JMasek

I checked RTA's Web site, and no, there is not a #326, but there IS a connection at that station to the #26. I will ask that the script for that station be double-checked.

^Ground breaking ceremony is set for 11:30am on May 27.

^ Every Red Line station will have a clearly marked "fare paid zone." You must have your proof-of-payment before entering the "fare paid zone."

RTA staff met with the architect this week. We are moving forward with the design. The five-year capital budget calls for construction to start in 2011. About the stairwell, RTA is planning to use the vault space as the main station area, adding a new connection under the westbound track and two new stairs up either side.

RTA has a contract with an outside consultant who has the needed experience. The consultant also works with transit agencies in 6 other cities, two of which are in Ohio. Market conditions can change rapidly, and RTA can react within an hour, or less, if need be. Fuel hedging means buying when the time is right. It is different from say, bidding on bulk, when you get a better price for 1,000 units of paper than you would for 100 units of paper.

^I am checking.

A national magazine included RTA in a story on fuel hedging. http://www.masstransitmag.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=8483&pageNum=1 April 23, 2009 Beat the Price at the Pump from Mass Transit Price hedging can help transit agencies reduce overall fuel costs, but it isn’t without risk. In the current fuel climate, even the goals of reducing cost and price risk can be contradictory. Take the Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority. The authority locked in diesel prices at $3.17 for this year, a price significantly higher than the retail market price right now. But, the price seemed like a good idea when the Cleveland RTA locked it in last year. Plus, at that price, the system’s fuel costs will come in at budget for sure, no matter how wildly prices swing in the remainder of the year, says Gale Fisk, executive director of the office of management and budget for the Cleveland RTA. What looked like a good price at the time for Cleveland now looks like an outrageously high price, but it is still accomplishing what the transit authority set out to do. Such is the world of fuel price hedging. One can seek the greatest possible savings, the most stable price or to save a couple of cents per gallon over the average price, and there are a number of ways to accomplish those goals or a blend of those goals. ..... Pricing for the Future The Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority has turned to commodity buying to help hedge fuel prices. The transit authority locked into a fixed-price contract at $3.17 per gallon for this year. At the time that seemed like a great price and, despite being significantly above the market now, will still allow the Cleveland RTA to meet budget on fuel prices, says Fisk, the executive director of the office of management and budget. “At that time we felt really good about that price level,” Fisk says. The RTA pushed for a state law that would allow the mass transit organizations to buy fuel futures. Currently, the organization is buying futures at $1.80 per gallon for 2010. “When the futures mature we sell them and use the excess or the deficit as an offset to augment the actual market purchase price,” Fisk says. Fisk says investing in future commodities rather than locking into a single long-term contract makes a lot of sense. The contract represents a single decision point, a price at a specific moment of time. And that can turn out to be really right or, like the $3.17 contract, really wrong in terms of where the market is heading, Fisk says. Buying futures lets the mass transit organization make a hundred different decisions over time, something that should lead to a better price. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority has a fleet of roughly 500 buses and served some 57.9 million passengers in 2008. Like the other transit organizations, reducing cost fluctuations is the main goal. “The first thing is managing risk and second is saving money,” Fisk says. While managing risk is a sure thing with a well constructed program, saving money is more of a gamble since predicting the market perfectly is an impossibility. With where the market is now, Cleveland anticipates reducing its fuel budget to around $9.8 million in 2010, down from a recent peak of $18.8 million. That $9.8 million figure would be the lowest amount spent on fuel since 2004, Fisk says. To do that, Cleveland will have some 90 percent of its fuel for the upcoming year hedged with futures. Long-Term Investment The Cleveland RTA was spurred to look at fuel cost containment after determining its prices had gone up 200 percent between 2004 and 2008 and another 60 percent in 2008. Those wild fuel price fluctuations forced Cleveland and Austin to look at how they could control the risk associated with fuel price cost, but hedging prices to avoid spikes isn’t a new invention. .....

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1293 Update on weekend rail service CLEVELAND – Construction work by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) will affect all three rail lines this weekend, from 8 p.m. Friday, May 1, through 3 a.m. Monday, May 4. Light-rail service on the Blue/Green lines Blue and Green Line rail service will be replaced by shuttles buses, as RTA performs $1.6 million of needed track maintenance work. Shuttle buses will operate between Tower City and Van Aken - Warrensville and Tower City and Green Road. Shuttle buses pick up on Public Square in front of Tower City. Blue/Green line customers who wish to continue on the Waterfront Line at Tower City should ask the bus operator for a courtesy transfer. Waterfront Line customers who wish to continue on to the Blue/Green line should also ask the rail operator for a courtesy transfer. These transfers only apply to customers who paid a cash fare. While delays will be kept to a minimum, customer should allow extra travel time. Regular rail service will resume on Monday morning. RTA regrets any inconvenience to its customers during this time. Heavy-rail Red Line service Because of bridge reconstruction on the east end of the Red Line, trains will not operate east of East 120th Street Station. No shuttle bus service will be provided. Customers who need to travel east to stations at Superior and Windermere will be directed to use the HealthLine. Rail operators will issue a courtesy transfer at the East 120th Street station to passenger who wish to travel east on the HealthLine. Red Line operators will also visually accept a HealthLine proof-of-payment document from westbound passengers boarding at E. 120th St.

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1292 Red Line upgrades fare collection system CLEVELAND -- Red Line customers will see a new fare collection system in May on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA). New signs and new machines are now being installed in Red Line rail stations. When the proof-of-payment system is ready for use, staff will be on hand to help customers use it. The new system is already in service in many other transit systems around the country. Customers on RTA’s HealthLine on Euclid Avenue have been using this new fare collection system since February. A faster ride The proof-of-payment system offers many benefits: * A faster ride, because there is no more on-board fare collection. With an active farecard or pass, you simply get on and go. This speeds up the boarding process and eliminates backups. * The ability to use personal credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover) to pay for your fare. * More Transit Police to enforce fare collection and ensure your safety. * Improved revenue flow, so RTA can more fully capture revenue and provide service. How the system works Whatever you currently buy from the operator or booth attendant, you can will be able to buy before you enter a “fare paid zone.” You can buy your All-Day Pass, or 1-ride or 2-ride farecard, from a ticket vending machine in each station. Look for a sign that reads Pay fares here. These machines also activate farecards and passes. Some stations are also equipped with stand-alone activation scanners. A ticket or pass purchased using the TVM will already be activated. In addition, busier stations will have a customer service kiosk that offers a full range of RTA fare media. Look for a sign that reads Passes and farecards. You must retain your fare media when you enter a “fare-paid zone” and at all times while riding the train. The “fare-paid zone” will be clearly marked with new signs at all stations. Fare collection officers from Transit Police will be on trains regularly, asking you to show a proof-of-payment. You must retain your fare media until you have exited the rail system. You can use a fare purchased earlier (such as a weekly or monthly pass). If you are a student at a college that offers a U-Pass program, keep your college ID card with you at all times. If you do not have a valid pass or farecard, you will be required to pay a violation fare of $76 within 14 days, or be issued a criminal citation. A ticket vending machine… * Offers Braille and audio features for sight-impaired customers. * Accepts coins and bills, but does not give change. * Accepts debit and credit cards – Visa, MasterCard and Discover. * Issues magnetic tickets for any kind of All-Day Pass and receipts for one-way cash fares. In other words, it simulates an on-board farebox. What needs to be activated (validated) before you board * 7-Day Flex Passes must be activated before first use only. * All-Day Passes must be activated. * On 5-Ride Farecards, each ride needs to be activated. Monthly Passes are already activated for the month they were purchased for. Passes and farecards can be activated at any ticket vending machine. Some platforms also offer a smaller unit for activation only.

As the PD story said, the Board will meet in May to review the issues with staff and give the staff direction on how to reduce the projected deficit. So at this point in time, before the Board meets to discuss it, your question is way too premature. Your interest is appreciated. It has always been RTA's intention to affect the least number of people when reducing service, and that continues to be the policy this year. I will keep you posted, as I always have, but please, do not ask me to comment on things before they happen. I won't do that.

It is the job of the staff to present recommendations to the Board. Eliminating weekend service was mentioned as an option -- one that many other systems have used. Right now, that is all it is, an option...not a scare tactic, as someone alluded to.

An RFP is posted on the Web site so perspective bidders can download it and respond. The RFP is removed from the Web site after the deadline for responses is reached. That is now the case. RTA staff is now viewing the responses, and will make a recommendation to the Board in May or June. A story was published on Page One of the West Side Sun News, and should be available now on sunnews.com.

As updates are received, they will be posted on the special pages under Major Projects in the newsroom of the Web site. That is precisely why those pages were created.

Your question, as written, makes no sense, so I cannot answer it. Please clarify exactly what you are asking. Thanks.

There is no need to assume anything. check out the Puritas page in the RTA Web site newsroom. It has been there for months.

April 9, 2009 Design work begins soon on new Brookpark Station CLEVELAND -- The Brookpark Station, 18010 Brookpark Road, celebrates its 40th birthday this month, and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is ready to give the facility a new face. Brookpark opened on April 20, 1969, as part of a four-mile extension of the heavy rail Red Line to Hopkins International Airport. The extension to Hopkins -- the first direct rail connection between a center city and an airport in the Western Hemisphere – actually opened on Nov. 15, 1968, with national TV coverage. Work on the Brookpark Station had not been completed, so the Cleveland Transit System (CTS) opened it about six months later. This month, RTA opens Requests For Proposals (RFPs) for a $1.2 million design of a new station. Federal stimulus funds will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Design work should take about 13 months, and then construction will begin. With 1,000 parking places, more customers board there than at any other station except Tower City. In 2003, RTA built an interim station at the site, making Brookpark ADA-accessible. The $946,000 interim station was built on the west side of the existing station by the Cold Harbor Building Co. of Chardon. One-third of the work was federally funded. The upgrade project included a new platform, two ramps, a signal crossing, an elevator, an entry building with a heated waiting area, and an enclosed walkway from the parking area to the entry building. The new station will be ADA-compliant. It will incorporate both entrances of the station, reconstruct the connections from the entrances to the tracks, improve the parking areas, and include landscaping and public art. On March 1, 2005, the RTA Board of Trustees approved a letter of intent to build a permanent Brookpark station. RTA sought a developer to build a new station on the 15.5-acre site, along with a bus transfer center and a four-story garage for 1,000 cars. The remaining area was to be leased to hotels, restaurants, and other commercial venues. The site straddles the city line, and the project received support from officials in both Brook Park and Cleveland. Because of the poor economy, this development has not yet been realized. RTA continues to market this site to the development community. Its proximity to Hopkins Airport, Brookpark Road, I-71 and I-480 provide it with an excellent location. Its 12 acres of undeveloped land also makes it an attractive site. RTA would like to incorporate the principles of transit-oriented development (TOD) to create a destination for transit riders, provide RTA customers with added conveniences, and expand the economy with jobs and investment.

http://www.cleveland.com/westsidesun/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1239286117112560.xml&coll=4 Rapid station work to arrive soon Thursday, April 09, 2009 By Joe Noga [email protected] West Side Sun News Officials for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority say ground breaking on a new $9.6 million rail station at West 150th Street and Puritas Avenue could take place by the end of the month. ........

^At this point, I am not sure. I have to re-read the original resolution, which contains certain surcharges at certain levels.

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1284 April 7, 2009 RTA Board Committees highlights CLEVELAND – Here are highlights from today’s meeting of several Committees of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Finance Committee Michael J. Schipper, Deputy General Manager, Engineering and Project Management, updated Board members on RTA’s progress in spending federal stimulus funds for major capital improvements. Gale Fisk, Executive Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), presented an update on fuel purchases. RTA has purchased about 82 percent of the fuel it needs for 2010, at a cost of about $1.85 a gallon. RTA has started to purchase fuel for 2011, at about $2.06 a gallon. Committee of the Whole Felicia Brooks-Williams, Manager of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) programs, presented RTA’s affirmative action goals for Fiscal Year (Calendar Year) 2009. The Committee approved the goals, which now go to the full Board on April 21. George Fields, Manager of Employment and Compensation, spoke about efforts to recruit Hispanics. Jennifer Jackson, Associate Counsel, and Scott Ferraro, Director of Labor and Employee Relations, updated the Board on recent changes to RTA’s Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual. The updates concern the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The Committee approved the goals, which now go to the full Board on April 21. Planning and Development Committee Michael J. Schipper, Deputy General Manager, Engineering and Project Management, and Frank Polivka, Director of Procurement, presented the Board with plans and proposed contractor awards for a new $9.6 million rail station at Puritas-West 150th. Several Board members were absent, and the matter remains in Committee. FUTURE MEETINGS: April 21, May 12, May 26.

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1285 Ride RTA to Earthfest at Zoo on April 19 CLEVELAND -- On Sunday, April 19, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) will provide free service from Public Square to EarthFest at the Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way. It marks the 39th anniversary of Earth Day. RTA info RTA is a sponsor of EarthFest, Ohio's largest educational environmental event. The Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. You can ride RTA buses or trains to Public Square, where RTA clean diesel buses will take you from West Roadway, north of Superior Avenue, to the Metroparks Zoo Administration parking lot off Fulton Road. Buses are equipped bike racks. 100 percent of RTA’s fleet is powered by environmentally friendly fuels – electric, CNG and clean diesel. Be sure to obtain a proof of your ride, which allows free admission to the Metroparks Zoo. Without this proof, you pay regular zoo admission. Shuttles run every 15-30 minutes. The first bus leaves Public Square at 9 a.m. and the last trip leaves the Metroparks Zoo at 5:30 p.m. RTA’s educational community bus will be on display, and RTA employees will hand out transit information. For info, visit rideRTA.com, or call the RTAnswerline, 216-621-9500. Those who are hearing impaired can call 216-781-4271 EarthFest info Theme -- The Green Generation 20th annual EarthFest - the longest-standing Earth Day festival in the U.S. and Ohio's largest environmental education event. More than 160 environmental exhibits focused on climate-change solutions, local and organic foods, clean-transportation, green home-improvement, environmental science, health and fitness, environmental film screenings, family fun activities and all-day live music. NEW Rain Garden exhibit let’s you calculate your carbon footprint. Bring your plastic grocery bags to recycle and exchange for a reusable shopping bag. Regular Zoo admission includes all EarthFest exhibits and Zoo activities. Zoo will be effectively wind-powered for EarthFest. EarthFest is organized by the Earth Day Coalition, a Cleveland-based non-profit environment organization. For info, call 216-281-6468, or visit earthdaycoalition.org.

Thanks for your concern. Frankly, it does not affect me, because I never deal in speculation. I cannot change people's opinions, but from time to time, someone posts something that just is not true. That is when I like to help set the record straight.

As far as the earlier discussion on pedestrian safety, one thing is clear. People act in their own self interests. * They do not stop at stop signs. * They do not obey speed limit signs. * They park right in front of no parking signs. Many pedestrians also violate the law. Just stand on any street corner downtown, at any hour, and count the number of drivers and pedestrians who are breaking the law. The numbers are astounding. Both sides have to take responsibility for safety.

An early poster noted: "...Especially since budget cuts have increased their roles." This is correct. There is a hiring freeze in effect, and since July 1, I have had two roles -- Publications Manager and Media Relations Manager. Others here are also wearing two hats -- at least it keeps your head warm.

A release has been posted, regarding bus safety. Most of it you already know, but the following may interest you. RTA has received some complaints to date, and is now looking at ways to turn down the volume of the beeping. RTA has also heard from customers who believe the said they thought the beeping was a good idea. Two future ideas are being considered: 1. Install pole-mounted monitors at various high-incident intersections, which would limit the audio warnings to only those intersections. 2. An external strobe-light system.

^ When you register a complaint on the Web site, it is supposed to be checked by, or routed to, the appropriate party. When you post a complaint here, all I do is route it. (Contrary to popular belief, I do not know all the answers.) Someone who is NOT on this Forum may be offended, and perhaps rightly so, if more attention is given to your queries over theirs. I urge all customers, including those here, to use the format that has been created on the Web site. If the complaint is urgent, then send it to me at [email protected]. I will need your e-mail address anyway to get back to you.