The old Schnitzelburg trolley loop. (Courtesy G-town/S-burg Blog)

Schnitzelburg was once defined by a trolley loop connecting it with Downtown and beyond. The one-way tracks followed the route described in the amazing graphic above from Shelby Street onto Burnett Avenue to Texas Avenue, rounding on to Goss Avenue before heading North again on Shelby. In her 2011-book Louisville’s Germantown & Schnitzelburg, Lisa Pisterman noted that while Germantown’s borders have moved over time, “the boundaries of Schnitzelburg have always been defined by the trolley loop that circled the community,” demonstrating how important the trolley once was for the community.

A couple historic views along the loop after the jump.

“I drive through that section [of Brownsboro Road] from time to time on my way home from work depending on traffic conditions elsewhere and/or errands I feel like taking. As a driver I often loathed driving through it, but almost as soon as construction started and even with the usual hassles of construction in progress I find the road diet vastly improving my impression of the road.

“I’ve recently started to notice restaurants on the road that I never noticed in the anxiety-inducing speedway, and now am actually starting to add them to my mental list of places to eat on the way home from work.”

—Max Battcher commenting on Brownsboro Road Diet to Be Complete This Month.

The old Vermont American Building a few years ago. (Branden Klayko)

The destruction of Downtown Louisville by twelve lanes of steel and concrete—about 280 feet wide when massive shoulders are added in—began yesterday with the ceremonial wrecking of a portion of the historic Vermont American Building on the corner of Main and Jackson streets. Governor Beshear, Mayor Fischer, Congressman Yarmuth, Metro Council-member Tandy, and a cadre of other officials gathered to mark the occasion of what’s being billed as the start of the Downtown portion of the Ohio River Bridges Project.

Continue reading after the jump.

Help rethink transportation at Connecting Kentuckiana. (Branden Klayko)

There’s still time to help shape the Metropolitan Transportation Plan called Connecting Kentuckiana which has been undergoing a series of public meetings. There are several more meetings this week, including one this afternoon at 5:30 at the Bon Air Branch Library. It’s crucial that we get this plan right as it will help shape the Louisville region for the next 25 years and describes how federal funds will be distributed to projects across the city. That includes sidewalks, streets, bike lanes, transit, and more.

The plan is being developed by KIPDA, Louisville’s metropolitan planning organization covering a five-county region around Louisville. Stop by one of the final public meetings over the next week and fill out KIPDA’s online questionnaire to help keep Louisville moving in the right direction. What would you like to see included in the plan?

June 18 - Bon Air Branch Library (2816 Del Rio Place), 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

June 19 - Fern Creek Branch Library  (6786 Bardstown Road), 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

June 21 - Clarksville Town Hall (2000 Broadway, Clarksville), 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

June 25 -  Crescent Hill Branch Library  (2762 Frankfort Avenue), 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

June 28 - Ken Ellis Community Center (21425 Pennsylvania Avenue, Jeffersonville), 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

According to the Car-Free Happy Hour Facebook event page, “Car-Free Happy Hour will be kicking it up two notches this month with classic video game and pinball fun at the ultra-hip Zanzabar!” As is usual with these gatherings, people interested in transportation options other than the automobile will be on hand for a lively discussion on transportation and more. It’s a great opportunity for a bike ride or trying out TARC like you’ve been meaning to. So head on over to Zanzabar (2100 South Preston Street) between 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. next Wednesday.

Site of the deadly collision. (Courtesy Bing)

[UPDATE: WHAS is reporting that the driver who killed the child, Michael Penick, was on house arrest at the time of the incident and was not authorized to be on Beuchel Bank Road. He has now been arrested for violating his home incarceration. Regardless, if you have a suspended license, you shouldn't be driving. Period. If you injure or kill someone while driving on a suspended license, there should be pretty stiff consequences.]

A motorist with a suspended license and no insurance killed a 7-year-old girl walking home from a TARC bus stop with her family on Monday afternoon. According to police, 29-year-old Michael Penick left the scene, driving about 1,000 yards—about 7 city blocks or down the road and around the corner—down Buechel Bank Road from the collision. He was cited for his suspended license and lack of insurance and allowed to leave.

Continue reading after the jump.

Ride a train in Louisville, if you're an elephant. (Courtesy Tipster)

This just in! Elephant-only train service now available in Louisville. A tipster sent us this great series of photos detailing the new Elephant Rapid Train Service now servicing Union Station in Downtown Louisville. A request for comment from TARC was denied, but this looks like rather, well, large news.

In reality, the elephants were in town for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that took place at the KFC Yum! Center over the weekend. A parade of elephants was seen slowly stomping down Broadway and throughout Downtown. There hasn’t been any passenger train service in Louisville for several years now, and our tipster informs us that tracks once leading to Union Station, TARC’s headquarters, have long been removed. One bit of good news, however: Mega Bus service has been restored in Louisville on a route between Chicago and Nashville, but no mega-animals on the Mega Bus.

View an image gallery after the jump.

Billboard Benches on Shelbyville Road. (Courtesy Google)

A new ordinance sponsored by Metro Council President Jim King with Council Members Henderson, Blackwell, and Engel proposes a permitting process and fee for the ubiquitous billboard benches that appear along streets across Louisville. The city has been fighting these bench ads for years now, each time threatened with lawsuits from the advertising companies who pull in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

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