NEWS RELEASE                             
CITY OF CINCINNATI
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTS:                     
Tiffaney Hardy, 513.352.5377/513.240.4387 at tiffaney.hardy@cincinnati-oh.gov
Mel McVay, Department of Transportation and Engineering 513.352.5269 at melissa.mcvay@cincinnati-oh.gov

CINCINNATI SCOOTER PARKING LAUNCHES

City Encourages Riders to Scoot on Downtown!

Beginning October 23, scooters and motorcycles can park in dedicated parking spots throughout downtown Cincinnati as the city announced the top five winning locations of its online poll. Eager scooters riders gathered at the northeast corner of 8th and Vine Street to be among the first to park in the free spots the city has created to meet the demand of a growing number of two-wheeled vehicles in the center city.   Understanding the reduced use of these vehicles as the weather gets colder, the pilot program will begin with free parking and will be evaluated for springtime use. Over 600 people voted for their favorite locations over the last month including input from drivers of scooters, mopeds, and motorcycles regarding where they would like to park Downtown.

“Making downtown greener and more user-friendly is very exciting and adds an important element in meeting the needs of our residents, visitors and office workers,“ said City Manager Milton Dohoney.  “We will evaluate the pilot program to make improvements as we consider where else in the City we can implement two-wheeler parking.”

The winning locations with the number of parking spots include:

•       Sycamore Street between 4th Street and 5th Street (3 vehicles)
•       Walnut Street between 6th Street and 5th Street (2 vehicles) 
•       Broadway Street between 6th and New Street (3 vehicles)
•       8th Street at Vine Street (4 vehicles)
•       7th Street at Sycamore (3 vehicles)

Due to rising gas prices and environmental concerns, these smaller vehicles have become increasingly popular throughout the United States and in major metropolitan cities, including Cincinnati.  In addition to being more fuel-efficient than automobiles, two-wheelers emit less CO2, cause less damage to our roads, and require less space for parking.

Some of the feedback from the online poll included, “First and foremost, THANK YOU for considering finding parking options for downtown and two-wheeled vehicles.  This is awesome. What a great initiative, thanks for undertaking this.” Suggestions on additional spots for two-wheeled vehicle parking can still be e-mailed to twowheeler@cincinnati-oh.gov.  Visit the City of Cincinnati Two Wheeler website at www.cincinnati-oh.gov/twowheeler.