Soapbox blog #2

Thank you for the interesting feedback on my previous blog. I certainly concur with “getbackcincy” on the urban redevelopment theme.

At a time when many cities are struggling to maintain some semblance of a downtown, Cincinnati is making tremendous strides.

I had the opportunity to attend a NAACP event on Saturday night and spent half an hour speaking with some women from Wisconsin in town for the convention.

They were impressed by the activity around Fountain Square, the construction beginning at the riverfront and the overall vitality of our downtown. Sometimes we are so focused on the negative that we fail to realize just how far we’ve come downtown and how much better off we are compared to many mid-sized cities around the country. That said, we still have far to go, but it’s exciting to have someone from out of town tell you that you’re on the right track.

Imagine Cincinnati three years from now: phase one of the Banks is complete, the streetcar line is operational, the new School for Creative and Performing Arts is open, and Queen City Square joins our already impressive skyline. I bet you those folks from Wisconsin will be back to see it.

“Long-time Bus Rider” shares some of the concerns we at Metro are hearing throughout the community. The bottom line is that more people want transportation options and as a community we’re going to have to figure out exactly how that takes shape.

Now, some questions for you:  Should Metro buy articulated buses (think bigger bus with an accordion in the middle) to run along our major transportation corridors? Are neighborhoods interested in developing transit hubs to allow for increased community-to-community service? Do we want to see smaller vehicles running in neighborhoods and feeding into main line service?

Please continue to post your thoughts here and let us know.