VisionCincinnati: Off to Europe to Study Rail

VisionCincinnati will be spending much of this summer traversing Europe via public transportation.  The first stop is Paris, France.  Paris houses a wonderful subway and light rail system as well as an intricate bus system.  All three work together to connect the city and allow both citizens and tourists to reach their destinations, whether for work, play, a photo shoot, or combination of the three.

The subway system is quite efficient with trains running nearly every 5 minutes during peak hours.  The stations are

Subway pulling into station. Art lines the ceiling.

extremely clean.  Slightly different from tunnels in Washington D.C. and New York City, the tunnels are not nearly as deep in my brief experience.  Throughout the next two weeks, more frequent ridership will show if every tunnel is as shallow as today’s was.  Also interesting, some tunnels house art.  In a subway station near the Latin Corridor, an area filled with restaurants, bars, shops, and jazz clubs, artists used tiles to create a beautiful work of art on the ceiling of the tunnel.  So far, the subway has been an extremely convenient form of transportation.  The only drawback, it takes you away from walking through the stunning streetscapes of Paris.

If you want to stay on the street, Paris boasts a phenomenal bike share program, Velib.  Throughout the city bikes are placed throughout the city, many near Metro stations, and people can use the bikes once they register.  If you register, as little as € 1 a day or €29 a year, you can use any bike for up to 30 minutes free.  Once you past the 30 minute mark, your credit card is charged €1.  The time limit keeps the bikes in circulation and available for as many people as possible.  The bikes are hugely popular and there are stations about every 300 meters in the city.

More to come!

TRAC Attempts to Derail Streetcar, but Supporters Stay on Track

                Today, the Cincinnati Streetcar Project had its state funding pulled by the Ohio Department of Transportaton TRAC (Transportation Review Advisory Committee) board, an objective board set up in 1997 by the Ohio General Assembly to eliminate the politics from the allocation of transportation funding.  For the past 15 years, the board has used a rating scale of 1-100 to separate the best and most important transportation projects from those of lesser value, effect, or improvement to the area, and they allocate funding accordingly.  Although the rating scale does not guarantee money, it does clearly outline the expectations of the Board and the state when cities and townships apply for transportation money, typically resulting in the best projects receiving funding. Mayor Mark Mallory felt so strongly about the depoliticization of the allocation of funding that, as a member o the Ohio General Assembly in 1997, he tied his name to the bill.

                Today, the TRAC Board pulled previously allocated and recommended funding to the tune of nearly $52 million from the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar Project.  Despite the project’s 84/100 rating—the highest rated transportation project in the state for the past two years—now faces a gap between its capital costs and its obtained funding.  TRAC cited its own budget shortfall as reason for the recent cuts to previously allocated and recommended funding for transportation projects. Lower rated projects, however, still managed to receive some portion of their original funding, while the Cincinnati Streetcar Project bore the brunt of the cuts. 

                In response to the media question, “Did John Kasich single-handedly kill the streetcar?”  Mayor Mallory responded, “we’ll go back to Cincinnati and reassess, see where we are, but I will say, the only difference between now and December when the money was recommended is a new governor and a new director of transportation.”  In the public hearing before the TRAC board, Mallory suggested alternative solutions to removing all of the streetcar’s funding, either through proportional cuts across the board to all transportation projects or making the major cuts to the lower rated projects and moving forward with the project that TRAC rated as the best and most effective.  Following the meeting, many asked that if the highest rated projects do not receive the funding from TRAC, while lower rated projects receive funding, what is the point of the rating system?  Where is the objectivity?

                A contingency of nearly 50 streetcar proponents—including a range of city officials, business owners, executives, students from both Xavier and UC, and other interested citizens—made the journey to Columbus to join Mayor Mallory and Councilmembers Roxanne Qualls and Laure Quinlivan to show their support for the streetcar.  The eight speaking spots allowed to streetcar proponents were quickly filled, and each made a unique case about the importance of the streetcar to the city of Cincinnati.  A mere four opponents spoke in the ten spots allowed. 

                Following the TRAC board’s conclusion, opponents voiced their jubililation at the ‘death of the streetcar project’ via social media.  However, the streetcar contingency very clearly is not burying this project.  Despite opponents’ claims that the streetcar has no support in Cincinnati (though the No on 9 Campaign results suggest otherwise) and that it is a trolley to nowhere (though all 14 studies done on the streetcar demonstrate this is not the case), support for those claims was not shown in Columbus.  Streetcar supporters believe in the project and are willing to push further, not only through letters written from the comfort of their homes and online comments, tweets, and messages from their computer, but also in their actions making a trip (and in some cases multiple trips) to Columbus to make sure they are both heard and seen.  The funding from the state was pulled today, but the streetcar is far from dead.

From UrbanCincy: Cincinnati region, transit projects take overwhelming brunt of recommended transportation cuts

Ohio’s Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) met today in Columbus and was greeted by dozens of Cincinnati Streetcar supporters. The council, according to UrbanCincy writer Jenny Kessler who was one of those in attendance, appeared shocked at the turnout.

The TRAC was meeting in Columbus this morning to discuss how to right-size their recommended funding list that now appears to be over-budget. The result was a recommendation of $98 million in cuts. UrbanCincy research reveals that the way in which those cuts were administered in particularly shocking.

• 52% of all cuts came from the state’s highest-rated project – The Cincinnati Streetcar – which is positioned to now lose 100% of all funds originally recommended for the project.
• The Cincinnati region got hit the hardest in Ohio. 82% of all cuts recommended by the TRAC are from the Cincinnati region and account for roughly $80 million.
• $1 million was taken from upgrades to the Queensgate rail yard that would have relieved freight rail traffic.
• Two highway projects, from Governor John Kasich‘s (R) district, totalling $7.7 million were added to the TRAC’s listed of recommended funding.
• Non-highway investments now only make up 26% of the TRAC’s recommended transportation projects in terms of overall funding ($18.2M) and number of projects (4).

Read the Rest Here…

 

Rail~Volution 2011: Washington, DC October 16 – 19, 2011

Call for Speakers Now Open – www.railvolution.com

Visit www.railvolution.com today to read the full Call for Speakers description and submit a proposal to speak!

Rail~Volution is a national movement: It is a revolution led by people from all perspectives dedicated to creating healthy, economically vibrant, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable communities with transit.

 

Rail~Volution is an event: Since 1995, it has been a driving force in the livability movement. Every year, people come together in a transit-rich community to participate in workshops, charrettes, networking events and toolbox sessions. Last year in Portland, OR, over 1,200 people attended.

 

Rail~Volution 2011 is in Washington, DC: Our nation’s capital showcases a full spectrum of livable communities and transportation choices, from mature transit systems, to drawing board projects and neighborhoods in transition and a lot more.  From Pierre L’ Enfant’s 1791 city plan of grand avenues and ceremonial spaces to the nation’s largest bike-share system, you’ll experience a history-rich region that provides an inspiration for the work we are doing in our own communities.  This year’s conference also places us in the midst of political uncertainties during a time of crucial reauthorization decisions.

 

Rail~Volution 2011 is seeking speakers: We want the people who will lead the movement — people who can best share the stories that will educate, provoke and inspire conference attendees through toolbox sessions, panel presentations, and workshops.  We are calling on a wide range of speakers whose work supports and furthers our mission of building livable communities with transit.

 

If you are one of those people, we want to hear from you!

 

Entry Deadline – March 31, 2011

Visit www.railvolution.com today to read the full Call for Speakers description and submit a proposal to speak!

Streetcar Stops Unveiled

From Cincinnati.com

The Cincinnati streetcar will feature 21 stops, including stations by Great American Ball Park, Fountain and

"This has been a very carefully considered process so that we maximize the streetcar's value in delivering people to businesses along the route," said Chris Eilerman, City Hall's streetcar project manager.

Government squares, Music Hall and Findlay Market, on a 4.9-mile loop stretching from Downtown to Uptown, a new map to be released today shows.

The map details a trip in which Cincinnatians, starting sometime in 2013, could board a sleek new streetcar on the central riverfront, sit back as the center city and Over-the-Rhine roll by, and after a smooth climb uphill to Uptown, hop off about 20 minutes later on the fringes of the University of Cincinnati.

Read the rest here.

 

Help bring Bike Parking to OTR

Hopefully you all already know and support our friends over at Park + Vine, a store dedicated to preserving its community and environment.  Park + Vine specializes in environmentally conscious food and merchandise and recently relocated to 1202 Main St. in Over-The-Rhine.

Park + Vine is also extremely dedicated to promoting the bicycle culture in Cincinnati, and is a good friend to pro-bike groups such as Queen City Bike and the Mobo Bicycle Co-op.  They understand that using a bicycle for transportation is a admirable decision that benefits a rider’s mind, body, community, and wallet.  They also understand that in order to make riding a bike an accessible option for many city residents, the proper infrastructure must be put in place.  Last summer the city unveiled its new and innovative bike plan and has begun the process of establishing convenient and safe bike parking for cyclists.

The Department of Transportation and Engineering has committed to continuing its forward thinking policies on bicycling by establishing a bike corral in the heart of OTR, a community hungry for safe secure bike facilities.  So, taking our cue from the folks over at Park + Vine, we’re going to encourage all of you to send an email to DOTE director Michael Moore (michael.moore@cincinnati-oh.gov) and Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls (roxanne.qualls@cincinnati-oh.gov) requesting that the city continues to support bicyclists by placing a bike corral on Main St.  It is especially important that the corral be installed prior to this year’s Bockfest celebration, where parking is scarce and biking is popular.

This will be an encouraging, and very easy step toward a healthier, happier, and more livable city.

Streetsblog.net: How Cars Won the Early Battle for the Streets

The following article is an insightful look into Peter Norton’s book- Fighting Traffic — The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City. The book emphasizes the initial rejection of the car and the targeted campaign to turn Americans car-friendly. This book coupled with coverage of the Great American Streetcar Scandal (highlighted in the documentary Taken for a Ride shown in part in this YouTube link) paints a different picture of the rise of the automobile than the conventional demand driven narrative. These sources show an intentional, driven, and at times deceitful campaign by those who had an interest in the rise of the automobile. As transit advocates we can do one of two things. We can whine about the illegitimacy of the rise of the automobile and the incredible subsidies that began and continue to prop the sprawling highway system and suburban lifestyle or we can be proactive. We can be creative and persistent through many avenues and usher in a new area of modern public transportation and the re-population of the urban core. We can be just as active as the automobile industry was in convincing Americans that cars were the way to go in persuading America that the 21st century is about mass transit, but we have one advantage: we’re telling the truth.

(By the way if you don’t read DC Streets Blog you should.)

From DC Streets Blog:

Judging by the recent media backlash against a few bike lanes in New York City, you would think that roads have been the exclusive domain of cars since time immemorial.

At the dawn of the motor age, reckless drivers did not receive sympathy from the press. 

Not so, as Peter D. Norton recounts in his book, “Fighting Traffic — The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City.” When cars first entered cities in a big way in the early 20th Century, a lot of people were not happy about it — like angry-mob not happy.

People were shocked by the carnage that resulted from motor vehicle crashes and outraged by new restrictions imposed on pedestrians. Newspapers of the time overwhelmingly sided against drivers, Norton writes.

In an overview of Norton’s book, Copenhagenize illustrates the volatility of street politics at this turning point in the history of American cities. In the early 1900s, before the arrival of cars, people viewed streets much as they had for thousands of years:

It was a space for people. A place to walk, a place to play, a place to alight from a streetcar. Cars were regarded as violent intruders in this common space.

Norton highlights in the first part the massive public uprising against the automobile. The carnage caused by cars and trucks was enormous. “In the first four years after Armistice Day more Americans were killed in automobile accidents than had died in battle in France. This fact was widely publicized and the news was greeted with shock.” It says a lot about the victory of Motordom in changing the mindset that the current annual toll of 40,000 deaths in the US – not to mention the injured – doesn’t even register in the public consciousness.

Read the rest here