CINCINNATI — A citizen-led effort is proposing nine new possible routes for the Cincinnati streetcar. They’re hoping to narrow down the most popular, drum up support and present their ideas to city leaders.
“I'm in favor of a great city and this is one way Cincinnati is going to get there,” said John Schneider, who is leading the charge.
Schneider, along with the Devou Good Foundation, collected survey results from about 2,500 people over the last few months. More than 2,000 of those respondents left additional comments on the streetcar system.
Using that data, the group drew up nine possible new routes where the streetcar could expand.
“We don't intend to advocate building nine streetcar routes right now,” Schneider said. “We want to find the best one that city policymakers might want to do in the next five years.”
Schneider shared details about two of the proposed routes with WCPO ahead of Thursday night's meeting. The group released the rest of the proposed plans at the public forum Thursday night.
One of the routes would connect with the existing streetcar line Downtown, before running through Pendleton, Mt. Auburn and Corryville.
The other route shared with WCPO would run as a loop between Clifton Heights, near the University of Cincinnati, and East Walnut Hills.
Schneider said other routes will run through Northern Kentucky and various Cincinnati neighborhoods.
After the forum, the group will launch an additional survey where respondents will be asked to rank the routes. That data will inform the group on how to best move forward.
“A lot of good ideas in this city have come up through citizens,” he said. “They gained support over time and then the city council says, ‘This is something we really need to look into and put some money behind.'”
WCPO asked several city council members whether they’d support expansion plans.
Council member Meeka Owens said it was too early to say.
“I think what's exciting is that people are looking at transportation differently,” she said.
Council member Seth Walsh said he was excited to see the ideas, but didn’t want to share more until he reviewed the details.
“It would take us quite a bit of time to get the funding together to be able to have the impact,” he said.
Council member Mark Jeffreys said it’s exciting to see citizens taking the initiative to bring ideas forward, but noted several questions would still need to be answered.
“We have to make sure that we have a sustainable funding model for the current streetcar,” he said. “Then, as we explore potential expansion, we also have to look at it in the context of Bus Rapid Transit and the investment we're making in Metro.”
Funding could be the biggest roadblock supporters are up against. It’s not something they’re calculating now.
“We're not experts in that,” Schneider said. “The city has the ability to do that. We're asking that if there's a clear consensus on a route, on the next route, that the city gather the resources to do some preliminary planning as to what would be involved in building that route.”
The group will present ideas and survey results at a public forum Thursday. Anyone can go to the forum to make their voice heard. It’s taking place at First Lutheran Church on Thursday, Feb. 1. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program begins at 6:30 p.m.
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