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It's new here, but other cities have been doing it for over a decade. As a rider, I don't particularly like them because the synthetic they plaster over the windows makes it harder for passengers to see out-- you notice it's not on the driver's window, and that's for a reason.

^East Cleveland is so depressing that I really do hope the Cleveland merger happens, and soon -- happily EC has moved the process along... EC has 2 modern stations on Cleveland's heavy rail rapid transit line, but hasn't done a thing to capitalize on them... At superior the Rapid station is sitting out in the open by itself due to so much that's been torn down. In fact, the Rapid station itself is the nicest looking building in the immediate area.

It does, but it will never reach its potential unless there's a larger plan for expansion. Boardwalks have to be connectors; they don't really function as isolated spots. I hear what you're saying, but I don't see the boardwalk realistically being extended to the south -- Coastal Taco, which has been highly successful if we're to judge by sheer patronage -- is directly in its path and to build it through there would totally wreck Coastal's deck seating view, which is a major gem for the restaurant. Coastal would fight it and, frankly, I don't think I'd like it either. I'm cool with the Boardwalk as it is. People seem to love it. What the area needs is to reboot the now-vacant clubs and buildings from the old Flats entertainment district, including the old Watermark Restaurant building... and I still believe Samsel hardware should sell, relocate and turn it's substantial building over for apartments...

... actually, Cleveland's Christmas was June 19, 2016.

I feel the same way. As a transit enthusiast, I would like to see peripheral rail like the Purple Line since the overwhelming rail transit in the US are radial hub/spokes operations. But the Purple Line is gravy to D.C., which already has a great (though faltering operationally) system of nearly 120 miles of rapid transit which will expand even more when the Dulles portion of the Silver Line is completed; not to mention the 6 Maryland and VA commuter rail spokes as well as being a key stop on the Northeast Corridor Amtrak. Now Baltimore, on the other hand (who's size and rail system are more akin to Cleveland's), was royally screwed when Republican gov Hogan cancelled their east west, subway-surface "Red Line" through downtown, the Inner Harbor, Canton, Fells Point, etc..

I met a guy from Brook Park who is an avid Indians fan who drives downtown and pays up to $40 to park. Brook Park? Drives/pays top dollar?? When I asked him why not the Rapid, he says he's had too many bad experiences with crime and problems, including his last trip of watching guys roll and smoke weed in front of his young son. He now says: never again for the Rapid. Where is security? Lately I've seen them neither on trains or at stations... Is it because they're all hanging around Tower City? Stories like this sadden me.

^But wasn't part of the OC mandate to develop TOD and increase rail usage?

Don't at all like the suburban look east of E. 105. And why are there no mixed use and/or multi-unit buildings near what's supposed to be an expanded Rapid station at 105-Quincy? Someone needs to inform local planners of a novel concept: Transit Oriented Development, aka TOD. Yet planners remain hell bent on recreating Strongsville inside the City of Cleveland.

^I understand your point; I just wanted to note that it's an unfortunate tug-of-war between transit and private interests that seems to play out all to often in Cleveland when, really, the 2 should compliment one another.

Actually the traditional distance between stations for older HRT rapid transit systems, like the big 4 (NYC, Chicago, Philly and Boston) is a station every half mile, often less. The faster boarding of HRT systems seems to offset the closer station spacing. Express trackage obviously can also. In Philly, for example, the Market-Frankford line west to 69th street is incredibly fast with this close station spacing-- it's actually about .3-.5 miles for most of the route, but it covers the 5.1 mile run (from 15th street/City Hall to 69th street) about 13-14 minutes, which is pretty fast, esp given the density of traffic.... In fairness, though, there's partial local/express trackage, as the subway-surface trolleys run as outer tracks from 15th to 30th streets while the MFL runs non stop on the inner tracks non-stop -- the distance of 1 mile. Chicago's CTA, in the 40s and 50s, eliminated a lot of stations where the distance was a couple blocks, but on some lines they're still pretty close together: ie the Brown Line and Howard/Red Line, especially on the far North Side of town -- at least on the latter, the Purple Line through Evanston does run express during rush hours. But at other times the Red Line is pretty slow for such a huge city as Chicago -- even with the scenic elevated views. But it's not always the oldest systems.... Toronto's subway -- the 1st section of which opened 1 year before our Red Line (1955) -- followed the 1/3 - 1/2 mile spacing (with no express service). The Spadina branch, which is a couple decades newer, has more wide spacing like our Red Line... Of course KJP might point out that Toronto and Cleveland are at opposite poles ridership-wise, with Cleveland's haul being relatively light, while Toronto moves among the most passengers in North America behind only NYC, D.C. and Montreal, IIRC.

Placemaking puts Shaker residents in the mix of Van Aken District plans BRANDON BAKER | THURSDAY, AUGUST 04, 2016 For decades, Shaker Heights residents considered The Van Aken District as a rapid transit station, a couple of shopping plazas and one behemoth of an intersection. Earlier this summer, however, city officials prompted dozens of residents to consider the possibilities of a different, livelier use of the area. A new downtown is coming to Shaker Heights, complete with restaurants, retail, transit-oriented development, walkability, green space and cultural elements similar to those characterizing other successful communities in Northeast Ohio. This forward vision for the Van Aken District excites residents, perhaps because city officials and developers have given them a say in how the area will look. Shaker began infusing placemaking – the resident-centric approach to designing public spaces – in March by launching the Van Aken Connections Plan. Then on June 20, nearly 100 residents packed the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Community Building with no shortage of enthusiasm or ideas. In the expansive workshop-style gathering, residents told Shaker officials and primary developer RMS Investment Corp. what matters most to them in shaping a vibrant downtown. http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/features/VanAkenPlaceMaking080416.aspx

I'd be curious though if Tower City management has restricted RTA in any way about placement of signage at certain locations. I don't know. But not everything is always RTA's fault (although they don't do themselves any favors in preventing us from jumping to that conclusion). If Tower City is in any way impeding RTA, we've got real problems in this town. A rapid transit station/terminal has existed decades before Tower City mall came into existence, and certainly eons before Dan Gilbert came on the scene. RTA has a public easement to its trains and Gilbert/TC shouldn't have any say in the placement of directional signs in the building so long as they are no distasteful and harm TC business... and the sign I see in the photo certainly doesn't fall within that range.

Sunday, August 7 IIRC.

That's a tad bit better. At least it's clear and looks somewhat professionally made. I would hope RTA would post similar, even larger signs, in the TC portico at both enterances into the mall. I wouldn't just wait until unsuspecting passengers are all the way to the big escalator down. If one's in a hurry he/she could miss it, or, learn of the change when they're already heading down to the wrong station.

Sad news; pancreatic cancer has taken the former moderate-Republican congressman at age 62. He was a good man who had the good sense to bail on a GOP hijacked by the radical right. LaTourette was a moderate, even somewhat progressive, on social issues. RIP. http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/08/former_ohio_congressman_steve.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Not bad. I'm partial to a Red Line station at Fulton and a Red/Blue/Green Line station at the new East 9th Extension. Both would probably have to be built in response to some real estate developments. I like the W. 85 infill station idea. It is just a block from both Detroit and Madison, 2 main corridors that could use a boost-- the Cudell neighborhood has solid density and is showing some signs of recovery, but has a ways to go... a Red Line station at W.85 could be huge. But while I do believe there should be another station between W. 25 and W. 65, Fulton Rd. seems out of the way and fairly desolate. It would seem a station somewhere near either W. 41 or 44 would be better that could tap into the dense housing and retail rehab and infill going on along Lorain, esp near W. 41st (but will likely continue westward to W. 44th and beyond. I'm likely a lone-wolf on this, but I'd love to see a new station at Lakeview Rd. in East Cleveland (maybe soon to be just NE Cleveland). When RTA wisely relocated E. 120 to Mayfield Rd. in Little Italy, it created a wide gap between the new stop and Superior and in the middle of a residential area in serious decay that could use a kick... Unfortunately it appears the powers that be have turned over land along Lakeview adjacent to such a station to industrial uses... Again, yet another wasted Cleveland rail opportunity. Par for the course in this town... Interestingly, according to the late local transit historian Harry Christiansen, the Van Sweringens originally planned for station stops at Little Italy and Lakeview for their unfinished East Cleveland rapid line -- which of course, was built and became the Red Line...

Minnesota scores 8 runs in 3 innings once again, now lead 8-2 in the bottom of the 4th. Something is suddenly seriously wrong with this team. Minnesota obviously matches up well against us but no way should one of the worst teams in the league, at this point in the season with so much on the line for the Tribe, come into our building and completely destroy our star pitching staff in this manner. We've completely lost focus on pitching and defense. Detroit has jumped out ahead of the White Sox again tonight, and if the Twins sweep us tomorrow afternoon (and at this point, smart money would be on Minnesota), we may very well only be up by a single game on Detroit come tomorrow evening...Tito needs to call meeting to try and get in the heads of these guys. We'd all hate to see such a promising season by the Indians go do the tubes.

^Communication with riders, including proper signage inside and outside of rail stations, has never been an RTA strong suit.

... Hold the phone! Tribe's mounting a major comeback, now 8-6 and we're only through 5 innings. If we can pull this one out of the fire... I just hope Carrasco hasn't spotted the Twins too big a lead; Carlos surrendered 8 earned runs... sheesh! Where the hell has our great pitching gone!? Danny Salazar just went on the DL with elbow inflammation and soreness and will likely be gone 2-3 weeks. When it rains it pours, now is the time for these guys to show some character.

Why does a 1st place team has to win fans back? They have been developing a solid team for a number of years. The "Dolan's cheap" thing is old,... and tired. The reality is, this is a small market team which, in recent years, has been making a number of good moves. Sure they blew it with Bourn and Swisher, but they also hired the right manager in Tito, ... the first championship-winning coach or manager hired by any Cleveland team since the Cavs hired Lenny Wilkens in the late 1980s. They've actually pulled off so nice trades, like Napoli and Miller, and they've been consistently developing a number of players from their farm, like Salazar and, of course, Lindor. Frankly, I think our baseball attendance is an embarrassment for an otherwise great sports town; now a recent championship winning town!! Let's hope it turns around... Oops! ... that said, the Indians are getting mauled by the Twins once again down at the Pro, while the Tigers are winning meaning, tomorrow, our lead will likely have slipped to a mere 3 games. The team has been flailing since their 14-game streak and the Tigers are on fire. Our pitching, hitting and defense has been mediocre, otherwise we've been playing great ball! ... Guess this another excuse for fans to stay home, huh?

Note: maybe there's hope for Detroit after all... Metro Detroit leaders reach deal on transit Matt Helms, Detroit Free Press 6:54 p.m. EDT August 2, 2016 Top regional leaders reached a last-minute deal this afternoon to salvage the $4.7-billion proposal for expanded mass transit across southeast Michigan, officials told the Free Press. Details weren’t immediately released, but Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel confirmed a deal has been reached, subject to final details he declined to discuss. "I do believe we have something that's going to be satisfactory to all parties," Hackel said. "I do believe we have come up with a legitimate document for voters to decide on." http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/08/02/metro-detroit-leaders-transit-deal/87968512/

Get Cleveland City Council to pass a 50 percent parking tax for transit, Cuyahoga County voters to pass a half-cent sales tax for transit capital, and convert the county sin tax to fund a program of cleaning/clearing station-area properties. THEN something so dramatic as converting the HealthLine to light rail with a subway west of Playhouse Square to Tower City can be afforded. OK, then let's get on it. This is ultimately what Cleveland needs, and should have been built as early as the World War I era when the Subway Plan first was rejected by the voters. Today we have a brand new, very nice central park (aka Public Square) that we want people/singles/couples/families to come to -- as they are now -- and enjoy. This area also serves as Cleveland's main transit, bus/rail transfer hub that, is congested with buses, spews a lot of fumes, wastes a lot of money and, otherwise runs counter to the goals of the public park -- but we don't want to short change commuters. The technology may have changed from 19-teens (streetcars and now buses), but the challenges and problems are parallel if not the same spanning nearly a century. For once, let's stop always searching for the cheapest solution but, instead, find the best one. Stop kicking the can down the road, Man Up, Bite the Bullet (insert the metaphor) and build the damn subway -- in this case, convert the Health Line to LRT and, a la Boston's Green Line (only better) drop it into a subway. My ideal would be to run it as a subway through Playhouse Square elevating between E. 17 and 18th streets (with a subway stop under Huron Rd. between E. 9th and PHS ... and then, of course, westbound along the Detroit-Superior Bridge subway), but your plan is a starting point and certainly would work for me.

I know this isn't an RTA thread (although RTA is inextricably tied to this discussion) but again why not route some of those through-the-Square buses along Prospect behind Tower City where they could layover. The upside besides removing them from PS' middle is Prospect allows for an even better, more direct connection to the Rapid as Prospect sits directly over RTA 's subway station and their are entrances and escalators down to the station on both sides of the street. It also seems this would solve RTA's fuel problem because this route is direct and geneally lightly trafficked. The downside? I know some passengers and transit advocates will object to stigma unloading/boarding bus passengers at TC's back door instead of the front door; as if passengers should be kept invisible from PS... and I get that, too.

I definitely agree with this. The contractor did his job in building an absolutely beautiful, balanced, people-friendly park. But the pols and planners dropped the ball. They should have weighed the conflict beforehand and come up with a workable solution, not wait until work was done and figure it out. Instead $50M was spent to throw stuff against the wall and what sticks. I'm still of the belief that buses through the middle undermines the goal of planners and the architect, but RTA should be compensated for whatever loss they can prove is caused by removing these buses to the perimeter.

To answer your 2nd Q: