JMasek

I am off for three days to get my daughter married off. See you next month.

1. (I am repeating what I recall from many years ago. My memory sometimes heads south on me, and I am in error, I apologize). For many years, RTA owned land immediately east of the end of the Green Line. It was leased to the city, and recreational fields were built there. The feds would never pay for a transit agency to remove recreational lands for transit, so the land, in essence, became worthless to RTA. Several years ago, it was sold to Shaker. There is a press release on that, I believe, in our on-line archives. So, the short answer to your question is...NO. 2. Think BIG -- several days, multiple audiences, something for everyone. 3. Eventually, the station at Euclid Avenue and East 120 will be moved. 4. There has never been any discussion (that I am aware of) about wireless trains. There has been discussion about adding WiFi service, if that is what you mean. 5. Our research shows the average person used the All-Day Pass three or more times a day, so even at $4, it is still a bargain, and remains very popular.

The former idea would have required stringing up electrical lines all along Euclid Ave. When RTA voted to go with BRT instead, it reduced the project cost by $33 million and removed lots of visual pollution. I am told the RTVs need diesel fuel to reach 15 mph, and then the electric motors kick in.

There are about 4,000 people a day who would respectfully disagree with you. When the old loop system stopped, about 700 persons a day were riding them. Now, the trolleys carry up to 4,000 passengers on some days. The merchants like them, the customers like them, and they present a positive view of public transit to those who have never tried it. You are welcome to your opinion, but in reality, I do not believe anything will change in the future.

Checking on that now

This letter to the editor appeared in today's Plain Dealer. Yes, we could respond, but it is far better if someone from the community responds. Please feel free to write to the PD if the spirit moves you. Thanks. http://www.cleveland.com/letters/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1212049839154220.xml&coll=2 RTA spends money not to increase service Regarding the May 27 article "RTA says bigger may be better," Clevelanders have endured decades of gradual reductions in frequency of service by the RTA. Now, with the cost of gas soaring, the RTA has an opportunity to begin reversing this trend as more people turn to public transportation. So what does the RTA do? It spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to deliberately avoid increasing service. The stupidity of the RTA's management is breathtaking. Eric Klieber, Cleveland Heights

Regarding the June 17 Task Force meeting here... RTA is doing a major communications push to get the word out. Here is a copy of a letter from Joe Calabrese to community leaders and elected officials. It contains some subcommittee recommendations, and urges people to attend and give quality testimony. I thought the contents of the letter would interest members of this forum. ---- Public transit in Ohio is in crisis. At a time when demand is growing and high gas prices are here to stay, transit systems across Ohio are being forced to cut service to balance their budgets. RTA is no exception, as the end of 2007 marked five consecutive years of ridership growth with a five percent cut in service. Some transit systems in Ohio have been forced to cut up to 50 percent of their service. The good news is that we now have a wonderful opportunity to impact funding for public transit in the State of Ohio. We need your help to take full advantage of it. Governor Strickland and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) have created a comprehensive Task Force to examine transportation needs, its economic impact and new ways to fund these needs. The Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force is bringing all Ohioans to the table to explore a broad spectrum of transportation issues facing our state. With your input, we can prioritize how Ohio balances the movement of people and freight, promotes safety and reduces congestion, creates jobs and encourages responsible growth, helps to building sustainable communities and links all modes – connecting highways to rail, aviation, water ports and public transit. The Task Force has scheduled a series of seven public meetings around Ohio to gather input from consumers and public officials. Our regional meeting is: TUESDAY, JUNE 17, FROM 5-8 P.M. Joseph E. Cole Center Cleveland State University 3100 Chester Ave. Cleveland, OH 44115 We would be delighted if you, or your representative, can come to the meeting and make brief remarks on what public transit means to your community. We also ask that you post the attached flyer on community bulletin boards in your city. Our goal is to show Task Force members both quality of testimony, and quantity in numbers of persons attending. We want to show them how important public transit is in the lives of all Ohioans – the transit dependent, and those who choose public transit because it saves money, is safe, reliable and good for the environment. As you may know, I am the current President of the Ohio Public Transit Association (OPTA). On the Task Force, I was asked to serve as vice chair of the Multi-Modal Transportation Subcommittee. Here are some of our recommendations. 1. Having a public transit network is not an option, but a necessity. More than 60 percent of all trips on public transit in Ohio are work-related. In rural areas, more than 60 percent of all trips serve senior citizens or the disabled, and 20 percent of senior citizens do not drive. Transit agencies also provide low-cost transportation to thousands of students, thus saving Boards of Education millions of dollars. On a national basis, public transit reduces our dependence on imported oil. 2. Additional State funding must be provided so that transit systems can retain existing customers and attract new customers. In Ohio, transit systems serve more than 500,000 customers daily, and remove more than 100,000 cars from the highways. This reduces congestion and pollution for everyone, and greatly improves the quality of life for all Ohioans. In recent years, State funding to public transit has been reduced by 63 percent, and is now about 3 percent of an agency’s budget. Nationally, State funding levels average 23 percent. This low level of State funding has placed a much greater strain on local resources, and most systems in Ohio have either increased fares, reduced service, or both. Without additional funding, service cuts will continue. 3. While rising fuel costs have driven more to use public transit, these same costs have also significantly increased transit expenses. At RTA for example, my budget for diesel fuel in 2004 was approximately $4 million, while my projected expenses for diesel for 2008 is $20 million. This is a critically important time for public transit and we now have a critically important opportunity. We now have a seat at the table. We have the full attention of the State government, and we need to make the most of it. We look forward to seeing you at the June 17 public meeting, and to hearing your testimony. Working together, we can help bring about policy changes that will positively impact Ohioans for generations to come. If you have any questions, or if there is anything I can do to help, please contact me. For information on the Task Force, visit http://transportationfortomorrow.ohio.gov.

I have just learned that the roadway around East 12th will be completed around mid-July.

Earlier, estimates were made because we could only do construction on one section of Public Square at a time. Now, with only five months left to the Oct. 25 opening ceremony, estimates are not being made. All work is being done ASAP. In some areas, the City of Cleveland has to finish underground utility work before we can finish paving.

Here are numbers that we have used to date: 2003 * #6 ridership was 3.7 million, or 9.2% of RTA bus ridership Projections (no date) * 1.6 million annual new riders * 39,000/weekday total...this breaks down to * 22,000/weekday Euclid Avenue BRT * 17,000/weekday Transit Zone Ridership Demographics - 42% riders from Cleveland, 17% from E. Cleveland − 24% have household income of $10,000+ − 52% have household income from $10,000 - $50,000 − 24% have income of $50,000+ − 42% have no car, 38% have one car − 47% use for work, 16% for school − 87% are minority − 67% are female

Go to www.RTAHealthLine.com, a new and revised site. Eventually, the old site will probably be taken down. JetDog knows about this than I do...I will ask him to stop in this afternoon.

This is Jerry Masek with the Greater Cleveland RTA. Good discussion here. I just learned that all future public meetings will be from 5-8 p.m., not 4-8 p.m., as was originally announced.

I am checking those numbers now. From history, I can tell you that the first full year of operation may not be as accurate as long-term. When the Waterfront Line opened in 1996, a lot of people rode it just for the experience, so ridership was high. I know I saw some ridership projections for the HealthLine after x number of years, when more new construction is occupied.

The Rapid Transit Vehicles (RTVs) purchased for the HealthLine cost around $900,000 each. It is not an "undefined amount" -- the story just did not list it.

Thanks for the note. It has been forwarded to the proper people here.

"Is the East 105th-Quincy station platform long enough for more than a one-car train anyway?? " No, it is not, at least right now. There is some work pending on the bridge. When that is done, the platform will be extended, I am told.

Silver Line??? Oh, you mean the HealthLine. I am checking into this for you.

One of the reasons for the refurbishing was to give RTA a chance to consider a single rail system. The car renovations buy us more time, but they are not the final solution.

KJP, they said they did not like the "cattle-car" mentality of rail.

I will have some posts to share with next week. Joe Calabrese, OPTA President and a member of the Task Force, also asked ODOT to move the meeting site to one that is served by transit. We are making a push here to get large numbers of people at the meeting and have them give quality testimony. Your support is greatly appreciated. FYI, the original date was right in the middle of OPTA's annual meeting, which is being held in Cleveland this year.

KJP, here is a serious answer to what I know was meant to be a humorous question. I prefer rail to buses. I sleep much better -- the stops and starts are smoother. Joe Calabrese often rides the rail to special events, such as Browns games, to evaluate our service delivery. When his schedule permits, he drives from Westlake to Triskett, and rides the Red Line to work. On more than one occasion, RTA has tried to reduce service on a bus route by moving its end point at a rail station, instead of downtown. Riders clearly told us "no way" -- they strongly preferred bus to rail.

I cannot address all your questions, but I can say this: RTA has found that bus and rail each have individual supporters. Some bus riders will refuse to use the rail, and vice versa. All buses that operate on Euclid Avenue will stop at all stations, so no, there will not be a Euclid local that makes more stops than the HealthLine. Also, with the new transit-only lane configuration, it would not be feasible for a bus to continue curbside pickup.

Re: ridership...both statements are correct. Ridership is down for the year, but increased in April. In both cases, we are comparing 2008 figures with 2007 figures. Re: standing on the Green Line. Having to stand in a rail car is common in many transit systems...it means the resources are being used by the maximum number of people. I ride the Red Line daily, and I am more concerned with those people who take up two seats because of their "stuff", while people are standing all around them. If you travel at a certain time each day and believe the Green Line is overcrowded, send me the details offline. I will forward them to Service Planning to investigate and respond.

May Day, the policy for both trolleys and circulators says that operators can make "courtesy stops" at their discretion, if traffic conditions permit. Obviously, safety is always a concern. Just stand near the curb and wave :wave:.

:clap:RIDERSHIP UP: Rising gas prices are driving more riders to public transit, both nationally and locally. In April, RTA ridership rose 4 percent, mostly in the bus area. Officials report more instances of crowded buses and fuller lots at Park-N-Ride facilities. In addition, downtown trolley ridership is up 3.5 percent, and bike rack usage is up 23 percent.