Cincinnati: "We want to be downtown."

Mayor names 5 step formula for a successful Cincinnati | 91.7 WVXU News: ""So we have all those companies and their employees are telling them we want to be downtown. We want to be where the restaurants are. We want to be where the action is. We want to be able to ride the streetcar when it's done. You know I could not let you get out of here without talking about the streetcar." "

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Parking mandates stymy development in Cincinnati’s urban neighborhoods — UrbanCincy

Parking mandates stymy development in Cincinnati’s urban neighborhoods — UrbanCincy: "The demolition of buildings that are mostly historic is also a concern as downtowns struggle to build parking infrastructure that is required by code. Those demolitions, oddly enough, systematically demolish the very things that distinguished them from the suburbs and made the area an appealing destination."

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Hardy transit, hardy economy | Cincinnati.com | cincinnati.com

Hardy transit, hardy economy | Cincinnati.com | cincinnati.com: "Maintain, grow public transit"

The need: Transport urban dwellers and elderly, disabled and poor to jobs, groceries, health centers and services.

The details: Public transit plays a critical role in the region’s economy: Metro provides 17 million rides every year, about half getting people to and from work. The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) serves 5 million passengers every year, about 75 percent to and from work. Local transit authorities say the greatest challenge is to maintain funding for services and programs and find ways to fund new ones, such as a planned $9 million bus rapid transit corridor in Uptown.

The experts: “Transportation is really important in terms of economic development, job creation and linking people to job opportunities,” says Terry Garcia Crews, CEO and general manager of Metro. “Here’s an opportunity to seize that moment .”

The cost: Maintain existing federal and local funding for public transit operations, infrastructure and the replacement of buses. Secure funding for new service and initiatives.

The prospects: Uncertain. Transit officials say the transportation plan put forth by U.S. House Republicans would jeopardize federal funding for public transit. And local funding is often tied to local governments, increasingly cash-strapped themselves.

Why Transit? | TransitColumbus

Why Transit? | TransitColumbus: "Public Transportation saves Money at Home and at the Gas Pump

The average American household spends 18 cents of every dollar on transportation – nearly all of which goes to buying, maintaining and operating a car – the largest personal expense after housing.
Families living near public transit drive an average of 4,400 fewer miles than families with no access to public transit. This equates to an individual reduction of 223 gallons of gas per year."

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$4,000 a year for gas, and you could have free #transit for 60 basis points of tax

Gas Prices and the Value of Walkable Communities | Planetizen: ""While the average American household paid $4,155 for gasoline in 2011 -- a 25% increase over 2010 -- (in our walkable community) we paid about $1,400. And it wasn’t because we made sacrifices. It was because we happened upon an immensely satisfying lifestyle that just happened to be less dependent on gasoline. At whatever price.""

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#Transit Intangibles - Life in the human lane

Transit Intangibles: "Transit evangelists can name off a long list of tangible benefits from riding transit. A smaller carbon footprint, better health, lower stress levels from driving can all be named but effects from riding that are rarely talked about are the intangible benefits of transit. This brings me back to an experience I had yesterday while waiting on my bus to return to work."

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#occupy has shaken loose more #transit funding

RTA wins $12.5 million grant for new rapid station at Mayfield and East 119th | cleveland.com: "CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has landed a $12.5 million grant to build a new rapid station at Mayfield Road and East 119th Street, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's office reported today."

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