Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Let's Get Street (Car)

In the wake of the Metro Prop A win, and in anticipation of Aaron Woolf's visit conjunction with the debut of 'Beyond Motor City', it seems particularly pertinent to shout out Cincinnati for its progress on an urban street car line.

That's right, Cincinnati, the city that makes St. Louis look progressive on most issues, has taken major steps in bringing back the street car.
In moves that come right from the top levels of local government, a Cincinnati city council committee has recommended approval of $64 million in bonds to create a street car line. Not to say that they are going to make this happen overnight, but this shows that the city is really committed to making something happen. From the article:

Most public speakers encouraged the council members to, after several years of often contentious review, forcefully move ahead on the streetcar project, which has become a political flashpoint inside and outside City Hall alternately seen as a linchpin of the city’s future or a symbol of ill-conceived government spending.

“The question isn’t whether we can afford to build the streetcar,” said David Cole of Westwood. “The question is whether we can afford not to.”


Dear St. Louis... are you paying attention?

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