urbanlife

after my 1 page response got deleted... 1. There should be better signage. I can't believe how many people have no idea what is going on, when it is going to be finished, etc. I also think posting dates is important. yes, many things have come up that cause delays and reworks, BUT this is a main stretch of downtown and I think we have to hold our leaders and project managers to an interim timeline (not a "as long as the buses are running by Dec. 31, 2008, the project was on time"). it blows my mind that the crews are not working 2 shifts, or some saturday and sundays during the best weather of the year. i know there is a cost, but there is also a cost to have a street torn up. 2. Bike Lanes. I think at e22 there is potential to connect to north/south routes and to other east/west routes into downtown (payne, chester, frankfort). dedicated bike lanes would require at least 10 feet, almost 1 traffic lane, and with wider sidewalks and well established sidewalk fronting buildings downtown, it would have been very difficult to accomplish, imo. i also am disappointed that there aren't dedicated bike signals. i like it when the bikes get an early green (2 or 3 seconds) so that they clear an intersection before cars trying to turn right, etc. and that there isn't colored concrete to help denote the bike lanes. [edit] added photo examples:

it is a good ride. it is too bad that there isn't the will to make it work now.

i'd also like to see SOLUTIONS discussed by the PD. in theory, there are ways to reduce or slow runoff before it reaches doan brook. what are shaker and cleveland heights doing as far as permeable pavement? green roofs? retention basins/filters? disconnecting downspouts? creating rain gardens? there are a lot of innovative ways that everyone can participate in reducing this problem besides an 8 million construction project. some more progressive zoning as well as building requirements for runoff would go a long way, imo.

and the challenge, at least for me personally, is that i always try and take time to explain things, even to people i don't know but just happen to overhear complaining about something. it's sort of like the panhandlers for me. i don't mind the first 4 or 5 that approach or talk to me during the day, i'll actually listen to the story and try and help them with advice (not $$). it is the next 15 that approach me during the rest of the day that really start to get on my nerves. but, this comes at bit of a personal cost to me, as it takes away from other thoughts, activities and conversations i'd rather be having. and, after a few years of the *same* conversation, it starts to get old. which is why i think the best approach is to dilute the negative elements by bringing new ideas and people into the region. it is certainly a complex problem with no easy solution.

are you sure? i think that RTA has primary jurisdiction over their right of way in the downtown transit zone for things like this, and the CPD has secondary jurisdiction, meaning they can still enforce it. so, in effect, RTA will have to enforce it, but the CPD should still be able to stop someone from sleeping in a shelter at 3am on public square. if there was a murder at a downtown RTA stop, then b/c of the felony nature or some other definition, RTA would have secondary jurisdiction, but could still respond to the initial complaint, etc.

i think the bigger problem is that subways are a dime a dozen downtown. so absent some kind of pricing promotion (which he may be restricted from offering as per his franchise agreement), his only real option was to reduce hours and cost, and hold on to his daytime crowd to try and break even during construction. as it is, i think a lot of people may just walk to another subway or restaurant. with all of the dust blowing around, small width sidewalk, jackhammering, random reroutes and closures of crossings, limited street lighting, limited parking, etc.

well, they have significantly reduced their hours.

i think it's important to note that the galleria project was conceived as stage 1 of a bigger plan. the rest of the area of the bluffs and where the avenue district is finally developing (40 years later), was slated to be part of a large urban renewal project. instead, downtown just sort of died right at e12 and nothing has happened for a number of years. it's a risk that any developer is taking if the market doesn't already exist. I'm sure forest city wasn't planning on having surface lots surround its mall either.

1. lots of natives that don't travel and don't know any different; 2. lots of people who remember "how it was" and are stuck in the past; 3. lots of younger people who have choices, leaving the region; 4. little to no immigration from other cities / countries; = lots of negatives, sometimes with very little foundation. i always ask now, "who is doing it better?" "how would you change this?" one of the best things that could happen would be to dilute this negative element with a new batch of immigrants from wherever, who want to work and believe in the future of the city.

the annoying thing is that RTA didn't have an announcement on their website and there was no email or text alert that certain trains weren't running. it is 2007, hmmmm, seems like someone might be able to make this happen for about $2. if the system wants more "choice" ridership, they need to start thinking about incorporating these relatively easy information delivery devices.

it seems like they can develop a system for when backup is needed, just like other departments and the highway patrol seem to use - for example pulling someone over, and waiting for another car to arrive before approaching. also just the presence of more police cars i think will have a positive effect. i can't believe how long i can go in the city without seeing any officers at all, and then entering a suburb will see 3 or 4 cruisers in the course of 20 minutes.

i spoke with the GMs/shift leads of these establishments. They expressed the same frustration as we are here, but none of them seemed willing to push the issue further, except that they had expressed their displeasure that the lights didn't work to the city, historic gateway, etc. and that nothing had been done. i'll look around for my email, although i don't think i have a saved copy of it this far out. it basically went: "if cleveland can't even keep the lights on, can any one wonder why people doubt the city's ability to handle more challenging problems? this is an easy, and very visible fix that affects everyone's perception of safety downtown and there is no excuse for street lights to be out for months at a time. Otherwise, please take the inoperable light poles down and at least reduce the clutter on the street."

I noticed one of the poles in playhouse square. The rest of them seem fine. there are quite a few along the corridor like this. my guess is that the fiberglass poles aren't as straight as the old metal poles. cleveland, by the way, is one of the largest users of the fiberglass lightpole. unfortunately, none of them are made here, but in denver. they are significantly less expensive, don't corrode (except for their base which is steel), and generally look exactly the same, and certainly better than a wood pole stuck in the ground in the middle of the city.

Question? Has anyone tried to contact the powers that be over the last two days? Has anyone gone and spoken with the owners/general managers of the businesses or contacted the media. As noted this is a high visible neighborhood and there is power in numbers. Can we put together a list of numbers so that the residents of this area like jmc8651 and X can lodge formal complaints. I think we did this about a month ago when we had issues with graffiti. it is like running into a wall though. i've talked with the businesses in the area (flannerys, hotel). they don't seem particularly motivated to start calling and making a scene. there are also a lot of abandoned storefronts and surface parking lots in this stretch that don't have "advocates." the only real success i've had was about a year ago, after weekly calls to CPP, councilman's office, historic gateway - and getting the same "we're working on it, but what can we really do?" response - i sent a few emails to the mayors action committee. that seemed to do the trick (initially), but what is sad is that it can slip back so quickly.

the package was approved by the state, but continental still has to accept the conditions and follow through. it has a 20 year clause in it as well, which is a long time for any airline to commit.

It could be the construction issue but the lights look relatively new but with that design style so that they look like the old gas lights/lanterns it's been a long term problem on lower prospect and lower huron. there are a lot of period pedestrian light replicas as well as standard street lights in this area. a few years ago, they were all retrofitted with metal halide (white output) vs. the standard sodium vapor bulbs (orange glow). however, for whatever reason, the wattage on the halide bulbs is less than the sodium vapor bulbs, the "natural" lighting isn't as effective in this area, and the fixtures are habitually burned out or inoperable. it really can be very dark in a lot of sections, made more so by the abandoned storefronts surrounding the immediate area.

but, it wasn't *built* that way. i agree that today it is a public entity and public good, but there was also significant private support of the venture. i would argue that their isn't much private support of extending/expanding the existing system, and until we get back to a point where private entities see the value in rail and transit (lower costs for employees, happier employees, broader base of employees to recruit, etc.), then transit will be viewed as a straight cost, and on that end a system that only generates 20% of its operating costs from passenger fares will never succeed.

it is also good to note that a significant portion of the current rail system in cleveland was privately built and financed. it may seem farfetched today, but i think it would be similar to p.b.lewis and the progressive group paying for and building rail extensions that served the east side and developments where their employees lived. or the clinic paying for a rail, instead of bus, line. or hyland software paying to extend the rapid out west. there wasn't some major public financing of the rail system, at least initially. so would anyone step up today and finance and support such a massive investment? and if not, why not? (granted some of the system was a private entity) as a region we've got to continually think, dream and execute on a BIG scale.

i think a major difference is in the expectation for the future. rail expansion has largely been driven by population growth, mitigating traffic congestion, etc. It hasn't always been done for transit oriented development, although, again, Cleveland was ahead of the times by the Shaker Square development. since the population estimates show a stagnant future (based on current trends), this influences a lot of people's outlooks, and ultimately willingness to invest in billion dollar projects. the one good thing is that RTA has a dedicated sales tax in cuyahoga county. one of the best things that could happen is that the county stops bleeding jobs and retail purchases, so that 1% of each purchase goes back to RTA. this might actually allow small service expansion, studies, etc. i think it is also important that a vision is articulated of walkable, sustainable, economically diverse communities is our goal. who cares if cleveland has 500,000 people or 1 million. a well run transit system can signifcantly improved quality of life and impact economic development.

is there any reason that the initial trial commuter rail service couldn't have it's end in university circle - instead of west blvd or eventually downtown? i know that the tracks are busier, but the commuter rail could make it to university circle, it would provide very good connectivity to 1 major employment area with no stops, and offer at least 2 intersections with red line connections to other areas. is this the same ROW? is it too busy?

here is a thread that is focused on combined sewers and water quality issues: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=6578.0

and it does a small part to reduce runoff, which in turn reduces combined sewer overflows, which in turn makes our lakes and rivers potentially cleaner. it's good to see CSU at least experimenting with this technology. hopefully they also identify it and provide an explanation on the amount of runoff prevented. small steps like this, done by many parties, could go a long way to reducing significant combined sewer overflows without (and in addition to) spending serious money on sewer system capacity and treatment expansion.

did anyone see the windspire at ingenuity? i thought it was going to be displayed prominantly, but i don't recall seeing anything about it.

were there ever any plans for more stations on the red line (within the existing system footprint)? it seems that there are some stretches between red line stations west of tower city that are spaced unusually far apart for an urban heavy rail system. although some of the areas aren't dense today (and idk how they were years ago), i wonder if any of the land around the red line and w41 or w44 and red line and w85, for example, could be primed for TOD type devlopments. what would it take for RTA to add a station, even if it was a barebones wood platform to start with? and are there any reasons that these areas (or others) couldn't be added to the system (with TOD construction, for example)? with proof-of-payment coming online soon, fare collection wouldn't slow down the trains and might allow for a few extra stops within the existing 25 minute trip to the airport.

and what is going on with 1900 lofts foreclosure and walker-weeks? it seems that these types of big bets just aren't paying off yet for the original developers. are they the wrong price points? just bad locations? not managed properl imo, developers are creating a product that is too expensive (walker weeks, pinnacle) and that the sales don't follow through. unfortunately, it seems to have a chilling effect of others developing properties. i'm glad the brothers printing people are still optimistic on converting their properties.