Tag: Politics

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News

Recycle Cincinnati

The City of Cincinnati has been working hard lately on improving the options for recycling in the city. One of the most recent efforts includes new recycling drop-off points throughout Downtown. Locations include the Main Library of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County on Ninth Street; the corner of Third and Butler streets; the corner of Third Street and Central Avenue; and the Cutter Street parking lot off Court Street. There is also a new recycling program for Bengals tailgating.

Did you also know that City of Cincinnati residents living in a single family home or an apartment building with less than 5 units can have a recycling bin delivered at no cost! You can request your bin by filling out an online form or by calling the City of Cincinnati at 591-6000.

In addition to these new locations to recycle the city also offers four drop-off locations for recycling. There are also a number of locations across Hamilton County that are drop-off points for residents.

Further Reading/Information:
Rumpke
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful
Live Green Cincinnati
Hamilton County Recycles
Cincinnati Freecycle

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News

Stop talking…start doing!

I don’t know how many times I hear from the nay-sayers who continually claim that there is nothing to do in Cincinnati…or that it is a boring place for young people. You also hear, from these same people, about how Downtown and OTR are dead and have no chance. All of these statements couldn’t be further from the truth, but they are said nonetheless.

What I realized in Atlanta was that the bars and clubs weren’t that much better than Cincinnati…but what made Atlanta better for young people was all the damn young people. They were everywhere, and they were active. I saw a lot more young entrepreneurs and movers/shakers in Atlanta as compared to Cincinnati.

My point is that if you want OTR to be cool…or you want Cincinnati to have new fun/exciting things to do. Then DO it already!!! This city has long talked about what we can do, but only in select occasions do we actually act upon those words. I say it’s about time we start putting up, or shutting up. If you say that OTR sucks and are doing nothing about it and have no connection to it…then shut it and move on. If you like to bitch about the poor leadership on city council, and live out in the ‘burbs…then shut the hell up. You can move to the city and then have a voice, until then all you are doing is taking a crap on somebody else’s lawn.

Let’s step it up Cincinnati and start being the great city we are…instead of talking about the great city we could be.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Clear your calendar on 10/17…at least after 7pm

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will be speaking at the Cincinnati Mercantile Library on Wednesday, October 17th. Mayor Hickenlooper is widely considered one of the main people responsible for the wildly successful LoDo District in Denver. Denver has also experienced a light rail boom over recent years and is seeing a fantastic urban renaissance that any city would be proud to boast.

Stacked, Mercantile Library’s own blog, is offering a free admission to this event if you simply mention the blog’s name. If you miss out on that offer and still want to attend it will set you back $5. It is an informal event and will start at 7pm and last an hour or so. Mayor Hickenlooper will give a little speech and then it will be opened up for Q/A. You can also read more about the event over at Stacked.

If you’re interested simply contact the library at (513) 621-0717 or mercantileinfo@mercantilelibrary.com and be sure to mention Stacked.

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News

NIMBY Tip of the Month (9.07)

Have you ever heard the complaint about how a bike trail, walking trail or stairway is going to bring crime and problems to someones property. The same can even be said for when people complain that crime and the inevitable fall of the neighborhood is near because of the addition of a potential bus stop (or other public transit stop).

Maybe my ‘crimedar’ (and yes I do have a trademark on the ‘crimedar’ slogan) is off, but I don’t understand the philosophy behind this train of thought. Is it that criminals are going to ride their bicycles or take a jog to your house to clean you out? Or is it the fear that criminals will use these trails as loitering points to case out your home? Like I said…I must be missing something.

Don’t be fooled; these people (fronting as bicyclists) are really pushing drugs!

While we’re on the point of crime I’ll bring up this other point…do criminals have a code of conduct to solely commit their deviant acts only within Cincinnati city limits (or any city for that matter). I often hear how “dangerous” cities are…but at the same time people in places like Delhi Twp, Cheviot, Madeira, Green Twp, etc make these very same claims. Do criminals really walk down the street…stop and realize they are about to cross into *trumpets sound* Delhi Township and think “I need to head back…I’m getting to far from home base?”

This may be less of a tip and more of a question for those NIMBYs and suburbanites of the world who feel they’re superior to everyone else. So please sound off and tell me of your tragic criminal experiences with bike trails, walking trails and the proliferation of crime that must exist right at the city limits.

Photo Credit:
http://hazon.org/photos/2002NY/44_On_the_bike_path

Categories
News Politics Transportation

Actual cost of commuting

It is easy to overlook the actual costs of commuting to work every day. But the fact of the matter is that it can be quite costly…especially if you commute a long distance to work add in a large vehicle and you’re really expending a lot of money. Not to mention the fact that congestion in Cincinnati is continuing to get worse.

Metro has this handy-dandy Cost of Driving Calculator where you plug in some information and it will give you how much it costs monthly and yearly. Plug in your numbers and see where you stand…I would also ask that you send this link around to as many commuters as possible. It is time that people realize exactly how much money they are spending (in addition to time) just so they can have the “freedom” of their automobile and live in a perceived safer environment.

Let the numbers be known…it may not be comforting to many, but it is what it is. It is not unusual that a typical suburban commuter spends in excess of $7,000 a year on commuting costs. If you were to move into the city and still drive everyday (that way you can still avoid the bus if you so choose)…you will still cut your costs substantially and be closer to the $1,500 range.