New Rideshare Zones Established on Multiple Downtown Streets

Ridehsare services continue as usual in all other parts of Downtown Cincinnati

CINCINNATI – Catching an Uber or Lyft just got easier and safer in several parts of downtown Cincinnati.

The City of Cincinnati’s Department of Transportation & Engineering (DOTE) has completed the installation of rideshare zones in nine locations in the heart of the Central Business District, Over-the-Rhine and at The Banks. The largest of these zones is roughly one city block in size and each zone will have a dedicated drop-off/pickup site inside it.

Drivers and passengers using Uber and Lyft’s rideshare service, as well as taxis and individual commuters, now have dedicated locations to meet and drop off in downtown’s most congested areas along or near the Cincinnati Bell Connector route. The rideshare zone is effective for the businesses that face the block/zone.

See maps below for locations.

Rideshare service in all other parts of the Central Business District, OTR and The Banks will continue as usual. Passengers are still permitted to drop-off and pick up as they have previously in areas outside the designated rideshare zones. 

“This new designation is part of our focus to improve safety and mobility downtown,” said John Brazina, director of DOTE. “The renaissance taking place in Cincinnati’s downtown core is prompting more transportation-related services to vie for the same curb space in the public right-of-way.”

The rideshare zones are designated by bright blue and green graphical signage at the following locations and times:

OTR

• 12th Street just east of Main Street (Thursday to Sunday, 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.)
• Main Street at 12th Street, east side (Thursday to Sunday, 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.)
• Main Street at 13th Street, west side (Thursday to Sunday, 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.)
• Elm Street just north of Henry Street (Daily, 24/7)

Central Business District

• East and west sides of Walnut Street between Sixth and Seventh (Daily, 6:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.)

The Banks

• North side of Second Street between Walnut and Main (Thursday to Sunday, 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.)
• Both sides of Freedom Way between Rosa Parks and Joe Nuxhall Way (Thursday to Sunday, 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.)

Drivers for Uber and Lyft also are made aware of the zones via a geofence installed on phone apps that direct them to the appropriate location to meet passengers. Again, the largest of these areas will be rougly the size of one city block.

At every location, existing metered parking spaces will remain in force as usual until rideshare begins, as well as any free, short-term parking. Metro bus stops are not affected by the new designation nor are valet operations. 

International consulting firm Fehr & Peers recommended the City establish rideshare zones after studying how Cincinnatians use and share curb space on streets with pedestrians and all types of vehicles, including passenger and delivery vehicles, public buses, the streetcar, cabs, valet, ride-share companies and bicycles. The consultant used a combination of traffic, video, photo and rideshare data provided by Uber to make its recommendation.

The City began installing the zones in phases, beginning on Elm Street in OTR last summer, Second Street this spring and Freedom Way this summer, and along Walnut Street and Main Street this month.

Curbs in city centers are common drop-off and pickup points, with commuters often trying to access hotels, restaurants, theaters, museums and major sports venues at the same time.

The curb-management study was part of a larger, multi-faceted initiative dubbed the Cincinnati Mobility Lab. The lab was jointly announced in 2018 by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, the City of Cincinnati, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) and Uber Technologies Inc. in partnership with Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) and Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK).

The lab includes an upcoming transit study with SORTA and TANK to develop a strategy for their future service.

MORE INFORMATION

Read more about the rideshare program in the attached FYI memo to Cincinnati City Council.