I swear, stopping for pedestrians in the crosswalk gets the drivers behind you into instant rage mode.

I swear, stopping for pedestrians in the crosswalk gets the drivers behind you into instant rage mode.

 

They've been using Clifton as their freeway for the last 50 years.  Will be hard habit to break.

That's cool. With the traffic fines they're collecting, GCRTA may never need a fare increase again!

I really wish that the bus lanes were designated as such on the pavement, like with the HealthLine--either with grooves or just even markings saying "Bus Only."

 

If there are no pavement signs or grooves, then this BRT-lite project was poorly executed by RTA.

 

^ The lane is only bus/bike only at rush hour. I don't think they'd use lane markers.

^ Other bus lanes that are exclusive to buses only during certain hours use markings on the pavement. As well as highway HOV lanes. And if a by-product is that it keeps cars out of the lane during off times too, so be it.

^^Good point.  I'm wondering, though, since this route has been rolled out as Bus Rapid Transit (albeit BRT lite), and there are the very visible capital costs of the handsome brick shelters throughout Edgewater and Lakewood plus the long, twisty brightly-CSU emblazoned buses, whether the lanes should be bus only 24/7.  Just sayin'...

As a commuter from Lakewood, this thing has killed my commute every morning. Coupled with the work being done on the shoreway, that whole corridor is a boondoggle. It is not regulated by cops - I see it happen every day. The signage is barely noticeable unless you're looking. Additionally the traffic is sooooo backed up. I cannot believe how much it has changed. My commute used to be so easy. And to think this is going to go on during this whole conversion process. I am having a hard time seeing how when the work is all done, anything will change about it.

As a commuter from Lakewood, this thing has killed my commute every morning. Coupled with the work being done on the shoreway, that whole corridor is a boondoggle. It is not regulated by cops - I see it happen every day. The signage is barely noticeable unless you're looking. Additionally the traffic is sooooo backed up. I cannot believe how much it has changed. My commute used to be so easy. And to think this is going to go on during this whole conversion process. I am having a hard time seeing how when the work is all done, anything will change about it.

 

The backups are happening from the construction on the Shoreway combined with construction on the innerbelt, not the Enhance Clifton project.

With the construction on the Shoreway (including the closure of the Lake Road ramp until December), the work on I-90 continuing to next year, closure of Detroit Avenue at West 117th, and reconstruction work on West 117th continuing for another month, commutes into downtown from Lakewood are taking up to one hour. But the Clifton bus lanes are being kept largely free of non-bus traffic by Cleveland, Lakewood and RTA police. So this is a time for the Clifton BRT to shine, and for RTA to attract riders to it. So my neighbors and I received in the mail this hard plastic promo piece. Nice job RTA!

 

ClevelandStateBRT-Promo091815-1 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

ClevelandStateBRT-Promo091815-2 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

Since I take photos during my morning walks, here's some from the last couple weeks....

 

Clifton, looking east from West 116th:

Clifton Blvd-091015-1 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

Clifton Blvd-091015-2 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

Clifton at West 117th. There's a #26 Detroit Avenue bus behind the Clifton BRT/#55 bus detouring around the closed piece of Detroit Avenue (photo of that work is farther down):

Clifton Blvd-091015-3 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

Looking east on Clifton near West 110th:

Clifton Blvd-091015-4 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

I'm a couple of blocks into Lakewood, west of West 117th. The traffic backups are several miles long, and there's only a few violators of the bus-only lanes:

Clifton Blvd-091015-6 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

Those who drive for a couple of blocks in the bus-only lanes are stopped and ticketed by Lakewood, Cleveland and RTA police. Cleveland was using several motorcycle patrols to catch violators:

Clifton Blvd-091015-8 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

Looking west in Lakewood on Clifton at Fry Avenue at about 7:45 a.m. The traffic seems to clear up after 8:30 a.m. on most days:

Clifton Blvd-091015-7 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

And if you want to escape on West 117th Street, guess again. See that blue truck up ahead? I overtook it on foot.

West117thTraffic-090915 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

Planning to detour on Detroit Avenue? Yeah, right. Should reopen soon though:

West117thTraffic-090915-2 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

Morning eastbound traffic backing up on Detroit Avenue (parallels Clifton). And it's backed up on Franklin, and on Madison too:

Detroit Ave-Traffic-090915 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

 

Here's a suggestion -- take RTA!

Clifton Blvd-091015-5 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

This is a senseless debacle.  Those buses get trapped on the shoreway just like everyone else, and the West 117th Rapid station is often rendered inaccessible by long backups on every single street that goes east.  The rapid's not even fully operable because we can't afford to maintain its tracks, but somehow we can afford brick bus stops in furtherance of this unholy mess.  Hopefully, plans to install additional stop lights have been abandoned permanently.

Calm down. It's the result of a construction project. It's temporary. By this time next year you will have forgotten all about the hour-long traffic backups.

But the purpose of that project is to reduce the capacity and efficacy of the west shoreway.  Its backers have insisted things would work out fine.  If we can't rethink that reasoning now, in light of real life evidence, one might conclude that reason is not what's driving this.

That's not the purpose of the project. And if you're going to judge the outcome of the project in mid-construction, then there's no point in debating further with you.

This is a senseless debacle.  Those buses get trapped on the shoreway just like everyone else, and the West 117th Rapid station is often rendered inaccessible by long backups on every single street that goes east.  The rapid's not even fully operable because we can't afford to maintain its tracks, but somehow we can afford brick bus stops in furtherance of this unholy mess.  Hopefully, plans to install additional stop lights have been abandoned permanently.

 

:roll:

But the purpose of that project is to reduce the capacity and efficacy of the west shoreway.  Its backers have insisted things would work out fine.  If we can't rethink that reasoning now, in light of real life evidence, one might conclude that reason is not what's driving this.

Better move over toward the "Opportunity Corridor".

This is a senseless debacle.  Those buses get trapped on the shoreway just like everyone else, and the West 117th Rapid station is often rendered inaccessible by long backups on every single street that goes east.  The rapid's not even fully operable because we can't afford to maintain its tracks, but somehow we can afford brick bus stops in furtherance of this unholy mess.  Hopefully, plans to install additional stop lights have been abandoned permanently.

 

Agreed - this thing is a mess. How is it going to get better after construction? It is still going to be two lanes only, and an even slower mph. My commute has been a total nightmare and taking the bus would not alleviate it at all seeing as they sit in traffic on the shoreway as does every other car. Coming home is even worse. While aesthetically it will look better, functionally this was not thought out well enough. Or it was thought out by people who do not live in the area and use this thoroughfare.

How is it going to get better after construction? It is still going to be two lanes only,

 

So hypothetically ( :wink:), if it turned out that after construction the Shoreway once again had three lanes, you'd be less concerned, yes?

How is it going to get better after construction? It is still going to be two lanes only,

 

So hypothetically ( :wink:), if it turned out that after construction the Shoreway once again had three lanes, you'd be less concerned, yes?

 

I don't think that is the sole issue. Do you use this route for your morning and afternoon commute currently?

I'm stuck in the traffic too.  However, things get better once you get on the Shoreway. I think the problem right now is that the Lake Road entrance ramp is closed, so all the cars on Lake and West Blvd have to funnel onto Clifton, and it is not clearing by the time the light changes. That causes the Clifton traffic to back up. 

 

Now that they have changed the project and are not installing intersections and traffic lights on the Shoreway, once construction is over the impact of the project is to probably only going to add about 5 minutes to my commute (due to 35 mph speed). Won't know for sure until it is over.

Well at least I'm glad to see the cops are cracking down on bus-lane violators albeit belatedly.  Obviously people are really using this service a lot, which is great.  I just hope the idea of connecting Lakewood, the 2nd densest populated city between Philly and Chicago, with rail transit (preferably full-high capacity rapid transit) along the N-S hasn’t gone bye-bye.

I'm stuck in the traffic too.  However, things get better once you get on the Shoreway. I think the problem right now is that the Lake Road entrance ramp is closed, so all the cars on Lake and West Blvd have to funnel onto Clifton, and it is not clearing by the time the light changes. That causes the Clifton traffic to back up. 

 

Also want to add that Madison Ave in Lakewood has been under construction and I'd guess most of the usual traffic has detoured to Clifton sooner than normal. Especially with W117th looking like a warzone.

Now that they have changed the project and are not installing intersections and traffic lights on the Shoreway, once construction is over the impact of the project is to probably only going to add about 5 minutes to my commute (due to 35 mph speed). Won't know for sure until it is over.

 

How long does it currently take to drive the entire length of the West Shoreway? From my quick measurement, it's only about 3.6 miles from Lake Avenue to East 9th. At an average of 45 mph, that should be less than five minutes of driving. Dropping that to 35 mph average speed adds only only about 80 seconds. If it's taking people longer than 5 minutes to make that drive, it means that congestion is reducing average speeds, so the speed limit change will matter even less.

 

All to say, I agree with you that we won't know exactly how it shakes out until all the construction is complete, but I think everyone needs to let go of the speed limit as something that matters. Over that length of roadway, a slower speed may feel significant given our flawed human brains, but the additional time will be pretty immaterial.

Before construction, I would say the average speed on the Shoreway was 60 mph

^If so, the drop in speed limit will probably be even less consequential. Averaging 60 mph, the should takes less than four minutes. Dropping that avg speed to 45 mph should add only about 70 seconds.

BTW, let it be known that now that the Lake Avenue ramps to the Shoreway have reopened as have all lanes on the Shoreway, traffic is free-flowing once again. All of the panicked cries against the bus lane and the 35 mph Shoreway speed limited have quieted.

 

So since we survived that, how about adding a stop (with a push button-activated signal to alert buses on the Shoreway to use the ramp) to the Cleveland State Line BRT-lite at the bottom of the Shoreway ramps for Edgewater/West 73rd extension to tap the development formerly known as Breakwater Bluffs now called The Edison at Gordon Square (and Battery Park, and more)??

 

Edgewater apartment investment increases

January 17, 2016

By STAN BULLARD   

 

As it prepares to start building an apartment community near Edgewater Park in Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, Garfield Heights-based NRP Group has hiked the development’s size by 23%, to 306 units from 248 originally planned.

 

Aaron Pechota, NRP senior vice president of development, said the prior suite count was seen as the bottom of a potential range for the 10-acre site.

 

“If the market is there, which in this case we think it is, we add a little more,” Pechota said.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20160117/NEWS/160119803/edgewater-apartment-investment-increases

Wouldn't it be quicker or easier for those folks to walk to the #26?

 

I was always happy with the #55 level of service. Of course, I had the option of taking the #55 A B and C since they all stopped in front of my building, but having a nice shelter definitely added charm to a historic district. I'm looking forward to seeing more nice shelters in Shaker Square (my new home).

 

--

 

Looking back at some angry posts earlier, I suppose that one poster is a frequent critic of highway construction projects that actually improve the highway (e.g. resurfacing, capacity improvements). You know the saying - no pain, no gain. It was a nightmare for traffic when the Shoreway was two lanes with Lake Blvd. traffic merging into Clifton Ave. traffic, but with three open lanes, it's considerably smoother with little delay in rush.

 

I'm still wondering how the 35 MPH will be enforced. There is nowhere for cops to idle going east; going west, the last hill climb has a convenient (for now?) spot for cops to hide.

Wouldn't it be quicker or easier for those folks to walk to the #26?

 

I was always happy with the #55 level of service. Of course, I had the option of taking the #55 A B and C since they all stopped in front of my building, but having a nice shelter definitely added charm to a historic district. I'm looking forward to seeing more nice shelters in Shaker Square (my new home).

 

--

 

Looking back at some angry posts earlier, I suppose that one poster is a frequent critic of highway construction projects that actually improve the highway (e.g. resurfacing, capacity improvements). You know the saying - no pain, no gain. It was a nightmare for traffic when the Shoreway was two lanes with Lake Blvd. traffic merging into Clifton Ave. traffic, but with three open lanes, it's considerably smoother with little delay in rush.

 

I'm still wondering how the 35 MPH will be enforced. There is nowhere for cops to idle going east; going west, the last hill climb has a convenient (for now?) spot for cops to hide.

 

Battery Park residents could take the 55 into town, and the 26 home.  This way they are always walking downhill ;)

 

I agree with KJP on this stop--if for anything to have transit access to the park.    Maybe RTA could start it as a seasonal stop and see how it goes?

Wouldn't it be quicker or easier for those folks to walk to the #26?

 

Upon further review, probably -- especially coming home from downtown. But the bottom of the eastbound ramp at West 73rd is 1,000 feet from West 73rd and Battery Park Blvd vs 1,500 feet to the nearest bus stop on Detroit Ave.

 

If there was a second stop at the start of the eastbound ramp, the bottom of the bike/walkway ramp from West 65th, it would be 1,500 feet from the center of Breakwater Bluffs/Edison vs 2,000 feet to the nearest bus stop on Detroit Ave.

 

But it's a same or longer walk to a stop at the westbound ramp/Edgewater Park entrance to stops on the #26.

Why not widen the road/add a bus stop directly above the tunnel from w 76? There would be a direct connection to battery park and the beach without the added time or difficulty of getting off the highway for buses

That could be done. But getting a bendy bus up to 35 mph would take a long acceleration lane and merge.

That could be done. But getting a bendy bus up to 35 mph would take a long acceleration lane and merge.

 

For the next 10 years the bus would probably have to get up to 60 mph as few people are following the new speed limit.

GCRTA E-News - Dec. 1, 2016

 

Cleveland State Line marks 2nd anniversary

 

On Dec. 8, 2014, the popular 55 bus line became the Cleveland State Line -- the second BRT route at RTA. Service along Clifton Blvd. has always been good, but now, it's even better with new articulated buses, beautiful bus stations, and dedicated bus lanes during peak times. Ridership on the popular line has almost doubled -- from 36,500 in November 2014 on the 55 route, to 61,800 in October 2016 on the Cleveland State Line. CSU bought naming rights as part of a celebration of its 50th anniversary.

^^good to hear.  It certainly seems the entire project combined with the Shoreway updating is a net positive.  It's amazing to see all the construction happening through the corridor (IMO lacking recent precedents in Cleveland!).  All along the Shoreway/Detroit there are new apartments and businesses popping up the school coming down, continuing on Clifton with several retail and resident renovations and new construction about to break ground at 117th.    Hopefully this keeps going!

How I spend my Sunday afternoons (sometimes).....

 

csu-brt-batterypk-ohiocity by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

Is the 26 not sufficient, this close to downtown?  The whole point of the 55 is weekday express service from further out.  Adding stops on this end would frustrate its core purpose. 

The 26 is a long walk for the new developments rising along and just south of the Shoreway. And the 26 is slow and less frequent during rush hours than the 55. Given the density that's emerging in the north end of Ohio City, bus service (possibly with bus-only lanes on Detroit Avenue) every few minutes during rush hours would be great to have.

Makes sense to me.  Send it to the RTA board! 

The 26 is a long walk for the new developments rising along and just south of the Shoreway. And the 26 is slow and less frequent during rush hours than the 55. Given the density that's emerging in the north end of Ohio City, bus service (possibly with bus-only lanes on Detroit Avenue) every few minutes during rush hours would be great to have.

 

It's just that every time anyone mentions the need for more mixed use in this area, the response is always "they can walk to Detroit, it's right there."  Some have even said its proximity to Detroit justifies the suburban style planning.

 

This new development is not particularly Transit Oriented.  It's a car-based bedroom community that happens to have urbanity nearby.  But it offers scant reason for anyone who doesn't live there to utilize a bus stop there.  I feel like we've subsidized this cul de sac enough.

A shoulder chip never produces anything except more discord. The residential isn't going away. Quite the opposite. More of it is coming. Detroit Avenue and places along the Shoreway is becoming a densely developed residential corridor. They need transportation other than cars which will do not lend to an enjoyable urban experience. Since RTA talked Ohio City Inc. out of a neighborhood-financed modern streetcar for this corridor, the next-best option is to make better use of the next-best thing -- an already existing BRT which sails past all of these new residential developments without stopping to serve them. Ride the 55 enough as I do, and you see a missed opportunity blurred past your window.

Since RTA talked Ohio City Inc. out of a neighborhood-financed modern streetcar for this corridor, the next-best option is to make better use of the next-best thing

 

I must have missed this. When did that happen? I would think If Detroit and Lorain continue to accelerate into dense corridors then we may need to revisit this  soon.

 

 

I must have missed this. When did that happen? I would think If Detroit and Lorain continue to accelerate into dense corridors then we may need to revisit this  soon.

 

It wasn't reported publicly. All Aboard Ohio provided consulting services to development corporations a few years ago who were interested in developing a west-side streetcar. It got pretty far along in the discussions and, initially, lower-level staff at RTA said they would be happy to submit federal funding grants to support the project. But upper-level staff told the development corporations they would not support seeking federal funds for a streetcar because they were concerned it would siphon funds from state-of-good-repair money they needed for the existing system. However they are not the same funds. The local streetcar funding would have come from a neighborhood-level TIF and the federal funding would have come either from Small Starts or Urban Circulator funds -- neither of which RTA was seeking for other projects.

A shoulder chip never produces anything except more discord. The residential isn't going away. Quite the opposite. More of it is coming. Detroit Avenue and places along the Shoreway is becoming a densely developed residential corridor. They need transportation other than cars which will do not lend to an enjoyable urban experience. Since RTA talked Ohio City Inc. out of a neighborhood-financed modern streetcar for this corridor, the next-best option is to make better use of the next-best thing -- an already existing BRT which sails past all of these new residential developments without stopping to serve them. Ride the 55 enough as I do, and you see a missed opportunity blurred past your window.

 

Shoulder chip?  Nothing personal on my end.  Sorry to criticize your suggestion but I thought you were seeking opinions on it.  My understanding of BRT is that it needs to sail past quite a bit because otherwise the "R" doesn't apply.  Nobody calls streetcars "rapid" because they're designed to serve a very different need.  Neither one can be all things to all people and neither is interchangeable for the other.

 

Residential going away?  Nobody proposed that.  But single-use planning is fundamentally suburban and at some point we're going to have to rethink it.  The money we spend on transit and subsidized development is wasted if we choose to do it wrong.  With the Euclid Corridor, we spent a fortune on elaborate bus stops for nobody.  Then we planned the area around it in a single-use fashion that encourages driving and guarantees minimal utility for those stops.  And yet the line is still packed with people using it to cover significant distances, a purpose for which it's not designed.  I guess all I'm arguing for is round pegs in round holes, square pegs in square ones. 

The shoulder chip comment was directed at your cul-de-sac comment. And perhaps with some public transit access to the north end of Battery Park/Edison, some mixed-use could be justified.

 

Even though the Cleveland State Line is faster than the HealthLine, the HealthLine is considered by the FTA and APTA as more of a BRT due to the extent of bus-supportive infrastructure, not due to speed.

Not everyone believes additional bus stops are needed to justify quality urban planning.  I happen to believe it self-justifies and should not face the headwinds it does around here.  I also believe our common losses from bad planning and bad public investments are already staggering and continue to grow unchecked, so it's important to talk about them.

 

Still not understanding the shoulder-chip thing but that's OK.  These are matters of public concerns so let's approach them as such.  It's not about good/bad people, or right/wrong people, it's about ideas.

We're so far apart in our understanding of the transportation/land-use dynamic that it's not worth debating with you. But I appreciate your passions.

Suit yourself.  This is the very sort of thing I believe merits discussion-- differing opinions of passionate people on subjects they care about.  In the immortal words of Don Fagan, the things you think are useless I can't understand.  Oh well.  Cheers!

I believe sustaining the densification of the near-west side merits discussion too -- hence my suggestion. But that's where our common language ends.

I must have missed this. When did that happen? I would think If Detroit and Lorain continue to accelerate into dense corridors then we may need to revisit this  soon.

 

It wasn't reported publicly. All Aboard Ohio provided consulting services to development corporations a few years ago who were interested in developing a west-side streetcar. It got pretty far along in the discussions and, initially, lower-level staff at RTA said they would be happy to submit federal funding grants to support the project. [glow=red,2,300]But upper-level staff told the development corporations they would not support seeking federal funds for a streetcar because they were concerned it would siphon funds from state-of-good-repair money they needed for the existing system. However they are not the same funds. The local streetcar funding would have come from a neighborhood-level TIF and the federal funding would have come either from Small Starts or Urban Circulator funds -- neither of which RTA was seeking for other projects[/glow].

 

How is RTA continually allowed to get away with stuff like this?  This is absurd and should be widely reported, not kept a secret.  The Public Square debacle, along with the Blue/Green railcar crisis just are just some of  examples of RTA management's incompetence.  Where is the friggin' oversight?  A rail streetcar hooking into Public Square is exactly what this increasingly dense, walkable neighborhood needs, yet RTA scuttles it.  RTA's got to be the most un-transit, transit agency in the country.  Throw all the bums out.