Parker Flats: Street Cars

I attended the Downtown Streetcar Initiative tonight at City Cellars that covered the proposed Cincinnati Street car project. Personally I can't wait for it to be built, and mostly the presenters were preaching to the choir. There were a couple nay sayers in the audience but then any project needs them to keep everyone honest about expectations. It seems like they've settled on a figure eight route that would go south on Vine loop around 3rd to the ballpark and then shoot back up Main St. From there it would turn west on 12th street and then north on Race. It would go up to McMillian and then south on Elm back east on 12th and then south on Vine again.
Why street cars in Cincinnati?

As one city transportation official put it, "Streetcars have sex appeal."

Why are streetcars such good investments?

- They arrive more frequently (see 5-minute rule), since they're lighter, smaller, and more nimble than light rail.
- They're very affordable. They cost about $10-$15 million a mile compared with $5-$75 million a mile for light-rail
- They're less than 5 miles in length compared with 10-20 miles for light rail, which makes them less costly politically as well.
In Tampa, the city spent $55 million in a streetcar system, and it attracted well over $1 billion in private investment. In Portland, their brand new, modern streetcars attracted about 100 projects worth $2.3 billion within two blocks of the line in less than five years, including over 7000 housing units and 4.6 million s.f. of office and retail.

If this is something that interests you as well, I've done all the hard work for you, click to Email City Council and tell you support the project. And if you are opposed to this I strongly urge you to whip out a pen and paper and write a letter.




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