Do you think the new Bike Transit system will work? (Cincinnati: renting, daycare)

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by restorationconsultant

But will that event have any impact on bike share? No. I don't see people going to Mason for an event saying, hey lets drive all the way downtown to Cincinnati and rent a bike. Does that event have a significant impact on the downtown economy and drive use of the bikeshare?

I read today that the gencom convention in Indy has a 49 million dollar financial impact on the local economy this weekend and that all hotels downtown are booked solid. That number surprised me.

If we had those kind of events here, the Cincy bikeshare would/could be successful. My point is that until we can build a real downtown tourism and convention business in downtown Cincy we have a long way to go. I don't expect the bikeshare to be successful compared to Indy. I am glad we have it however.

Never know. For years a good friend of mine back in Connecticut would ride his bike 15 miles each way to and from work most days of the week. And that included going over some small mountains northwest of Hartford.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by restorationconsultant

But will that event have any impact on bike share? No. I don't see people going to Mason for an event saying, hey lets drive all the way downtown to Cincinnati and rent a bike. Does that event have a significant impact on the downtown economy and drive use of the bikeshare?

I respectfully disagree. Why? Because I fairly recently visited downtown Indy, and one of my main reasons to choose it as a destination was its bike share.


If a bike share was in Cincinnati, I absolutely would come from Dayton to use it as a part of a day trip. Why not? Especially if I can leave the car and use it to easily tour the city.

Additionally, where is there a good place to ride a bike in suburbia? Nowhere, unless your specific development has bike trails.

Also - to those who said ridding bikes on rural roads is acceptable - it is NOT! Please don't ride your bike on a rural road! Cars go much faster than bikes on a rural road, and often rural roads have dips and bends that can hide cyclists. So stay off them! Bike on trails or in bike lanes instead.

[ProkNo5]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

Today's young adult sees the private car as an unnecessary excess until he gets a job and has two or three stops to make after work. Then he owns one.

Nope. I'm working a salaried position, in my Thesis year for my Masters, and working two part time jobs right now. I don't own a car because I honestly don't believe I could do all of that WITH a car. I have very little free time, so why the heck would I waste it behind the wheel of a car. I take transit, bike, walk, take taxis, every week and occasionally rent a car for appointments in the suburbs. The whole idea behind going car-free is having the freedom to choose the mode that works best for the situation.

I am planning on having a family and when I do, I have no intention of purchasing a car. I'm actually working pretty hard right now to position myself properly to make that future a reality. My kids will walk, play in the park with neighborhood kids, learn how to use transit at a very young age, and experience a childhood free from the backseat of a car.


Back to bikeshare. The downtown portion of this system will be a huge success. I have no questions about that. Downtown Cincinnati is incredibly bikeable and tourist friendly. When the extend the system to Northern Kentucky it'll be even better.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by ProkNo5

I am planning on having a family and when I do, I have no intention of purchasing a car. I'm actually working pretty hard right now to position myself properly to make that future a reality. My kids will walk, play in the park with neighborhood kids, learn how to use transit at a very young age, and experience a childhood free from the backseat of a car.

Hope you have the wife all picked out or already in hand who is in tune with all of that.

My wife and I both lived at home and commuted to college. No way were we going to address the subject of room and board. Some of our classmates elected the flop-house type of apartment, but that was not for us either. So we stuck it out until graduation and then got married two months later.

The cars we had driven to school, provided by our parents, were both worn out and ready for the junkyard. So I went out and bought a brand new Dodge, cheap variety, 6-cyl, no radio, no A/C, no anything.

Bang-bang the wife tells me we will soon be three. Wonderful news. Yes Wonderful in more than one meaning. As they tend to do the baby is born and they grow. Next thing is wife is complaining this damn department is sitting right on a main street, my baby is going to get killed out there. Then comes the hammer, we are going to have the 2nd and she wants out of the apartment.

So I find a fixer-upper and buy it. Probably one of the best decisions I ever made. I am a reasonably capable handyman. So most of the fixing-upper I did

Moving into the house was a big help from a spousal standpoint. But then comes the kids have to go here and they have to do there and I can't get there. I recognize my next comment is because I did not locate on a bus line. But my frank opinion of that is I would rather go out and live on a farm in Batavia and commune with nature. So one night on the way home from work I stop and buy the 2nd car.

I hope your life-plan works out in all of its ramifications. But quite frankly I know of very few which really do.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Hope you have the wife all picked out or already in hand who is in tune with all of that.

I hope your life-plan works out in all of its ramifications. But quite frankly I know of very few which really do.

About 600,000 brave US souls manage home to work transportation without a car. Of course, most of them work at the Library and live in student housing, or similar. But, we are lucky enough to have one of those folks here. At least for the time being.

The private car is the thing of the present and the future. But, we are going to have to give up control of the cars when we enter the divided highway. Its inevitable. Embrace it.

[Chemistry_Guy]

If a car-free lifestyle made sense for me I would embrace it in a heartbeat. It would free up a lot of space in my garage for a truck and more motorcycles.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Chemistry_Guy

If a car-free lifestyle made sense for me I would embrace it in a heartbeat. It would free up a lot of space in my garage for a truck and more motorcycles.

Love that! Add the truck and motorcyles to the garage. Hey Man, the more motors the better!

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Love that! Add the truck and motorcyles to the garage. Hey Man, the more motors the better!

I have 9 cars and trucks running and insured. Down from 11 a few years ago.

My daily driver is 24 years old and gets maybe 13 mpg.

[gregbe]

. I have very little free time, so why the heck would I waste it behind the wheel of a car. I take transit, bike, walk, take taxis, every week and occasionally rent a car for appointments in the suburbs. The whole idea behind going car-free is having the freedom to choose the mode that works best for the situation.


Why? Because a car is the fastest way from point a to point b. If you're complaining about lack of free time why spent extra time walking or waiting for the bus to arrive? They extended the bus line by our house a few years ago. My wife works downtown so we took a look at her taking the bus. We figured she would spent an extra hour commuting each day and she had was tied to their schedule not her own. It made no sense. Forget about stopping on the way home to pick something up for dinner or run errand at lunch.

[ProkNo5]

Originally Posted by gregbe

. I have very little free time, so why the heck would I waste it behind the wheel of a car. I take transit, bike, walk, take taxis, every week and occasionally rent a car for appointments in the suburbs. The whole idea behind going car-free is having the freedom to choose the mode that works best for the situation.


Why? Because a car is the fastest way from point a to point b. If you're complaining about lack of free time why spent extra time walking or waiting for the bus to arrive? They extended the bus line by our house a few years ago. My wife works downtown so we took a look at her taking the bus. We figured she would spent an extra hour commuting each day and she had was tied to their schedule not her own. It made no sense. Forget about stopping on the way home to pick something up for dinner or run errand at lunch.

25 minutes driving (aka not accomplishing anything productive) versus 45 minute of time to read, write, answer emails, make phone calls, etc. It's insane the amount of time people waste behind the wheel by driving themselves daily.

I live on 5 bus lines, so there's really not too much time wasted on waiting for the bus or connecting. I also stop at the grocery store daily. I have a Metro pass so I just hop off at Kroger, but what I need, and hop back on the next bus. It adds like 12 minutes to my commute every day.