DECEMBER 2023 THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE AMERICA - EAST 10 | City of Cincinati fuel sources to supply energy, and that trend to increasingly rely less on carbon-based materials will continue. “Fifty and sixty years ago, making coal plants made a lot of sense, but today, with the alternatives we have, it doesn’t make as much sense as it once did,” says Falkin. With increased reliance on solar energy and less dependence on fossil fuels, Falkin says the improvements to air quality will also lead to fewer asthma rates, respiratory disorders and improved health for residents. City of Cincinati | 11 TRANSITIONAL TRIUMPHS Cincinnati is also making improvements to its infrastructure in transportation and fleet operation, which again, will yield to less reliance on fossil fuels. Falkin says by 2025, the city “will be done with gas and diesel.” Over the last two years, the city fleet has reduced its gas consumption by more than 12 percent, which he calls progress toward that goal. The city is now utilizing more electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, but plans to acquire more fueled by cleaner, compressednatural-gas and will soon begin developing CNG fueling stations. Other initiatives involve mass transportation. Although the city maintains a public bus system known as Metro, one initiative will lead to the establishing of a downtown modern street car system, similar to that which sparked redevelopment in Portland. The street cars will connect with downtown neighborhoods and will run on overhead electric power lines. The idea is to decrease downtown traffic congestion while increasing public ridership. Increased ridership is also at play in the developing of a new bus rapid transit line that will begin this summer. To explain Cincinnati’s approach, Falkin offers a little insight into cultural aspects of transit. “If you look at people who ride the bus and those who ride a train, you’ll notice they are not the same. Many people who ride the bus are transit dependent. They have no other
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=