Cincinnati City Councilmember Charlie Winburn wants the City to scrap the streetcar and replace it with Downtown 'trolley' buses, a system that could eventually expand to Western Hills, Sharonville, Blue Ash, and other suburban communities.
Winburn introduced a motion before Council asking City Manager Milton Dohoney to study the feasibility of implementing the Cincinnati Downtown Trolley, which would provide free rides between residential, employment, and entertainment centers.
He also wants Dohoney to work with the --> --> --> (ODOT) to determine if some of the funds allocated to the streetcar project could be used to purchase 15 buses, which would look like trolleys but, unlike true trolley buses, would not rely on overhead wires. The City would also work with the private sector, likely through the Cincinnati Business Committee, to secure operational funding.
Winburn thinks that the buses would create benefits similar to those brought by buses operated by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), such as a greater use of public transportation, a reduction in traffic congestion, improved air quality, a reduction in our demand for foreign oil, and greater connectivity to other City neighborhoods.
Key Cleveland business leaders and representatives from RTA would be invited to Cincinnati to brief City leaders as part of the study. RTA's 'trolley' buses carry more than 4,000 riders per day.
Loss of streetcar funding would leave hole
Winburn's plan comes at a time when the City faces the loss of nearly $52 million in streetcar funding through the ODOT (TRAC) 2011-2015 Major New Program List.
Although the project scored at the top of the committee's ranking system, a TRAC working group last month recommended removing the funding as part of $98 million in suggested cuts.
The committee will take a final vote on the funding on April 12.
The City has identified more than $150 million in funding for the project, including the TRAC grants, a $25 million federal Urban Circulator Grant, $25 million in special tax assessments along the proposed route, $11 million from the sale of Blue Ash Airport property, $7 million from Duke Energy and private donors, $6 million in restricted City capital funds, and a $4 million Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) CMAQ grant.
If the City doesn't receive the money for the $128 million, 4.9-mile loop between Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and Uptown, it could face a nearly $30 million hole – requiring the City to look at options such as eliminating the Uptown segment or decreasing the number of stops.
A proposed charter amendment that would prohibit the City from building the streetcar until December 31, 2020, spearheaded by a coalition including the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP, COAST, the Cincinnati Tea Party, the Hamilton County Green Party, and the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, will likely be on the November ballot.
Environmental document released
An for the Cincinnati streetcar project is now available for public comment.
Interested parties can view the document online; at Cincinnati City Hall, ; at the Main, Corryville, West End, and Walnut Hills branches of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County; at the Bond Hill, Clifton, College Hill, Corryville, LeBlond, Lincoln, Mount Auburn, Oakley, Over-the-Rhine, and Price Hill ; at OKI, ; at the Ohio Department of Transportation District 8 offices, 505 S S.R. 741, Lebanon; and at the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, .
The City will hold public hearings on the document with project team members on April 13 and April 14, from 5 P.M.-8 P.M., at Cincinnati City Hall.
The 30-day public review and comment period closes on April 21.
Written comments can be sent to Environmental Manager, Streetcar Consultant, --> --> -->; 312 Elm Street, Suite 2500; Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Previous reading on BC:
Streetcar stops announced, advocacy continues (2/21/11)
Contract expiration, FTA require new streetcar bids (1/17/11)
$25M federal grant means streetcar can proceed (7/12/10)
Cincinnati approves $64M in streetcar bonds (5/13/10)
Streetcar tentatively awarded $15M, other projects recommend (3/22/10)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Winburn: Scrap streetcar, look into 'trolley' buses
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8 comments:
The trolley idea always has been and will be a terrible idea, which is why everyone else, including council, has ignored it.
Honestly, Kevin, I'm surprised that you even gave this guy the time of day, much less an entire story space.
Charlie Winburn doesn't care about anything but getting re-elected. For shame.
This is the same proposal put forth by Winburn a year or so ago. At that time he provided no real capital or operational funding source for his trolley proposal. He still has not done so now.
Interestingly enough, the Cincinnati Business Committee supports the Cincinnati Streetcar - a real transit solution. Have they endorsed Winburn's Holly Jolly Trolley on steroids proposal yet, and if so, how much are they willing to pledge for the system?
Buses (or in this case trolleys) are more costly to operate annually and long-term than trains. They have a shorter life expectency (6 years or so, compared to streetcars which are operating in some cities well into their fourth decade). These trolleys also require expensive tire replacement and are completely dependent on the cost of oil which the City is already seeing skyrocket in 2011.
If Winburn wants a more financially sustainable and responsible transit solution, he should support the Cincinnati Streetcar not some self-promoting joke of an idea.
Listen, what have buses done for the CBD/OTR over the last 60yrs?
Nothing? OK, now lets take them off the table and come up with constructive ideas.
The City should sell the ad rights to a mega brand or Brands (P&G) to the street car this should cover the loss of the the state grant money. Picture it Tide streetcars cleaning up neighborhoods. SUBWAY streetcar looks like a big sandwich going thru you neighborhood. New York did this for subways and schools. In schools they sold exclusive rights to Snapple drinks for 106 milliion. I'm sure Cincinnati can sell the ad rights for the next 10 years to a mega brand for at least 30mil. Done.
Jenny, just because I may not care personally for Winburn's politics doesn't mean that the story's not newsworthy!
Sure, it may go nowhere. Then again, it might. The makeup of Council has changed significantly, after all.
Charlie Windbag cured me by doing one of his exorcism's, I'm sure this idea is a good one.
4 up ^
A technicality... Are u 60+? (don't think so) How can you know what it is like without buses? The only known is what it is like with them. The buses would have to stop running in order to know what it is really like without them for us 60 and under.
Perhaps in the past 60 years there was nothing to go to by bus in OTR. Now that there will be reasons to go - bus usage will pick up.
Simple.
It's time to face the reality that the Streetcar, though a good idea in theory, is NOT going to happen. There is not enough money left for the project to make it even half way feasible. The idea to cut the route so that it only goes between Fountain Square and Finley Market is a feable grasp at straws. That short of a loop will do nothing but have a curiosity going around downtown that will not have the ridership to make it worth having. Unless more funds can be secured to actually make the route long enough to be of use, then other ideas need to be seriously looked at.
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