Tag: Transportation

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News Transportation

Queen City Bike wins $10k grant to implement Bicycle Friendly Destinations Program

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to Queen City Bike to develop a Bicycle Friendly Destinations Program. Once in place, the new program is expected to help grow the number of bicyclists locally by creating a registry of bike friendly employers, retailers, government agencies, and cultural organizations.

Program administrators will reportedly work with area businesses and institutions to make it easier for people to access and use their respective facilities by bicycle. The hope is that by improving the overall environment and bicycle culture, that more people will take to the streets on their bikes.

According to Queen City Bike president Gary Wright, the new program fits perfectly into the non-profit organization whose mission is to promote bicycling as a safe and healthy means of transportation and recreation in the Cincinnati region.

“Getting more people to use bicycles for everyday transportation benefits everyone,” Wright said. “It reduces pollution, cuts down on traffic and parking congestion, and is good for your health.”

The grant money will kick off the new program just as the City of Cincinnati has been implementing a variety of new measures from bicycle parking requirements, new safety laws for motorists, and additional bike lanes and sharrows. Many of the new changes have been sparked by a recently adopted Bicycle Transportation Plan that, in part, calls for 445 miles of on- and off-street bicycle facilities to be installed by 2025, and double the number of people using bicycles for everyday transportation within the next five years.

According to Wright, the idea for the program originally came from a project lead by Brad Hunkler in the Leadership Cincinnati Class 33. In that project Hunkler identified the program as a “key priority” for local employers looking to attract and retain talented professionals.

“The city is committed to making our streets more bicycle friendly, and we hope that many area businesses and organizations will match that commitment by participating in the Bicycle Friendly Destinations Program, “ Wright said. “More and more cities are realizing that supporting bicycles is important for their future, and I am proud to say that Cincinnati is one of the places that gets it.”

Queen City Bike will publicly recognize those that succeed at earning the Bike Friendly Designation in May 2011.

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Arts & Entertainment News Transportation

Metro to modify route, increase frequencies on Route 1

Metro officials have announced that route changes will be made to Route 1 in October. Officials state that the changes are intended to better serve local residents and visitors to the Queen City looking to take advantage of the large number of cultural institutions along the route.

The modified service will connect more than 40 cultural institutions throughout Cincinnati’s center city neighborhoods. Changes will include new 30-foot hybrid buses funded by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act that will operate with greater frequency. As a result, riders will benefit from 30 minute bus intervals operating seven days a week.

The new route will also undergo a light-hearted name modification as it is transformed into “Route 1: The One for Fun.”

“The One for Fun will connect the dots of fun in Cincinnati,” said Dave Etienne, Metro’s Marketing Director in a prepared release. “On the Rt. 1, it’s just ten minutes from downtown to Museum Center or from downtown to the Art Museum or Krohn Conservatory. It will be a convenient way to travel to dozens of Cincinnati’s treasures.”

Metro officials will be hosting an open house on Wednesday, September 8 from 3pm to 6pm at the transit agency’s headquarters (12th floor) in downtown Cincinnati. At the open house, current and future riders will have a chance to get an up close look at the forthcoming changes.

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Development News Transportation

City adding bike lanes to Central Parkway, Spring Grove Avenue, Linn Street

As summer draws to a close, Cincinnati city officials will be installing several miles of new dedicated bike lanes and sharrows. According to the Cincinnati Department of Transportation & Engineering (DOTE), crews have already introduced bike lane symbols along Spring Grove Avenue, between Crawford Avenue and Mitchell Avenue, and will be completing the separation line later this week.

Other city streets to be improved later this summer include Central Parkway, between Brighton Place and Hopple Street, and Linn Street from W. 6th Street to Gest Street.  In total, the projects account for approximately two-and-a-half miles of new bicycle facilities.

“We know that Spring Grove Avenue is already a major bicycling corridor, and we hope that the addition of bicycle lanes will encourage even more people to try using a bicycle for casual trips,” said Curtis Hines, Spring Grove Avenue project manager.

According to Hines, the timing is perfect as all of the streets receiving the new bike lanes and sharrows were already scheduled for routine maintenance work.

“We’re committed to building streets with all users in mind, so we plan to continue incorporating bike lanes in as many street improvement projects as possible.”

The new bike lanes and sharrows come shortly after Cincinnati City Council approved dramatic new bicycle policies that include new safety regulations, parking requirements, and a comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan that calls for 445 miles of on- and off-street bicycle facilities to be installed by 2025.

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Development News Transportation

300′ geothermal wells being drilled at new Cincinnati Riverfront Park

Several components of the first phase of the 45-acre Cincinnati Riverfront Park are nearing completion, or are reaching significant milestones.  The foundation for the Moerlein Lager House and Jacob G. Schmidlapp Stage & Event Lawn are complete, the foundations to the Roebling Suspension Bridge are being reset to accommodate a realigned Mehring Way, and the first section of the Hamilton County-controlled parking garage is now open.

Also underway is the drilling of 300-foot geothermal wells that will provide the air conditioning for the Bike, Mobility & Visitors’ Center.  The geothermal wells will provide a natural cooling mechanism that leverages the 56-degree temperatures found in the ground year-round.

The first phase of the Cincinnati Riverfront Park will also include the Black Brigade Monument, a labyrinth, tree groves, Main Street Garden, first section of an expanded riverfront bike trail, the Women’s Garden, and more.  According to project officials, the first phase of construction is currently within budget and on-schedule for a spring 2011 completion.  Later phases of construction will proceed as funding is available for the total $120 million project.

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News Transportation

Metro bus service restored to Lower Price Hill neighborhood

Metro is restoring service to the #31 route that had been previously eliminated as part of an effort in December 2009 to balance the transit authority’s budget that resulted in a 12 percent service reduction to Metro’s bus operations. The adjustments, to the route, will provide service along W. 8th Street to the Western Hills Viaduct along State Avenue.

Metro officials say that the addition of 14 trips each direction daily on weekdays, and eight trips each direction on weekends was made to provide greater access to the Kroger manufacturing plant and Lower Price Hill neighborhood. It is estimated that the restored service along this segment will provide 5,000 rides annually, with most of those trips related to employment at the Kroger plant.

“Thanks to the difficult decisions we made last year and effective management of our resources, Metro’s budget now appears to have stabilized,” said Marilyn Shazor, Metro’s CEO. “We are cautiously optimistic and will begin to restore some service as we can afford to do so. We plan to seek the community’s input to help us decide which service to add and in what order.”

The restored service to the #31 route took effect on Sunday, August 15 along with several other service changes to routes #3X, #3, #24, #71X, and #72. New bus schedules are available on Metro’s website, and across the street from the Government Square transit hub inside the Mercantile Building (map) on weekdays from 7:30am to 5pm. More information can be retrieved by calling (513) 621-4455 between 6:30am and 6pm Monday through Friday.