Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Streetcar Update!

 Cincinnati Electric Streetcar, by rufus.ovcwa [2008].
NOTE: The above photo is to display the ongoing infatuation with
rail transit, esp. relating to Cincinnati history, though the city's recent
proposal is based on the Portland, OR, system, which showcases
the extensive benefits of contemporary streetcars.

What our new cars would look like:



I usually leave posts like this to the other hard-core pro-rail Cincy bloggers (CincyStreetcar, Phoney Coney, UrbanCincy, et al.), but I just received a notification from Protransit that looks promising!





Streetcar Project Announcement
When: Wednesday, June 10
4p.m.
Who: Mayor Mark Mallory
City Manager Milton Dohoney
Where: The Rookwood Pottery Company
1920 Race Street*
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
P 513-381-2510

The Mayor and City Manager will announce progress on the streetcar project.
This is not funding related.
*look for the Catanzaro Sons & Daughters on the side of the building
*plenty of free parking in the large lot immediately north of Findlay Market and at the street meters along Race Street


• Visit the newly-created grassroots effort, Cincinnatians for Progress (chaired by Mayor Mark Mallory), and a
related article at Building Cincinnati.

• More general info on the new streetcar proposal here.

Aside: I still don't understand why those opposing the RE-creation of local rail transit "demand a vote" for other public works projects as well (i.e. road construction) - I'm not against looking at both sides of an argument, just those that are incredibly flawed.


UPDATE (6/10/9): Also check out the "Rally for Progress", June 11th, at the Verdin Bell Center. More info here.
 
UPDATE (6/16/9): Great news! A review of rally at soapbox, and more information at the City of Cincinnati website.

8 comments:

Brad said...

Cincinnati is investing in a modern, light rail streetcar system, not the vintage trolley pictured above.

Matt said...

Of course they are, and I see your point - some people might be confused (such as opponents and others labeling the new system a "trolley"). Though, here at CR I revisit the past, and the point I was subtly trying to make was that people love rail transit and they love history - both of which Cincinnati is rich in - and this drawing of one the old, local cars displays this ever-present infatuation.

Still, I'll make the edit to differentiate the two. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Quimbob said...

There is a similar photo at Twin Towers Retirement Center/Nursing Home in College Hill. Perhaps the same as in the Museum Center ?

VisuaLingual said...

Matt, it's silly for you to have to defend your image choice or issue a disclaimer about it. Seriously, people...

Randy Simes said...

It should be noted that Cincinnatians For Progress is a grassroots committee of people in Cincinnati. Mayor Mallory has been supportive of their efforts and has been tapped as the chairman due to his leadership and local prominence. But what I'm trying to say is that it's not his group, nor was it created by him.

Matt said...

Yes, I'm well aware that Mallory did not create Cincinnatians for Progress, but is just the Chairman. I was trying to emphasize the group's validity by heading it with his name (for those people either unaware of or unsure about joining another local effort) - additionally, this is clarified in the several links I posted to their website. Still, I'll make the edit to straighten this out for you.

Note: This is the last time I post anything current news-related. I'm obviously for positive growth in Cincinnati (i.e. rail transit), but I don't pretend to be a newspaper here - this is a blog. I don't enjoy spelling out every little thing, like "real" journalists are supposed to do. I may not be a great writer, or very smart for that matter, but I used to assume that some people might enjoy subtle inferences and do some research of their own if they want more explicit details on these matters.

Keep up the good work though, Randy.

Randy Simes said...

Matt,

You do a great job with your site and have lots of great information. I just wanted to make sure you understood. These kind of things can become difficult to follow and I try to share my knowledge with as many people as possible so that there is less confusion. I wasn't sure if you understood the dynamic or not, and I just wanted to clarify.

Matt said...

No problem at all, Randy - I do understand how tense things are around here (in the city), and maintaining facts and specifics are incredibly important right now (unlike what some people like to spread around).

I really appreciate what you do for the city. Keep it up!