clvlndr

I took a bus out of the station in March, and there was definitely a food counter. I bought a ham sandwich. Oh OK, good to hear. Perhaps it was closed when we got there. It was in the evening.

I dropped someone off at the Greyhound terminal last summer and the only food service they had there were 3 or 4 vending machines, and 2 of them didn't work. No counter with hot food at all. (it's still a gorgeous Art Deco building, and seems to be larger and kept up better than Greyhound stations in other cities, like Baltimore and Philly, the latter of which is surprising given Philly's much larger size and heavy dependence on transit). Parking, at least short-term/drop off parking, is needed, but couldn't an area like what Amtrak has now do the trick? Of course we know Cleveland's Amtrak service is currently limited to those few runs at around 2a or later, so car traffic isn't so bad as it would be with the morning-to-night daytime service of The Hound... mixed in with, hopefully, expanded daytime Amtrak and, if we're real lucky sometime in the future, commuter rail.

coastal taco and the water taxi right next to it directly under the bridge Awesome, thanks.

What's the story on the projected restaurant/bar/club building planned near the southern end of the boardwalk adjacent to the Main Ave bridge? IIRC, although it was projected in FEB Phase 2, it wasn't rented...no? I recent photo showed a backhoe over there digging, so will this building still be built?

:wink: So if Krumholz is not an exception to the rule, then you're saying, anti-transit activism and motivation is mainly from the left, like Barack Obama (TIGER grants -- provided the funding to the moribund Red Line Little Italy station that finally opened), Betty Blair (who advocated the West Shore Commuter Rail), Bill Clinton (established Acela HSR 20 years after Reagan killed it) etc, and pro-transit people tend to be on the right, like say, John Kaisich? Scott Walker? Chris Christie, Rick Scott? Larry Hogan? Ronald Reagan? ... all of whom had major trophy transit projects... that they killed. ... thanks for clearing that up for me. :wink:

So this community's perception of light rail was that it's "everything that we're fighting today against." Not that it would be a good way to travel downtown without the hassle of traffic and parking. Not that it would bring new economic development. But that it would bring "those people" to their neighborhood. Yes, this is definitely just beneath the surface for a number of transit opponents.

No. Just no. Both KJP and I have mentioned that when the GCRTA merger first happened, there was resistance to expanding service in more affluent areas. It was spearheaded by Norman Krumholtz, who railed against having the system serve "fat cats". Inevitably, that meant lowest common denominator service, which is not going to appeal to people with options. Krumholz is the exception to the rule: a hard lefty who fought against rail, most notably the extension of the Green Line to I-271 in the late 1970s. He was a 60s radical... You cannot deny that the biggest opposition to transit is from the right. To them it's just more government spending for the poor. Many on the right believe: get a job, get a car and move away from the city.

^I think the "social welfare" rhetoric comes more from people who are hardened against the poor and, thus, look at transit as a tool for leveling the playing field. Thus, they are also anti-transit. Even though I think this mentality permeates many cities in this country, change is afoot and it's being driven by well-educated, financially-secure millennials who are rejecting the homogenous mall-big box strip/cul-de-sac culture of their parents and are opting to live in urban environments where cars are often seen as a nuisance and quality transit is desired. Look here in Cleveland at what we have been celebrating this week: the new, relocated Red Line Rapid station in Little Italy. Last I looked, there's not a poor income track within at least a half mile-to a mile of this new station (like lower Glenville and East Cleveland northbound on streets like E. 115 or eastbound on Euclid under the bridge). Little Italy certainly is not poor and within walking distance are some of Cleveland's priciest new apartments at Uptown, some asking upwards of $1,600 - 2,000/month (with some 2brs approaching $3,000/mo). We're also excited for the Intesa TOD development adjacent to the station where tech-jobs will likely be located along with some mid/high end apts along with small student studios (and with the tuition at places like CWRU and CIA, these kids' parents are less likely to be poor as well). Even Salt Lake City, perhaps the most conservative major metro area in the US, is going bigtime into transit with an expanding LRT and commuter rail network... So rhetoric is one thing; reality is another. Clearly the USA put itself behind the 8-ball as the article noted with its regressive views toward growth and transit. But we are turning things around, and places like Cleveland, and in extreme cases, a cities like Los Angeles are manifesting this change.

The real reason American public transportation is such a disaster Updated by Joseph Stromberg on August 10, 2015, 5:49 p.m. ET This article is part of a series about the past, present, and future of commuting in America. The US spends a ton of money on public transportation. So why is it so terrible? American buses, subways, and light rail lines consistently have lower ridership levels, fewer service hours, and longer waits between trains than those in virtually every comparably wealthy European and Asian country. At the same time, a much greater percentage of US public transit costs are subsidized by public tax dollars. In other words, we pay more for transit and get far less — basically the worst of all worlds. Many people try to explain this paradox by pointing to US history and geography: Most of our cities and suburbs were built out after the 1950s, when the car became the dominant mode of transportation. Consequently, we have sprawling, auto-centric metropolises that just can't be easily served by public transportation. http://www.vox.com/2015/8/10/9118199/public-transportation-subway-buses

Forgive me if this question comes off dumb, but why were all of these mansions on Euclid torn down? I know how much urban renewal destroyed American urban neighborhoods, but usually it was stimulated by a major transportation or publics work project. Most of Cincinnati's West End was demolished through urban renewal during the construction of I-75. In addition to 75, the area was declared blighted and over-crowded, which paved the way for the clear cutting that occurred. I can't imagine similar arguments of blight and over crowding would be applied to a district of mansions, and I didn't notice a highway between downtown and University Circle. So why did Millionaire's Row get demolished? Was it torn down all at once or did buildings fall into disrepair and meet the wrecking ball one by one? I don't know how many mansions this applies to, but I've heard that when some of the owners of those homes moved east to estates in places like Hunting Valley they tore down their Euclid Avenue homes, not wanting to see anyone else live in them. This is definitely the case for the Charles Brush mansion; it was in his will to tear his huge mansion down if no family member lived in it. Not sure about the others. I am not certain, but I believe the Millionaire's Row area declined because light industry moved in the early/mid 20th century, esp along the nearby RR sidings, which had the effect of strangling the neighborhood... and, as noted, the wealthy bolted for places like the Heights and beyond.

^Nice pics... what a who's-who line up of Cleve pols and muck-D-mucks.

^ ^^Honestly, those numbers aren't much different than what I've witnessed at E. 120. I do know, having used E. 120 a couple times en route to Uptown recently (from Ohio City then back to Shaker via E. 55), a number of Case & CIA students were using E. 120 since it's very close to that huge dorm complex Case built a decade or so ago as well as a lot of student apartments in/around E. 115 - E. 118 .. But I'm sure Little Italy-UC will pick up. New riding habits will have to develop.

^Swingo's old Keg & Quarter was a local institution.

^Until yesterday's new station opening, the existing map was perfectly fine... I suspect this new one was a rush job to coincide with the opening. It'll be edited, I'm sure. btw, I don't have a major problem with having the BRT on the map, esp as they are shown on the map (although having the HL as going NE/SW is a little goofy that doesn't even roughly comport with how the line really runs geographically). The way the map depicts BRT, there are no station stops listed, and the CSU-West Side route only points to the ends of the line, so it's not listed in near the detail as the regular Rapid. And it's true, Boston's MBTA, where the rail system is huge and heavily trafficked, lists the Silver Line BRT on maps of The T subway routes. I just think BRT and rail shouldn't be listed with no distinction. Both this new RTA Rapid map and RTA's 2014 system maps, in the narrative explaining services, makes no distinction between Red, Blue, Green and WFL and the BRT lines in terms of rail or bus, and that's not right imho.

West 25th? You're right, I forget W. 25 for some reason... Traffic there has really picked up in recent years. Even though there's no parking, it has that goofy kiss 'n ride drop off area that I've never seen anybody but RTA cop cars use... It is still a strong urban station though, despite it's poor design.

The map is also sloppy. It lists Lee Road-Van Aken as having free parking while listing Warrensville-Shaker Blvd as not having any... both are obviously wrong.

This new station is one of only 3, I believe, that will have heavy traffic but no parking; Cedar-University and Shaker Square being the others -- Lee Rd/Van Aken to a lesser degree. This makes Little Italy-UC one of RTA's few "traditional" type stations, a la New York, Boston, Philly and Chicago. Just like in the olden days, commuters either walk or bus to the station. 2-ton Tin Lizzies not invited.

Of course they do..... I do think that RTA should distinguish between rail and bus rapid transit. To most people, esp riders, they are not comparable.

Agreed. Even though the formal station name is geographically correct, ... "Mayfield" or "Mayfield Rd" is much easier on the lips... and ears. Even though I'd expect to see heavy usage of the station for this weekend's Feast of the Assumption (RTA is already trumpeting the station's use for the Feast on its website), I'm more interested to see how much it will be utilized in daily traffic, esp around rush hour... Any early reports?

I can see extending the #9 to Euclid to connect with the HL, but no further -- RTA should plan for some kind of loop-back in/around Euclid/Mayfield/Ford Rd. In the good old days when gas was plentiful and cheap, the #9 and most #32s went all the way downtown. But times have changed and Joe Calabrese, understandably, constantly squawks about both high diesel fuel prices and the lack of financial support from the State. So when the HL was built, RTA began cutting off the downtown runs, which makes sense given the high-capacity, higher speed and greater frequency of the HL -- not to mention the tremendous time and expense it took to build the HL. They curled the #9 back to the University Circle Rapid stop so that, for the 1st time, the #9 had a Red Line connection -- note: it doesn't even extend to the Clinic in its current configuration. I'm sure you've all seen the rush-hour snarls along Euclid from Uptown to at least E. 107. It makes little sense to clog that corridor even more with #9 buses if it interfaces with 2 forms of rapid transit, especially given the high fuel costs and even more especially now that the #9 now, finally, directly feeds Red Line at the new station on Mayfield. The #9 used to be one of the heavier suburban bus routes; it's certainly among the longest non-freeway routes in terms of the distance of its termination point from Public Sq. I'll bet the bulk of its long-haul commuters either are heading to downtown, UC/UH or the Clinic. Those headed to PHS or CSU can hop the Red Line for a quick 13-14 minute ride to Public Sq where they can either walk or hop the HL for a short ride to finish their trips.

Thanks for the photos... I like everything about what I see except the narrow stairwell and rather claustrophobic concrete walls surrounding the stairs. This stairwell could get messy with 2-way crowds, like at the Feast this weekend, or during weekday evening Browns games or other big events starting just after rush hour. I guess given the narrowness of the of the footprint which also must accommodate an ADA accessible (width-wise) walkway to the elevator inside the enclosed the waiting area, it's understandable.

With the new Little Italy-Univ. Circle station now open, will RTA now terminate the #9 Mayfield bus there? It seems superfluous, and gas-wasting, to continue with the current wrap-around route back-tracking to the University-Cedar station now that bus riders can now access the Rapid at the bottom of the hill in Little Italy.

Of all the station rehabs, this relocation is by far the most important upgrade to the Rapid system since the building of the Waterfront Line in 1996.

Won't be there, unfortunately... One interesting oddity for tonight only: the Red Line will actually have 19 stations (with 2 being just 1 block away from each other) as RTA plans to keep Euclid-120 open for "courtesy" stops until the end of the day, when the station will disappear into Cleveland history. RTA has a lot of map-changing ahead of them.

I believe the quote is real and that it's just posturing by Paul... WFNY quoted Windhorst 2 weeks ago as saying that the parties were very close to 5/$80M but that Paul is holding out for $94M; with the subtext being that, if Griffin doesn't budge, Thompson will sign the last Cavs' offer.