Foraker

It seems that the rail connections to neighboring counties is a way to get buy-in for rail expansion from the NOACA members in those counties.

And Jackson is officially out. https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/2021/05/mayor-frank-jackson-announces-he-wont-seek-a-record-fifth-term-in-office.html

I would agree that regionalism is probably more relevant to the suburbs than Cleveland proper. The problems you raise -- quality of life being impacted by crime, street conditions, lead paint, social issues -- will be tough to solve with the city's finances. More frequent street maintenance, implementation of complete streets programs, street tree planting and maintenance, park maintenance, a sidewalk repair program -- would improve street conditions. Requirements for lead testing and subsidies for lead abatement (and more frequent housing inspections and programs to subsidize external maintenance and repairs), and training for lead abatement crews, would provide jobs and improve lives. More social programs -- physical and mental health, optometry, dental health, housing assistance, job assistance, etc. -- also would help the community to prosper (although the county may be doing more of the heavy lifting on that front). Policing reform and community-based mediators might help with some crimes and shootings, but most "crime fighting" involves dealing with the aftermath, not preventing crime. There are surely people with better ideas on how to reduce crime than anything I come up with. The successful mayor is going to have to find creative ways to raise $$ to deal with these issues. You could say that East Cleveland would be far better off if these same issues were addressed, but again, there's no money. So now what?

I don't think that a tax credit will be very effective -- that second working-class wage-earner will bring in a much higher percentage of income to the family than any tax credit could. I would follow the Scandinavian approach and pay for one parent to stay home with their kids in the first year of the kid's life (mother or father, or split the time). Then I would provide subsidized childcare for all kids through age 12 or so so that parents could work 9-5 without forking over more than 50% of their pay on childcare. And it would seem to be cheaper to subsidize a daycare worker to oversee a dozen kids than to pay one parent enough to stay home and watch one to five kids (and I'm betting that there are mostly 1-2 child households these days). But yeah, that kind of "socialism" would certainly destroy families, just as gay marriage has done.

That may cover short-term effects, but wouldn't cover future expenses if employers massively shift to "work wherever you want, most of the time." If those cases go the other way, the loss of income tax funds to Cincinnati could be massive, sudden, and not at all temporary. There is a lot of uncertainty, of course, but it could be devastating to the core cities in the 3Cs if they lose a lot of that non-resident worker income tax.

I agree that signal prioritization is a bigger issue. And this should not be a high priority, I don't feel strongly that this is something that needs to be done. Those narrow bike lines on Euclid are terrible -- they're too narrow and not cleared often enough. Less car traffic on Euclid would still be welcome.

The problem is BRT lacking in R. With all of these parallel streets for cars, there really is no reason we need to allow cars on Euclid at all -- except that residents and businesses along Euclid were built with Euclid-only access. Further reducing car traffic would both speed up the buses and provide a safer cycle route from the east into downtown.

I would agree that long stretches with no cars can be a problem. Although it's already dead as it travels through the Clinic, and seems likely to remain so. So I'd be in favor of closing that stretch entirely except for buses. But I was thinking more along the lines of closing the street to through traffic only at selective intersections. In other words, let the cars have access to almost all of Euclid, but not as a continuous through street. It could be as simple as bollards (or large planters) that force cars to turn but let buses through. The cars can still access the next block, but they have to go around and come back, they can't just drive through. Cyclists, pedestrians, and buses would continue as usual. With Superior, Chester, Prospect, and Carnegie running parallel, Euclid really doesn't need to be a continuous through street anyway. So as a first step -- close Euclid through the Clinic to all but buses. Then maybe halfway between the Clinic and E55, and halfway between E55 and E18. Start there -- does it have a positive or negative effect on traffic and bus travel times? If it's a problem, bollards are easily removed. Low cost trial.

If you think that Secretary Buttigieg is going to say "we can't possibly have US-20 go around the outside of the square -- because it's America's longest road!" -- I'd take that bet.

I would hope that the idea of closing streets will become likely now. I seem to recall that the Clinic wanted to close Euclid for several blocks through their campus for "buses only" (and probably bikes) but the city said "no," and I think the federal highway folks wouldn't let Superior be closed through the square because it's a federal route. But the public and the new administration might be more amenable now. The bus lanes on Euclid tend to cause confusion for people who don't normally drive down Euclid, and over time a lot of drivers seem to have learned to just avoid Euclid. With less traffic, maybe closing Euclid to through traffic in various places would be acceptable.

The local business community really preferred the single-phase proposal. I would really like to see the city and the developer find a way to buy out the vacant buildings on Cedar and make them part of this project. CH has a CIC -- time to use it. Of course, this is the third or fourth attempt to redevelop the Lee-Meadowbrook lot, so this isn't a done deal -- looking forward to a quick MOU and subsequent development agreement. Top of the Hill is looking good so far -- parking garage is open.

Like TOD, maybe we need transit-oriented-electricity-generation -- plant windmills, battery packs, and solar farms along and over the right-of-way (and even natural gas wells that feed directly into a fuel cell for electricity generation). Most electricity generated is lost in transmission, so lower the transmission distance and also sell the power-generation rights to fund electrifying the right-of-way. https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/05/07/are-solar-canopies-ready-for-prime-time/ https://rail.nridigital.com/future_rail_apr19/shining_example_will_solar_pv_power_the_railways_of_the_future

Almost the entire block from Chester to Hough has been reduced to rubble. Sad to lose brick buildings.

His employees will really enjoy the "reduced" traffic on Rockside, not to mention the increase in places to walk to for lunch. But hey, they'll have their own cafeteria! All of that will definitely be attractive to new employees. 🙄

Could be a disaster if those stairs aren't designed for the weight of a vehicle.

Maybe the county could investigate using some sort of drone for tracking vehicles, allow the police to back off and not speed during their pursuit.

Adding that many students in an era when a lot of colleges and universities are struggling, and students continue to question the value of college debt, this seems like wishful thinking. But it would be great if they can make it happen.

Great to see TacoSlayer's updates, but at the current pace there is still an awful lot to do to open at the beginning of 2022.

I would like to see the rental car operations on a rapid stop or light rail loop to parking. Move all the parking away from the terminal.

Agreed. This is something that the city should have addressed (if they felt it was a problem) during the planning and approval process.

Should transit be subsidized to the same degree as roadways? Should users pay the same percentage of the cost to maintain the roads as users pay to use transit?

Summary of Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook first presentation to Council of the two proposals. City staff will review the proposals in detail and present their recommendation to Council in March. https://www.cleveland.com/community/2021/02/two-teams-present-visions-for-cedar-lee-meadowbrook-redevelopment.html

We could start by asking our wealthy doctors, lawyers, and other "self-employed" wealthy to pay some income taxes on their first $250,000, since the income tax rate on their first $250k is currently 0%. Ridiculous that the wealthy get that much of a break. Is our state better off with that tax break or more funding for schools and transit?

Ohio Department of Roads

It's pretty bad. Compare Kelly's Island to northern Michigan on this map. https://www.darkskymap.com/nightSkyBrightness