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Monday, September 17, 2007

SORTA plans in works...sorta

Some ambitious plans are in the works to revamp the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA).

But the changes aren't anywhere near to the point of rubber hitting road (pun intended).

In fact, it may be still be quite awhile before the city and the county even agree on exactly far-reaching the overhaul should be, let alone getting the plan ready to present to surrounding counties, and the masses served by mass-transit.

Here's the deal. Hamilton County Commission President Todd Portune is on a small group of city, county and SORTA folk who are working on this re-organization. Last week Portune told the Enquirer about the plans in the works (read Enquirer story). Then, on Monday he outlined in a two-page memo to his colleagues, Commissioners David Pepper and Pat DeWine, exactly what the "SORTA Revision Process" would entail.

Portune said he thinks its "time to test the water" and see if this is what the full city council, county commission and SORTA board were envisioning when they began the re-organization talks six months ago.

But some of Todd's plans (like light rail and a high-speed rail line between Cincinnati and Dayton) may stretch a little beyond what others in the revision group are interested in tackling right now.

Said Councilman John Cranley (he's part of the re-organization group) last week: "If it wasn’t for David and Todd’s approach, this change would never have happened. Hamilton County is willing to be partners with us and they are very progressive."

But....

"My first goal is to make sure we have the highest level of service in the city. I don’t see light rail on the horizon."

SORTA board member Melody Sawyer Richardson (not part of the re-organization group)came to the Monday meeting because she read about it in the paper. She said (speaking as a resident, not on behalf of the board) that the first goal should be to protect the existing system and the people who use it. That said, "regionalism is fabulous," she noted. And she thinks considering different modalities (like trains and trolleys) is important.

So we'll see where how it boils down in a few weeks. City Council will take up the issue at some point. It meets again in two weeks. County Commissioners said they'll schedule a work session in three weeks on the issue.

Read Portune's memo: sorta.pdf


7 Comments:

at 10:42 AM, September 18, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't worry, we will soon have a functioning public transit body once the Repugnicant infestation is cleaned out and once the funding formulas in Columbus and Washington. Right now, the Repugs make sure that tax money subsidizes their SUV maker corporate pals and their greedy SUV driving suburban right-wing Jesues Freak voting base.

 
at 12:05 PM, September 18, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Not nearly enough (paranthetical) statements in that post.

 
at 2:59 PM, September 18, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Portune expects townships to pay for the SORTA expansion with Joint Economic Development Districts? That's laughable. Most of the Townships don't want the Bus service they already have because of the trouble it causes. Good luck getting the people out in Green, Colerain, Symmes, Sycamore, etc. Township to voluntarily give up their tax money. Another Portune Pipe Dream.

 
at 4:36 PM, September 18, 2007 Blogger usefullidiot said...

At the end of the 19th century, there were three different private light rail lines going through Anderson Twp. By 1936, all of them had ceased operation. Three men had conspired in light rail’s doom; Walter P Chrysler, William Durant, and Henry Ford.
Now Longshanks Portune has found another rat hole to dump tax increase money.

PATHETIC!!!

 
at 4:12 PM, September 19, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

What's really pathetic is how scared Cincinnati is of embracing modern mass-transportation methods. You all will vote down light rail, then sit there and complain about how bad traffic is and blame it on Republicans.

The (uninformed) voters of Cincinnati voted no on light rail. You have no one to blame but yourselves.

 
at 3:59 PM, September 21, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bike path yes. Light rail no!!

I really wish Cincinnati would stop taking it's beautiful riverfront property for granted by mucking it up with parking lots, ball parks and now renewed thougths light rail (line bewtween Kellogg & Columbia Parkway). Do we really need a noisy mass transit train running past Sawyer Point and along the new riverfront parks?

There's wonderful new high end development popping up all along Kellogg Avenue. There's a real chance for revitalizing the neighborhoods between downtown and Lunken. If you really want to send those "young professionals" and their bank accouts running to the suburbs of Anderson, put a light rail train in their back yard.

You want to improve Cincinnati? Develop the parks the bike paths between Lunken and Downtown. Rip out those tracks and put in a bike path. Light rail isn't going to bring people back into the city. Take a tip from the suburbs, make Cincinnati beautiful again.

 
at 10:03 PM, September 25, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Light rail isn't going to bring people back into the city.

You think so?

You think people are going to ride their bikes downtown to go out to dinner and go see a show? You think a fmaily of four will hop on their Schwinns to go take in a Reds game? You think a guy is going to spring for one of those "dualies" so he can ride with his girlfriend down to Fountain Square so he can propose?

Get real. Get with the times. Stop being so afraid of progress.

 
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