Transportation

Streetcars are a powerful tool of economic development, but they also are a useful addition to the transportation plan of an urban area.  Having a streetcar system in place allows people to walk around more.  Pedestrians can stroll around downtown until they get tired and take the streetcar back to where they began.  Parents with young children can take them on the streetcar when they get tired of walking.  Elderly people can use the streetcar if they are unable to walk the full distance.

Because every streetcar stop displays the time the next train will be coming, streetcars allow transportation on demand.  Unlike busses with confusing, printed schedules based on time points instead of stops, streetcars have electronic displays that inform passengers exactly when the next streetcar will arrive. 

If it is a pleasant day, someone might begin walking to their destination and hop on the streetcar when it catches up to them.  Or if it is raining, a passenger can wait, dry and out of the rain, under one of the shelters until the streetcar arrives.  Because streetcars pull right up to the curb, hardly a drop of water will be felt when boarding.

Getting people out of their cars increases the vitality and vibrancy of a neighborhood.  It leads to better street life.  More sidewalk cafes, more pedestrians, all the amenities that make walking around a big city so enjoyable. 

The streetcar changes the fabric of a neighborhood; It changes the way of life for the people who live there for the better.  Fewer people driving means more chance encounters with friends and neighbors.  Getting people out of the isolation of the automobile allows people to meet one another and interact in ways they could not if they were surrounded by a thousand pounds of glass and steel.

Phase 1 of the streetcar system will increase the number of pedestrians downtown leading to a more active street life, greater economic activity and give Cincinnatians the chance to interact more with their fellow citizens.

Young Professionals

Young Professionals are drawn to places with great public transportation like Portland, Chicago, New York, and hopefully soon, Cincinnati.  Streetcars and subways create walkable, 24-hour cities with a vibrant arts scene and great nightlife—exactly what Young Professionals want. 

To attract and retain more young, upwardly mobile citizens, Cincinnati needs to build a streetcar system.  These people can choose where they want to live and where they want to work.  Cincinnati has many Fortune 500 companies.  Building a streetcar system will improve the quality of the city and help Cincinnati businesses recruit and hire the best young talent.  The streetcar is a wise investment for the entire city of Cincinnati.

Not a young professional?  What about your kids?  Or grandkids?  Would you rather you son or daughter take a job in downtown Cincinnati or Seattle?

Our universities graduate thousands of talented young people every year.  Having a streetcar that connects the major campuses with a revitalized downtown will help the city retain more of those graduates.

Cincinnati can be a city that generates buzz, a city that people talk about and want to move to.  But to do that, we need to attract members of the ‘creative class’. Young Professionals, full of ideas and disposable income can drive economic development in Cincinnati.  A streetcar system will help Cincinnati attract and retain more Young Professionals creating a more vibrant and exciting city.

Public Safety

The streetcar will also increase public safety along the route.  More people riding the streetcar mean more eyes on the street.  Criminals don’t want to draw attention to themselves; that’s why they focus on empty, desolate areas.  Places bustling with activity like Fountain Square have no problem with crime, but in areas with empty streets, crime is more of a concern. 

In suburban shopping malls, most of the crime doesn’t occur inside where there is activity.  The muggings and robberies occur in the empty parking lots and garages.

More people living downtown also translate into more buildings with doormen.  Having someone watching a block twenty-four hours a day is a strong deterrent against crime.

The streetcar will bring more people and activity downtown, increasing the number of eyes on the street and decreasing the opportunities criminals have to ply their trade.

Connecting Neighborhoods

Phase 1 of the streetcar will connect downtown and Over-the-Rhine, but later phases will link together Uptown, Downtown, Northern Kentucky, and many of Cincinnati’s neighborhoods. 

Clifton Heights isn’t terribly far from Downtown, but the hills really distort people’s ideas of distance and space.  Northern Kentucky sits within sight of the Ohio riverfront, but seems disconnected from it. 

A streetcar system linking all of these great neighborhoods, would only strengthen them.  UC students would be able to get by without an automobile because almost everything they would need would be a short streetcar ride away.  Someone living downtown could take the streetcar to the Esquire or Northern Kentucky to see a movie.  A family could visit both the Zoo and the Aquarium, taking the streetcar between the destinations. 

Art lovers would have the major arts attractions all linked together by streetcars, allowing a multi-state gallery hop.  Sports fans could take the streetcar to the Reds, Bengals, or Bearcats game and not have to worry about parking. 

Connecting the major attractions, employment centers, and neighborhoods is the goal of the later phases of the streetcar system.  In addition to bringing new economic development and residents to these areas, the streetcar will reduce congestion and improve the character of the city.

Pollution and Environment

Streetcars are powered by electricity and are zero emission vehicles.  Cincinnati suffers from too many smog alerts and too many days where the air is unhealthy to breathe.  The streetcar alone won’t cut our emissions down to a safe level, but it is a step in the right direction. 

Instead of focusing unproven technologies like switch-grass ethanol, hydrogen power, carbon sequestration, tar sands, and oil shale, the streetcar uses technologies that exist and are commercially viable now.  The electricity can be provided by coal, a resource the United States has in abundance or can be powered by wind, solar, or any other alternative source.

If the United States wants to achieve energy independence, a viable mass transit system must by an important component.  The streetcar system is a step in the right direction.

For more information on streetcar transit, click here to visit the City of Cincinnati's Streetcar Transit FAQS