Yes.  There was, till about Claugue Rd in Westlake (if I recall) a space down the middle wide enough for 2 tracks; even street overpasses had double supports allowing this space... Well, this being Cleveland, and... put it this way, much like the 1.5 mile ROW down Shaker Blvd from the Green Line terminal (at Green Rd) to what used to be Lander Circle, RTA did nothing and the space was ultimately filled in... O what a progressive city we are. 

 

^not me... rail up the middle of freeways is counterproductive.  The 2 modes clash: freeways discourage the high-density, walking development which rail is designed for.

 

Which is it? You diss Cleveland for not putting rail on I-90, but then later say that it would not be a good idea.  I'm confused.

The section of I-90 with the "rail" median is from West 65th to about West 140th at the Lakewood-Cleveland border. If you notice, the westbound lanes of I-90 go under West 65th and the eastbound lane go over it. That separation was designed so that a rail line could branch off the nearly adjacent Red Line on a gentle S-curve over the westbound lanes and West 65th and "land" in I-90's median.

Interesting. Many of the current rapid stops between W.65th and W.140th are located very close to the highway. I don't see how putting the redline in the middle of I-90 would have improved rapid access.

It may not be the best idea to put rail in the median...all I am saying is that I would rather see that than more lanes.  It would be a better alternative (to me) to reduce traffic, increase public transit, and preserve land (rather than adding lanes).  I would love to see more rail around the city/region than what we have (especially in densely populated corridors), but according to Joe C    "not in his lifetime"...how I wish Joe C was 100 years old.....

another stellar day on the green line today, joe c! (arrived at station at 7:45 am, rode first train at 8:29)

 

That was the first train to arrive and depart or all the previous ones were too crowded?  I'm assuming the former and that the "dusting" we got over night will be blamed...  when did we become snow sissies in Cleveland???

another stellar day on the green line today, joe c! (arrived at station at 7:45 am, rode first train at 8:29)

 

That was the first train to arrive and depart or all the previous ones were too crowded?  I'm assuming the former and that the "dusting" we got over night will be blamed...  when did we become snow sissies in Cleveland???

 

Ann Coulter.......Who you callin' a sissy?   :wink:

Who you callin' Ann Coulter?

another stellar day on the green line today, joe c! (arrived at station at 7:45 am, rode first train at 8:29)

 

That was the first train to arrive and depart or all the previous ones were too crowded?  I'm assuming the former and that the "dusting" we got over night will be blamed...  when did we become snow sissies in Cleveland???

 

That was the first one to depart in that window. By Warrensville (my stop) the train was nearly full. By Shaker square, we were sardines and there were a lot of angry people standing at all points west.

 

Funny story, I guess the last train to start moving (7:32am from Green Rd), told the passengers "that we have to let you off at E. 79th, and have you board a shuttle. However, we ain't got no shuttles, so.......er.......sorry."

That was the first one to depart in that window. By Warrensville (my stop) the train was nearly full. By Shaker square, we were sardines and there were a lot of angry people standing at all points west.

 

Funny story, I guess the last train to start moving (7:32am from Green Rd), told the passengers "that we have to let you off at E. 79th, and have you board a shuttle. However, we ain't got no shuttles, so.......er.......sorry."

 

On occasion, my 4:30(ish) AM Shaker Square train heading westbound has asked us to get off at E 79 to take a bus to E 55 and connect with the red line.  :roll:

Who you callin' Ann Coulter?

 

:mrgreen:

Which is it? You diss Cleveland for not putting rail on I-90, but then later say that it would not be a good idea.  I'm confused.

 

I said I'm not in favor of creating a new rapid rail line in I-71 all the way to Brunswick; esp when a (short) rapid extension and (long) commuter rail (to Medina), away from the I-71, are already proposals on the board for that corridor -- with, of course, no success, thanks in large part to JoeC, and the good people of Berea.  The speculative long I-71 rapid extension into such a low density region, as Brunswick/Medina Co, is quite a bit different than when an rail ROW that was actually created in the 70s in a comparatively short section of freeway like-90 west thru lower Lakewood and into higher-density Westlake/Bay Village...  I stand by what I said: rail transit in freeway is not ideal, but here in Cleveland, where preferred rail transit option is usually to do nothing because it saves money [for points of reference: check most local pundits, and even some on this more enlightened board where people simulaneously cheer the non-build of the Dual Hub subway while jeering the building of the WFL]  I'll opt for building the less-than-perfect rail option that was practically handed to us -- like I-90 west... and for the record, the 1.5 once-proposed Green Line extension to I-271 is a different category, mainly b/c Shaker Blvd is not a freeway to begin with.

Just read the irish news papper at the downtown library. Rail being built with a private-public partnership. I think in  the relm of 1 billion dollars. Going to put in think 25 to 35 stations.

 

 

Now how can we build a subway down st clair dual hub.

 

With perhaps an extension down 152 to waterlooo down villaview to 185 and back down lakeshore to connect to the water front line. 

 

  We calculate 30 million a mile i think 5 to 7 miles down st clair -so about 200 million dollars.

 

By putting a TIF on st clair for any new development. We can raise in the relm of 35 to 70 million dollars.

 

 

  Now when is little joey C going up for relection

:shoot: :shoot: :-o

:shoot:

^Or what about a modern Streetcar line like Portland? How do you all think that would work From some point downtown (Maybe Ontario) down to E.105 (or so)? How far into the neighborhoods did the old streetcar line go?

 

I don't think JC gets elected. :-P

OK, I'm a dummy.

 

I'm going to NYC Friday and am taking the Rapid to get to the airport at 6:30 a.m. So, am I right when I say the 804 circulator bus cuts up Cove and will dump me you off at the Rapid station after going west to Winton Place and then back east, correct? I for the life of me can't figure out this route. Every other bus, no problem. The 804 baffles me. The different loops should have different numbers.

 

http://www.gcrta.org/schedules/rt804wk.html

Look at the second column from the right, for Winton Place. That's the time you should be at Cove and Lake. The far right column is the time you arrive at the Rapid station.

Thanks, KJP. That's what I thought. I suppose the time I pull my butt out of bed will decide if I'm waiting for a bus or running down W. 117.

If you miss a Circulator, catch a 75X at West 117th and Clifton. It drops you off closer to the temporary station entrance at the Rapid station than the Circulator does (of course, the walk from Cove to West 117th is much longer!).

http://clevelandada.blogspot.com/2007/03/moving-people.html

 

 

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Moving people

 

Allow me a moment to expound on something I find odd. Area young professionals held a discussion last week to discuss "10,000 little ways to believe in Cleveland." You can read a recap on some of the ideas here. One of the ideas that came from the YP discussions was to "develop a sustainable or hybrid public transportation system that reaches all parts of the county."

 

This idea is interesting when you view Cleveland.com's next "Brain Gain" event, which will be taking place downtown at the Tower Press building next week. On the e-invitation, it states: "FREE event. Plenty of FREE parking behind the building..."

 

Perhaps you see where I'm going here.

 

First of all, our current public transportation system is sustainable and far-reaching. Don't believe me? Take a look at the GCRTA system map (PDF). Now, it is not sustainable in that buses and trains, as far as I know, can spawn new buses and create more energy than they use. However, by the mere fact that they seat 50 to 200, the system is functionally much more sustainable than driving an individual car. And the sustainability gets even better with the Euclid Corridor Project.

 

So my question is, as a way to promote these sustainable savings, why don't we list events with directions via public transportation? This is commonplace in New York, Boston and Washington D.C. but not here. For example, many YPs live in Lakewood; they can take the 55F(route.pdf), which serves the Clifton/Gold Coast neighborhoods, to within a couple blocks of the YP event at Tower Press next week. Let's put that on the invite!

 

I understand the complaint that our transit system, specifically the trains, does not "go where I want to go." But the thing we have to ask ourselves is, "Why don't we put things where the system does go?" All around the country, cities, counties and states are spending incredible amounts of money on public transportation projects. Meanwhile, we have something like the Red Line, which goes from East Cleveland through University Circle into downtown all the way to Hopkins International Airport, yet, for the most part, there is virtually no development around these stations.

 

So that is a pretty big problem, but in order to tackle it we can start small. The next time we send out invitations, let's consider telling people where the nearest bus or train stop is.

 

Posted by jay-c at 9:16 PM 

I understand the complaint that our transit system, specifically the trains, does not "go where I want to go." But the thing we have to ask ourselves is, "Why don't we put things where the system does go?"

 

That's the guiding principal behind Transit Oriented Development.

 

Glad to see someone else is catching on. But it's too bad that we here in Greater Cleveland are behind other metros. They've already caught on.

I've mentioned this before and I'll mention something about this in a thread im preparing for later today  :-D :wink:

 

If you look at the restaurant, bar, or attractions portion of digitalcity in NYC or Boston, when you look at a restaurant, it lists:

 

- the cross street

- neighborhood (occasionally)

- public transportation (bus route or subway/train line) within two blocks

 

 

Very few establishments in Cleveland list information like that or are listed in the proper neighborhoods.

 

This simple change would promote use of RTA trains/buses and the establishment.  This gives a potential transit riders and future customers more options of getting to your establishment.

I hate to say it, but that's my blog!

 

I'm just trying to spread the love and things I learn on here. People really seem to be receptive to these things when you package it the right way.

Don't hate to say it. That's a good blog.

I tried to post a comment there today, but it gave me an error message.  I gave up... no patience for that sort of thing (and totally not your fault!)

Dear Joe C,

 

Do you know what "deicers" are?

 

F-bomb you,

 

the pope.

As I told Jay-C, the Voluntary Action Committee (VAC) at RTA is working on this.  The idea is to incorporate RTA maps/cartograms/directions into any and all event write-ups in the PD.

I would highly encourage each of you to come to the next VAC meeting and express your ideas.  http://riderta.com/ar_organization-citizens.asp

 

We are also currently working on getting VAC meeting minutes on the aforementioned website, however, it seems that action happens very slowly at RTA.  : > (

 

What about the idea of getting Cool Cleveland to include RTA maps/route #'s/cartograms in their listings? Or maybe www.clevelandnights.com would be willing to do something like this seeing as a tech savvy company designed the site. Does this make sense?  How about the FreeTimes and Scene?  It would seem that they could, at minimum,  publish a transit map every week.  Maybe they could promote a transit pub crawl? ; > )  So many possibilities.....

 

I wonder if we could use the collective know-how on this site to  create a USER-FRIENDLY front end to RTA's website that would enable users to select a bar/restaurant/retail and the site would deliver time and routing info as well as on the ground maps that orient the user so as to make boarding and exiting less intimidating.

As I told Jay-C, the Voluntary Action Committee (VAC) at RTA is working on this.  The idea is to incorporate RTA maps/cartograms/directions into any and all event write-ups in the PD.

I would highly encourage each of you to come to the next VAC meeting and express your ideas.  http://riderta.com/ar_organization-citizens.asp

 

We are also currently working on getting VAC meeting minutes on the aforementioned website, however, it seems that action happens very slowly at RTA.  : > (

 

What about the idea of getting Cool Cleveland to include RTA maps/route #'s/cartograms in their listings? Or maybe www.clevelandnights.com would be willing to do something like this seeing as a tech savvy company designed the site. Does this make sense?  How about the FreeTimes and Scene?  It would seem that they could, at minimum,  publish a transit map every week.  Maybe they could promote a transit pub crawl? ; > )  So many possibilities.....

 

I wonder if we could use the collective know-how on this site to  create a USER-FRIENDLY front end to RTA's website that would enable users to select a bar/restaurant/retail and the site would deliver time and routing info as well as on the ground maps that orient the user so as to make boarding and exiting less intimidating.

 

'ello, guvnuh... (sorry, I've just been WAITING for an excuse to use that opener...)

 

I think you've got some great ideas, but are you aware that some of this information, albeit not necessarily in the most user-friendly format, already exists on the RTA web site? Take a look at the Popular Destinations section of the site, which categorizes a wide variety of popular destinations (naturally), and lists the routes that serve them. Maybe this could serve as a jumping-off point for a section redesign. I've met RTA's web guy, and he seems open to suggestions to improve site usability.

 

Also, to everyone, just as an FYI, the system and area-specific maps on RTA's site have now been updated (no more circa 2005 maps!). Go here: http://www.riderta.com/maps-schedules.asp.

^i love the maps in cars that say, "As of October 2000, Red Line will no longer stop at E. 34th"

Still no response from RTA to my letter from about a month ago.  You'd think they'd at least have a form letter they could use... 

 

Great to see they're updating their maps.  Now, let's get 'em up on the shelters!

I'm not a graphic designer, but I noticed a lot of people in NYC like to have fun with their subway routes, so I tried my hand at it locally!

 

http://clevelandada.blogspot.com/2007/03/whats-your-color.html

BTW, I just noticed the other day the RTA's 804 (Lakewood Circulator) has a new, permanent jog in its route -- it operates into Cleveland via Clifton, West 115th and Lake. The change was effective March 17. See.

 

http://www.riderta.com/pdf/804.pdf

 

I suspect this jog in the route is intented to serve Starbucks (not to mention many of the other shops (Giant Eagle, Hollywood video, Clifton Web, Flower Power, National City Bank, Charter One, It's It Deli, Tick Tock Tavern, Papa Nicks, and so on) along Clifton between West 117th and 115th.

 

Look for the RTA to think up more ideas like this.

 

Thank god we have RTA to show us the way!  :wink2:

Musky,

 

That avatar is really cool, but it eventually drives me crazy!

Musky,

 

That avatar is really cool, but it eventually drives me crazy!

 

OK!  I totally got hypnotized, I was just staring at the damn thing for like 3 minutes.   :weird: :weird:

heh, heh

It actually starts bothering me after a while, too.

It will be temporary.

 

GCRTA and the Euclid Corridor take center stage at Midtown Brews Roundtable with Meet The Bloggers

 

When

Thursday, April 5, 2007

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

 

Where

Webtego

2530 Superior Avenue, Suite 600

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

41.5091, -81.6739

Category

Social

Description

Joseph L. Shaffer, PE Deputy Project Manager for Construction of the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project and others from GCRTA will join the Midtown Brews Roundtable to discuss some specifics of the Euclid Corridor Project and the important part that Public Transit plays in shrinking our carbon footprint. Besides talking about shrinking carbon footprints, and how shrinking those footprints offer a wide range of economic development opportunities in Northeast Ohio the conversation will also consider what opportunities the Euclid Corridor Project brings to us.

 

So bring your favorite six pack of brew to share and join the conversation.

Homepage

http://meetthebloggers.net

 

Ridership Update - February 2007 Numbers

 

           Feb 2006           Feb 2007         Chg           YTD 2006         YTD 2007   Chg

Bus    

RTA      3,634,500         3,139,100        -13.6%      7,505,000      6,781,900 -9.6%

Circ.        197,700           166,200        -15.9%        405,300         359,900  -11.2%

Tlt Bus  3,832,200         3,305,400       -13.8%      7,910,300      7,141,800  - 9.7%

 

Rail    

Heavy    392,200             383,600       -2.2%          829,700        828,000  - 0.2%

Light      193,400             197,400       +2.1%          409,300        429,000 + 4.8%

Ttl Rail   585,600             581,000       -0.8%         1,238,900        1,257,000  +1.5%

 

Para        35,800               33,800       -2.0               73,400          71,500   -2.5%

TOTAL  4,459,600           3,926,300     -11.9%        9,234,800      8,482,700  -8.1%

 

 

some of the decline was blamed on the bad weather and a few days of schools being closed, but that was only suggested to account for 75000 rides.

For the NCAA Championship, the RTA Trolleys will run on Saturday and Sunday, March 31st and April 1st.

 

The E-Line Trolley (along Euclid Avenue) will run every 15 minutes on Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm.

 

The B-Line Trolley (Superior/Lakeside) will run every 10 minutes on Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 9 pm.

Don't know if any of you got this, but I figured it'd be good to pass along:

 

March 26, 2007

 

Dear Stakeholder,

 

We are writing to invite your participation in one of two upcoming community workshops focused on a redesigned and relocated E. 120th Street Greater Cleveland RTA Station in University Circle. Two workshops will be held: one on Wednesday, April 18th from 5pm to 9:30pm and the second on Thursday, April 19th from 8am to 1:00pm. Both will take place in the Community Room of the Abington Arms Apartments, 11501 Mayfield Road.  The workshops will include a walking tour and a 30 minute on-site evaluation of the Station Area. Refreshments will be provided.

 

The workshops—which will be attended by area residents, business interests, area institutions, employees, civic and philanthropic leaders, property owners, merchants, arts and design professionals, and other members of the community—will be facilitated by the internationally recognized Project for Public Spaces (PPS) a national non-profit organization committed to the best practices in revitalizing public spaces for over thirty years, Studio Techne Architects, and our team of Cleveland-based design professionals.

 

With the support of NOACA, the Cleveland Foundation, and Case Western Reserve University, the team has been hired by the Little Italy Redevelopment Corporation and the Greater Cleveland RTA to produce a Transit Station Area Plan for the new E. 120th Street Station. 

 

The new GCRTA station will serve, attract, and respond to the travel needs of the entire University Circle community, including your members, clients, and constituents. The project, which is located at the geographic heart of the neighborhood, can link, support and leverage the many urban design and redevelopment projects taking place around it. Without stakeholder and broad public input, however, we will not be able to fully leverage our collective investments in the area to create a station environment that enhances and anchors the neighborhood, and that is an integral piece of the pedestrian-friendly, vibrant mixed used developments planned for the University Circle area.

 

Please RSVP to Tim Roos of Studio Techne Architects, 216-397-3117 or [email protected] for one of the two workshops: either the evening workshop on the 18th or the morning workshop on the 19th.  Please RSVP by Friday April 13, 2007.  We also welcome your suggestions of other key individuals to invite. Please contact Tim Roos with this information. 

 

We would greatly value your involvement in helping to shape and ensure the success of this project.

Sincerely,

 

Cynthia Nikitin, Vice President

Project for Public Spaces, Inc.

700 Broadway New York, NY 10003    T (212) 620-5660 x 328 F (212) 620-3821  http://www.pps.org

 

Not sure if this belongs in this thread, but I think it's certainly worth posting here!

___________________

 

American Society of Civil Engineers

and

Student Chapter from Cleveland State University

 

Wishes To Invite You To…

The April ASCE Dinner Meeting

Presentation By:

Pete Sklannik Jr.

Chairman, ASCE Transportation Security Committee

 

Rail to the Rescue

 

In September 2005 More than 1 million people scurried to get out of the way of Hurricane Rita, a Category 5 hurricane. As the hurricane grew more turbulent, becoming the third most intense storm in history, the Governor of Texas ordered the use of light rail (KJP note: actually, it was diesel locomotive-powered commuter trains) from Dallas - Ft. Worth to evacuate Southeastern Texas. Pete will relate his perspectives and lessons learned

 

Thursday April 26, 2007

The City Club of Cleveland

850 Euclid Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Registration / Mixer

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Dinner

7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Presentation / Q & A

 

Menu

Breaded and Sautéed Chicken Breast

Topped with Mozzarella & Romano Cheeses

Atop a bed of Fettuccini

Breaded & Sautéed Eggplant Topped with

Mozzarella & Romano Cheeses

Atop a bed of Fettuccini

Field Greens with Cucumber, Grape Tomato, and Garlic Croutons topped with Vinaigrette

Roasted Red Skin Herbed Potatoes

Green Beans with Red Pepper & Dill

Dessert

Triple Chocolate Tiger Cake

 

Note: Persons with special dietary requirements please inform when making reservations.

 

Members $35; Non Members $40; Students $20

 

Members absolutely must confirm their reservations before 5:00 PM on Friday April 20th to:

 

Sarah Catanese - Cleveland State University

440-667-8810 –– [email protected]

 

Cancellations: Please note that due to commitments that must be made to the restaurant, any cancellations

After Monday, April 23th or no-shows will be billed for the cost of the dinner.

March 15, 2007 - 12:47am Transit to Steelyard Commons

Marc Lefkowitz Says:

 

I asked Rich Enty at RTA about transit to Steelyard Commons. Here’s what he said:

 

SYC/First Interstate is installing and will maintain at its own cost several bus shelters. These are being designed to reflect the area's steel heritage.

 

Initially, only RTA's 807 Tremont Circulator will access the development (it actually already does, effective in January); as more stores come on line and demand increases perhaps additional RTA service may be routed there.

 

The really nice things about the Circulator are its cost ($0.75), frequency (30 min.) and its connections to seemingly dozens of RTA routes including the Rapid at W. 25th Street, which enables regional access. Check out the 807 timetable

 

The bus shelters are actually under construction.

 

Enty also mentioned that First Interstate is building a boarding area for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

 

 

just heard this afternoon that apparently the lower section of euclid has some serious problems.

 

the main sewer (which is combined in this area), is located 18 to 20 feet below ground near the center line of the road.  when it was inspected during water main replacement, it was apparently OK.  now they are going to have to replace about 500 feet of it (from public square to e4) and re-line the section from e4 to e9. 

 

estimates are that this will delay this section of euclid by 3 to 6 months. 

^This is clearly a bummer, but glad they caught the problems now rather than after all the pavement was replaced.  While it will delay this portion of the re-construction (and I am sure the land owners in this section are not happy about the delay), it clearly will not stall the overall start date for the Silver Line.

This sucks, as the construction is getting real tiresome.

New front-end for RTA Scheduling > http://blog.case.edu/bmb12/2007/04/quicker_cleveland_rta_schedule_with_django

 

Route #6 Example > http://exogen.case.edu/rta/route/6/

This sucks, as the construction is getting real tiresome.

 

I've lived in cities where subway construction is less messy and protacted than what we've got... and we are only getting a friggin' BRT!

I recently noticed coming from the airport last week on the Red Line during off-peak, they were running exclusively 2-car trains rather than the dinky 1-car affairs.  Then, I noted the same on a slow Sunday (with no special events or anything).  Is this now RTA policy?  When did it happen?  If it were permanent, it'd be a breath of fresh air...

New front-end for RTA Scheduling > http://blog.case.edu/bmb12/2007/04/quicker_cleveland_rta_schedule_with_django

 

Route #6 Example > http://exogen.case.edu/rta/route/6/

 

Cool stuff guv, thanks.

apparently Cleveland Public Power, in addition to not being able to keep streetlights on in huge swaths of downtown (anyone walked down e13, superior, chester at night?), has been responsible for multiple delays on their work.

 

there was a 45 day delay on their work in front of 1900 euclid, and it is now taking 17 weeks to complete each quadrant of public square (up from original 13 week budget). 

Utility companies move slower than governments.

^Especially when it's a quasi-governmental entity.