Cincinnati Public Transit (Kent, Oregon, Harrison: transfer, living in, shop)

[Jdfess6]

Ok I have a question...

When people discuss a possible rail system in Cincinnati why do people always seem to overlook the fact that thousands of workers come from NKY every day to work in Cincinnati?
If a rail line was built into NKY it would be extremely beneficial to the city and would be profitable.
I don't see why Cincinnati is not looking at ways to bring people INTO the downtown area, instead of just building a street car line right there close to downtown. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of the street car. It's a step in the right direction. But the city needs people from it's BIG population areas to start coming downtown and shopping and hanging out.
If there was a commuter rail or something that went through Covington up to Erlanger, it would be incredible. It would be extremely beneficial to BOTH sides of the river. Cincy needs people in it's downtown. I love Fountain Square and a lot of that stuff downtown but... they need more.
I hope I didn't ramble on, but, I really think Cincy needs some public transportation BESIDES buses. Please share your thoughts!!!

[jlrosen]

Without a doubt. Nothing is holding back Cincinnati more than a lack of public transportation.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Jdfess6

It would be extremely beneficial to BOTH sides of the river. Cincy needs people in it's downtown. I love Fountain Square and a lot of that stuff downtown but... they need more.
I hope I didn't ramble on, but, I really think Cincy needs some public transportation BESIDES buses. Please share your thoughts!!!

Public transportation systems thrive in cities where traffic is particularly bad, where parking is non-existent and where there is a large population that will support it. Cincinnati is 0 for 3 in that matter.

People would be more likely to take a bus if Queen City Metro would run buses with rational and reasonably direct routes into the central business district throughout the day. However, I am not going to take the Route 24 bus that meanders through Clifton as it heads out to Anderson. That used to be a fairly direct route. They also eliminated the express Route 26 that headed out to Amelia. Also, it would help a lot if they would clean the buses occasionally.

[Cincy-Rise]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Public transportation systems thrive in cities where traffic is particularly bad, where parking is non-existent and where there is a large population that will support it. Cincinnati is 0 for 3 in that matter.

People would be more likely to take a bus if Queen City Metro would run buses with rational and reasonably direct routes into the central business district throughout the day. However, I am not going to take the Route 24 bus that meanders through Clifton as it heads out to Anderson. That used to be a fairly direct route. They also eliminated the express Route 26 that headed out to Amelia. Also, it would help a lot if they would clean the buses occasionally.

Kind of like Little Rock, Arkansas?

MSA of:

Little Rock: 600,000
Cincinnati: 2,100,000

[jlrosen]

In the US, public transportation systems do well when:

1. The system is not bus only
2. The City is not on Lake Eire

[unusualfire]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Public transportation systems thrive in cities where traffic is particularly bad, where parking is non-existent and where there is a large population that will support it. Cincinnati is 0 for 3 in that matter.

People would be more likely to take a bus if Queen City Metro would run buses with rational and reasonably direct routes into the central business district throughout the day. However, I am not going to take the Route 24 bus that meanders through Clifton as it heads out to Anderson. That used to be a fairly direct route. They also eliminated the express Route 26 that headed out to Amelia. Also, it would help a lot if they would clean the buses occasionally.

People like you irritate me. Ever been to Calgary? For that matter ever been to Cincy?

[goyguy]

The three main factors holding back mass transit in Cincinnati are:

Routes not keeping up with population patterns
Multimodal? No such thing
Public perception

Building the underground parking garage at Fountain Square was made much easier by the excavating's already having been done for a subway. You can still see the closed-off portals where the line would've run when you're traveling north on I-75 or Victory Parkway, past the Harrison Ave exit. Money was the excuse for its never having been completed. As for constructing anything to/from Northern Kentucky, blame turf battles for that. Instead of a single regionalized transit authority, Greater Cincinnati on the Ohio side of the river has "SORTA" - and its sorta adequate buses - and Northern Kentucky has "TANK." They don't even use the same terminals downtown.

Most of the bus routes in town operate along the same streets where Cincy's extensive trolley system once ran - a system that was shut down entirely by 1951. There's been a bit of a shift in demographics since then. Once-focal intersections like Knowlton's Corner and Peebles Corner remain as transfer hubs a half-century after their surrounding communities started to lose population and decline in livability. Few are those who'd ride the Metro to the zoo from Mt Adams any more, to name but one example of a line that continues to operate. And there aren't that many folks living within a block or two of routes to, say, Tri-County to begin with - d'you think Glendaleans are lined up along Congress Ave to catch a bus to the mall?

Which brings me to the third category of factors holding back transit. When somebody tells of taking the Metro to work, they're asked whether they have car trouble or money problems. The overall image of the bus system is that of a service used by "minority" and poor people. From what I've seen on bus trips, the prophecy is self-fulfilling. The vehicles may be safe and clean, and they may move as quickly as possible given the traffic conditions on city streets. But whether "them" represents non-White persons or Appalachians or underprivileged individuals you're likely to encounter some of "them" on many runs.

Who's in for a monorail from CVG with express and local service downtown, feeding directly into fixed light rail along the medians of each expressway extending at least to 275? OK...now who's willing to pay for it?

[Cincy-Rise]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Which brings me to the third category of factors holding back transit. When somebody tells of taking the Metro to work, they're asked whether they have car trouble or money problems. The overall image of the bus system is that of a service used by "minority" and poor people. From what I've seen on bus trips, the prophecy is self-fulfilling. The vehicles may be safe and clean, and they may move as quickly as possible given the traffic conditions on city streets. But whether "them" represents non-White persons or Appalachians or underprivileged individuals you're likely to encounter some of "them" on many runs.

This is true to a certain extent, but this quote is a little on the exaggerated end. I go by Government Square almost every single day.

I'd also like to comment that every single city that I've ever been to with LRT ... there's a perception (to some extent) that mass transit is for the minority.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by unusualfire

People like you irritate me. Ever been to Calgary? For that matter ever been to Cincy?

24 years in Cincinnati, six months in Calgary. And during that 24 years in Cincinnati, I never owned a car and relied mostly on the Queen City Metro.

Why would you question my living in Cincinnati when I can quote the bus routes BY NUMBER?

How many years have you used the QCM or for that matter TANK? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Jdfess6]

Jlawrence...
Why do you think that mass transit like the things that I'm speaking of only work in cities that have a large population and horrible traffic? I'm not calling you out, I honestly want to know.
Portland Oregon has a metro population of 2,516,971 (2008)
Cincy has a metro population of 2,133,678 (2007)

Portland Oregon is NOT much larger than Cincinnati as far as metro population. Yet, as far as I've heard, Portland has an INCREDIBLE public transportation system.
I respectfully disagree with your opinion on that, highly.