clvlndr

I don't think it's that black and white. Plenty of people who only drive go on vacations and prefer to not use their car until they leave. Although there are some crazy people, I really believe there are far less people strongly opposed to rail then we like to believe. Those who are a just a loud minority, like Manziel fans... ;) We can agree to disagree, DM4. When I’ve gone down into the Flats to that huge, lovely new FEB Phase I, E&Y office/hotel complex at evening rush hour, I see tons of people streaming across the WFL tracks – it’s actually a shorter distance to the RTA FEB station – ignoring the trains in order to get to their cars; enough to create traffic jams along W. 10th and Old River Road… As I’ve said before, I can’t believe many if not most of these commuters aren’t reasoanbly convenient to one of RTA’s rail lines in order to take trains into the FEB stop which is literally across the street from where they work… And we’re only talking about FEB Phase I. But once again, these folks wouldn’t be benefited by free downtown WFL service anyway who, much like me on the “free” Trolleys because my all-day Rapid rail pass gets me a “free” ride on any RTA service whether I want to ride from Public Sq to PHS, CSU … or even Westlake. And out of towners, say visiting the Rock Hall who happen to be staying at the Doubletree Hotel, I doubt will be any less inclined to hop the WFL to FEB because of the $2.25 (or $5.00 for the day pass). They’re on vaca after all (staying at probably a $125/night (at least) room and scouting some of our more expensive downtown restaurants), what’s a few bucks to them? I’ve run into some wide-eyed, obviously hotel guests from Aloft coming/going to the FEB RTA stop, just to check out and ride the trains. They think it’s cool and often laud Cleveland for having such a service. I think you’re comparing apples and oranges when comparing Pittsburgh’s free T downtown service. Pittsburgh’s downtown is even smaller and more compact than ours, but more congested and on a peninsula hemmed in by a mountain-like hill (to the east) and the convergence of the 3 rivers to the west. The free T service is underwritten by various downtown-area companies, notably the 3-Rivers Casino 2 blocks from the end of that 2-station, North Shore Connector extension that goes under the River (and btw the service sucks to the casino as riders are forced to walk around or through a large parking lot and cross a busy street and plaza to reach the casino from the North Shore T terminal; and we won’t even get into the tortoise-like slowness of T trains from downtown to the 2 N. Shore stations – I’m sure a surface bus over the parallel Roberto Clemente bridge could beat T trains… but I digress). Additionally, the free T service is a way to get Golden Triangle workers to drive in and park into those huge lots and garages on the North Shore around the 2 stadiums (for the Steelers and Pirates) when they’re empty when the teams aren’t playing home games, and ride the T under the river into the oft-congested downtown. One thing I DO advocate Cleveland trying, is similarly presenting commuters who pay to park at the huge Muny Lot off the Shoreway with an all-day pass upon pre-paying the day’s parking fee. It would be a win-win – keeping more cars off downtown streets and getting more butts onto the WFL. I don’t know why RTA hasn’t explored this.

I don’t think making the WFL free is going to make much of a difference, but if it was, it would likely have to be underwritten by downtown businesses. Although I guess I’m contradicting myself, I think the most WFL users are riders who have already ridden transit into downtown and not drivers and/or tourist who are either already downtown, or who have arrived by private auto or taxi (from the airport). People either believe in transit or they don’t; making it free downtown probably won’t sway the non-users onto the trains. On top of that, given the wacky, confusing fare system on the Blue and Green Lines already, can you imagine what a mess a free system for WFL-only riders will be?

Yes, new signage would be nice; a lot of people don’t seem to know about the Waterfront Line at all. Also, it sure would be nice if the North Coast station was extended underneath E. 9th so North Point riders didn’t have to cross the busy street… But it’s not an insurmountable… I also notice that the directional sign at North Coast has been altered from just Tower City, to Tower City and the Flats… Once Flats East Bank gets built out, the Rapid will be an excellent, quick jaunt from E. 9th/North Coast. At last, we may finally have some semblance of downtown rail distribution.

Wow, that's impressive.

Tea Party right-wing wack-a-doos are killing this country. Can you imagine that, in order to win as governor, Walker whipped up rural resentment ... against his home town/county!? That's fricking sick. But to stick it to Obama, and show the base how much he hates Obama, let's flush the hundreds of millions of train dollars from the feds right down the toilet (oh yeah, John Kasich did the exact same thing) ... And now Republicans are touting Walker as a strong candidate for president? If he is, and if he wins, God save this country.

I hope that doesn't last too long. You and me both... I guess we should be grateful it won't a a total shutdown. It sucks though because, if I stay in Ohio City past 8p, I'll have to start carrying Red Line schedules again. It was bad enough when it was every 20 minutes. Trains every 30 minutes will really be tough to deal with.

They're not still counting prisoners (as residents) at the Justice Center, are they?

The Rider's Digest noted this for the August 17th Red Line schedule change: After 8 p.m., trains will operate every 30 minutes to allow for single tracking around track work.

^That gives me hope JJames... and again, I think little things (my term), like that CVS on Madison are actually big things, for they pump life into a decayed area. That stretch of Madison, which really has some of Cleveland's most unique and beautiful high-density/residential and mixed use architecture, for too long has had that 'badlands' moniker attached to it.

... yes, thanks Jerry.

^and next door to University Circle in tiny Little Italy there are plans for new buildings totaling over 125 units.

This area is unfortunately a huge cut through at rush hour. Because the innerbelt backs up daily, many commuters take I-90 to 2 and then go up West Blvd and reconnect to 90 West and vice versa for the opposite commute. You've got a turn lane for West Blvd (that regularly is so long that it takes up the second lane), and then another turn lane for Berea Road, then two through lanes that immediately go to one at the Chicle building. Sadly Cleveland just recently EXPANDED West Blvd northbound to 2 lanes a few weeks ago north of Detroit. They did this by removing street parking, shrinking a turn lane, and repainting stripes. The increased cut through traffic the past 2 years has been unreal. But there's always been problem for pedestrians trying to cross at both West Blvd/Detroit intersections to get to the rapid stop. Anytime you've got a pedestrian walkway crossing a multi-lane turn you're going to get safety issues. Currently, you can only cross Detroit on the west side of West Blvd from the rapid stop, but many people will still try to cross on the east side where there are no markings. The terrace rowhouse rehabs look really great, but I wonder how long the facades will be kept up. I'm hoping some attractive landscaping in the spring time will help. This neighborhood anywhere else would be insanely different. You have direct rail access to downtown Cleveland (11 mins) Direct access to Hopkins Airport (15 mins) direct access to Lake Erie and Edgewater Park, yes that's just 5 blocks to the north without any impediments! You have a ton of medium to high density apartments (half vacant) surrounding a rapid stop. You have a historic commercial strip. You have gorgeous tree lined streets with beautiful homes. Any 5 story or taller apartment building would have Lake Erie views here as it sits just on the secondary lake edge bluff. Theoretically this should be one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Cleveland and if this were any other large city it would be. Yet it blows my mind how this is arguably the worst section of Detroit Avenue, and the neighborhood is not on Cleveland's long list of up an coming areas. However, I would say that if we were to have a sudden energy crisis, that could be a huge game changer for the neighborhood. It has all the elements needed that make a neighborhood successful, it's just severely lacking investment. A sudden jolt in the price of oil and rest assured, this will be one of the first areas in Cleveland to see development, rehabs, and an influx of new residents as a sound infrastructure is already in place. Just happened going through the older posts, and feel this one bears repeating... Just recently drove around the Cuddel neighborhood during the 4th holiday and was pleased to see it's slow but steady improvement. Marous Bros' rehab of the old 1890s-built Oppmann Terraces along West Blvd (with 116 total units!!) has lifted those sagging, but amazing buildings considerably (I noted a laundromat in the Detroit facade of the buildings) and, at the south end, a new-ish CVS (I hadn't noticed before) a block away on Madison Ave, seems to have kinda pumped a little life in this sadly blighted, yet still beautiful (architecturally), dense neighborhood... note: there's a really cool old Philly style short row house directly across from the CVS. I share WestBlvd's sentiment that this area seems to have a ton going for it as an urban, walkable, transit friendly (and hell, BEACH friendly) neighborhood. I just hope and pray it'll get there.

Thanks Jerry, welcome back. ... Can you tell us what's going on with the Little Italy station rebuild + Red Line east (UC-to-Windermere) closure? A UO poster mentioned it appeared no work was going on at the station site in addition to the facts that the closure has been extended from July and now RTA's website is listing the closure as being in effect "until further notice." What's the deal?

^Interesting. Would be great to see beautiful Buffalo Central Terminal come back to life per such a project. It would also be great to see Metro Rail extended to this site and beyond, perhaps to the airport... Buffalo seems a lot like a smaller Cleveland; I’m always pulling for them. Lots of nice in-city neighborhoods. Downtown's struggling, though.

Channel 3 touts RNC 2016, but no mention of the Gay Games this month!? ... really?

The trade exception means we'd have to give up about $10 million worth of contracts. Wiggins, Bennett, Thompson and Waiters are all in the $5 million club. Two of them have to go, and its probably going to be Minnesota's choice of which ones they want. ... which is why, whereas I might be more flexible on Bennett or Thompson, I would absolutely draw the line at Waiters. Minnesota would take Griffin to the cleaners if we allowed them to take Wiggins AND Waiters, especially with the Sword of Damocles poised over Flip Sauders' head: namely the reality that Love walks in late April if he's not dealt by then. While I understand the adage that you have to give something to get something, I would just as soon not engage in T-Wolves' team building at our expense, especially since the (metaphorical) gun should be pointed a Flip's head, not David Griffin's.

- OKC didn’t just trade Harden, he demanded it when they asked him to take a salary hit while, also, having him come off the bench, which he obviously resented; see: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2031893-james-harden-admits-money-was-deciding-factor-in-leaving-okc-thunder - I’ve never downgraded Kevin Love’s tremendous offensive and rebounding prowess; not to mention his superior passing ability as a big man. - Boston’s Big 3 won it all that first (and only) year largely because of superior coaching (Doc Rivers compared to Spolestra) and a little luck + underachievement by the Cavs; LeBron’s bad 1st game in that 7-Game series came back to haunt us. - As to you Q: which free agent will be out there at the middle of the season? My answer is: I/we don’t know. But what I DO know is that, with a talented and growing Wiggins along with our known superstars in LeBron and Kyrie, that piece NEED NOT be a superstar/Kevin Love caliber player but, as I defined it:... a piece; a piece that will come a lot cheaper than a max star like KLove, obviously. By February we would have a pretty clear understanding of what we've got as well as what we will need.

No Hts, I'm not wrapped up in "potential," ... I want to win now. I just fear that people are going to get their hearts broken if they throw everything into this K.Love “win now or else basket,” because if we achieve anything less than a championship it will be deemed a failure. And it's not as easy as waving a magic K Love wand and producing a trophy. Winning titles is difficult and requires a degree of luck, especially as stacked as some NBA teams are, most notably in the West. It took the Big 3 2 years to win a championship, and win it during a weird, strike-shortened year where teams were playing 3-games in a row to rush through a 62 (or so) game schedule. (and fortunately for Miami, the Super Friends were under contract and guaranteed to return the next season … And we all know, Miami should have lost to SA 2 years ago but for some serious choking by Leonard, Duncan and Popovich, as well as some seriously ineffective play by the partially banged up Manu Ginobli … I fear here that if we go the KLove route and don’t win next year, things could fall apart quickly – just look at Miami this past year as an example… a lesser example is OKC after Miami beat them 3 years ago when hugely talented James Harden decided to split for Houston (and how has that worked out for Harden?) substantially weakening that stacked OKC team lead by KD and Westbrook – and note, OKC hasn’t returned to the finals since (and now KD too is talking about leaving when his contract is up in 2015) thus indicating the window is probably closed on OKC’s brief flirtation with the top (note: Oklahoma City like Cleveland is a “small market” team that has less going on for it than Cleveland, as city life goes) … Love’s contract expires at the end of this season – yeah sure, he can say nice things about wanting to come back, but if this all-or-nothing crap shoot we’re planning doesn’t work out, who’s to say, like teams in the past, that a team hangover/depression doesn’t ensue, with guys wanting out… Love’s verbal commitment beyond next year is worth the paper it’s written on. We obviously have the Carlos Boozer precedent we should have learned from (apparently not for most Cleveland fans and media)… And don’t forget, LeBron himself has an opt-out clause after this season, too. The history of sports, esp In recent times, have shown that a season’s most negative impact falls on the 2nd runner up (or as the saying goes: the 2nd best team is THE FIRST LOSER). Yes Wiggins has high potential but is yet unproven in the NBA. But we DO KNOW he’s highly touted, with a ton of raw skills (including D skills) and would come into the League under the wings of the best player on the planet as well as one of the rising top point guards, in Kyrie. Not to mention other pieces like Dion Waiters, bulldog Delly off the bench and a highly productive, if not fancy, Tristan Thompson…. And yes, an improved Anthony Bennett, who possesses a big body with long arms, leaping ability who can both crush dunks and shoot outside (when he’s hot)… All these young guys who showed promise on last year’s sinking ship under a very bad coach, can now shine because the pressure is off them now and they can grow… WE’VE GOT THE KING… Throw in a vet like Mike Miller and probably Ray Allen, both of whom can still stick the ball from deep, and you have a pretty formidable roster I’d say. And as I keep pointing out, and you refuse to acknowledge, Wiggins’ rookie contract (and Bennett’s and Waiters’) gives the Cavs FLEXIBILITY to go out and sign that missing piece in February should we need it. With the 3 max contracts of the Love scenario, heaven help us if we suffer a major injury --- remember fragile Kyrie Irving? ... Hello!!

I'm glad to see interest in restoring the B&O depot. Let's hope rennovations come soon because the building, though still beautiful, looks to be in pretty bad shape.

That's not true. We can quibble semantics for days and, yes, he hasn't played in the NBA yet so he's not proven. But let's not be ridiculous and say he comes with no 'defensive accolades' because he absolutely does and was touted as a strong D player by every credible college scout you can cite. And not only is he that rare rookie who desires to be a top defender, the sampling of the Summer League play shows Wiggins’ considerable D prowess: notably the chase-down block as well as blocking 6’11” Nerlens Noel near the hoop. There were also several face-ups with the ball handler as well as on-ball disruptions, knock-away's and steals... You can poo-poo it as Summer League all you want, but there's no doubt and most people's minds: Wiggins will come into the League as a good defender with the potential (and mindset and bloodline) of being a stellar one. And there's also no doubt, that Kevin Love's defense is very weak.

State I hear over and over again, The state of Ohio doesn't fund transit, My challenge to you is what are WE doing to change this? The waterfront line was funded by the State of Ohio, traditionally the state has been a much better partner for transit than they are today. the issue is less ideological than one where most Ohioans are not touched by transit and don't feel any benefit from transit systems they are a part of. Biker, I don't think the Waterfront Line is a good example of Ohio largess toward Cleveland based on a number of unique/weird circumstances: First, at the time Ohio had a popular Cleveland ex-mayor (Voinovich) as the sitting governor, something I'm not sure had/s ever happened before (or since). Second, you had a popular sitting mayor (Mike White) who, not only was pushing this project, but one who had a familiarity and good working relationship with Voinovich, whom White had recently succeeded as mayor. Third, you had Cleveland's Bicentennial quickly coming up in 1996 and the Bicentennial Commission decided that the WFL would be the City’s Legacy Project, but there was not enough time for RTA to seek Federal funds and thus have the Waterfront Line project vetted through the time-consuming (by then UMTA) process, including such things as environmental-impact and alternative-analyses studies. Fourth, Voinovich was rare on 2 fronts: he was Republican who favored Cleveland and so, because he was strongly behind the Watefront Line project, it was doubtful the usual downstate Republican anti-Cleveland contingent would cross him. Fifth, Voinovich was instrumental in securing the Rock & Roll HOF project in the mid-1980s which originally targeted for Tower City, but was teetering on collapse and removal to another city because of (IIRC) a legal/sales-rights dispute with a Tower City record store… However, the Rock Hall project was revived/saved thanks largely to efforts by White, to be built at North Coast and was slated to open in 1995, 1 year prior to the Bicentennial and would be directly served by the Waterfront Line that next year. Sixth, anguished Ron Tober and RTA were watching their Dual-Hub subway project go down the tubes (pun intended) and ultimately morph into the concept that materialized as today's Health Line BRT that was opened in 2008. The Waterfront Line, therefore, was seen as a sort of consolation rail prize (and no doubt a way to save face) that, unlike Dual-Hub, was relatively cheap -- pegged originally at around $50M -- as opposed to the near $1B for Dual Hub... My point being, Biker, is that if all those particular stars didn't align, the State of Ohio wouldn't have backed the project and there would be no Waterfront Line. So I don't think Ohio was really any friendlier toward Cleveland and transit then as it is now, all things considered (sure having a rare powerful, popular Cleveland guy sitting in the guv’s mansion tipping the balance toward NEO where usually our town is despised downstate, was probably a game changer)... I'm sure if I'm wrong, someone will correct he on this.

So the W. 25 Station study is not prompted by the proposed Market Sq plaza mixed use development. I do like the idea of the under-bridge passage to the north side of Lorain Ave as it would eliminate the hassle of crossing Lorain and/or Gehring/Abby (crazy 3-way intersection) to get to the WSM side which, I would guess, is where the bulk of Red Line passengers desire to go. Ironically, the old CTS-built station was on the north side with a dark passage to the South side where the current RTA-built station is.

Sorry, I misunderstood

I could go with Bennett or TT, but definitely NOT Waiters. I don't consider any of these guys stiffs btw; not even Bennett (who based on last year may be the closest to it...). I'm sorry, I really like Love but I'm not going to gut my team to get him. He's a great player, but he's not worth that much esp with his lousy D history... (remember, Wiggins' comes into the League at high defensive level, and you've got to balance the point differential btw he and Love with the amount of opponent points Wiggins keeps off the board vs. the points Love gives up). If I had my druthers, I would ONLY trade guys not named Wiggins who I would fight to hold onto at all costs. Yeah, I know Love puts us in a better position to win now (theoretically -- there are no guarantees and we still don't know how good Wiggins will be), BUT, I'd rather hang on to Wiggins and watch him play/grow with LeBron this season. He's raw but obviously has shown his amazing gifts, and you know he's going to contribute and grow under both LeBron's and Kyrie's tutelage... Then if we still need that PIECE, we go get it at the trading deadline in February. Wiggins rookie contract gives you that flexibility that Love's max contract does not. And with the dream lineup we will already have in place, I think getting either the the right player or his asking price will be insurmountable. (as I'm sure you notice, CLEVELAND is no longer the ugly duckling for free agents; but now Miami has been struggling to land high-caliber free agents -- love (no pun intended) having the shoe on the other foot for a change) ... Remember, while this final piece needs to be good, he need not be Kevin Love. And actually, if the T-Wolves haven't moved Love by then, his asking price will go down... I just don't believe in throwing the kitchen sink at Minnesota by completely mortgaging our future, esp when it's pretty clear the only team the Cavs are bidding against... is the Cavs. ... then again, by all accounts The King is driving this bus, so I guess ...

Interesting thread... great title btw.