JMasek

1). The hub. Historically, RTA has done a good job of getting people from the suburbs to downtown, and then back again in the evening. That was the basic traffic pattern for thousands of commuters. In recent years, the work patterns are becoming more diverse, with people living in Westlake and working in Independence, for instance. Transit works best when large numbers of people share a common destination, and more and more, that is not happening in Cuyahoga County. We are working to address this. 2.). Zones. RTA used to have "local" and "express" service, but it was confusing for all concerned. Several years ago, in an effort to simplify fares, those two words were eliminated from the fare structure.

You are correct. Our first priority is to get the fare collection system working properly on the HealthLine. Then, our attention will turn to the Red Line, where the new POP system will probably be operational this spring. There will be a space on each platform that will be clearly marked. You must have POP on you tIf you are within that area on the platform, or on the Red Line rail car.

You are correct...I could have used better words than "The system is not fully up and running." The vehicles are certainly operating 24/7, and riders are gaining the benefits of state-of-the-art service. Some of the related items, such as the proof-of-payment fare collection system, and not yet fully operational.

Virtually every new fare collection installed in recent years has been behind schedule, so in that regard, RTA is completely normal. Some stations have vending machines that work, and the contractor and RTA are working daily to address issues outstanding issues. When the system is fully functional, all riders will be informed. Thanks for asking.

People should not spread hearsay, and that is EXACTLY what the supervisor is doing. There is NO truth to this. Period. Boom. End of story.

The system is not fully up and running, so it is illogical to begin drawing conclusions. RTA hired extra police for fare enforcement, so the crime-fighter unit has not been impaired.

The ticket you are issued is to pay a "violation fare", which is equal to the cost of monthly pass. If you have not paid in x number of days, it becomes a court matter. There are numerous ways to pay, so that cannot be used as an excuse.

Yes, we have. Christmas Eve falls into the same category. Not a full work day, but not a holiday either. Various scenarios have been tried over the years, but nothing has been settled on as a permanent solution.

The suburbs have told us they don't want the Rapid in their city, and if they don't want it, the feds are not going to pay for it.

If we build a garage for long-term parking, does that not give us an unfair advantage over people whose sole income is parking revenue for the airport? I like the idea, I just know of many who will cry foul.

<<A vehicle pulled out from the station in front of terminal tower at 9:06, and then waited a few feet from the stop for at least 1 minute until the light at Ontario changed.>> To keep vehicles spaced apart in rush hour, they leave Public Square on the fives, and they leave Windermere on the fives. If you wait for a green light, and then wait for boarding to end...your timining will be way off from the very start. Operators are doing what they are supposed to do.

^ If you saw the output of our graphic designer, you would swear that 3-4 people work in that department. His plate is more than full, each and every day. I can only say that RTA is aware of the map issue, but I have no timetable.

I have something to offer the group, and it affects many different topics. Each year since I have been here, the number of staff at RTA has shrunk. And, for the last six years, the number of customers served as grown. When service shrinks, we need less operators. But when the number of support positions shrinks, you find many cases where one person does the job that was formerly done by 2 or 3 others. Key aspects of each job are done, to be sure, but other tasks may not be done as often or as quickly as they were done before. Remember, the salary of the bus operator, the Webmaster, and the graphics guy who does the maps, all come out of the same pot. If we add a position here, we have to take one away somewhere else. Should we hire a graphics assistant, so more maps can be produced more quickly, or do we hire a bus operator? It is all about allocation of limited resources. All of your points are valid ones. Why hasn't RTA done this? Why is RTA late doing that? Decisions are made. You disagree with them. Fine, welcome to America. Please know that everything is done for a reason, and each task has a specific priority. Many of the key players here have 30+ years in transit management, usually in multiple cities. Yes, there are some things we can do better, and yes, we could use more money. Please keep the suggestions coming. Things are far from perfect, but they ARE getting better.

She was treated and released.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/ The LA Times weighs in on the HealthLine.

RTA has not yet secured all funding to start construction, and under our policy, we have to have all funds in hand before ground is broken. Work will commence as soon as funding is set. Tuesday, the Board will move to secure the land lease from CSU, which is the first step.

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of Rapid service to Hopkins Airport. http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1230 There may be a story in Saturday's Plain Dealer.

The RTA Board meets Nov. 18. Here is a preview. http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1228

On a related note, I watched Calabrese's editorial response last night and was surprised he made no mention of the potential problem. Was this bc he did not want to speculate? Joe was responding to a TV-19 editorial that doubted the HealthLine would spark development on Euclid Avenue. His goal was to respond to the editorial, nothing more. Now, if TV-19 does a concrete editorial, we will respond to that, as well.

Re: bus timing. Buses leave Public Square and Windermere every 5 minutes during rush hour. However, if the front bus lags a bit because of boarding time or whatever reason, then the next bus catches up quickly. If the two run together, then the front bus is always stopping to pick up passengers and the back one is empty. When this happens, the front vehicle may pass up a station to try to put some distance between them. So, if an RTV fails to stop at a station where you are waiting, it is because another RTV is close behind.

From my preliminary checking... Journalists have the same duty to report a crime as everyone else has. There is no law saying that journalists are exempt from being good citizens. Of course, the court of public opinion may feel otherwise. Ethically, it's a huge mistake, as already pointed out in several Codes of Ethics posted earlier.

I cannot control your paranoia, but stop and think? Why would RTA jeopardize its jewel of a project, one that is gaining national and international attention? There were multiple levels of supervision and oversight. Concrete was tested repeatedly for physical strength and related characteristics. It was not tested for additives that were prohibited by contract specs. It's much like a blood test. If you think you have diabetes, you are tested for diabetes, not brain tumors. Unless there is a reason for a test, you don't spend taxpayers money on extensive and expensive testing. RTA selected the contractors by competitive bids, as required by law. The contractors selected the subcontractors -- including the concrete firm. If RTA tells you that you can't compete for work on a multi-million project, we have to have proof that will stand up in court. Right now, there isn't any proof. Even The Plain Dealer, in its extensive two-part series, could not establish an illegal link, just some things that "smelled bad." Carl Monday did not "find out" anything. A tipster gave it to him on a silver platter. And pardon me for being blunt, but if you believe that a project of the magnitude of the Euclid Corridor opening can be cancelled or "toned down" on a two-hour notice, then you know nothing about event planning. The public was adversely affected by the construction, and on opening weekend, they had a right to party. It was not an RTA celebration, but a community celebration. You said RTA has a responsibility here. Of course we do. Allegations were made. Facts are being collected to see if those allegations are valid. ONLY after facts are known can a course of action be determined. I work with people of great character, and am proud of the company I keep.

RTNDA is the professional group that represents "electronic journalists." This is from the first sentence of their code of ethics. "Professional electronic journalists should recognize that their first obligation is to the public." To read the entire code, click here. It should be your guide to judging the ethics of local TV news. http://www.rtnda.org/pages/media_items/code-of-ethics-and-professional-conduct48.php The Society of Professional Journalists, of which I am a long-time member, also has a code of ethics at www.spj.org.

As you may know, TV-19 recently aired a somewhat negative editorial about the HealthLine. Today, Joe Calabrese taped an editorial response that will air on TV-19 the following times. Tonight, Wed., Nov. 12, end of 6 p.m. newscast, and end of 10 p.m. newscast. Thursday, Nov. 13, end of noon newcast, and end of the 5 p.m. newscast. Friday, Nov. 14, at the end of the noon newscast.

On another topic, Joe Calabrese is taping a response to the TV-19 HealthLine editorial and it should air in a few days. Ken Sislak also sent comments to TV-19. He shared them with me. They are below. I was disappointed with the negative editorial sewing seeds of doubt about the wisdom of investing $200 million into the re-construction of Euclid Avenue. The improvement of bus service in the Euclid Corridor has already resulted in a renaissance of the infrastructure along Cleveland’s Main Street. Yes, there are many empty buildings along Euclid Avenue. But over time, they will be renovated or replaced with new businesses and housing as we come to grips with re-inventing our city as a more sustainable place to live, learn, work and play. The downward movement of gasoline prices is likely to be only a temporary relief from the upward pressure exerted on a commodity that is dwindling both in terms of sources of supply and limited production capacity in a world that has grown more dependent on oil for energy and base chemicals for plastics. The reinvestment in transportation infrastructure, such as improvements to public transportation like the HealthLine bus rapid transit service or new high-speed rail systems linking the cities of the Great Lakes region, will allow Cleveland to re-gain its prominence as the “best location in the nation.” Be patient, Rome was not built in a day and the HealthLine is not a magic bullet that will reinvigorate Cleveland overnight. It will take vision, imagination, political leadership, new government policies on a range of topics and the willingness of many people in this community to overcome our sense of self-doubt that is enabled by editorials such as yours that dwell on doubt rather than hope. Kenneth G. Sislak