Why Cincinnati public transit sucks? (Hamilton, Reading: rental car, apartment complex, rental)

[jmecklenborg]

>Amberley Village does not want bus riders to be part of their neighborhood a
and I can't blame them.

Bingo. There you revealed your belief that bus riders are poor and prone to violence.

Which is more likely to occur -- to be mugged or burglarized by someone riding a bus, or someone with a car? Is someone going to kidnap your kid by luring them onto a city bus? Fact is the automobile was the devil's greatest gift to criminals.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

>Amberley Village does not want bus riders to be part of their neighborhood a
and I can't blame them.

Bingo. There you revealed your belief that bus riders are poor and prone to violence.

Which is more likely to occur -- to be mugged or burglarized by someone riding a bus, or someone with a car? Is someone going to kidnap your kid by luring them onto a city bus? Fact is the automobile was the devil's greatest gift to criminals.

You jumped to a conclusion which is unwarranted. No one said bus riders are poor and prone to violence. Are bus riders likely on the lower level of the economic spectrum, in the majprity I believe so. Does that mean they are poor, undesirable and untrustworthy, no. If you work regular hours and have a convenient bus route to/from your job it would probably be stupid to pay parking rates plus the cost of operating a car instead of the bus. Corporate America is partially to blame for this. You are expected to get the job done, whether it is 5:00PM, 6:00PM. 7:00PM, etc. If that means you miss your bus, tough luck. It can be a long walk home, an expensive cab ride, or an inconvenient get the spouse to drive the car down and get you. If no car it is a bigger problem.

I still state it is not the responsibility of the majority to pay a large tax to operate a vastly underutilized transit system just to provide transportation for a few.

Bring on that streetcar and we will see how it works in Cincinnati.

[Chemistry_Guy]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

Bingo. There you revealed your belief that bus riders are poor and prone to violence.

I see your point but I believe you are leaping to a logical conclusion that doesn't exist.

I have noticed that communities are most welcoming to people that share values. For example, there is the issue of lawn maintenance and landscaping. To many people, this is very important, They spend hours and hours working on their lawns, and stepping outside to a pastoral atmosphere is what they value in a neighborhood. If everyone in the community thinks lawn maintenance is important, everyone has well manicured lawns and everyone is happy. After a while people that love nice lawns will gravitate to that area specifically because they want to be surrounded by others that share their values. Someone that could care less about lawns would not be a good fit for that type of neighborhood.

Amberley is a neighborhood that values personal space and quiet. Public transit, while more efficient than personal transportation in many ways, encourages population density. Population density brings noise, traffic, and other changes that threaten the peace and quiet that the residents currently enjoy. A single large apartment complex could completely change the demographics of Amberley because the residents of an apartment building clearly don't put the same priority on space and quiet that current residents do and could out-vote the current zoning rules and regulations that keep the village the way it is today.

To say that the reason why Amberley residents would oppose increased public transit in the village is racially motivated or that it is because they are afraid the busloads of poor people will rob them and abduct their children is a bit simplistic and insulting.

[jmecklenborg]

Weasel out of it however you want -- the fact is I have heard various people on the West Side voice their opposition to extension of bus service further into Green Township because "the blacks will move out here", or some variation of that sentiment.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

Weasel out of it however you want -- the fact is I have heard various people on the West Side voice their opposition to extension of bus service further into Green Township because "the blacks will move out here", or some variation of that sentiment.

I think I did mention earlier this likely divides along racial lines.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

I think I did mention earlier this likely divides along racial lines.

I won't deny there may be some racial component involved. But I still state it is much more economic than racial.

[Chemistry_Guy]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

Weasel out of it however you want -- the fact is I have heard various people on the West Side voice their opposition to extension of bus service further into Green Township because "the blacks will move out here", or some variation of that sentiment.

Some white people are racists. Some black people are criminals. It is the same logical and ethical flaw to say that one means the other.

[TomJones123]

It could be said then that we are dealing with NIMBY (Not in my Backyard) types? That could apply to other races or economically disadvantaged.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

It could be said then that we are dealing with NIMBY (Not in my Backyard) types? That could apply to other races or economically disadvantaged.

That can definitely be true. But if you have worked a long time to establish where you live and the parameters thereof, I personally do not have a problem with a NIMBY attitude. There must be some latitude to permit the inclusion of less fortunates on a purely humanistic platform. The question will always be to what degree. If it begins to change the recognizable nature of my neighborhood it has gone too far. I believe some of the Cincinnati neighborhoods, particularly the west side, are afflicted with this.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Chemistry_Guy

Some white people are racists. Some black people are criminals. It is the same logical and ethical flaw to say that one means the other.

OK, that is a great comment. Unfortunately the socialists do not want to hear that. They just want to plod down one direction with the idea everything will come out well in the end. I personally do not believe in that. We have a certain element in our society who will just take, take, take, and never have an ounce of thouight they should give something back.