clvlndr

^^^^Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Typical RTA. Let's take the 821 Circulator, of a service geared toward pedestrians, and route it, in beautiful ped-friendly Cleveland Hts., to the only car-oriented area destination of the burb: Severance Town Center. And while they're at it, lets just duplicate bus service already in the area (RTA's great at duplicating services, like it does w/ buses duplicating Rapid routes).... I wish some genius could figure out that the main thrust for having 821, was to finally connect historic TOD Shaker Sq, w/ mega-TOD (and historic in its own right) Coventry, in a reasonable straight line. That even transit people like me won't ride from my Shaker Sq home over the river & through the wood, all the way down through Cedar Ctr; down the hill through U. Circle then back up the Hill to Coventry (duplicating a bunch of services along the way -- hey, why not?). I thought the whole point was so we could AVOID going down thru U Circle and not up, as we now have to using multiple services...but nooooo, we're talking RTA, and agency that often defies logic.

While I realize LA's flaws, sprawl, congestion, phoniness, I also enjoy it too -- love the energy, beaches, and well, gorgeous women who wear little clothes all year b/c of the weather... Also, I believe the growing rapid transit/commuter rail network is beginning to tame the sprawl, somewhat, and that LA's suddenly getting into TOD neighborhoods while transit is also helping downtown grow denser, as well. Good for them! If LA can make rapid transit work, why not Cleveland, Cincy or Columbus?

I saw this LTTE this morning. Very well said.

Sweet... this one's really urban juicy:

A lazy, hazy summer afternoon, while the sig-oth is otherwise occupied, causes one, sometimes, to drift to the wheel of one's 2-ton tin Lizzie and roll over to the other side of town. This time I headed to the Lake and inland (more on the inland, later) and I trained my lens on Clevelanders frolicking in one of the best, though oft-underappreciated, assets this town has: Edgewater Park! And this is what I saw: To rocks! good people. Hey, go take a long walk off a short pier! "Aw heck, they ain't bitin', let's just gawk" a colossus looms in the distance California Dreamin'? ... but this is Ohio! Me in my shadow Of cans & vans, ... ... and humans... in a real natural habitat... Adios for now.

I agree, KJP, while I love the Loop & Gold Coast (who couldn't), the real Chicago is often overlooked in the neighborhoods-- and I don't just mean Wrigleyville or Hyde Park, which are great in their own right... Btw I flubbed (before the natives jump on me) its Wicker Park not Wickertown; geez doggone tourists, I tell ya! Here are a few more Bucktown/Wicker Park I missed in the 'ol cam: STREET LIFE. On Milwaukee Av looking SE. A beautifal urban wall of old & in-fill "flats" as far as the eye can see Foot action under the L ... even more... [sigh] Cleveland, doncha wish? And finally, a bit Paris on the urban prairie. That's all for now, but since we last met, my tentative schedule calls for a return to Broad-Shoulders City, this time as a destination and not as a (very fortuitous) pass-through. You can bet my little digital sweetheart will be tucked in le pocket, once again, should this excursion come to pass... stay tuned.

yeah, you hit on an even scarier part of my risky in-city jaunt: it takes a good 10-15 mins to get from the train to the friggin' airport gate (it's times like those you appreciate living in a moderate-size big city like Cleveland). Believe me, I was mentally adding up every minute as I headed out the door... fortunately, I made it, w/ some degree of cushion.

Thanks much ... it was taking a walk on the wild side, that's for sure, for if I'd missed that flight, paid a $100 penalty + hotel based on my, er, city-additiction, there'd be one guy @ O'Hare with one looooooong puss, and certainly in no mood to see the sites, that's for sure... But it shows to go ya, aren't cities with airport rapids a heck of a lot more convenient... hmmm, I can think of a nearby city with one.

A time to kill; or is that, time to kill? whatever... I hate layovers. But when you have a 4.5 hour unexpected layover on a hot summer weekday afternoon at O’Hare at the distant edge of one your fave cities in the whole world (and checked thru bags ta boot), if you’re me, you’re liable to take a chance; play with fire. So lacking the courage to risk the full 45 min L trip (each way) all the way into the Loop, instead I hopped off along the way -- at Damen station – in Bucktown or Wickertown, I’m not certain; one of you Chicago local-yocals can straighten me out. The time was late rush hour, so I wasn’t worried about train frequency, but still, w/ post 911 security and long medal detector waits at the nation's busiest airport, I could fool around too long, even though I wanted to. … This was a beautiful, lively old neighborhood w/ high density and tons of pedestrian energy that echoed NYC’s Brooklyn (many brownstone walkups on the sidestreets—although they were mixed in with classic Chicago 3 and 4 “flats”). To a degree, this lively, off-the-Lake hood is somewhat like Ohio City on steroids. It also puts a lie to the myth at the only decent in-city hoods in Chicago is near-North/Gold Coast along the lake. Nonsense!. Just one more great aspect to a great town... Anyway, during 30 mins of beer & appetizer, at one of the numerous sidewalk, and a quick walk around for a few blocks, this is what I saw: corner of Damen, Milwaukee & North Aves from high above... er, the L platform, that is Now, down to earth; in more ways than one Ye olde elevated railroad (gotta be from the 1800s) Ye olde elevated II Brownstone beautifique!!!! more peaceful strollin' in da hood Alas, so near, and yet, so far... Finally, time to get the L outta there; an airplaine awaiteth! All in all, a nice little few hours to get a wiff of an awesome city... of course, at times, it felt more like an urban tease! UGH!!!! Like Ahhnult, I'll be back!

AMEN!!!!

Great post, you should revive your book. People would have a lot of interest esp with the gentrification interest in Hough given the Clinic's gigantic presence nearby. People need to know what we lost and that the faux suburban look of the hood is not what was originally there.

^Vulpster, I would say: yes. As downtown has increased in both after-6 nightlife and, dramatically, in terms of residents (up from a couple hundred in 1980 to about 10K, now), there are more people riding trains after traditional hours. There has also been the resurgence of neighborhood retail entertainment districts along the Rapid, like Ohio City, too. But this new rider growth can't offset the huge losses downtown jobs (leaving for the suburbs and the sunbelt, as well as Chicago). That's why rush hour RTA commuting, much like rush hour driving out of downtown, is considerably lighter than during the exact same period of downtown's residential/restaurant/nightlife growth. We're gaining some downtown jobs back (vacancy rates are down somewhat), but we've got a long ways to go -- it may never again be what it was, job-wise downtown. That's my take... others may prove me wrong.

^GA-Lancer. Yeah, there have been occasions when the trains are pig-pens, on all 3 lines, but it's not a regular occurrence. I agree, though, you should take the time/train info and report the run/driver to RTA ... It's a shame when RTA has it's pants down like this during big events, esp on the Airport Line, which is the gateway to our city for visitors. It demonstrates that, at times, neither RTA, nor the City, are ready for prime time; and officials claim they want people to come downtown, esp on public transit... But as an RTA user, esp during major events when we come down, I don't usually see cars as filthy as you describe (I stress "usually")-- in fairness to RTA.

DaninDC wrote: "Out of curiosity, does the Red Line use 48-ft cars (a la Chicago) or 75-ft cars? I can't remember." I'm not sure how long the current fleet is, but I'm certain they're not the Chicago length of 48-ft. The original blue colored fleet, I believe were 48-ft and were built that way because the original system was to include a subway loop (Superior-E. 13-Huron) with sharp turns in the tubes necessitating the shorter cars (just as Chi-town needs shorter cars to negotiate the tight turns on their ancient L, esp in THE Loop). But as many of us know, our subway plan was scuttled by the infamous deceaced County Engineer, Albert S. Porter -- probably the worst public official in Cleveland history -- so the shorter cars were no longer needed. So the ensuing famed "Airporters" as well as the current fleet are much longer. 27 feet longer, though, I do not know.

^No, I didn't say the housing market, currently, is sour, but I was implying it easily could become so. Let's face it, while new home construction, esp of the high-density townhouse type, is strong in the neighborhoods and close-in burbs, downtown is iffy, now, compared to even compared to other the other 2 "Big Cs" right here in Ohio. We've done fine with office/warehouse conversions, but new construction? In the 12 years since 18-story Crittendon Apts went on line at the edge of Flats/Warehouse, we've had only 2 all new constructions downtown: (everyone's fave) Stonebridge, and the Pinnacle, which has struggled w/ all kinds of delays and, at this moment, is still unfinished after a very slow construction phase. Compare the similar record of a Baltimore, Cincy or even Columbus over that same period and, well, you get the picture. We're only holding our own w/ lowly downtown Detroit (but don't look now, their under a head of steam on the heels of hosting the Super Bowl, and a huge Jerome Bettis/Dave Bing condo project will soon rise on the Detroit river; there's already a, few-years-old gigantic condo tower (Harborplace?) along East Jefferson St. at downtown's edge) And look at the recent list of failed plans downtown: District Park, of a few years ago on W. 9th, 2 projects named "Courthouse Towers" (1 w/ a glimmering condo tower, the other with mainly a 330 Doubletree hotel). Even some of our for-sale office/warehouse conversions projects have failed, recently: like the Channel 3 building condos and that large building on W. 4th behind the core W. 6th District of the Warehouse Dist. Everyone's dazzled by the amazing success of Stonebridge, but Corna/Price are definitely defying the odds downtown. Yes, Stark and Wolstein have nice plans, but comeon, we in Cleveland should know better than most towns that, so long as girders aren't rising from the ground, the all-to-numerous blueprints aren't even worth the paper they're written on. If Cleveland had built even half the great plans that have been proposed over the years, we'd be Chicago. Let's face it, not to be negative (but honest/realistic), any significant project of any kind -- esp high-density residential/hotel or retail downtown -- is a much bigger struggle in Cleveland than it is for most big cities. That's just our troubling nature that keeps us in our perpetual 'coming from behind' status in so many ways. The stars must be aligned for really good stuff to happen (and most likely, the good stuff you see is after years, often decades, of a great deal of struggle and heartache --). And even when we do build a really nice project (the Flats, Tower City, the Rock Hall, the RTA Waterfont Line), we often end up questioning its success, turning our backs on it and achieve the self-fulfilling prophecy of the naysayers as such projects end up failing (or kept barely alive). This is why I fear the worst for Flats East Bank. Wolstein, who had all the wind in his sails last May, has been fumbling the ball badly, esp in the court of public opinion. He may only be 2 or 3 sales away from securing his "footprint" land, but it's only going happen after a major court struggle -- and you think there won't be appeals if he succeeds?. And it's beyond absurd to fight with Victor Shaia to actually try and STOP a major condo development -- in downtown Cleveland, no less (of not 1 but 2 towers); especially when all he wants for this land is surface parking. And Wolstein isn't even negotiating. I fear this whole thing is going to collapse -- like I said, I could see the market shift, construction costs to bubble up -- on top of his legal fees fighting fighting the other property owners -- with Wolstein pulling the plug in one of those PD back-pages little articles much like the aforementioned would-be developers. I sure hope I'm wrong. I'd HAPPILY eat my words.

TOD would be great, but I would add most prominently: beef up CBD employment; that will get the crowds back, like RTA's early days (3-car Airporters, 6-car blue trains all rush hour) before all those fat suburban office parks (and nearby shopping malls) along our outerbelt East, South and in Westlake. I actually flew back into town a couple weeks ago on a weekday at rush-hour's end (for Cleveland that's immediately @ 6p) and saw a yard guy coupling a 4-car dead-head to the 55th Street yard. Of course, we had to wait 3 runs (how inefficient) till he cut a 2-car to a single car for OUR use. I noted Hopkins' platforms can accommodate 3-car trains, max. That surprised me. These current cars can't be longer than those huge "Airporters" of the past.

Brewed Fresh Daily's (blog) take on the Rapid's woes. Many things have been covered here. http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2006/06/26/jamie-carracher-on-the-rta/ Brewed Fresh Daily News and opinion from Cleveland, Ohio on a variety of topics June 26, 2006 « Norm Roulet on Tom Johnson Tim Russo posts @ BSB » Jamie Carracher on the RTA Filed under: Cleveland — George @ 10:22 am I hate to admit it, but I’ve lived downtown for two and a half years, but have never utilized public transportation: I have been thinking and reading about the Cleveland Rapid rail public transportation system since my reawakening to it yesterday afternoon. As anyone who has visited or lived in any other old, major city in the United States knows, heavy rail, light rail and subways are a huge part of how people get around. In New York, where 5 million people ride the subway each day, it is particularly important. With that in mind, I was a little surprised to read that the Cleveland Rapid moves less than 30,000 people everyday. Only 30,000! Boston, which has my favorite rail transportation system, the ‘T’, moves about 450,000 people a day. It would be simple to say regular people are to blame in Cleveland, that they are too auto-dependant and selfish. But that is only part of the problem. Also to blame, and probably more so than potential riders, is the actual system and its routes as well as RTA. The Red Line in particular is an amazing option that isn’t living up to its potential. It travels between the aiport and East Cleveland. However, except for Ohio City and University Circle, the stops aren’t really utilized… I need to work on that… * * * * [jamie's entire comments + some responses] Good Public Transportation I have been thinking and reading about the Cleveland Rapid rail public transportation system since my reawakening to it yesterday afternoon. As anyone who has visited or lived in any other old, major city in the United States knows, heavy rail, light rail and subways are a huge part of how people get around. In New York, where 5 million people ride the subway each day, it is particularly important. With that in mind, I was a little surprised to read that the Cleveland Rapid moves less than 30,000 people everyday. Only 30,000! Boston, which has my favorite rail transportation system, the 'T', moves about 450,000 people a day. It would be simple to say regular people are to blame in Cleveland, that they are too auto-dependant and selfish. But that is only part of the problem. Also to blame, and probably more so than potential riders, is the actual system and its routes as well as RTA. The Red Line in particular is an amazing option that isn't living up to its potential. It travels between the aiport and East Cleveland. However, except for Ohio City and University Circle, the stops aren't really utilized. The trains, which are hidden in a giant ditch, often drop you off on the edge of a neighborhood. Unlike successful systems that actually enter into populated areas, the Rapid is hidden away. By getting the trains more integrated into the neighborhoods it services, you can create a desire and need for it. When a bus stops infront of your house and train stops a mile away in a big ditch, you'll probably take the bus even though it is slower and might involve transfers. Another problem is where the trains go. On the West Side of the city, the trains basically ignores dense population centers of neighborhoods like Edgewater in Cleveland and the Gold Coast in Lakewood. Instead, the Red Line hits Lakewood at W. 117 St. in no-man's land, and then heads south to the airport. In my dream world, RTA would extend a line down Clifton into downtown Cleveland. A final problem with placement is where every single Rapid train eventually turns up -- Tower City. If you've taken the Rapid to Tower City for a sporting event or concert, you know how cool that terminal is. But, again, in my opinion we're missing another great opportunity. Trains are coming in from suburbs to downtown Cleveland, stopping at this nice terminal, and then leaving downtown again. What the heck? Besides Tower City, there are basically no other downtown stops, specifically stops that go into the guts of the city. Take a look at downtown coverage. While the area is served by TWO lines, neither enters into the city, which means if you want to take a train, you're going to have to walk a pretty long distance to get to work. Right now, the Rapid really seems to be relying on people who have no options, teenagers who can't drive and environmentally minded commuters. In order for this system to survive, it needs to be considered USEFUL by the average person not because it is a novelty but because it makes their life better. It's almost there. An unlimited monthly pass costs less than the average downtown parking deck, plus you save on the cost of gas and the frustration of driving in. I hope the city and RTA can capitalize on what could be a golden opportunity. I hope they think of tweaking and improving the system rather than abandoning it in the future. Editor's note: Please realize I have no transportation or city-planning job experience. I didn't study classic rail systems in college. I have just written what I have observed living in other cities. =) Posted by Jamie on June 25, 2006 09:36 AM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: http://jamiecarracher.com/blog-mt2/mt-tb.fcgi/45 Comments i agree, and i don't think you have to be an engineer or urban studies major to make this sort of assessment. To me, many aspects of sound urban planning just require holistic common sense. (holistic as in 'whole'--not herbs, yoga etc....if there was any confusion.) Another--what i feel to be--common sense idea is putting a full-service grocery in the center of downtown. Like in the floudering Tower City. Perhaps my logic is flawed, but it could be a lunchtime destination, a pick-something-up-on-the-way-home-via-RTA and a center for all those loft apartments. To make downtown living—living, not just sleeping—viable there has to be these kinds of services. Posted by: peppermintlisa | June 26, 2006 03:49 PM Thanks for the comment! Interesting idea. I wonder if a grocery store is part of Bob Stark's vision of Pescht in the Warehouse District... There's a Giant Eagle at Crocker Park, right? Posted by: Jamie | June 26, 2006 06:55 PM For the most part, I agree with your post and I for one am glad that people outside of the urban planning profession are taking notice of our maligned transit system. It certainly needs help. However, RTA is not to blame for many of its problems. For one, the past 50 years have reduced the city's population by fully one half! Transit does not work unless there is density. As for the seeminly abandoned redline, RTA has FINALLY begun to look at a policy for TOD (transit oriented development) which essentially builds dense mixed use communities around transit stops. Portland, OR instantly made their MAX lightrail line a success by implementing TOD. The redline,therefor, has the potential (like many things in clevo) to be a humongous asset. It exists in a 'ditch' because that's where the existing ROW (right of way) was, which made it much more inexpensive to construct. A subway exists in a sort of trench or ditch, yet certainly does not fail as a means of mass transit. As for the density in lakewood not being served by mass transit, Clifton certainly has the width for light rail or BRT (bus rapid transit as it was once served by trolleys, so who knows, BRT may be in the Clifton's future. I think naming it the Gold Line would be apprpriate! ;>) TOD >>http://www.ecocitycleveland.org/transportation/transitoriented/tod_main.html Clifton's Future >> http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/home.php?which=1&article_id=610 RTA Volunteer Action Committee >> http://staged.cboss.com/gcrta/ar_organization-citizens.asp pEACE Posted by: john | June 29, 2006 10:16 AM Sorry for the delay in getting your comment posted, John. For some reason it needed approval and, of course, I didn't know that. I must have changed on option without realizing it. Thank you for adding those informative and good comments! I could always use some educating =) I think your comment about the Red Line being in the ditch is particularly good because as I've ridden it to work and to get around, I've come to the realization that I doubt the actual routes will ever be changed as drastically as I suggested. The only other option then is to encourage development around them, which is probably a better idea anyway. I don't blame RTA for anything besides not really promoting it like they could. But with the shrinking population and the general ambivalence by the average person toward it, it's a hard nut to crack. And I'd love to see a "Gold Line" over here! I'd prefer light rail over the buses, of course. I'm very curious to see if the Euclid Corridor project works. It's funny how all this new development/transportation is basically putting in place what we had available 70 years ago. Posted by: Jamie | July 1, 2006 10:36 AM Post a comment * * * * : : Good Public Transportation 4 Comments » I have also noticed some major class distinctions here in Cleveland, which seem to prevent certain folks from taking the bus/rail because it would mean having to sit with “them.” I’ve seen a person shell out $45 for a cab from Clifton and West 117 to Shaker to make a meeting when her car was down; the thought of sitting next to people who weren’t like her scared her way too much. I faithfully took the bus for two and a half years when I was without a car, learned the system, and still take it from time to time because once you know the system and routes, it’s your best bet for downtown/crosstown travel. Most buses and rails are equipped with bike racks, wheelchair lifts, and of course, air conditioning. For a time, you could also buy a newspaper on the bus, which was a great idea. However, going back to class distinctions, park and ride express buses that go from the suburbs to downtown tend to be more comfy and clean than crosstown buses which are the sole method of transportation for many people in Cleveland. It’s shameful. Comment by tim — June 26, 2006 @ 4:26 pm Parking would help. They have giant lots on the west side. If you’re on the east side, you’re pretty much out of luck. Bus transportation is so unreliable in the Heights that the only time I take it is when I’m going to the airport — and I almost missed a flight once because the #7 bus, which is infrequent to begin with, missed a cycle. I ended up walking a mile and a half to the Rapid with an enormously heavy duffle bag. Comment by Ambercat — June 26, 2006 @ 6:16 pm class distinctions and parking are not the major problems. the biggest issue is that the rapid often does not run where the people are and many stops on the rapid are not user friendly. this is changing as rta is at least making some noise that they are interested in tod, but to say tod opportunities are underutilized along the rapid lines is an understatement. waaay more could be done. for example, w65th does not count, that was driven by ecocity and still remains underutilized — rta could help much more there. rta pushed tod at the airport briefly, but nothing ever happened. the downside is that unlike his predasessor ron tober, now head of charlotte and their new rail boom, rta’s current chief joe calabrese is anti-rail. he does not believe rta should be proactive and help steer rational development (ie., like a wfl or other extensions could do). he has not advocated for rail improvements in the slightest, even tho mucho fed money is out there (seattle, denver, etc have gone and gotten $). he has been silent on rta’s role in the innerbelt rebuild and on commuter rail. basically, he is a terrible boss for a rail transit system. rta and rail could be instrumental in improving cleveland. instead calabrese is going retro with this cheapskate gas guzzling euclid ave silver line brt. i hope that works out and sparks some redevelopment along euc, in the end it may, but bah. sorry, i go berzerk about transit! Comment by meesalikeu — June 26, 2006 @ 6:57 pm Cool comments! As I said, I’m not an expert, but I am surprised the Rapid’s ridership numbers are so low because, when you look at the map, it covers a LOT of distance, and it’s not like it goes through a bunch of small towns. It actually goes near dense areas, but it doesn’t hit them smack in the face. That’s a big problem, and it’s also the hardest problem. I guess you can get on people for not taking public transportation. But, most of the time I don’t take it either! I don’t take buses because it’s just like driving your car but slower. I don’t take the Rapid because the stop isn’t close enough to where I live. At 7 a.m., I am being forced to decide if I want to stay in bed a little longer or get up and wait for a bus to take to the Rapid or walk the 30 minute to the stop. The decision will always be “stay in bed” because I have a choice, and the best choice is for me to be lazy. There is a problem of promotion, which I think is the easiest problem. It seems like people think of the Rapid as the Indians/Browns Choochoo, not a viable way of commuting. When I was on it on Saturday, I heard people telling all sorts of wacky stories about Cleveland and the Rapid. I think part of the problem is that this is Cleveland not NYC and most people just haven’t had day-to-day experience with trains, so they don’t understand the whole concept. I think a good PR campaign could really help. First, start a public campaign to publicize the Rapid. That’ll get RTA press right there. Second, make the signage more visible, especially in the older neighborhoods where the stops are hidden. Also, make it clear there are TRAINS at certain stops — people unfamiliar with the Rapid can’t tell a train stop from a bus stop. Third, clean up the stations! Obviously a station is going to get grimy, but you’ve got to keep them a little presentable. I’d also see if there was a way to cut out the creepy stairwells and corridors. Those freak people out. Fourth, do a local media campaign. For example, see if you can get the local news to cover Rapid stories/features. Encourage the local channels to make the Rapid a part of their opening graphics. The whole point of this campaign would be to emphasize that when you think of “big cities” you think of trains, and, hey, Cleveland has ‘em, you should use them! I’m not willing to act like low ridership is all RTA’s fault. There are so many factors involved. The Red Line looks to be a pretty old route, and it’s not like you can wiggle your nose and adjust where the tracks go. I just hope they value what we have here. I know when I got off the train in Little Italy and in 10 minutes I was eating a slice of pizza on the street, I felt pretty dang lucky. Then I took a nap in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art and felt sublime. Comment by Jamie — June 26, 2006 @ 8:25 pm RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Name (required) Powered by WordPress

Straphanger wrote: "E.115 is one of my favorite streets...happy to see it photographed before UH can bulldoze it." Me too. I guess somebody finally called UH's bluff on the bulldozing under UH's guise of "needed land for research growth" when all they're really doing is tearing down priceless, needed residential property (including a bunch of classic Cleveland Tudor apt buildings) for more UH parking garages. It really stinks and is just another area where UCI revealed its spinelessness -- they could have halted this, but ask "how high" every time UH yells: "jump!" Let's hope this mindless destruction ceases.

MGD wrote: "The recently rehabbed Circle East building is owned by University Circle Incorporated and is conveniently located adjacent to the CWRU campus and just down the hill from Little Italy on the corner of Euclid and Ford/Mayfield. This intersection will soon be the site of major new developments in housing and retail, as well as the proposed new home of MOCA Cleveland!" -- do you have any updates as to the proposal re that pesky vacant land @ E. 115 & Euclid, across from the Triangle apts (and the prop'd new MOCA)? Is there anything concrete? Are the Hessler Road people still fighting or are they now satisfied? ... GREAT PHOTOS by the by.

I've got a feeling POP fare collection is waaay off in the future. As was noted, why would RTA invest so heavily, as they have recently, in all the fare card dispensing/reading equipment at a number of Red Line stations only to junk them in a year or so? As I said, at the very least, the new policy of allowing 1-man operation of 2 car trains (something MU, heavy rail was SUPPOSED to allow), is at least reducing crowding... that is, when RTA decides to run off-peak doubles, which is rare... ... as to the issue of bus vs train, vs labor costs and efficiency, part of the problem is RTA's very immature view of rail: to RTA (I feel, at least) they view the Rapid as merely a fancy, expensive bus line, but nothing really special. And one of my pet peeves about RTA exemplifying this is the silly level of bus duplication of rail we have, esp when it comes to the absurd number of radial bus runs we could eliminate... For example, last week I pulled out my (hard to read/worst in America, desperately needs to be redone) RTA system map, and noted the #45 bus that runs W. 65 and Ridge Rd all the way to Parmatown. This should simply be a long crosstown bus linking the W. 65 Rapid stop ending at Detroit Road. So why, then, at Detroit does the route turn East and run into downtown? Is it #45 riders' God-ordained right to a 1-seat ride into downtown. Has any transit planner here heard of the term "feeder bus". :? Isn't this extremely wasteful, esp when riders (even if they don't like the Rapid) can hop off at Detroit and ride the extremely frequent, 24-hour #326 into downtown? And this isn't the only example. Here's another: why must ALL the #55s down Clifton/Lake, one of the busiest suburban corridors, ride the W. Shoreway into downtown, esp during off-peak hours, when a quick turn at West Blvd, puts you right at the modern, temp controlled Rapid Station at West Blvd/98th & Detroit?? Sure, it would piss off some #55 riders off, but tough you-know-what! The transit system would function more cost effectively and more like a "normal" bus-rail network SHOULD operate. Isn't this a big city with a bigtime rapid transit system? Why continue burn up valuable and increasingly expensive diesel fuel (while assuring empty Rapid seats) with all the foolish bus duplication? I wish somebody at RTA could explain this? Esp for such a seemingly fiscally responsible operation -- oh yeah, sorry; that fiscal responsibility only comes on the backs of Rapid riders who the RTA power structure could care shit about... :whip: :shoot:

ncs wrote (June 23, 2005) - "I love how Stonebridge just came together. There was really no news about this large development 7 years ago. No huge master plan posted all over the Plain Dealer and all over the news. It seems like those kind of projects are just set up to fail." I say amen to that! And Scott Wolstein is a perfect example of what ncs means -- all the friggin' pomp, circumstance and secrecy until the BIG UNVIELING replete w/ Mayor Campbell and other pols along w/ all the media outlets. I would never sneer at all the money the Wolstein family has given to education and medicine in this town. But development-wise? ... Wolstein wants the public to love him (as in, putting the public fisc + political mechanics squarely behind him). I don't like the renegade owners who sat on their land until Wolstein moved, but they've got a point: the Wolstein's sat on E. Bank property for nearly 2 decades; watched it deteriorate and, now, with the weight of the Port Authority and City Council, want to force owners out at bargain basement prices -- true, these robbers wanted it both ways in getting the lower reassessments when their businesses failed (& who sat on their boarded-up properties, like the Wolstein's), but Wolstein is no aggrieved prince/savior in all this, either. The whole mess smells, and people here (in addition to the PD's respectable architecture critic, Steve Litt) are rightfully iffy about the sterile design of Wolstein's proposed residential buildings in wiping out some of the handsome, quirky and historic warehouses that formed the core of Old River Road's electric/eclectic nightlife district up through the year 2000. And I'm not saying the Shaia's are saints, either, but Victor's proposed "Lighthouse" condo towers are frankly even more exciting looking that Wolstein's venture. And as it was noted in KJP's, something REALLY smells about the Port Auth instituting eminent domain (essentially a taking w/o just compensation) of Shaia's surface parking land to turn it back into ... SURFACE PARKING. Especially if we could have high-end, new-construction condo towers on them (all 3 elements being rare in downtown, even w/ all the residential surge, esp the last 2). And let's not strain imagination/optimism. Do you really think Shaia and Wolstein are talking behind closed doors? Not! This is classic Cleveland 'planning', 2 warring factions that can't agree, won't compromise (or even negotiate) who, in the end, may destroy the E. Bank market for everyone. At the very least, I think it'll be years before any construction can start (keep in mind, Wolstein, even at the mega-announcement in May 2005, didn't even project an opening until 2009, at his optimistic earliest). And what if, while this court battle rages on, the downtown housing market goes sour, killing the project, and leaving us with promises and vacant, surface parking and weed-choked gravel, much like what happened w/ the Marous' District Park, which we all thought would be nearing completion of Phase I about now -- turned out to be Phase Nothing. I'm not saying the East Bank will end up this way, but you never know... espcially in Cleveland ... At the very least, I'm afraid I can confidently predict that, at least for a considerable while, we'll just have to be content to watch the condo boom cranes rise... on the WEST Bank of the Flats, as owners over there are less about talk and more about cooperation and action.

^^peabody, thanks for your insight. That's too bad about Ponte Vecchio; I hope they make it; it's a 1st class restaurant and has a great setting. Is it expensive? Very. But the Catch 22 is that the biggest complaint about the Flats was/is that it had/has a bunch of low-end, non-Cleveland based chain eateries. Obviously Point Vecchio's is anything but, except now folks are griping it's TOO high end. Will Clevelanders ever be happy? On the marketing tip, I think the restaurant needs a little Marketing 101 -- I understand the place is run by an ex-Little Italy chef and ad stuff may not be his thing. For the 1st year of its existence, it wasn't even listed in Yahoo's Yellow Pages. It took even longer for travel guides to list the place and this lack of Flats elevator access or adequate parking on the Viaduct, hurts its visibility even more. There's no signage anywhere directing you even how to drive there; even at the busy W. 25/Detroit corner near the viaduct's entrance. I guess they figured that, like Pier W, they'd have a base of high-end clientele generating word-of-mouth from Stonebridge residents... No offense meant, but as nice as Stonebridge is, Winton Place, it ain't.

How is business at the Ponte Vecchio restaurant up on the viaduct going? It's a really nice place. Haven't been there in a while. Also, someone earlier mentioned that, w/ the new atrium retail, there will be elevator access from the Flats level up to the viaduct level (and Ponte's) in the during future business hours. Any confirmation of that and how it will work? It will be a big help for Flats-level pedestrians (as well as drivers frustrated with trying to find their way up to the top of the viaduct and, then, finding a place to park in competition with Stonebridge residents and their visitors.

This whole thing smacks of poor planning. I'm not ECP fan but if it is to has a modicum of success, why the Clinic divert traffic to other streets? And why are we building this "Opportunity Corridor" to divert EVEN MORE such traffic; despite all the talk of beefing up Fairfax 'opportunities', the OC is 1st and foremost, a quick, backdoor route to U. Circle and the Heights, period. And why is the Clinic -- big and bad enough, of course, to always demand and get its way -- jumping in at the 11th hour screwing around w/ RTA's federally mandated timeframes for completing ECP? Why, after RTA's even began moving earth to complete its project? Like the confrontation going on down in the Flats East Bank, this is classic Cleveland, go-it-alone planning which is why we can't ever seem to get anything big and worthwhile done in this town.

^^^Got a friend in Solon where they only have one bus, well 1.5 (24 and 24-Flyer -- as in rush hour only) that ends in the center of town. Suburbs like Solon will probably never have TOD; and frankly, as you noted, the residents don't want it.