on an unrelated (to the OP, but related to the thread) point, the Euclid Corridor RTV will be on display at Earthfest at the Zoo this Sunday, staffed by RTA employees (including yours truly from noon - 2:00pm) who can answer any questions you might have about the vehicle or the project, or even other RTA concerns... current forecast for Sunday is 30% chance of showers, with a high around 60 degrees, hope to see many of you there...

 

Do RTA employees have to put a quarter in a jar each time they refer to the "RTV" as a "bus"?

 

:-) seems like it sometimes... it's all part of establishing and reinforcing the idea that this isn't "just a bus", as some detractors have harped on... nothing wrong with a unique brand identity for the system

well, nothing wrong with branding at all, but come on now, that duck is a duck.

 

still i gotta admit, i am getting excited to see the streetscaping completed and the...unh, rtv's...in action.

well, nothing wrong with branding at all, but come on now, that duck is a duck.

 

still i gotta admit, i am getting excited to see the streetscaping completed and the...unh, rtv's...in action.

 

in a town where's buses have an unfortunate reputation as turkeys, this duck'll FLY (and that will be the last bird analogy for this thread :-) )

 

wait until some of the plantings in midtown get situated and start blooming, you're going to see more green than has been there for a LONG time...

agreed... that will be exciting.  and it should take some of the attention away from station features that are already looking tarnished!  :evil:

"mill & fill" is what I hear.  I suppose that does not entail the full treatment that the rest of the corridor received... rebar reinforced concrete and what not.  But I'm not exactly sure what it does mean.

 

official word is that full concreate roadbed will be used out to E 107, concrete pads w/ "mill & fill" (as previously described) asphalt from E 107 to the city line, and operation only, i.e., no new pavement, from city line to Windermere, since most of the pavement out that way is only about two years old

agreed... that will be exciting.  and it should take some of the attention away from station features that are already looking tarnished!  :evil:

Like the base of this sign.  :wink:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,14015.msg273820.html#msg273820

Didn't have a chance to take a pictures yesterday evening, but the median lights have been installed east of East 9th and look terrific - it's really going to be a nice walk down Euclid Avenue with the big lights in the middle, and pedestrian scale ones on the side.

There has been a lot of noticeable work in the past week between Playhouse Square and East 9th. Cement is being laid. Sidewalks are being bricked.

 

Most of what's being done is in between intersections.

 

If you haven't been out this way this month, it's worth taking a stroll (maybe check out the new Bricco in the Hannah building). You can see pretty concretely what it's going to look like when this is completed.

If you haven't been out this way this month, it's worth taking a stroll (maybe check out the new Bricco in the Hannah building). You can see pretty concretely what it's going to look like when this is completed.

 

Did anyone else giggle at the pun, intended or not?  :lol:

There has been a lot of noticeable work in the past week between Playhouse Square and East 9th. Cement is being laid. Sidewalks are being bricked.

 

Most of what's being done is in between intersections.

 

If you haven't been out this way this month, it's worth taking a stroll (maybe check out the new Bricco in the Hannah building). You can see pretty concretely what it's going to look like when this is completed.

 

Those crews, and the ones doing E 9 to the Square, have been working like gangbusters these last few weeks (routinely well into their day's work before 7:00am). Much of the north side vault work has been or soon will be completed, conduit is being laid, and areas are starting to get backfilled. I'm really looking forward to the reopening of that whole stretch.

 

JeffreyT, any chance you can grab some photos of the median light poles? I may need to wander up that way for lunch today, just to check it out.

I work out in University Circle, so I can't today and when I was passing the other night, it was while driving with the back hatch open praying that old theater seats for my new place wouldn't fall out...

 

I wish I had some, but I don't, sorry :(

I'm really looking forward to the reopening of that whole stretch.

 

Do you have any guesses on when that stretch might reopen?

walking to the Tribe game last night, I was surprised to see workers just east of the Est 9th/Euclid intersection..long work day, this was around 7pm

....while driving with the back hatch open praying that old theater seats for my new place wouldn't fall out...

 

Oh geez!  that sounds like something I would do.  Where did you get theatre seats?  I'd love to see pictures.  I'm envious.

 

I KNOW...I KNOW...BACK ON TOPIC MTS!   :whip:

I'm really looking forward to the reopening of that whole stretch.

 

Do you have any guesses on when that stretch might reopen?

 

current expectation, barring a late-season blizzard :-) is July-August; you'll see other announcements next month relating to portions more toward midtown...

M. Lang Executive Attire on Euclid at E. 14 is the aforementioned clothing store that will soon be opening up a small bar in the corner of the store to attract window shoppers and foot traffic to browse inside.  All permits and licenses have been procured.  He's looking to build out in the coming month.

^This doesn't surprise me at all.  The guy who owns that store is great... and he has been known to offer a drink before while you are shopping.  :)

^ awesome anecdote. i know of a couple places in ny that quietly offer you a drink on the side too once in awhile and i always thought it was the coolest thing. talk about breaking the ice and building up your customer base!

^^ Agreed; I've only been once but he was a real cool guy, I liked the clothes, and he worked with me on the price when I offered to pay cash. I'll have to stop in again.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will hold a two-day Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) workshop in Cleveland July 21-22. To find out more about the TRB and the BRT, click here.

 

http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=8868ba00-fba1-431f-b086-00e5ccf8a1c6

Good for RTA and Good for conventions/meetings dollars.

 

Jmasek, make sure those folks take public transportation from the airport to the city!  :-P :wink:

I'll tell you all one thing.  Gas went up 20 cents where I live.

 

JetDog and JMasek - I think you better get some extra long buses for the Euclid Corridor cause those things, along with other RTA buses, are going to be PACKED once gas hits 4 dollars in June

I'll tell you all one thing.   Gas went up 20 cents where I live.

 

JetDog and JMasek - I think you better get some extra long buses for the Euclid Corridor cause those things, along with other RTA buses, are going to be PACKED once gas hits 4 dollars in June

 

Aren't the current vehicles long enough?

Not sure if its already been covered in here or another thread, and if it has then sorry....but has the Dollar Bank branch in Public Square opened yet?

Yes it has.  It was discussed in the Park Building thread where the new branch is located.  Here you go!

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,10517.msg269949.html#msg269949

Not sure if its already been covered in here or another thread, and if it has then sorry....but has the Dollar Bank branch in Public Square opened yet?

 

Are there any known plans for the old Euclid Avenue slot? It is particularly run down.

Gas went up 20 cents where I live. I think you better get some extra-long buses for the Euclid Corridor 'cause those things, along with other RTA buses, are going to be PACKED once gas hits $4 a gallon in June.

 

The 63-foot long articulated Rapid Transit Vehicles (RTVs) will be used on Euclid Avenue after the Oct. 25 grand opening. Their capacity is slightly more than 100 persons, sitting and standing. The service will be every five minutes (except evenings and overnight). :clap:

 

If you find that any service becomes too crowded, let us know. We will examine the route and add extra vehicles if the load warrants it.

Not sure if its already been covered in here or another thread, and if it has then sorry....but has the Dollar Bank branch in Public Square opened yet?

 

Are there any known plans for the old Euclid Avenue slot? It is particularly run down.

 

See this thread on the 668 Euclid project.  The Dollar Bank building, adjacent to the 668 Euclid bldg, is part of the project footprint.  There has been a lot of discussion about the Dollar Bank building, but it seems the project is still in preliminary planning stages so there has been no final word on what will be done with it.

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,14701.0.html

Good for RTA and Good for conventions/meetings dollars.Jmasek, make sure those folks take public transportation from the airport to the city! 

 

When people make their living from public transit, they ride transit whenever possible. Riding the Red Line in from Hopkins is a given.

When people make their living from public transit, they ride transit whenever possible. Riding the Red Line in from Hopkins is a given.

 

Good to hear!

^ awesome anecdote. i know of a couple places in ny that quietly offer you a drink on the side too once in awhile and i always thought it was the coolest thing. talk about breaking the ice and building up your customer base!

 

I was in there last year on a Saturday around 10 AM and promptly had a beer thrust into my hand.  I liked the service, but wasn't smitten with the suits.  I'd go back again, though, and I'm glad to hear they're investing in their current space!

From Cleveland.com

 

Orange barrels coming down on RTA HealthLine

Posted by Maggi Martin April 26, 2008 14:12PM

Categories: Traffic

 

.....

Can't say I'll miss those orange barrells.

Does the October completion date include landscaping, street furniture, public art and the like, or is that the date to get the road in and the BRT running?

It appears the terminals will be in the middle of the street from downtown out to the Clinic. But then I see the terminals on the exterior of the road starting somewhere towards case. How are these "vehicles" going to make it from the inside of the road (with cars to the outter lane) to the outer lane without running into the cars?

It appears the terminals will be in the middle of the street from downtown out to the Clinic. But then I see the terminals on the exterior of the road starting somewhere towards case. How are these "vehicles" going to make it from the inside of the road (with cars to the outter lane) to the outer lane without running into the cars?

 

"terminals" do you mean "stations"?  Check the ECTP thread in the transportation forum or check the www.euclidtransit.org website

Wow .. semantics, man. "Terminals" is another word for "stations".

It appears the terminals will be in the middle of the street from downtown out to the Clinic. But then I see the terminals on the exterior of the road starting somewhere towards case. How are these "vehicles" going to make it from the inside of the road (with cars to the outter lane) to the outer lane without running into the cars?

 

Good observation.  I guess they'd transfer lanes just like a regular bus would, but I imagine that JMasek or Jetdog might be able to provide some additional insight tomorrow.  They check this thread regularly.

Yes, the terminals (i.e. stations) go from Downtown to the Clinic.  Afterwards, they lie along the sides of Euclid all the way to Windemere.

A terminal usually refers to an endpoint. A station is a point that's along the way. But while some terminals can also be stations, not all stations can be terminals.

 

But Oldmanladyluck is correct in his description of station placement along the Euclid Corridor.

It appears the terminals will be in the middle of the street from downtown out to the Clinic. But then I see the terminals on the exterior of the road starting somewhere towards case. How are these "vehicles" going to make it from the inside of the road (with cars to the outter lane) to the outer lane without running into the cars?

 

My assumption (which I will confirm with our planners) is that the transition point where this occurs is one of the areas where our center-lane signal prioritization will be most effective. The stopping of traffic at the curb lane, while permitting the center lane to proceed, will allow for an orderly transition for the RTV from the center-lane platforms to curbside. The reverse will also be true, as car traffic is moved out of the center lane and RTV-only traffic is moved in.

Thats kind of what I thought would happen, but why not have the RTA vehicles on the interior the whole way? I do notice there is some kind of overpass somewhere near E 123rd st area, so maybe they couldn't build around that. It just seems to me that stopping traffic so RTA vehicles can go and then vice versa will probably create some kind of bottleneck. I'm not sure where this point will be as the orange barrels haven't come down yet past E 85th, but it appears it will occur somewhere near the Clinic.

Thats kind of what I thought would happen, but why not have the RTA vehicles on the interior the whole way?

 

I asked this question earlier in this loooong thread (and won't make you search it to find the answer).  The corridor will have standard shared curbside lane operation East of 107th because of the high traffic volume on Euclid near Case and UH.  The decision was made that there wasn't enough capacity in the remaining roadway if two+ lanes were made transit-only.

 

The more I thought about this the more it kind of bothered me though.  This is an exaggeration, but it's a bit like "we will prioritize the transit vehicles over cars so long as it doesn't actually inconvenience any cars".  So yes, there is lots of traffic (esp. rush hour) on Euclid at University Circle, but isn't this exactly where you need separated BRT lanes most?  I believe that it wasn't in the cards politically, but still seems a little...sad.

 

Jerry or JeTDoG, do you know if there will be signal prioritization even where there is curbside operation?  I hope so.

Thanks for the info. In the meantime, Euclid Ave in in front of UH is really putting a hurtin on my car. I hope they get that all fixed up soon. Euclid Ave will be repaved won't it, I assume the whole way past Little Italy?

 

As an aside, I spoke to Univ Circle Inc. today about their parking at the corner of Hessler and Ford. They said they hope to break ground for the retail/living project next May so the parking lot may not be available at that point.

Thanks for the info. In the meantime, Euclid Ave in in front of UH is really putting a hurtin on my car. I hope they get that all fixed up soon. Euclid Ave will be repaved won't it, I assume the whole way past Little Italy?

 

As an aside, I spoke to Univ Circle Inc. today about their parking at the corner of Hessler and Ford. They said they hope to break ground for the retail/living project next May so the parking lot may not be available at that point.

 

Just to double check, by "next may" you mean May 2009? If so....groan...

Yes, May 2009 is correct.

Does anyone have any updates on the RTA transit center that was to be built beside the CSU Convocation Center?

OK, 2009 is just next year. Won't take any time at all.

Does anyone have any updates on the RTA transit center that was to be built beside the CSU Convocation Center?

 

Take a look at the bottom third of this article that was posted in the Cleveland State thread.

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2289.msg272272.html#msg272272

 

A couple of weeks ago I was riding an RTA bus trolley and I heard the driver telling another passenger that she got pulled over for driving her personal vehicle in the Euclid bus-only lanes.  She continued by complaining about the fact that RTA can write tickets for jay walking.  She complained that it's ridiculous that RTA can do such things.  It really irked me to hear an RTA employee disparaging RTA's Euclid Corridor, and she was just upset because she (a bus driver) got a ticket for driving in a bus-only lane.

 

JMasek - is RTA going to record sound, along with the video when they put surveillance equipment on all of the buses?  The idea that Big Brother could be listening might deter drivers from saying inappropriate things, like the time I heard a driver on the Shaker Square circulator say that she'd "never date a guy that rides RTA."

 

 

Observation #1: I saw Daffy Dan on the Trolley recently.  That was the closest thing to a celebrity that I've seen on an RTA bus. 

 

Observation #2: RTA now brings about 75% of my department to work downtown every day, up from about 25% last year.  Even folks from Lorain and Medina Cos.