July 10, 200816 yr The paint cans are still flying. Not only is this messing up a lovely new streetscape paid for by RTA and us taxpayers, but it's downright dangerous. What idiot is doing this?? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 10, 200816 yr The paint cans are still flying. Not only is this messing up a lovely new streetscape paid for by RTA and us taxpayers, but it's downright dangerous. What idiot is doing this?? As of about 6:45 this evening, crews were busy cleaning with a very odoriferous and caustic chemical cleaning away. If anyone cares, I didn't spy which type truck it was (i.e. City, Ambassadors, etc.).
July 10, 200816 yr Good. Glad to hear they were "johnny on the spot." Get it? Get it? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 10, 200816 yr The paint cans are still flying. Not only is this messing up a lovely new streetscape paid for by RTA and us taxpayers, but it's downright dangerous. What idiot is doing this?? As of about 6:45 this evening, crews were busy cleaning with a very odoriferous and caustic chemical cleaning away. If anyone cares, I didn't spy which type truck it was (i.e. City, Ambassadors, etc.). Thanks for the update. This whole episode is bizarre. I hope someone in that building get's a talking to and then some.
July 11, 200816 yr Great article in the Chicago Tribune today. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/chi-express-busjul11,0,2044717.story
July 11, 200816 yr That is a cool article. I happened to spy a shelter up between 97th and 100th as I was walking into the Clinic, today. I have my camera, so expect photos by EOB. The progress on the Clinic segment of Euclid has exploded in the past month. I'm really surprised.
July 11, 200816 yr Mayday, as always, your photographic skill is breathtaking... that shot will look even more awesome when the barrels and snowfence are gone and there's nice shiny RTVs packed with people on either side of the platform.
July 11, 200816 yr My shots pale in comparison to MayDay's, but I took some photos of the Clinic segment's proress... it's coming along! Looking west (most of Euclid is blocked by trees and buildings, here. Sorry...) Looking east... The first shelter to appear... Still churning along... I took some more Clinic construction shots, and you can find them in the appropriate thread.
July 11, 200816 yr "My shots pale in comparison to MayDay's, but I took some photos of the Clinic segment's proress... it's coming along!" Hope you don't mind if I disagree with you, they look great - good job! :-) clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
July 11, 200816 yr "My shots pale in comparison to MayDay's, but I took some photos of the Clinic segment's proress... it's coming along!" Hope you don't mind if I disagree with you, they look great - good job! :-) Thanks! :)
July 12, 200816 yr By the way, the Chicago Tribune article about the healthline was the headline of the front page!!! It was nice to see Chicago saying it needed to be more like Cleveland.
July 13, 200816 yr By the way, the Chicago Tribune article about the healthline was the headline of the front page!!! It was nice to see Chicago saying it needed to be more like Cleveland. It’s a nice article, but the comparison to Cleveland isn't quite exact. Chicago, which has a much more advanced transit network than Cleveland's, wouldn't think of putting BRT in a major corridor as a rapid rail substitute as Cleveland is. Chicago's BRT proposals are for substitute lines not primary lines. Boston's Silver Line-BRT is more along the lines of Chicago's supplemental (to Boston's T rail system) approach, as well, not like Cleveland's. Unfortunately, Cleveland decided to build on the cheap and build ECP/BRT rather than the subway it should have built as Atlanta did and as (considerably smaller) Pittsburgh has done and is expanding underneath its major river.
July 13, 200816 yr Well, there is talk that if the health line is successful Mayor Daley wants one to go down Michigan Avenue to bolster the cities 2016 Olympic bid. Yes, just a rumor. But I was told this by many of my bar regulars/friends who either work for the city and the 2016 campaign. Many of them volunteered that info after the article was published, since they know of my unabashed Cleveland love.
July 13, 200816 yr There already are accordian busses that traverse Michigan Ave. I used to take the 151 from Lincoln Park to the Loop for work - There already are many accordian busses. Chicago does not have bus rightaway traffic timing, etc - but I would imagine that would be very difficult on streets that are as busy as Michigan Ave, State St., or even Lincoln Park West.
July 13, 200816 yr By the way, the Chicago Tribune article about the healthline was the headline of the front page!!! It was nice to see Chicago saying it needed to be more like Cleveland. Also, WGN television newscasts and CLTV newscasts ran stories about this. Very cool!
July 13, 200816 yr Just a couple of corrections Lewarctj... They're actually called "articulated" buses and they run on dedicated "rights of way." "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 15, 200816 yr A few updates from along the corridor (and not that fake crappy opportunity corridor either :-P): 1. Sidewalk work complete in front of the Union club. 2. Sidewalks completed in front of the Statler... Thus sidewalks are complete all the way from 9th pretty much to E. 85th with the exception of one storefront area at playhouse square... 3. Pavers have been installed at the E. 9th station 4. Crosswalk going in at E. 9th 5. After the rest of these go in on the tree pits, brickwork can begin in front on National City heading west towards Public Square. This could start as early as tomorrow. 6. Look in the distance! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a... ECBRTV in training. :-) 7. If it looks like a train... 8. And it functions like a train... 9. It must just be the same old dumb bus (or at least according to Feagler) 10. Some sort of luncheon thing for the workers on star plaza (they deserve it).
July 16, 200816 yr GOOD NEWS! Traffic restored on another section of Euclid Avenue Tere’s lots of good news for Clevelanders who use Lower Euclid Avenue. At noon Thursday, July 17, traffic will be restored from East Ninth Street to East 14th Street, and the intersection at East 12th Street will re-open. During the Ingenuity Festival on July 26-27, the new 63-foot-long Rapid Transit Vehicles (RTVs) will operate free in both directions, from Tower City to Playhouse Square, giving Clevelanders a peak at the future of transit here. By July 31, two-way traffic will be restored to Lower Euclid Avenue, from Public Square to East Ninth Street. Euclid Avenue is already open from East 17th Street to East 86th Street, and in East Cleveland. After Aug. 1, the only road construction will be in the Cleveland Clinic-University Circle area. “Obviously, we are delighted,” says RTA CEO and General Manager Joe Calabrese. “Lower Euclid Avenue is at the very heart of Cleveland, and having traffic restored there will enable thousands to move around the city easier and enjoy all the improvements the project has made.” “We thank Mayor Jackson and City Council for their efforts to allow RTA to accelerate construction in this area. The project is on budget and ahead of schedule. We look forward to an Oct. 25 ribbon-cutting.”
July 17, 200816 yr Walking back to my office, I glanced out a window and saw a Healthline bus heading west on Carnegie. It was the first time I'd seen one "in person," so to speak. Just thought I'd share.
July 17, 200816 yr wow! now that looks great. thx as always mayor mc-c. i really dig the wave or nike swoosh along the bus. it makes the route very clear to all! ps -- i was reading the chicago tribune article and was mostly amazed at how the tone of it is 100% positive. so rare in cleveland print media, where the peedee will regularly ruin otherwise positive stories by throwing in their stupid & negative boomer humor bon mots. ugh. anyway -- gotta love that tribune photo too!
July 17, 200816 yr That's a great photo! Was that in the Tribune? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 17, 200816 yr it was and front page... correction -- a different photo was on the front page but the article was front page above the fold.
July 17, 200816 yr I rode the 6 today from downtown to the cleve clinic and back and was astounded at the number of breathtakingly beautiful old churches along the way. Each one seemed more beautiful or fascinating than the last. I had seen glimpses of them when driving but you don't really see stuff like that when driving. I wished I had some photography skills at it would make a beautiful photo series. I suppose it's been done.
July 17, 200816 yr The new buses have somehow made their way onto Carnegie. We just went to pick up some lunch at Hot Sauce Williams, and there was one sitting out front. Lunch break!
July 17, 200816 yr I rode the 6 today from downtown to the cleve clinic and back and was astounded at the number of breathtakingly beautiful old churches along the way. Each one seemed more beautiful or fascinating than the last. I had seen glimpses of them when driving but you don't really see stuff like that when driving. I wished I had some photography skills at it would make a beautiful photo series. Easier said than done but all people need to do is ride/bike/walk/run/WHATEVER from PS to E55 and they'd see how amazing the Healthline is! I too love the old churches that straddle Euclid! CSU and the Collegetown development are going make Euclid explode-in a good way!
July 17, 200816 yr so i hung out at the corner of east 12th and euclid to watch the "opening" of the latest section... because i'm kind of a loser and do those sorts of things... some people on walkie talkie's a couple moves of some barrels, and bam. Around 12:20 it was open. Of course I don't think people accounted how much dirt was on the road because as soon as cars started moving it was like a dust storm in the wild wild west. :) workers were frantically spraying the road with water from hoses to get the dust to settle. all seems to be ok now.
July 17, 200816 yr Walking back to my office, I glanced out a window and saw a Healthline bus heading west on Carnegie. It was the first time I'd seen one "in person," so to speak. Just thought I'd share. The new buses have somehow made their way onto Carnegie. We just went to pick up some lunch at Hot Sauce Williams, and there was one sitting out front. Lunch break! See? I wasn't seeing things after all. :)
July 18, 200816 yr Two comments: 1) I can really see the corridor being an attraction unto itself... not only because of the destinations along the route, but because of the history that will be told at the same time. There are the Euclid Corridor kiosks (still waiting to see one installed) and of course the real, tangible stuff along the route (like the beautiful churches that people have mentioned) that now seem to stick out just a little bit more. Public art, attractive streets and bike lanes... people will CHOOSE Euclid Avenue when this thing is done. Plus, think of how much people have been avoiding Euclid for the past 2 years. I know plenty of people who love the city and think the project is great, but just aren't nerds like us who ride the 6 because we want to wag our tongues out the window at all the progress. When people start traversing the finished product and notice the development and revitalization along every stretch of the way, they're going to be floored. 2) Thanks for the photos McC! I think that's the first time I've seen one of the BRTs at an actual station!
July 18, 200816 yr I know plenty of people who love the city and think the project is great, but just aren't nerds like us who ride the 6 because we want to wag our tongues out the window at all the progress. LOL :lol: https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
July 19, 200816 yr On July 26-27, during Ingenuity, there will be free trips on the RTVs between Tower City and the festival at Playhouse Square. On Monday, July 28, traffic will be restored from Public Square to East Ninth.
July 22, 200816 yr There was a nice little crowd of people outside of Key Tower taking photos of one of the HealthLine buses on display.
July 22, 200816 yr Wow, a starlet! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 22, 200816 yr Word on the streets is that they'll also be running the Health Line during Sparx in the City (September 20-21) as part of their pre-opening trial runs. Anyone can board, but Sparx will be promoting it as a means of getting from the venues in Playhouse Square to those in University Circle... good times!
July 22, 200816 yr I overheard a couple Red Line riders talking yesterday about why they ride the train. Both were from the west side suburbs. One was a Brookpark park n ride customer and the other was a Lakewood circulator to W. 117th customer. Cost and convenience were an issue, but the Lakewood rider said she used to take the bus to Public Square and transfer to one of the Euclid lines to get to CWRU. With all the construction, she's given up on that option. I wonder how quickly people will shift back to Euclid once the HL is completed. It's nice to have options in University Circle and clearly the best one for the Clinic is the HL.
July 22, 200816 yr Anyone have any opinions about making the BRT a fare-free zone between PS and CSU? It would be pretty easy to enforce with POP (just don't check tickets on that stretch) and would make getting around downtown pretty easy. I know RTA's not in a position to be giving service away, but I wonder how much it would really cut into fare collection. Maybe one of the free trolley lines could be phased out, with the sponsorship money shifted over. Just a random thought.
July 22, 200816 yr We may be meandering more towards a general RTA discussion here, but I think that a "fareless square" would be appropriate for a specific targeted area in Downtown Cleveland. W. 9th to E. 17th, Carnegie to the waterfront, or something like that.
July 22, 200816 yr JMasek (or anyone else), is there still only going to be one lane of car traffic each direction on Euclid from University Circle on out to East Cleveland? That's a traffic nightmare since Chester and Carnegie are no longer alternate parallel routes from that point on.
July 22, 200816 yr I don't think so. If I remember correctly, the shelters are on the curbs after Stokes, and there should be two lanes. I may be wrong, though.
July 22, 200816 yr The shelters are on the curbs, yes, but they're building a giant median in the middle, which looks like it only makes room for a bus lane, and two traffic lanes (or one traffic lane and a turn lane), but I could be wrong.
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