AMN

I thought I lost my monthly bus pass...cussed myself out then bought a new one today. Just found it. Cussing myself out more. Anyone interested in buying it? $40? I'll chalk the rest up to stupid tax.

EDIT: Nevermind...I'm going to just writeup a proposal rather than typing it here.

Just to clarify my position...I would rank top service areas of importance: 1. Where people live who depend most on public transit 1. Where jobs those people work at. After that, I'd say most popular destinations would probably be next, as well as destination neighborhoods, of which I'd include Waterloo (along with Ohio City, Shaker Square, Tremont, Detroit Shoreway, etc. etc. etc.)

Jerry: Please tell me KJP is being ridiculous and this doesn't actually represent RTA's position on the matter. (Why do I feel like I'm about to be let down?)

Come on, KJP. I get your larger point. Of course that's the case and of course there are bigger problems that need to be addressed. But adding an 1/8 of a mile to a route, which would provide access to a vibrant neighborhood where it is now not safely provided, is fiscally impossible? Give me a break. If you like, I'll scrutinize other routes and come up with an in-kind 1/8th mile to eliminate that won't adversely affect access. It will take some time, though, because I only ride 10 or so buses regularly, and usually not the length of them.

YES. Fanny's is correct. I'm not even saying extend bus hours. The 30 already runs 24/7. If it shifted its route to hit waterloo, it would solve the problem. Maybe add 3 minutes to the route if my Google Maps routing is correct. Send the bus right on E152nd, left on waterloo, left on West 156, left on Grovewood (which already sees bus traffic) You hit all the stops on Lakeshore, you provide 24-hour access to the safe part of the neighborhood, you do not add bus traffic on streets that do not already have bus traffic and you add 3 minutes to the route. What am I not seeing here?

I used to love Collinwood. I like the Waterloo Arts District now, but I liked the old neighborhood. What was the name of that great Slovenian restaurant right near 152nd? They had live accordion playing on Tuesdays? It closed maybe two years ago?

I don't know if I'd say it's happening all around the city. I am out and about a lot, and I don't see much that's that blatant or that bad. I went to a blues concert in the 70s off St. Clair and was surprised at how unscary it was. (Where the old 7-all gang used to be. Or some say still is.) Granted, my expectations were it was going to be terrifying But, again, I was going with someone who lives there and walks around there a lot, so I was less nervous and we were fine. And maybe I just had one bad experience and I'm blowing it out of proportion. I did have cops in that district tell me it was a dangerous area with a lot of muggings, though. That was about a year ago, though. Here's your RTA crime: CLEVELAND -- Police are looking for a man who performed sex acts on himself while riding an RTA train. ..... SOURCE: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/19672877/detail.html

Four? Last Friday there were SIX queued up at the E. 14th stop. I was running trying to catch one. Thankfully due to a red light, the fifth had just left the stop but the sixth was right there waiting for me. I was the only person on the bus.

Dear God. Please, RTA, run a bus through the Waterloo Arts District in the evening. It is an up-and-coming neighborhood with lots of attractive destinations that are often vibrant in the evening, and it is downright scary to take public transit there. How in the world is it not served adequately by PT in the evening? I took the number 30 there, since I knew that is how I was going to go home and I wanted to know where the stop is. Shortly after I got off the bus, a young kid hanging on the corner yelled, "White boy coming! White boy coming!" About two blocks later, this dude walks right up to my face stares me in the eye and then spits on my shoe. I tried not to look scared, and I tried not to look combative. I said, "Excuse me. I'm trying to pass through." He stood aside. Thank Christ. There were no other incidents, but a pair of cops in an unmarked police car did give me a nice wave and slow down near me. I met someone from the neighborhood at the art gallery I was going to and he walked me back to the bus stop. Nobody messed with us. I don't think it had much to do with race, so much as my race identified me as someone who didn't belong in the neighborhood. It felt very turf-provoked. There was obvious drug dealing in the open. I've never faced that kind of racial tension outside of Washington DC, and I've been through most neighborhoods in Cleveland at a variety of hours. To be honest: This might be the first time I was ever nervous in the streets of my own city. In any case, I am an urbanist and someone who is not easily uncomfortable, but I will not be going back to that part of Collinwood without a for-sure ride there and back again, and that's a damn shame.

Next week is very busy (especially later in the week), but the following week would work well for me.

Those are interactive oral histories, I believe. Or they're supposed to be, but they crashed. And when they weren't crashed, they were a little hard to navigate and too quiet.

7 p.m. on Thursday

The wait ends Tuesday. Satisfy your craving by watching the game Sunday for scouting purposes.

I'm sure the vender would have to rework the interface, and RTA wouldn't reprogram it itself. Frankly, after the implementation of the machines were delayed at the outset, it's disappointing that this is what was unveiled. Unless this was the simplified version of some even worse interface....... This evening I'm going to count how many button pushes it takes to buy a one-trip pass. I bet it's at least five. That's ridiculous.

In the past two days I've helped four people who could not figure out how to pay for their bus rides on the Silver Line. I have a monthly pass, so I never had to use the machine before. They are NOT intuitive at all. To be fair, two were fairly old and un-tech savvy. One obviously could not read well (at all?). The other, though, was a frustrated boomer with a blackberry on his hip who said he doesn't think he can remember all those steps and "next time I'll just drive." I was able to figure it out, but it took me a while. And it took a LOT of button presses. KSU has an Information Architecture and Knowledge Management degree program. I bet a grad student would love a chance to redesign that interface at low/no cost to RTA.

Ken Dorsey proved he should never wear pads again last season. Time to start the coaching career.

Come on, KJP....even if you love Cleveland (like I do), you have to appreciate some of the humor in Polk's video

But we love ya KJP Maybe this will cleanse the palate a little?

Just a reminder: Circulation doesn't necessarily = profitability.

How old do you guys think I am?!?! :-o I was focusing on the "wake up every day thinking about rail" portion, I know you're not that old. :) Although, you did say in another thread you "used to be a reporter." :) Unfortunately many talented, not-old professionals are in the "used to be a reporter" category.

Jerry: Is it a realistic option? One getting serious discussion and consideration?

Regardless of whether Sanchez pans out, it was probably the right move for us. One player will not make a difference on our team. We need a roster overhaul, and this helps us in that process. Do I want to rebuild again? Nope, but is there any other choice?

Not the greatest place... http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=E73ABD6180B44874871A91F6BA5C249C&nm=Arts+%26+Entertainment&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=1578600D80804596A222593669321019&tier=4&id=5B2D7CC22DC749109901B11F572F0520

I 100 percent agree. But RTA does need to balance its budget. Something massive is going to happen without a revenue boost. I would hope cutting a day of service would be unthinkable, but nothing surprises me any more. This sounds to me like either a float to gauge reaction or a threat he hopes will open the pocketbooks. ETA: Oh, and by the way, I certainly don't mean to woe-is-me the subject. I'll find a workaround. For many Clevelanders, they could lose their jobs, not be able to go to their church/temple/mosque or not be able to get to the grocery store on a day off. Of course it would be far more devastating to people who MUST rely on public transit as opposed to folks like you and I who CHOOSE to rely on public transit.