The Cincinnati Enquirer has this story stating the 6.7 miles per hour (‘mph’) average speed of the streetcar will be “only slightly faster than a very brisk walk.” The reality, however, is that 6.7 mph is much faster than the speed of the average walker.
According to a recent study, the average walking speed observed in an urban area of similar size to Cincinnati was 3.3 miles per hour for pedestrians under 60 years old and 2.9 miles per hour for those over 60. Even for the faster group, the observed speeds were under half the speed of the streetcar.
To put things in perspective, a 6.7 mph pace would translate into an 8:57 mile. If one were to enter the Flying Pig Marathon and run it at an 8:57 mile pace, they would finish in the top 20% of the field. To say that someone who finished in the top 20% of the Flying Pig finished the race running “only slightly faster than a very brisk walk” is laughable.
Accurate information, not sensationalism, is what is needed for understanding the Cincinnati Streetcar and why it will be beneficial to our City. Cincystreetcar.com would like to thank all of those readers who continue to come to this site to be informed and educated about this transformative project.
May 23, 2011 at 11:57 pm
I’ve timed myself a few times while walking in the city. At a brisk pace it takes 2.5 to 3.0 minutes to walk a city block. The proposed streetcar route goes from approximately 5th street to what would be 20th street = 15 blocks, plus 2-3 blocks east/west. A round trip would be over 30 blocks, which would take over an hour to walk.
But what the streetcar really does is expand the pedestrian reach throughout the basin.
May 24, 2011 at 7:13 am
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