urbanlife

i hope they at least consider some "green" technology / building practices for these, and other to-be-developed green spaces in the city. permeable concrete, benches from recycled plastics, perhaps a design that routes some of the street/sidewalk water runoff through a filter area, solar lighting, etc. that's one thing that is missing from the new euclid corridor, imo. no recycling, no truly innovative approaches to public spaces or water runoff, no advanced traffic lights.

here is a screenshot:

Ed Morrison has a good post over at brewedfreshdaily.com about the international arrivals experience at CLE. Seemed pretty accurate to me. http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2007/09/24/bfd-memorandum Also, the city of cleveland website has a scroll that says "No News is Good News." Is this a joke? was this site hacked? or are they serious? http://city.cleveland.oh.us/

I assume they mean Front Avenue. Has anyone seen any renderings of these 2 ideas? Who owns the land where they propose this overlook park?

i really like this project as well. falling interest rates may help sales, but the newer properties downtown all seem to have a 1.5% below market financing offered by the bank that financed the project, so in some cases the rates are already around 4.75%, which is a steal. imo, the bigger problem is the price point. i don't question if these units (the lofts or townhouses) are worth their price, as they appear well built, lots of features, etc. but, the entry points into all of these phases just really seems to limit the market. for instance, there are only 2 floorplans for townhouses that are less than 300k, the rest appear above 350,000. there are only 4 condos under 300k. i'm sure with their marketing of bringing back people from the suburbs, the price point doesn't really matter that much (unless people need to sell their houses first). i just wish there were some projects in the pipeline for more units around 225 or 250, for a decent amount of space, say 1400 sq. ft.

can anyone comment on how this building is to live in (from living or visiting)? does it get hot or cold with the windows? or does the glass wall reflect enough heat out? also how does the parking and outside elevator work out?

I don't think the trolleys have to change colors to better communicate whether they are E or B. Part of the other challenge is that the message displays do not continuously dispaly B or E, but often have other messages or the destinations displayed, and there is no digital route indicator on the back of the trolley as the rest of the buses have. A couple of potential work arounds: 1) I'd like to see 2, 8 x 11 white placards printed on a heavy stock paper with "B" on one side and "E" on the other side. This could be easily displayed in a clear pocket mounted near the door on the side window and in front of the driver in the front window. If a trolley changed routes, the driver would simply flip the sign. At 8x11, it would be big enough to see from some distance. 2) The other option would be to adopt the same signage that is used for the actual street stop signs. Hang a green colored "E Line" sign in the same spots and have a red colored "B Line" sign that corresponds to the street signs (but could be printed on heavy paper and not metal). This would continue a consistent brand message, while potentially allowing people to more easily discern which trolley was approaching from a distance in the overlap zone. 3) Perhaps the digital signs could be programmed to always display an E or B on the left hand side, regardless of what other messages are displayed. Similar to the "P+R" logo that is displayed on some routes. I'm not sure this would help from a distance, but it would solve the problem of identifying the trolley when there are multiple messages being displayed and the E or B line only comes on every 10 seconds, for instance.

A few RTA related updates: 1) RTA has updated the webiste to include a number of projects, and information about these projects. The page now includes links to TOD presentations, TWE material, e120 station, Puritas Station, in addition to the links that had previously existed for ECTP and Eastside transit center: http://www.riderta.com/ar_major.asp as someone else also posted (in this thread or the rta says hello thread), the CAB has updated their webpage to include the agendas and meeting minutes. The CAB has also posted a membership application and it looks like there may be some openings. http://www.riderta.com/CAB/ 2) I heard that RTA is going to revamp the downtown bus shelters that are within the transit zone (basically the section that was redone 2 years ago with bus lanes - along superior, st. clair, e12, etc.). The new shelters are supposed to be the exact make of the one that is used at Crocker Park, but it will be painted silver. I think this is a huge upgrade. It should also help RTA's image downtown. Not sure on the exact installation dates, but I think they were supposed to start installing them this fall. Hopefully they will post maps and other information in this zone as well. 3) RTA is working on making their website content mobile friendly for mobile phone / pda browsers. expectation is that there may be some schedules and other information available in the next few months. 4) The first of some TWE type improvements should start showing up on the E and B Line Trolley signs. The new signs are going to give days of operation and frequency. (eg: M-F, 7am-11pm, Every 10 minutes) here is a photo of one of the shelters at crocker park:

How will bikes be accomodated on the Silver Line? When I've been on the test bus, it seems that there isn't the kind of room that there is on a rail car for bikes inside, but I don't think you can put a bike rack on the front of the silver line bus either. Is one door being considered for bike entry and exit (eg, back door)? Also, is there any plan to change the rush hour ban on bikes or the rules for bikes? With 15 minute headways, if you happen to try and get on a train that has 2 bikes already, it can be a frustrating process, with little predictability if you aren't starting out at the beginning of a line. Is there a yearly review of the bike policies and can you share any information on who makes these decisions, and if there are plans to expand the bike friendly policies?

i don't think the 173 number includes the 12 or so for sale units in the Sincere Building at e4 and Prospect.

I agree that we shouldn't "use this guy as a punching bag". However, Jerry said in his introduction that he was a Public Information Officer for RTA and was interested in learning about legitimate concerns that he heard were discussed on this board. I don't know what role exactly that Jerry will end up playing and I'm happy to have him on board. If he doesn't choose to play a problem resolution type role, and is strictly communicating RTA's policy position or providing information, that's fine. But, it seems that he can choose to shape his own participation here, what he responds to, what he lets go, and he has begun to do that. I'll rephrase to a more generic comment: What is the best way for riders and others to communicate with the RTA on compliments, complaints and concerns about service or other RTA related matters? In the past, the website comment form has not been effective, usually elicting a form response that whatever was asked will be loaded into a maintenance list or that someone is looking into it. Unfortunately, these requests usually die or get lost somewhere within RTA and small issues such as fixing burned out lights at stations, outdated schedules or maps, a broken bench, or timing traffic lights to improve the downtown experience through the euclid corridor, never seem to happen. I've personally emailed people who are listed on the RTA website, and haven't had a response. I've also personally used the online comment form, and haven't had a response. Jerry, if you are able or comfortable, can you: 1) articulate what is the best way to communicate legitimate issues to RTA's attention so that they are resolved; 2) Provide some insight into RTA's overall customer service model and expectations (should a customer expect a response from a direct email to someone listed on RTA's website?); 3) Perhaps work to establish (or provide any insight into) some kind of "RTA Action Center" like the city of Cleveland has set up, where you can email something to [email protected] or something and the person reading those emails is empowered and expected to get things done? It seems that much of the organization is in a reactive mode, only fixing the "squeaky wheel", after multiple tries, instead of proactively solving some simple issues. I just want the RTA to work properly and to be an efficient system that the region is proud of, and uses. As an everyday rider, the lack of perceived accountability (even a response detailing why something can't or won't happen) leaves much to be desired.

Welcome to the board, Jerry. Can you pass along a suggestion regarding the traffic light timing on Euclid? They have been installing new traffic lights on euclid, but 2 of the intersections were terribly timed during rush hour tonight - e18 and euclid and e21 and euclid. both of these intersections had far too much priority for euclid traffic, while traffic that was traveling southbound toward the innerbelt had to wait, and it backed up more than usual. maybe not all of the signals or actuators are timed or activated yet, and ultimately euclid may receive more priority, but in the near term, it seems that the cross streets should be able to cycle through much quicker (especially when there was NO traffic on Euclid going through the intersection after the initial 2 cars and a bus).

are there any plans to release an updated edition? also, i know there is some info on ecocity's website (http://www.ecocitycleveland.org/transportation/carfree/carfree.html), but is there a more comprehensive site that exists for cleveland?

would someone allow the units to be stored locally? i imagine there is more transport cost than the $1, but it seems rather prudent to spend $1 and a few thousand extra to transport and store 10 or 15 used cars. where could they be stored locally? (ie RTA's e55 grounds? airport? an unused rail siding on someone elses property?) and what would it cost to get them here and store them?

There was supposed to be a closed bid auction for 668 Euclid on August 16. I haven't heard any results from that though. I believe that Colliers was the listing agent.

imo, the people who are normally walking through this area aren't trained in non-violent tactics to defuse these types of situations. i guess i'd also like to see solutions. the status quo of people sleeping or panhandling in the square doesn't solve the problem. what is their position on the "right" answer? who is funding it? when can we start to implement?

I noticed the same thing. It looks like the whole Shoreway has moved north. Because, between w. 9th and w.6th, there isn't that much room north of Lakeside. the shoreway is definately moved north in the top image. i don't recall this being in any of the plans though. is that realistic or even doable?

and that was my point. jackson isn't one to randomly talk about plans that aren't firm and aren't going to happen. but, imo, that doesn't mean that there couldn't be an announcement. what would jackson's office know? that the airport master plan isn't complete yet? that there are no plans that they are aware of for a major expansion? those would both be true statements, but wouldn't preclude actual activity that is going on behind the scenes. jackson would also be smart to not play the city's hand to continental judging by the past rumors/promises of more service. imo, the "supporting evidence" is that a continental exec is going to be in town, and when continental execs are in town, there is usuall an announcement of some kind. whether it is a terminal expansion, flight expansion, discontinuation of flights, laying off employees, who knows - it could be positive or negative news - and i agree there isn't any firm evidence that a terminal expansion will occur at this point. but the combination of the airport's 5 year master plan coming to an end and a continental exec in town, could mean something, at least in the minds of the CLE boosters. plus, ricky smith would probably be the person to get a comment from, not the mayor's office.

The only truth here so far is that Larry Kellner will be in town Wednesday. When key Continental execs come into town, everyone that cares about, works for, or follows CLE gets excited that there will be a "big" announcement. Now, there probably will be announcements, the question is how big and how positive they will be. The last trip by execs brought some vague talk about future service expansion, but no clear dates, locations, etc. Mayor Jackson also said on 90.3 @ 9 today that the 5 year airport master plan was due in early Oct. Obviously, key improvements or expansion plans could be part of this, and judging by his style, he isn't one to talk about (or have staffers talk about) random expansion plans that may not come to be.

cuyahoga county has hung some pretty small and imo not very appealing banners on the rotunda building that say something about "protecting our heritage" or something similar. i guess it's a move in the right direction, but the "fake" signs that they hung during the spiderman filming look better than these small banners.

No specific answer to what or how long owned. The ordinance deals with temporary parking lots, which exists in section 325.03: "(5) Temporary Uses. A temporary use shall not be subject to the provisions of this chapter if it has been issued a permit by the Commissioner of Building and Housing limiting its duration to two hundred seventy (270) days or less, or such a permit and no more than one renewal thereof for no more than ninety (90) additional days. Temporary "for hire" parking lots, however, shall be subject to the applicable requirements contained in Chapter 457 of the Codified Ordinances. " so, this should mean that the "new" jacobs field parking lots that resulted from demo should be closed soon, and that even the HOB lot that they put in last year should be closed soon as well. the thing about this ordinance, if it is enforced, is that it takes the value of a surface lot way down if it can't be used for parking and makes it potentially available for purchase or development at a reasonable cost. key words here: if it is enforced.

i was through there this week and didn't see any work going on except for the bridge re-painting which had part of the road closed. demolition appears to have stopped as well, as i think wolstein owns more than what has been demolished.

yes. 3 on right side, 2 on left side.

did you get that from google or from their website? i googled it a while ago and was using it to submit outages, until i got an email saying that the form wasn't used anymore and that my emails were apparently just going to someone's email inbox who wasn't really motivated to forward them on to the repair people. i don't think you can get to the form from the website. i also always call their outage hotline number and leave a message - 216.621.5483 (which they also seem to have removed from their website) don't expect to hear back from them though, even when leaving a name or email address. there are some serious customer service issues at CPP. i think the lesson learned, is that CPP doesn't want to hear about issues with streetlights. I usually just start calling and emailing the Mayor's Action Committee. but, for traffic lights that are out, i believe the correct number to call is the non emergency police number.

last night the traffic lights at huron/prospect and east 9th were out, as well as street lights on prospect, euclid, etc. so, i called the 216-621-1234, cleveland police "non emergency" line to report the traffic light outage. first call - put on hold. after 2 minutes, hung up. called again. on hold again for 2 minutes. i can't believe they can't answer the phones at the dispatch center. i'd like to see some call volume numbers and staffing numbers to see what is really going on. it is pretty crazy to get put on hold calling the police.