all! There are some other major catalysts for “common sense” mergers. In the last biennial budget bill, the State of Ohio created a fund that jurisdictions can use to complete studies dealing with local government efficiency. The Government Efficiency and Cooperation Project (GCEP) has applied for these funds through the Center for Local Government a non-profit organization designed to improve public service delivery. The Center wants to study the possibility of sharing local government services around Tax Administration, 911 Communications, Public Health, Heavy Equipment Maintenance and Use and Building Code Enforcement. Mariemont (with assistance from CCR) also applied for these funds to finalize studies dealing with the fire department merger with the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District.

Other efforts are underway to give this entire movement lasting staying power. The Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration is a fifteen-member group that was created by House Bill 562 Section 701.20. The Commission will not only look at ways to restructure and streamline local government but examine the services that are better provided at state or regional levels and even considering legislative changes to enable efficiencies and cost savings. At the regional level, Agenda 360 is looking for ways to take the work of GCEP beyond Hamilton County and into Butler, Clermont and Warren Counties.

Regionalism truly is picking up momentum in Greater Cincinnati and the potential benefits are huge. Rightsizing the number of engine companies in Hamilton County is estimated to save $21 million just in equipment costs alone. Applying these savings to rebuilding local infrastructure or lowering tax rates can make us more competitive both locally and regionally with the rest of the world.

In October 2004, Steve Johns became the Executive Director of Citizens for Civic Renewal – a ten year old non-profit dedicated to empowering citizens and serving as a catalyst for civic action in Greater Cincinnati. Steve has previously worked for planning agencies in Maryland, Ohio, Alabama and Texas. Overtime Steve has become more and more interested in public relations’ role in engaging citizens and challenging them to create plans for the future.

Steve counts as one of his greatest accomplishments the Electronic Town Hall Meeting held for Hamilton County’s Community COMPASS (Comprehensive Master Plan And StrategieS) where over 1,000 people participated in an all day strategic planning meeting. Steve now lives in Hyde Park with his wife, Kristen and two daughters.