RTA's twice-a-month e-newsletter was sent yesterday to more than 8,800 subscribers. Are you one of them? If not, you can sign up today at:

http://www.riderta.com/important_info.asp

I know the posters here have wanted RTA to be more active in cyberspace. Well, we now offer Commuter Alerts for rail (www.rideRTA.com/commuteralerts), Facebook for everyone, and two Twitter accounts -- one general, and another just for Park-n-Ride issues. Your feedback is always appreciated.

Jerry, Thank you and RTA for those initiatives.

The magazine and on-line site, Government Technology, posted a story yesterday on the growth of "audible bus warnings" or "talking buses", as they are often called. Of course, they talked to RTA.

http://www.govtech.com/transportation/Public-Buses-Warn-Pedestrians-030211.html

Of course, they talked to RTA.

 

 

But did the RTA buses talk back?

I was about to make that joke

Of course, they talked to RTA.

 

 

But did the RTA buses talk back?

 

*Snort*

I was just thinking and I really wish RTA would have gone with a color for the healthline. Idk, I think orange buses would have been more attractive and would have set them apart.

^100% yes.  Something that doesn't disappear into our winter gray.

for the healthline? i have always wondered why they don't do it for ALL their vehicles/trains.

Techncally they went with the color gray, even calling it the "Silver Line" prior to the hospital sponsorship. 

 

I fully support painting the whole fleet orange.

for the healthline? i have always wondered why they don't do it for ALL their vehicles/trains.

 

For sure! The grey is depressing. When I see colorful vehicles in other cities it makes the system appear stronger and healthier if you get at what im trying to say.

Quick question about the healthline - when the medical mart is built and running, will there be designated healthline buses running exclusively from the mart to the hospitals as shuttles, presumably with no stops.  Any discussion about this?

But silver/gray also doesn't look as dirty when you haven't washed the salt off for a while.....

I think the buses look sleek and modern as they are.  Orange?  Hell no.  That would have been tacky.  They might have looked good brand new, but a few years of wear and tear would have had them looking like crap.

I think the buses look sleek and modern as they are.  Orange?  Hell no.  That would have been tacky.  They might have looked good brand new, but a few years of wear and tear would have had them looking like crap.

 

I dunno, run some brown and white stripes down the center of the beat up orange buses and they could become symbolic of our football franchise ;)

Question for the guy in charge....

 

What's the deal with the video display at the west platform at Tower City?  I'm getting bored reading each day about the AP news on the NFL Pro Bowl, the explosion in Russia, the NHL All Star game, and that plane that miraculously landed in the Caribbean.

 

These 4 things happened months ago!!!!

 

I'm sure that display was not cheap. But aside from telling time, and flashing the RTA web address, it serves no purpose.

 

Can someone fix this so that it at least provides updated news? Or better yet, fix it and use it to sell ad space so it can bring in more money to RTA. 

 

Any effort toward this would be much appreciated.

The news feed is supplied to RTA by a third-party vendor which pays RTA to provide it.

^ Gee, I sit a few feet away from "the guy in charge." I will pass along your comments.

The news feed is supplied to RTA by a third-party vendor which pays RTA to provide it.

 

That's well....really stupid of that vendor.

 

Anyhow, it reflects poorly on RTA.

^ Gee, I sit a few feet away from "the guy in charge." I will pass along your comments.

 

Thanks J. Glad you're always so tuned in to UO.

When the Medical Mart is built and running, will there be designated HealthLine buses running exclusively from the Mart to the hospitals as shuttles, presumably with no stops. Any discussion about this?

 

Based on what I know, that would be called a charter, and it is prohibited by federal law. That's why you no longer see RTA's Park-n-Ride lots operating special coaches to Browns and Indians games. This is "public" transit, so any service we operate has to be open to the public, not just special groups. RTA operates extra service for special events, etc., because we expect increased demand. The service is still for everybody. Thanks for the idea.

As Mike McIntyre writes about in today's TipOff column in the PD, RTA will use 3-car Red Line trains to handle the Irish crowds on Thursday. Doors will not open on the third car at stations where it cannot be used safely. I know 3-car trains have been discussed here, so I wanted to point that out.

How will the Blue/Green lines be operated? Will they run temporarily as two-car trains or on an enhanced schedule?

^ Last year I took them, and their appeared to be more cars running. And they had people selling day passes at the green road station. They didn't have any direct cars though like the red line had. And they were two-car trains.

St. Patrick's Day preview:

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1555

 

It's impossible to say how many cars will be on the train that you board on any rail line. There are many variables. The bottom line: we will put out the maximum level of service we can. And yes, there will be staff at major facilities to help keep the crowds moving.

Spring service changes take effect April 3, none are major.

 

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1557

Considering the weather looks like it'll be perfect, Thursday looks like a good day to ride the bike to work so I can avoid the crowds trying to catch a bus. I've had to sit next to drunk high school kids the last couple of St Patrick's days and that's been enough. Either that or call off sick and go enjoy the nice weather.

I think your last sentence is the best idea yet. ;)

St. Patrick's Day preview:

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1555

 

It's impossible to say how many cars will be on the train that you board on any rail line. There are many variables. The bottom line: we will put out the maximum level of service we can. And yes, there will be staff at major facilities to help keep the crowds moving.

 

Jerry,

 

just wondering whether RTA decided to run the Waterfront Line during St. Patrick's Day?  Seems it would make sense given the severe crowding and the WFL's ability to distribute revelers around the periphery of downtown away from the crush that we know Tower City is going to be.  Also, of course, the WFL can pick up many drivers/parkers from the Muni-lot at the NE edge of downtown.

Nah, I think colors are definitely the way to go. 

 

http://www.humantransit.org/2011/03/seoul-buses-that-tell-you-where-they-go.html

 

They are more than just a way to make the city more attractive, they also make it easier for people to recognize routes from afar.

All of RTA's nearly 7000 parking spaces were full today.

I was pretty cool seeing two three-car trains meet at the West 117th Rapid station this afternoon. Both trains were quite full although the outbound train was jammed. And so was the station platform when both trains unloaded some of their passengers at the same time. I love crowds. :)

Imagine a superbowl parade. God can't wait till that day happens, and it will!

I St. Paddy'd out a few years ago, but the nice weather and buddy's sucked me into going... Here's my view of RTA's job...

 

They were both good and bad, great and, well, almost horrible.

 

The GOOD: the crowd was both gigantic -- biggest Cleveland crowd I've ever seen since Cleveland Bicentennial weekend.  Most were fun loving, enjoying the fun.  But many were drunk, unruly and even violent.  It appeared that every RTA salaried cop was somewhere in or around Tower City.  They had to be, because folks were rude, impatient, annoying and even violent.  They climbed fences and even the escalator wall just to get around cops who, logically at points, had to shut all entrances to the platfrom because of the post-parade crush.

 

It was great seeing 3-car trains.  I've seen them in service on the Red Line long ago, when they were new and RTA still regularly had high (by Cleveland standards) ridership.  I've NEVER seen them before on the Blue/Green lines and was quite pleasantly shocked to see them.  (I did once ride a 4-car Green/Blue train -- but that was only because the 2-car train in front of us stalled at Shaker Sq. and had to be combined and pushed downtown)

 

The BAD

 

RTA had serious problems moving trains in and out of Tower City, at least on the East Side.  They were backed up like a parking lot and, clearly, Tower City was total gridlock.  Part was the crowds that were slow to disembark given their size... part had to be RTA; they just didn't seem ready for it.  Our 3-car Green Line train got stuck behind a Van Aken train at Shaker Sq., and had to sit 10 mins for the train to clear before we left the square and entered the Rapid's high-speed segment into town.

 

The BAD BAD.  I think RTA made errors that, had they not, could have eased congestion somewhat, maybe considerably.  One, I suggested above -- to me it was idiotic not to use the Waterfront Line.  The W. 3rd stop is closer to Warehouse Dist Bars than Tower City.  Plus, I believe more cars could have been pulled off the Shoreway to trains at the Muni Lot terminal.  Also, as noted, there was just too much Tower City congestion, esp given the fact that most Blue-Green trains had to reverse/turn on that single center track because Red Line West cars were extremely backed  up.  The other mistake was/is in not unsealing the old Shaker terminal.  The old 3 ex-Shaker platforms (I understand) are sealed up still sitting there collecting dust.  Even if RTA only opened that station 1 day per year (that being St. Paddy's of course) it would be worth it for separating Blue/Green from Red Line traffic (both riders and trains) to lessen the bottleneck.

 

THE UGLY-- Once again, RTA was up to its old (very stupid) tricks again of only using 2 of 3 trains-- packing the 1st 2 and leaving the 3rd an empty trailer.  Why?  RTA's the only rapid rail system that does this.  What is the point of 1-man/woman train operation if RTA somehow believes that they're somehow wasting electricity (which I refuse to believe) by merely putting bodies in an empty car and allowing crush crowds to breathe a little.  it's just another in the many annals of RTA's penny-wise/pound foolishness that perpetually leaves me scratching my head.

 

All in all, though, somehow it worked and even though I'm focused on the March Madness games, and haven't heard the local news, I assume nobody was seriously injured or killed riding trains (although there were plenty of hair raising moments when serously bad stuff could have broken out, but thankfully didn't), which is paramount.  And even though many had gripes with the services, RTA got tens of thousands of butts in their seats and out of autos -- I'd be stunned if RTA didn't have at least 100,000 rides today -- and probably significantly more than that.  For Cleveland, that's simply astronomical for a single day.

... btw, RTA showed (me at least) for the 1st time they've obviously rewired their Light rail (Blue/Green Line) cars for 1-man operation.  We rode in on car 2 of a triple and neither our car nor the one behind had a driver, but all doors were controlled.  Of course, this allowed a number of non-downtown, non-front car riders to get freebies.  I guess RTA did the math and decided they'd sacrifice losing a minimal amount on the short-hoppers while, instead, focusing on the mammoth downtown audience.  Besides, many short-hoppers probably had weekly/monthly passes anyway, while some had transferred from buses, where their fares were paid... in this case, it was smart math on RTA's part.

 

... now, if RTA would do the logical things like expanding the RED LINE's excellent almost total POP system to the BLUE/GREEN lines (while, like the Red Line, still keeping the automatic, fare-card sensitive enter/exit turnstiles at busy Tower City) and dump that archaic, train delaying Pay Enter-Eastbound/ Pay Leave, Westbound system.  And as noted above, RTA (even on the Red Line) needs to start trusting the convenience POP is, in part, supposed to give: more seats in more cars driven by 1-man/woman.  Otherwise, POP seems largely like a waste ... although, I do admit that non-rush hour trains are much faster now that all doors open all the time, now... 

One thing for sure, I would never use the rapid to take my children downtown to see the parade on St. Patricks day.  The ride home on the 17th was not what I would call a child friendly environment.  Beer being passed around, smoking, swearing and finally a fight.  I guess my one suggestion for RTA is that at every platform should be a uniformed officer or two.  That way if there is something unsafe going on, they can be involved quickly.  When we got off at 117th we didn't see an officer until we left the building.  Fortunately the person that was in a fight was put off the train by the time the officers made it to the platform.

I agree, Bookman, as big a transit advocate as I am, the Rapid on St. Paddy's day is no place for small children.  Most people were fine, but it's always those few knuckleheads that make things unruly and potentially unsafe...Unfortunately, it appeared that almost all RTA security was employed at Tower City.  They appeared to be stretched thin.

I ran into one of the RTA officers at the CSU NIT game on Saturday.  He was at Tower City on St. Patricks Day helping to keep things orderly on the platforms as people boarded the trains .  He remembered the group that I encountered and told me that the call did go out about the fighting.  Officers were evidently waiting at stops past 117th to deal with the knuckleheads.

 

Frankly, not only small children, but anyone that finds that type of behavior offensive should avoid the rapid on St. Patricks Day.  While some of the partiers were subdued, others were not.  The lack of respect shown to "regular" riders was disturbing.  At least we don't have to worry about the next two years since next year is a leap year and St. Patricks Day will be on a Saturday.

^Agreed.  I despise these selfish, foolish riders.  About the only good thing about them is at least they were on the trains and not driving into town, endangering far more people.

It boggles my mind when people act violently on mass transit. It's a confined, moving space, full of strangers. That alone should send a signal to behave oneself...in a less law-obsessed society, troublemakers would probably be thrown from the train between stops by the other passengers. Sadly, we've embraced a binge drinking culture, so our drunks are especially violent/profane/entitled/insufferable.

 

I was in Beijing on the day the Olympics opened, and I took the subway after the opening ceremonies. They kept it open all night, normally it closes fairly early. I think we made it there, somewhat intoxicated, at around 3 AM, and rode a half-empty train full of locals and foreigners all the way across town. And just like every other day for years, it was smooth and no serious problems with the system or the other passengers. I will forever wish heaps of money and talent upon RTA because I know what a good mass transit system feels like and how much trouble it saves.

 

I'm sure there are some lazy RTA workers out there, but mostly I think RTA needs more money. For their budget, I am fairly impressed at what they manage to do, even if it's far from perfect.

It's more an American thing.  Look at how people behaved post Katrina compared to Japan now.  Their disaster was far more devestating, yet there have been no riots, violence, looting, etc over there. RTA, even with more resources, can't regulate everyones behavior--we're, with some more than others, just a beastly country

It appeared that almost all RTA security was employed at Tower City.  They appeared to be stretched thin.

 

Appearances can be deceiving. There was a major presence at Tower City to be sure, but there were Transit Police all over the system. I worked at the Brookpark Station that day, and saw police on duty all day long. The regular force of 100+ officers was augmented by several federal officers.

My wife made the mistake of taking our son for a rapid ride on St. Patty's Day a few years back.  Definitely not a family atmosphere.  She said they saw one guy vomiting and another urinating right there in the car.

 

I was amazed at the ridership this St. Patty's Day.  I happened to be driving down Shaker Blvd around noon and the cops had closed off all the parking lots from Green Road to Warrensville because they were full to capacity.  I saw people walking from all over.... even what appeared to be a large contingent of party-goers walking all the way up Green Rd from Notre Dame College.

I was amazed at the ridership this St. Patty's Day.  I happened to be driving down Shaker Blvd around noon and the cops had closed off all the parking lots from Green Road to Warrensville because they were full to capacity.  I saw people walking from all over.... even what appeared to be a large contingent of party-goers walking all the way up Green Rd from Notre Dame College.

 

Were there any ridership estimates released by RTA?

^Exact totals are still being compiled, but early estimates are that we more than doubled the rail ridership -- and that's not even counting the "short green people" who snuck on with their pot of gold. It continues to be our largest ridership day of the year.

^I hope some of those pots of gold ended up in your farebox :)

I'm feeling adventerous, and would like to do some exploring along the Red Line tomorrow. I plan to stop at the Market early in the morning, and was wondering what points of interest are east of there.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  Thanks!

Here's a suggestion: ride east to the Euclid-120th stop, walk down to Euclid and make a two right turns. The first is on Euclid Avenue, the second onto Coltman Avenue. Then you can decide whether to stay on Coltman or take a gentle right on to East 120th Street. Either will take into the heart of Little Italy. Then, from there, walk down Murray Hill Road to Cedar and its Rapid station. If you're feeling real adventurous, try to find the back way into the station. I'll give you a hint: Fairchild.

 

Or, you can ride in the opposite direction out to the airport. You have to go through the turnstiles into the airport before you come back in to the station for your return trip or you may be accused of trying to steal a free ride -- even if you already have a Day Pass.

I got yelled at this morning on the Healthline because I was drinking coffee on the bus.  Is this normal policy on most transit systems?  I know that no food or beverages are technically allowed on buses but I ride the bus every day and have never been told to not do it before.  I understand that the rule exists to keep kids from spilling soda everywhere but for adults that want their coffee in the morning on their bus ride I think the rule sucks.  Does the Rapid have a similar rule?