Transportation

Cincinnati to begin Phase 1 of Mt. Lookout Square enhancements

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Latest in Transportation
Cincinnati Planning Commission considers reduced parking requirements along streetcar line

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First ArtWorks bike rack installed outside local coffee shop

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CVG International Airport adds Air Canada

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport regained service with Air Canada, offering two daily round trip flights to Toronto. This addition benefits local travelers because Toronto is a major business destination and a main international transfer point. It also shows the strong demand for air service in the local market as well as improvement in diversity of airlines at CVG. Read the full story here.

Cincinnati Metro asks riders to tell their stories via video, web for a year of free rides

Cincinnati Metro is asking riders to share their stories about using public transportation in a contest where two community-chosen winners will receive a free one-year buss pass.The "Tell Us Your Story" contest is Cincinnati's part in the national "Public Transportation Takes Us There" campaign of the American Public Transportation Association. Cincinnati's contest borrows from the national campaign by seeking out public stories related to four key areas: economy and jobs, environment, energy independence and quality of life. Metro is looking for concise, personal stories from riders who can explain how public transportation has helped them improve in those four areas. The contest is accepting written and video stories, eight of which will receive a free one-month bus pass. The top two in each medium will receive a free one-year bus pass."We're looking for riders to tell us how metro has helped them get to a job, or cut back on their environmental impact," said Metro Public Affairs Manager Jill Isaacs Dunne. "We're hoping that by the public telling their stories, Metro can tell a story of what it means for people to have public transportation in Cincinnati."Written entries should be limited to 150 words; video entries should be a minute or so. There are several ways to submit them. Metro will capture video at events in Cincinnati this summer, starting with Taste of Cincinnati May 27 on Fountain Square. You can enter your own written and video through Metro's web site. The contest is from May 27 to July 31. Metro will chose winners of the one-month free bus pass and the public will vote for the Grand Prize winners on the metro web site from Aug. 3 to 31.Writer: Feoshia Henderson    Source Metro Public Affairs Manager Jill Isaacs DunneYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox http://www.twitter.com/feoshiasoapbox

Kennedy Connector project infused with $12M in funding from OKI

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Cincinnati Cyclers Have a Plan

Cincinnati celebrates May's 'Bike Month' with style - and substance. A comprehensive bike plan, new bike lanes, 'sharrows', designated bike 'parking' spaces and even a bike corral in Northside are just a handful of the successes local bike advocates and city officials have achieved in the past year.  Soapbox's Jeremy Mosher says that their efforts are not only making Cincinnati more bike friendly, but changing the way we'll all get around in the future - hint: two wheels are better than four.

BAE Systems in Butler County awarded $10 million federal contract to armor vehicles

BAE Systems in Butler County has just been awarded a $10 million federal government contract to armor vehicles for commercial use.Under the contract, BAE will armor commercial SUV's and pick-ups. The custom vehicles will be tailored to specific customer needs and include mission specific-features. The vehicles won't look like traditional military-style transportation, and are intended to look like everyday commercial vehicles, according to the company."With the current growth in areas of conflict, we are seeing global demand for commercial armored vehicles continuing to keep pace," said Don Dutton, Vice President with BAE Systems' Security & Survivability business. "Because they're designed to blend in with local, indigenous cultures, and they send out a decidedly different 'message' than military-style vehicles, we're seeing more and more commercial armored vehicles being used, both here in the U.S. and abroad," added Dutton. Locally, BAE employs approximately 1,600 and is one of Butler County's largest employers. The commercial armored vehicles will be manufactured in West Chester starting in late 2010, with the first set of deliveries scheduled in 2011.BAE is an advanced manufacturing, product and service company based in the United Kingdom, with 107,000 employees worldwide. The company's Butler County plant is part of the global aerospace, defense and security company's Land and Armament business unit.  The company's client base includes the air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Jennifer Robinson, BAE SystemsYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiasoapbox

Bold design sought for Brent Spence Bridge replacement

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Cincinnati City Council approves $64M in bonds to fund modern streetcar system

Cincinnati City Council's Budget & Finance Committee voted 6-2 to approve $64 million in bonds for the city's proposed streetcar system.  The move is the first bold commitment from City Hall in terms of financing for the project to date, and is seen as a strong signal to the Federal government that there is local support for the project. "This project can help us grow our tax base without growing our tax rate," described Brad Thomas, founder of CincyStreetcar.com.  "The approval of these bonds will send a clear message to Washington D.C. that Cincinnati is serious about this project, and will strongly position Cincinnati for the next two rounds of Federal funds." Specifically, the vote approved three separate bonds that were made up of $11 million from the Blue Ash Airport sale proceeds, $28 million from General Capital sources and $25 million from Tax Increment Financing (TIF) sources.  The General Capital and TIF bonds were strengthened with proceeds from the sale of the Blue Ash Airport.  Beyond the technical proceedings, several young people spoke about the future benefits the project will have on the city and its citizen's quality of life. "I'm really excited about what I'm seeing in this city, and I'm very excited about the prospect of urban living and more transportation options," said Xavier University student Adam Clark.  "It's very important that we provide these options, and I'm looking forward to riding the streetcar soon." During Council's deliberations, Council member Jeff Berding asked Cincinnati Budget Director if the Blue Ash Airport sale proceeds could legally be used for cover the City's pension fund or close the City's Operation Budget deficit.  The City's Budget Director proceeded to give a direct and clear message of, no, those funds can legally not be used for those purposes. The meeting heard 10 public comments that ranged local entrepreneurs, students and residents in support of the Cincinnati Streetcar project.  Tim Mara, lawyer representing Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending & Taxes (COAST) member Mark Miller, was the one public comment in opposition to the project and threatened a lawsuit against Council member Bortz should he vote on the issue.  On April 19, 2010, City Council voted to approve $2.6 million in bonds for the project and had 29 public comments made in favor of the Cincinnati Streetcar project with just three in opposition. The meeting was once again defined by the participation of young people in the political process with several of the public comments coming from young professionals and students alike. "This has been one of the single issues that has involved a diverse group of people, and has involved more young people in the decision making process in the future of Cincinnati," Council member Laketa Cole stated.  People always ask me where the young people are, and I can say that young people have been up in the front on this issue from day one making their voices heard.  That is something I'm excited about." Writer: Randy A. Simes Stay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy

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