Tag: downtown

Categories
News Politics Transportation

Metro debuts new hybrid buses

Metro will debut the first 6 of their 15 new hybrid buses on Tuesday, April 21st. The ceremony (10:30am) will take place at the Twin Lakes Overlook in Eden Park where Mayor Mallory, ODOT and others will dedicate the new buses that will then be paraded (11:00am) through Eden Park, past Mirror Lake and into downtown via 5th Street to Fountain Square.

The new hybrid buses will have a “unique go*GREEN hybrid design” that will reduce soot and hydrocarbon emissions by at least 90% and use about 30% less fuel that the typical Metro bus. Additional hybrid buses will be purchased next year with some of the $17.5 million that Metro received from stimulus funds in March.

The 6 new hybrid buses will go into service the next day and will be featured in a lunchtime Earth Day event on Fountain Square before officially being launched into service at 1pm. At the Earth Day event, there will be a fashion show of “environmentally-conscience and bike beautiful” fashions. The models will arrive on the new hybrid buses and will use the Flower Carpet, on Fountain Square, as their runway. Visitors will also be able to check out the new hybrid buses and get more information on Metro during the event.

To learn more about Metro’s new hybrid buses check out this interactive diagram.

Categories
News

Mainstay Rock Bar opens downtown

5chw4r7z has reported that Mainstay Rock Bar is now open at the SW corner of 5th & Plum in downtown Cincinnati.

Mainstay Rock Bar (GoogleMap) has introduced a fresh look and feel to the former Poison Room space. The building is now more open to the street and boasts an interesting decor and features that should keep all of our rock-lovers out there happy.

From the owners:

“MAINSTAY takes a plush sexy lounge with brown leather seating and gives it a strong, edgy rock & roll vibe. You’re not gonna hear hip hop, mash-ups, drum & amp; bass, downtempo, or trancey house music at MAINSTAY. Think more along the lines of classic and modern rock with a twist. Framed photos of rock stars line the walls, and the bar mixes up a tasty list of specialty cocktails. MAINSTAY is a new venue with a tribute to all things rock & roll. Dual DJ booths and a stage fit for a rock star, or a band of them, allows for multiple live entertainment options.”

Categories
News

Fountain Day 2009

This Saturday, April 4th is the second annual Fountain Day where Cincinnatians gather to ceremoniously turn the water back on at Fountain Square. The events will begin at 6pm and last for several hours with live music and an statement from Mayor Mallory.

The event is a great way to kick off the spring season and the return on warmer weather to the Queen City. Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks will close out the programed portions of the evening shortly after 8pm.

The event is free and open to the public. Adult beverages and soft drinks will be available for purchase on the Square throughout the event. Parking is available in the Fountain Square Garage and Metro provides heavy service to the event via Government Square.

Event Schedule:

  • 6 pm Bob Herzog welcomes crowd with a “Dance Party Saturday”
  • 6:15 pm Live Music: 500 Miles to Memphis
  • 7pm Live Music: Eclipse
  • 8 pm Remarks by John Ryan of Raymond James
  • 8:05 pm Remarks by Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory
  • 8:10 pm Water flows, Fireworks start
Categories
Development News

Dog Parks Can Improve Livability of Cincinnati’s Urban Neighborhoods

The Trust for Public Land recently ranked the nation’s largest cities based on the number of dog parks available to their residents. Cincinnati fared well, coming in at #15 with 1.2 dog parks per 100,000 residents (73kb PDF) out of the 75 total cities examined.

Dog parks provide dog owners living in the city a spot where they can bring their canine friend to do their business. A secondary, and equally important, role to dog parks is the social component. Dogs and their owners alike often use their trips to the dog park as a way to socialize and interact with other dogs and owners.

This social component provides that always desired community feel as people become bonded to their neighbors through shared experiences. In the city, it also puts more “eyes on the street,” and creates a sense of vibrancy that might not be there if the owners kept themselves and their dogs cooped up inside their urban dwelling unit.

A rather large example of a good urban dog park in NYC – Source

So while Cincinnati fares well with the overall dog parks per 100,000 residents analysis, it fails in the very neighborhoods that dog parks would provide this dual benefit. Aside from the Pet Athletic Club, there is no dedicated spot for residents of Downtown, Over-the-Rhine or the West End to take their dogs. These neighborhoods are the most lacking in private yard space and need these kinds of parks to make urban living possible for the slews of dog owners out there.

There is hope though as a dog park is planned for the northern portion of Washington Park as part of its ensuing renovation/expansion. This will be a great asset for the residents of Over-the-Rhine and even those living in the northern parts of Downtown, but how about the many people living in the “Soapbox District” or over near Lytle Park?

Well there was a movement that surfaced about as quickly as it went away for a Downtown dog park. City Manager Milton Dohoney got a group of stakeholders together to study the issue with pledged support from the Downtown Residents Council. The effort, however, has been stalled indefinitely as the associated construction and maintenance costs appeared to be too cumbersome.

Please share any thoughts or ideas you may have about how to go about implementing a small dog park in Downtown Cincinnati. A donated piece of land, volunteer service and ideas about how to set up some sort of dog park endowment would be especially helpful in developing a dog park.
Categories
News Politics Transportation

Bike lanes coming to Spring Grove Avenue

In a press conference yesterday at Cincinnati City Hall, Council Member Greg Harris announced that Spring Grove Avenue would receive two miles of dedicated bike lanes as part of a planned roadway repaving effort set for the spring. The bike lane would connect downtown and the western fringe of the core to Clifton and Northside.

Those who spoke at the press conference included Kathy Holwadel, Chair of Cincinnati’s Bike/PAC, who voiced strong support for the measure. As a regular commuter that takes her along Spring Grove Avenue, she noted that while the road is relatively safe, a dedicated lane would let drivers know that cyclists are part of the road much like an automobile.

Gary Wright, a spokesman for Queen City Bike, stated that the inclusion of the bike lane would be a step in the right direction in making Cincinnati’s neighborhoods and streets livable and green, environmentally friendly and safe. He continued by stating that the bike lanes is a direction that the city and neighborhoods must exploit for the future as a healthy, environmentally friendly transportation alternative to the automobile, confirmed in countless surveys that clearly show that citizens desire methods of transport that do not include a car.

Reactions, to the announcement, have been generally positive. Local transit enthusiast and avid bicyclist Jake Mecklenborg is pleased with the announcement but says the best solution would ultimately be a completely separate bike path divided by a barrier for safety purposes.

Lauren Sullivan, who has spearheaded the nationally acclaimed New Orleans cycling map project (NolaCycle), told UrbanCincy that she supports the lanes because they add visibility to the cyclist, although she noted that dedicated bike lanes were not entirely necessary due to the excessive width and lack of traffic of Spring Grove Avenue. Lauren went on to say that bike lanes should be appropriated on hills where bike and automobile conflicts are more likely, following with cross-town routes. In addition, she voiced comment for the installation of “Share the Road” and other associated bike signage and shared lane striping along Central Parkway, a popular cycling route.

Finally, John Hoebbel, an architecture student at DAAP, said that the inclusion of the bike lane would “enhance the natural connection between downtown and Northside,” adding that the lane is ideal due to Spring Grove Avenue’s relative flatness.

Personally, I am in full support of the bike lane measure, and of similar attempts elsewhere. After having biked Spring Grove Avenue yesterday as part my usual training route, I find that the route is underutilized for both automobiles and cyclists, passing only a handful of trucks and cars and four cyclists. It is also overly wide, and I had no trouble staying within my lane as there is a wide shoulder and parking lane for most of the route. That said, the benefit of physical striping to denote a bike lane and the inclusion of additional lanes in the future, will only benefit cyclists while encouraging more to get out on the bike and enjoy the inherent benefits of cycling.

See below for the press conference: