Re-Envision Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Streetcar will not only serve 62,163 residents who live along the line, the employees that work in the City’s two largest employment centers (containing 54% of the jobs in the entire city), the 35,000 students of the University of Cincinnati, and the millions of visitors, hotel guests, and conventioneers that come to Downtown each year, it will also transport many of the 65,000 daily riders of Metro, the 15,000 daily riders of TANK, and the riders any future public transportation systems “the last mile” of their trip.
The streetcar will connect the existing subway tunnels that could carry light rail lines that will run parallel to I-75 and I-74, it will connect the Riverfront Transit Center, which would likely be the station for commuter rail to the east and west, I-71 light rail, and the light rail line to the airport, and with a short extension, the streetcar will also connect to high speed rail at Union Terminal. In addition, the streetcar extensions shown above will connect additional neighborhoods that contain 76,964 residents.
We might not know what public transportation upgrade will be next, but regardless of whether it is light rail, commuter rail, or upgraded bus service to Government Square, the streetcar will help these new systems operate more effectively and transport the riders the last few miles to their destination without having to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on expensive tunneling.
Over the next 30 years, rising oil prices and increasing congestion will likely make rail transportation a necessity in Cincinnati. Having the streetcar in place will connect the rail lines that serve Downtown with Northern Kentucky and Clifton, and the streetcar will increase economic development in the neighborhoods that it serves. More economic development in turn means more tax revenue and increased public services for all 52 of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods.
Previous generations of Cincinnatians have left future citizens their legacy in the fantastic park system, museums, and cultural assets, like Music Hall and the Krohn Conservatory. Lets have the one of the legacies of our generation be an improved transportation system that benefits the entire City. Support Cincinnati’s Future—Build the Streetcar.
July 16, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Beautiful!
July 16, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Love this graphic.
July 16, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I love it. That is one beautiful map.
July 17, 2009 at 10:11 am
[…] * An interesting look at would could be (but likely won’t) with public transportation in this city […]
July 17, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Fantastic. The routes look a lot like something called interstate highways. They’re roads that allow people to go wherever they want; when they want. They already exist, too, and instead of traveling through the highest crime areas of the city, interstate highways go through the parts of the Tri-State where people have already chosen to live.
July 17, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Yeah, Chuck! Let’s put more cars on the roads! Congestion isn’t bad enough in this city – we need more! BTW, you may want to brush up on your map reading skills. Hint: there’s a key that tells you where the streetcars are supposed to go, and it sure ain’t along the interstates. You can put that rant on the “light rail” blog.
Come on, Cincinnati! Let’s keep living in the past! Just say “no” to modern mass transportation!
July 17, 2009 at 3:44 pm
“Yes We Can” turned into “Yes We Did” once before.
We can do it again.
Let’s make this happen.
Streetcars for survival, people.
July 20, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Chuck clearly doesn’t understand the concept of reliable rail transit. Perhaps he is completely unfamiliar with the NYC Subway, Chicago L, or the recently-opened light rail systems in cities like Phoenix and Seattle.
July 22, 2009 at 2:32 pm
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/LYNX/home.htm – check out this “view of a city” – I am happy to add to that list my new home, Charlotte, NC. Which, btw, is being expanded due to its early success.
July 23, 2009 at 10:47 am
Great map, great vision.
Forward thinking plans like this haven’t been implemented because the status quo was meeting the current needs; but the current system is cracking, and we need integrated systems like this. Soon!
Perhaps future lines might service West Chester and distant outlying communities with park and ride; of course, unless Chuck still doesn’t want it.
November 23, 2009 at 8:44 am
Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem.
June 21, 2010 at 9:23 pm
I think this will be one of the best moves Cincinnati has made in many years. I hope it is completed and not left behind like the subway was when the Erie Canal was drained. Go-Cincinnati!!
December 28, 2011 at 9:02 am
[…] A future phase of the development at U Square at The Loop includes the vacant “Gateway” site at Vine Street and Calhoun Street. There, a mid-rise office building is envisioned at what would become the junction between Uptown and Downtown streetcar lines. […]