JMasek

Re: 6611 Euclid Ave. building, an update from Jamie DeRosa, who oversees Euclid Corridor real estate work. As part of the Euclid Corridor project, RTA is re-aligning the roadway. That required part of this building to be demolished, so RTA bought the entire piece of property. Now that the road work is done, RTA must follow the city demolition code, and close up the building's openings. RTA will do this in such a way that a new owner can easily remove the temporary cover and rehab the building to fit his or her needs.

I have asked Jamie DeRosa to put together a complete history of RTA and that building. I will share it with you as soon as it is done. My initial thoughts: RTA is just putting a "band-aid" on the building to keep it from being an eye-sore, and then some developer will change it to suit his or her needs.

This is Jerry Masek, who works in publications and media relations at RTA. Thanks for your kind words. Just keep watching, things are getting better every day. I took your question to Jamie DeRosa, [email protected], who is Deputy Project Manager of Real Estate. He said, "RTA owns the building at 6611 Euclid Ave. This week, we gave the contractor a notice-to-proceed to build a new face on the building. After that, we will start looking for a developer, and are seeking transit-oriented development(TOD) proposals for the property." I hope this helps.

I sent this along to someone who has more authority than I do -- which is just about everyone in the building. Thank you for your comment.

SMILE! You're on transit camera. Most cameras in facilities and vehicles were purchased by Transit Police with Homeland Security grants. In facilities, camera locations are not made public. In vehicles, passengers are notified by a sign that they are being recorded. That should deter criminals acts by logical people. It might not affect the illogical ones. All trolleys and all new Silver Line vehicles will have cameras. All new buses, starting with the 45 NABIs that arrived earlier this year, will be equipped. It is too expensive to retro-fit the system on a used bus. The entire fleet should be camera-equipped within 10-12 years. A camera system on rail cars should be operational next year. Transit Police monitor cameras in key locations from a central point. All cameras record action 24/7, so if there is a crime at a given location or vehicle, we can pull the tape and review it for clues. There are several press releases on these cameras on our Web site.

JetDog, thanks for doing the legwork.

Past surveys have shown that some people prefer bus and strongly dislike rail, and others are just the opposite. In the past few years, much of RTA's ridership growth has come from "choice" customers -- those who could drive if they wanted to. They are using the Park-N-Ride lots more, and rail more. Both these options allow you to drive your car as least part of the way to work, and then go straight downtown. Of course, the Tribe had a great month, too, and a percentage of those fans always take RTA.

The rules, as posted on our Web site, state: "Bicycles are not allowed on the escalators at any station. Cyclists must use stairs and elevators only." These are not new rules. This is a safety issue. As elevators are added to more RTA stations, I am sure they will become the preferred method. Rail stations were designed and built for passengers. Bikes are a new component. Everyone must be kept safe, and everyone must co-exist. These rules are designed to ensure that. Thanks.

Regarding that 40 percent number, without knowing more about it, I can't comment on it. What year is he basing that on? What is a "major transit sytem"? How are the figures being computer? There are a number of ways to look at ridership. The important thing is: We are working to continue to improve the number.

You may want to monitor the continuing topic of more state funding for public transit, which has declined by 60 percent since 2000. A recent survey found that the ONLY major transit system in Ohio that is not seeking service cuts in 2007 is COTA. So, everyone is pretty much in the same boat. State Senator Capri Cafaro, a Democrat from Warren, is planning to introduce legislation in the Ohio Senate to establish a Public Transit Funding Task Force, to review state public transportation funding in Ohio. The task force would study the adequacy of Ohio's public transit funding and establish a long-term plan for a stable source of funding public transit. I will let you know when the bill is formally introduced. Your ongoing interest and support are appreciated.

The September ridership report was released today. SYSTEMWIDE: September up 2.3 percent or 110,000 rides. Third quarter up 2.2 percent, or 560,000 rides. Year-to-date is still down 0.6 percent. AVERAGE WEEKDAY RIDERSHIP: Up 4.4 percent, or 20,000 rides. At 197,273, it is the largest average weekdays ridership since 1998. BUS: Up 0.1 percent in September, down 2.3 percent year-to-date. RAIL: Up 14.2 percent in September, 9.4 percent year-to-date. PARATRANSIT: UP 10.3 percent in September, 4.6 percent year-to-date. TROLLEYS: More than 65,000 riders in September. Total ridership up 48 percent, and average daily ridership up 56 percent. BIKES: 5,677 in September. Up 23.8 percent for month, and 42 percent year-to-date.

Attention bicyclists!! Help us spread the news. Effective today, RTA has new rules for bikes on rails. I knew it was coming, but I could not say anything because I had not seen the exact wording. Here is a summary, as announced at today's official opening of the station at West 117th St. 1. RTA permits bicycles on all trains at all hours. 2. No tandems, recumbents, tricycles, electric or battery-powered scooters or “Segway” personnel carriers are permitted. Bicycles must not be carried or ridden on escalators. Bicycles must not be ridden inside rail stations. (this rule has always been in place) 3. RTA rail operators and/or service monitors will permit customers to bring bicycles aboard each rail vehicle, based on customer loads. 4. ADA customers, including those in wheelchairs, take priority over bicycles, and operating personnel may limit the number of bicycles in those circumstances. 5. An adult must accompany cyclists under the age of 18. All other previous rules are still in place. Because of work schedules, etc., it may take a few days for ALL rail operators to receive the new rules. RTA is now updating its Web site, signs at stations, etc. Your patience and support is appreciated.

<<yeah but the bigger cities systems are that much bigger too and have relatively that much more operating costs. nyc aside, i dk about that response.....esp given the national average is 40%. seems like something aint right.>> Nothing personal, but I really appreciate people using the English language properly. For instance, I have no I idea what "dk" means. If your reader does not understand the meaning of a message, it is useless.

hmm, that sounds like an awfully poor return or bang for the buck from riders. i'd like to hear your thoughts about why that is so low considering the following info taken from a link on our "other systems" thread: "(nyc) riders already cover nearly 60 percent of the MTAs operating budget 68 percent for the subway. Thats a phenomenally high fare box return, noted MTA boss Elliot Sander in testimony before a state legislative committee earlier this year. The national average for big transit systems is 40 percent." This number is tied to ridership and density. Once you have bought the buses and built rail lines and stations, most costs are fixed. A route that carries 100 passengers an hour has a better return than a route that carries 50 passengers an hour. Obviously, NYC has density. RTA is constantly monitoring its service plan to get the most "bang for its buck" from operations. KJP, the 20 percent figure I used is a generic one. In any given year, numbers may vary.

Several posters have pointed out shortcomings with RTA's trip planner. This is a work in progress, and modifcations are still being made. Your comments will be shared with those who administer it.

I think that officials from every system in the nation have seen Google Transit. It's great to see such a powerful cyberspace leader paying so much attention to transit. That, in itself, is good for the industry. I have not had a reason to use Google Transit, so I cannot speak to it. I know RTA is studying it. We have a trip planner on our Web site, and we are always interested in improving it. When I get a more definitive answer, I will pass it along.

Our relationship with Hopkins has been growing in recent years. We will continue to look for ways to increase ridership there. I will pass along your ideas. Many thanks.

/\ http://www.riderta.com/ar_organization-art.asp This link will point you to important background info on the Arts in Transit Committee. Any group that is made up of individuals has ups and downs in its energy level. There have been some changes on the committee, and recently, a new staff liasion was named. (The previous staffer married and accepted a position in Chicago). The Arts in Transit program has many supporters at RTA. From General Manager Joe Calabrese to various Board members, to new staff liaison (and chief planner) Maribeth Feke, to John Goodworth, who has been the project manager on many rail stations. I have seen the public art plans for Puritas, and they are very unique. When there is a call for artists, it is in everybody's best interests to get as much participation as possible. If you are an artist and want to make sure you hear about the calls, let us know.

Many thanks. Just don't get so relaxed that you miss your stop...as I sometimes do.

One of our publications is called "Inside RTA." It is a short summary of recent news for a target audience of elected officials and community leaders. You may find it interesting. http://www.riderta.com/PDF/InsideRTA/Insider_10-07.pdf

The October Rider's Digest has been posted on the Web site, with stories on the APTA award, Euclid Corridor safety, the opening of the West 117th Street Station, and other great news items. http://www.riderta.com/pdf/RidersDigest/Oct-07-RD.pdf

Thanks. To respond to an earlier question..."How do I market thee?...let me count the ways." 1. Banners on Main Office Building, Tower City Station, West 117th Street Station, Windermere Station. 2. Interior and exterior signs on all rail cars, buses and trolleys. 3. Signs on kiosks along Euclid Avenue. The first one is at East 40th and Euclid Ave. 4. All employees are encouraged to wear stickers and/or pins. 5. A special letterhead has been created. 6. Some of us have added the award to our e-mail sig files. 7. All RTA publications for various audiences refer to the award. 8. And of course, there is news on the Web site. FYI, the award is being formally presented at noon today in Charlotte.

You are correct that rail lines generally have a greater on-time performance than buses, because of the dedicated right-of-way and off-board fare collection -- two features that you will see when the Euclid Corridor is fully operational. In early November, RTA expects to re-open Euclid Avenue from East 17th to East 55th, with passengers boarding on the center median strip. This will not have all the "bells and whistles" of the final BRT product, so judges, please do not mark your ballots. All buses (all routes) will stop at all stations. When the project is complete, most routes will stop at the East Side Transit Center at CSU. About the rail...some operators are proud of their on-time performance. I take the Red Line in from Puritas each day, and the operator reports on the PA system what is the scheduled arrival time vs the real time of arrival. She's almost always "on the money."

Today, I explored other threads on the Forum, and saw many of the same names. Some input on former topics: 1. The cost of building the Waterfront Line was $55 million for $2.2 miles. There is a LOT of misinformation out there on that one. 2. Someone asked: why doesn't RTA just "run more buses." Please consider the makeup of the operating fund -- approx 70 percent from a poorly performing one percent countywide sales tax, 20 percent from the farebox, and 10 percent from misc. sources -- including transit advertising, investments and limited state and federal funds. Speaking in private-sector terms, RTA loses money on every transit trip. That is why it is imperative that RTA monitor ridership on every route. The goal is to reduce sections of routes that perform poorly, so we can increase service on those routes that have more riders. 3. Assume that there is no "new money" or "extra money". If RTA wants to expand service in Parma, we have to reduce service in Euclid. That is a harsh reality. As I write this, I am getting word that our parking lots at Puritas and West 117th are full, and Transit Police are directing Tribe fans to park at Brookpark, Triskett and West Park. Have a great weekend.

http://www.apta.com/media/releases/070104_ridership_increases.cfm APTA has released national ridership figures for the first six months of 2007.