dogsandcats

But who are they? Are they RTA employees who follow this thread or has UO gotten someone specially appointed as a rep to the Citizens Advisory Board? Its helpful to know a little about the position/power/authority of the person you are submitting comments or suggestions to...... In the same way that you would direct some problems/issues to your congressperson's local field office and others to their DC office.

Who are the UO RTA reps? Edit: Robert Pence fixed typo in quote tag

No

I understand that transit funding in Ohio is incredibly tight and that, especially compared to other states, the state does a horrible job of understanding the critical role transit plays in the health of the whole state's economy. But the smaller and tighter your budget is, the more critical it becomes to spend every penny wisely and in a manner that strategically advances both your mission and your political capital. And I'm not sure I see RTA doing this.

I was hoping for a more thoughtful response then that.

There's lots of evidence people won't use pedestrian bridges. They built one in Prince Georges Co, MD to connect the Metro Station to the shopping mall across the street. No one used the pedestrian bridge, so they installed an 8 foot wrought iron fence down the median of the road--forcing pedestrians to either use the bridge or walk 2 blocks to the closest intersection with a crosswalk. It would have cost millions less to just install a crosswalk right in front of the Metro but drivers complained that they would be slowed down too much by another redlight. There are dozens of other examples just like this all across the country.

Two points. First, RTA does a horrible job of marketing. The Los Angeles transit system launched a marketing campaign with billboards along highways, newspaper ads, signs on buses, etc--all urging people to take public transit and promoting the advantages of doing so. Why can't RTA do something like this? Everytime I'm stuck on 480 at rush hour I wonder if there can't be some way to make the trip by public transit. But there's no effort on RTA's part to change my habits. Why aren't they pushing political and business leaders to use public transit and then developing a marketing campaign around that? Why aren't they promoting some of the federal incentives to increase transit use? Second, there should be at least a few crosstown bus routes that allow you to get from the east side of Cleveland to the west side without transferring. The most obvious routes would seem to be one that ran the length of Lorain Avenue and then Carnegie (thus connecting a major employer, the Cleveland Clinic, with the west side) or a Detroit/Superior/St Clair Aves route. Frankly, for a bus ride from Ohio City to Cleveland State University to require a transfer is ridiculous.

This visual actually confirms my misgivings about Option 3. I don't think it enhances the pedestrian experience for those who would be walking through the area on a daily basis. Its hard to see why anyone visiting downtown Cleveland would be inticed into walking to the top of the hill or that they wouldn't be majorly disappointed to not find anything more exciting than a view once they did. Plus it hardy seems large enough to accomadate any kind of programming that would specifically draw people to Public Square.

We are all going to need your help, especially in getting out the word that these cuts are only to keep getting worse unless we do something to secure long-term funding at the state level. There are ways of doing this via ODOT budget offsets and efficiencies that can avail tens of millions of dollars for transit. If the upcoming RTA public hearings become a "I hate RTA"-fest, then the hearings will be a wasted opportunity to cause meaningful change.... Is there a way (or someone who is willing) to pull together a meeting of individuals who are committed to working on this? It seems we could accomplish more by having a cohesive plan and executing it then by randomly taking on individual tasks. Meaning....I shouldn't be spending my time working to get the word out to my local CDC/civic organization if there is someone better positioned to do that and I could instead be working on an organization that I may not know as well but that otherwise wouldn't be targeted.

There were two things in the PD article that really struck me--first, that there are 18 bus stops at Public Square and second, that the most frequent pedestrian use is to cut diagonally across the square from SW to NE (doable in 3 to 4 minutes). It seems that any re-design of Public Square also has to be seen as an opportunity to re-think RTA service patterns downtown, particularly at this location. Is it really possible to create a thriving, vibrant attraction in a spot that has 18 bus stops? My personal feeling is that Cleveland would be far better served by a "grid" bus system than its current "hub" system. While proposal 3 looks cool on paper, how well does it address the needs and uses of those who are downtown every day? And a grassy knob and some nice views are not enough to attract people to a sight. Millennium Park works because of a host of factors Public Square doesn't have--a huge pedestrian population in downtown Chicago every day, very close proximity to attractions (Michigan Avenue and the Art Institute) which on their own draw huge crowds, and the inclusion of highly interactive public art features (the Bean and the fountain) and the pavilion. There is also a tremendous amount of programming at Millennium Park--both by the City and others--that draws visitors. I'm concerned about the City of Cleveland's ability to keep Proposal 3's sloping walks across the middle free of snow and ice in the winter and the portion of Superior running under it from turning into a urine/bus fume choked dark hole.

Sorry, should have phrased the question better. Is there an organized group advocating for public transit in Cleveland? Like Transportation Alternatives or the Straphangers Campaign in NYC or the Portland Transit Riders Union?

Lots of nice buildings but it looks completely devoid of life. You'd think that at 10am there would be some evidence of humans.

Who are the advocates for public transit in Cleveland?

We bought a Speed-Heater IR and are using it to strip our porch. Its expensive but its going very quickly!

If Grandma is in Westlake and doesn't like highway driving, you're best bet is Lakewood. Its very family friendly, actually more urban/walkable than most of Cleveland and close to the grandparents. Sort of a cross between Evanston and Lakeview (8 or 10 years ago--not now!!). Getting to University Heights won't seem bad if you're driving 8 miles to Kroger's now.

Having lived in Ukrainian Village and worked in Wicker Park, I wouldn't consider Lakewood comparable. While it does have some density and walkability going for it, the vibe is closer to West Ridge or Galewood than Wicker Park or Bucktown. Tremont would be a good option. We've been in Ohio City for a year and a half, I like it but its not that lively. If I had it to do over again, I would have looked harder for something in Little Italy.

There is a proposal for a funeral home in our neighborhood to add a crematorium facility. Does anyone have experience living close to a crematorium? Are there noticeable odors? environmental impacts? health issues?

I think you have to go back more than 5 years to compare Ohio City and D-S to either Park Slope or Fort Green. I lived in both neighborhoods in the early/mid 90's and even then Park Slope was vastly more developed and high end than either OC or D-S are today. Fort Green at that time or just a little later is probably a better comparison.

Redevelopment south of Lorain has a way to go but there's some happening. The Orchard Park houses around 41st and Bailey, a few other new construction homes on 38th, plus a number of substantial rehabs. The current market isn't helping anything but there's a fair amount of disconnect between the reality and the reputation of of south of Lorain.

Whole Foods has done a very good job with the design of their stores in DC. The P Street store sits right at the sidewalk and has parking garages underneath and on top of the store. The Georgetown store is very similar. The photos on their website don't properly convey how well the stores interact with the street or how easily accessible they are to both pedestrians and drivers.

We found an amazing house in Ohio City and expect to move in mid-July. This site has been a great resource.

Check out www.YoChicago.com Its more of a blog than a forum and heavily focused on new development but it has a great deal of info on different neighborhoods. Also check www.GapersBlock.com.

We just spent 5 days in Cleveland house hunting . We were looking for dense, walkable neighborhoods with a good mix of city grit and good restaurants/nightlife. Something very similar to Pittsburgh's Southside. Our first 2 days were really frustrating because we had gotten so many recommendations for Edgewater and Lakewood that we started our search there. They're nice places--lots of families and pretty houses but more stable than vibrant. Rather like sending someone in Chicago to Evanston or Oak Park when they're really more the Ukrainian Village type. Luckily there are lots of housing options in Ohio City and Tremont.

These photos are great! The Southside is a wonderful neighborhood. I think lots of Huntington's bad rep is self generated. As someone who grew up there and still spends 30% to 40% of my time there, I'm bewildered that residents don't see all the great assets of both the neighborhood and Huntington and really capitalize on them.