I think it's way more simple than that.  The rail there is newer and built to go where the people currently are (or at least where TOD is feasible).  Many of our rail stations are in places that are tough to build around.

 

Many of our rail stations are in places that were abandoned as well.  The Red Line has a poorly designed route for the most part.

Cleveland, the city or the metro, is not growing. Why not start from an honest place.

 

Neither is St Louis and its rail lines attract more riders than Cleveland.  This isn't a population issue; the culprit in Cleveland is sprawl and the WFL's limited and badly planned route.

 

Ummmm.......St. Louis itself is only 10% of the population of its metro area, Cleveland is 19%.  Sounds like it's even more sprawled there.

 

Ummmm....St Louis has better planned light-rail system so, even with its sprawl, it's serving more riders than Cleveland's.  Cleveland's rail lines were badly planned, for the most part, since the get go.  The Green/Blue lines were designed for Shaker Hts. residents 100 years ago, a time when people there went to work downtown.  The Red Line, for the most part, runs in out of the way rail beds and on the west side, the 1960s extension from W 117th-Brookpark were designed as commuter stations with large parking lots.  This has gone the way of the light-rail lines, people don't work and commute downtown like they used to.  The WFL, well, that speaks for itself.  The WFL's latest introduction in 2013 has attracted a whopping 387 riders/day.  Bad design.  Poor fare structure for use between Tower City and Muni Lot; restricting this may bump ridership but the WFL needs to connect or loop directly through the CBD and head to the west side as well.  Otherwise, the WFL will continue to be an embarrassment.

 

You're not making sense.  How was St. Louis' rail system 'better planned' than Cleveland's?  The Shaker Heights rail system was planned and built when the automobile was still new.  It was built into farmland.  As a result, 100 years later, we have still one of the finer, planned and accessible suburbs in the nation.  Shaker Square, meanwhile, is a model TOD for the nation.  I don't get your constant negativity.

 

The Red Line was indeed built on the cheap.  It was developed along a route that was planned and partially built as an extension of the Shaker lines by the Van Sweringens.  Cleveland got a loan in the late 1940s to develop the Red Line.  Had it not been partially pre-built and been cheap to build, Cleveland would never have gotten the money... When when the Red Line was conceived and executed, there was only 1 freeway in the region: the roadway we call the Shoreway that only extended, at the time, from Gordon Park on the East to Edgewater Park on the west through the north side of downtown.  Are you saying Cleveland should not have accepted the loan and not built the Red Line?.. You're a broken record.

 

St. Louis Metrolink LRT was built after the St. Louis metro region has sprawled and its freeway infrastructure built out.  Their LRT in a sense, then, was chasing sprawl whereas Cleveland's was built more to develop land and create TOD... Shaker was farmland when it was built.  The West Park and Puritas areas were largely undeveloped at the time, too.

 

Again, how does this make St. Louis better?  It is bigger and, yes, Cleveland's Rapid should be expanded, but how is St. Louis better?

Well, St. Louis has a much longer rail system that reaches more ridership sources. And they do have a downtown subway with multiple stops in the central business district --unlike ours which has only one stop (Tower City). Of course, St. Louis reactivated an old freight tunnel to "build" their subway -- and even used it and the Eads Bridge over the Mississippi as their local funding contribution to leverage the federal grant to build the light rail line through that pre-existing infrastructure. Sadly, the feds made it impossible to use pre-existing infrastructure as part of a local funding match. I mean, if it's an asset with value that can be used again, why not count it as a local match? Oh well. The feds prefer to build new rather than rebuild old....

^Yes, St. Louis' downtown subway distributor is a significant advantage over the Cleveland Rapid... I've never ridden it, but it does appear that much of it is geared toward Park 'n Ride like the Rapid given it's long lines deep into the burbs.

Cleveland, the city or the metro, is not growing. Why not start from an honest place.

 

Neither is St Louis and its rail lines attract more riders than Cleveland.  This isn't a population issue; the culprit in Cleveland is sprawl and the WFL's limited and badly planned route.

 

Ummmm.......St. Louis itself is only 10% of the population of its metro area, Cleveland is 19%.  Sounds like it's even more sprawled there.

 

Ummmm....St Louis has better planned light-rail system so, even with its sprawl, it's serving more riders than Cleveland's.  Cleveland's rail lines were badly planned, for the most part, since the get go.  The Green/Blue lines were designed for Shaker Hts. residents 100 years ago, a time when people there went to work downtown.  The Red Line, for the most part, runs in out of the way rail beds and on the west side, the 1960s extension from W 117th-Brookpark were designed as commuter stations with large parking lots.  This has gone the way of the light-rail lines, people don't work and commute downtown like they used to.  The WFL, well, that speaks for itself.  The WFL's latest introduction in 2013 has attracted a whopping 387 riders/day.  Bad design.  Poor fare structure for use between Tower City and Muni Lot; restricting this may bump ridership but the WFL needs to connect or loop directly through the CBD and head to the west side as well.  Otherwise, the WFL will continue to be an embarrassment.

 

You're not making sense.  How was St. Louis' rail system 'better planned' than Cleveland's?  The Shaker Heights rail system was planned and built when the automobile was still new.  It was built into farmland.  As a result, 100 years later, we have still one of the finer, planned and accessible suburbs in the nation.  Shaker Square, meanwhile, is a model TOD for the nation.  I don't get your constant negativity.

 

The Red Line was indeed built on the cheap.  It was developed along a route that was planned and partially built as an extension of the Shaker lines by the Van Sweringens.  Cleveland got a loan in the late 1940s to develop the Red Line.  Had it not been partially pre-built and been cheap to build, Cleveland would never have gotten the money... When when the Red Line was conceived and executed, there was only 1 freeway in the region: the roadway we call the Shoreway that only extended, at the time, from Gordon Park on the East to Edgewater Park on the west through the north side of downtown.  Are you saying Cleveland should not have accepted the loan and not built the Red Line?.. You're a broken record.

 

St. Louis Metrolink LRT was built after the St. Louis metro region has sprawled and its freeway infrastructure built out.  Their LRT in a sense, then, was chasing sprawl whereas Cleveland's was built more to develop land and create TOD... Shaker was farmland when it was built.  The West Park and Puritas areas were largely undeveloped at the time, too.

 

Again, how does this make St. Louis better?  It is bigger and, yes, Cleveland's Rapid should be expanded, but how is St. Louis better?

 

Good luck with the RTA rail lines in Cleveland.  If you think West Park and Puritas were not developed when the Red Line was extended through these neighborhoods...there's nothing left to say.

 

Hope you continue in your efforts to increase rail ridership in CLE.  I'm moving to Philly next week.

 

Btw, St Louis rails serve where people live and where they want to go, that's why its better and ridership proves it.  You did mention something about the Red Line which applies to Cleveland generally as well: doing things on the cheap.

BTW, it would be nice to see the same kind of vocal leadership from Mayor Jackson as was just voiced by St. Louis' mayor...

 

http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/tony-messenger/messenger-with-a-tweet-mayor-slay-signals-plan-to-expand/article_739a084b-fdd8-534a-88b3-d3f12eb1ea90.html

^Yes, it would be very nice if Mayor Jackson would follow Mayor Slay's lead in advocating rail expansion... Frank's total silence about rail expansion in his long tenure as mayor has been very disheartening especially since his home district is largely low/mod income individuals many of whom are transit dependent.  Instead our Mayor jumped on-board the Opportunity Corridor bandwagon which will favor people with cars who live in the West Side suburbs... Puzzling indeed.

 

I don't think there's a city in the United States that is so totally indifferent (and often opposed) to expanding a substantial rail system that it already has.  It's part of the City's backwardness that still holds it back.

^Yes, it would be very nice if Mayor Jackson would follow Mayor Slay's lead in advocating rail expansion... Frank's total silence about rail expansion in his long tenure as mayor has been very disheartening especially since his home district is largely low/mod income individuals many of whom are transit dependent.  Instead our Mayor jumped on-board the Opportunity Corridor bandwagon which will favor people with cars who live in the West Side suburbs... Puzzling indeed.

 

I don't think there's a city in the United States that is so totally indifferent (and often opposed) to expanding a substantial rail system that it already has.  It's part of the City's backwardness that still holds it back.

 

What rail line expansions do you envision for Cleveland?

What rail would I extend?

 

- return to dual hub, but less extravagant.  I'd convert the HL to LRT, eliminate at least half the HL stations and use the rest for the LRT (those stations are LRT ready); I'd tunnel at E. 17, dogleg up Huron and use the grade-separated Huron subway to connect with the current Rapid at Tower City

 

- extend LRT along the West 25th corridor to Parma

 

- extend the Red Line to Euclid Square (as planned)

 

- and extend the Red Line and/or commuter rail along the NS -- with the Red Line ending somewhere in West Lake but with diesel commuter rail extending to Lorain or Sandusky.

 

-- I would extend rapid rail (LRT or HRT) SE from E. 55th along the NS to Bedford...

 

-- I would also extend the converted HL LRT through TC west, using the Detroit-Superior Bridge subway using the extant station at W. 25, rising along Detroit Ave. through Gordon Sq, angling NW along Lake Ave to Edgewater Park...

The in-progress pics of the Red Line murals are just so cool. @cleveLANDstudio #InterUrban http://instagram.com/landstudio

 

The in-progress pics of the Red Line murals are just so cool. @cleveLANDstudio #InterUrban http://instagram.com/landstudio

 

 

Is all the trash gone or is the City hoping the brush overgrowth covers it up?

What rail would I extend?

 

- return to dual hub, but less extravagant.  I'd convert the HL to LRT, eliminate at least half the HL stations and use the rest for the LRT (those stations are LRT ready); I'd tunnel at E. 17, dogleg up Huron and use the grade-separated Huron subway to connect with the current Rapid at Tower City

 

- extend LRT along the West 25th corridor to Parma

 

- extend the Red Line to Euclid Square (as planned)

 

- and extend the Red Line and/or commuter rail along the NS -- with the Red Line ending somewhere in West Lake but with diesel commuter rail extending to Lorain or Sandusky.

 

-- I would extend rapid rail (LRT or HRT) SE from E. 55th along the NS to Bedford...

 

-- I would also extend the converted HL LRT through TC west, using the Detroit-Superior Bridge subway using the extant station at W. 25, rising along Detroit Ave. through Gordon Sq, angling NW along Lake Ave to Edgewater Park...

 

Gee, no mention of the infamous WFL?  Interesting since this line has 387 daily riders.  Guess it doesn't need any help.  Maybe I should have included the term ''realistic'' expansion plans.

The in-progress pics of the Red Line murals are just so cool. @cleveLANDstudio #InterUrban http://instagram.com/landstudio

 

Article:

The RTA Red Line art blitz unfolds with vast, eye-catching artworks (photos)

 

http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2016/06/the_rta_red_line_art_blitz_unf.html#incart_river_home

 

I like that they want to extend it to more locations, hopefully the blighted areas get it and not just W.25th, Little Italy, etc. basically the hip neighborhoods. I won't hold my breath though when it comes to them extending this.

How public are these views? It's nice that it's being placed on ... one specific line in just a very specific location, but public art should be public. That being said, I've never been a fan of public art on highways (interstates, for instance) as it can be a serious distraction. This will make the ride out on the Red Line nice.

 

I like that they want to extend it to more locations, hopefully the blighted areas get it and not just W.25th, Little Italy, etc. basically the hip neighborhoods. I won't hold my breath though when it comes to them extending this.

 

The problem in the blighted areas will be the graffiti that ends up covering it.

 

Best be careful with content.  There were murals done in the Detroit "People Mover".  One was supposed to depict people rushing for the train, but looked a lot like a purse snatching.

 

Ironically, the PM was one of the few low crime places in Detroit, then.

 

I like that they want to extend it to more locations, hopefully the blighted areas get it and not just W.25th, Little Italy, etc. basically the hip neighborhoods. I won't hold my breath though when it comes to them extending this.

 

The problem in the blighted areas will be the graffiti that ends up covering it.

 

Best be careful with contact.  There were murals done in the Detroit "People Mover".  One was supposed to depict people rushing for the train, but looked a lot like a purse snatching.

 

Ironically, the PM was one of the few low crime places in Detroit, then.

This is very true about the graffiti, I just want love shown to all areas. I feel as if it would give off the vibe of favoritism to the "money making neighborhoods" and neglect to the others. It kind of could end up like the situation of the mini-station getting placed in downtown instead of "neglected neighborhoods." Just my thoughts.

 

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

 

Green line hours to be cut off at 9pm? Well that's going to be a pain.

Here's an article that lists all the service reductions and fare proposals: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/06/fare_increases_and_service_cut.html

 

And RTA's press release: http://www.riderta.com/news/board-okays-service-changes-and-fare-increases-balance-budget

Fare increases and service cuts coming to RTA in August

 

By Ginger Christ, The Plain Dealer

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on June 07, 2016 at 1:11 PM, updated June 07, 2016 at 1:50 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority will raise rates on fares and reduce service by 3 percent, beginning in August.  During a special meeting Tuesday, the RTA board voted to increase rates on all fares, a move it expects will generate an additional $3 million in revenue for the cash-strapped authority.

 

RTA is facing a $7 million budget shortfall and expects to shore up at least $6 million of that deficit through the fare increases and through service cuts it estimates will save $3 million.

The fare increases are the first by the authority in seven years.

"This decision is not easy," Westlake Mayor Dennis Clough said. "We recognize that we can't meet the needs of everybody."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/06/fare_increases_and_service_cut.html#incart_2box

Maybe it's me, but kinda makes my skin crawl in the main RTA board member quoted about these cuts/fare increases is the Mayor of sprawl-burb Westlake.

Serious question; do the RTA have a feel for what percentage of customers have actually paid their fare? I often feel like I must be the only rider without a monthly or weekly pass, as I'm attempting to give my money to one of the ticket machines.

Serious question; do the RTA have a feel for what percentage of customers have actually paid their fare? I often feel like I must be the only rider without a monthly or weekly pass, as I'm attempting to give my money to one of the ticket machines.

 

RTA says the fare evasion rate is quite low. I believe it's 3%?

Serious question; do the RTA have a feel for what percentage of customers have actually paid their fare? I often feel like I must be the only rider without a monthly or weekly pass, as I'm attempting to give my money to one of the ticket machines.

 

RTA says the fare evasion rate is quite low. I believe it's 3%?

 

What else is RTA going to say?

Serious question; do the RTA have a feel for what percentage of customers have actually paid their fare? I often feel like I must be the only rider without a monthly or weekly pass, as I'm attempting to give my money to one of the ticket machines.

 

RTA says the fare evasion rate is quite low. I believe it's 3%?

 

What else is RTA going to say?

 

Until I see strong evidence to the contrary, I'll take them at their word.

Quick question: Is sponsorship a way that we can save rail here?

I understand that we are not getting rid of rail with these cuts, but shutting down operation at 8pm and 9pm surely won't help them grow. So seeing that the health line being sponsored by various institutions helps with its operation, sponsorship helps keep the trolly free and the Cleveland State sponsorship helps with the CSU Line operation, could the same be done for our rail? Sponsorship could help with the operation of the lines, keep them running longer and possibly free up money and assist with the purchase of new cars.

I'm not sure of the possibility of this but just was wondering if this is viable.

 

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

 

Sponsorships are a way to add to the revenue sources, but they don't solve revenue shortfalls.

 

The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals are paying $6.25 million total over 25 years to name the Euclid Corridor buses as the HealthLine.

 

Also, GCRTA sells naming rights for stations. Huntington Bank recently sponsored the East 2ns station for $30,000 a year over 10 years.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/04/rtas_healthline_gets_internati.html

 

A multi-county tax on each parking space for a multi-county transit system? Yep, that would address multiple issues all at once.

I just wonder, is RTA really lobbying the State for increased transit funding? more than $7M/year for the whole state? 

 

Are other groups and local pols raising their voices?  The entire situation is like a sick joke.

 

 

Earlier today, I found this PD story from 2006--almost 10 years ago. Does anything sound familiar? We were facing almost identical issues back then. What the hell have we been doing for the last 10 years? (The difference though is that ridership was increasing then, yet is decreasing today)

 

 

Cash-strapped RTA wants more state money

Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) - September 20, 2006

James Ewinger, Plain Dealer Reporter

 

The state's largest transit system may have to boost fares again or cut service as state subsidies continue to decline and income from the countywide sales tax - 70 percent of RTA's income - continues to flag, RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese warned Tuesday.

 

The Regional Transit Authority board passed a resolution urging the state to follow the examples of Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania by investing more in public transportation. As it stands, Ohio's per capita spending on public transit ranks down in the realm of South Dakota, New Mexico and West Virginia.

 

Calabrese's warning comes on the heels of RTA's first major fare increase in 13 years and a rise in ridership ignited by climbing fuel

costs. But those fuel costs have outstripped ridership gains, further cutting into revenue.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B16RJdSArUFaLVhlZE1EMlBDdzg/view?usp=sharing

You find that surprising?

 

EDIT: I didn't mean that to sound so salty. I just have it burned into my memory the ugly cuts that happened after 2006 funding crunch. In fact, RTA had to cut a higher percentage of bus route miles from its service than any other transit system in the country (see below figures pulled together by TCF). RTA is in a real tight spot, and I doubt much help is coming. Not from the state, definitely not from adjoining counties. Help could have come from our own county gov, but it chose to spend its money elsewhere (MM/CC, HQ, sports teams).

 

Here are the TCF figures:

 

https://tcf.org/content/commentary/magic-disappearing-bus/

 

[accidental double post]

So no more Green Line for Indians or Cavs games?  That's crazy.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

 

I kept meaning to ask that. Though I realized it probably doesn't matter much. The walk up crowd to the Green Line is paltry and drivers can easily park at a Blue Line station. And in any case, for Tribe games, it's not like green line was carrying a lot of fans anymore anyway. Not like 20 years ago.

I'm actually somewhat relieved the rail cuts were not worse.  Initially there was talk of Green Line cuts for after 7p; 9p, I can deal with.  I've seen a number of empty Green Line trains between Shaker Square and Green Road in the evening and, yes, Indians fans can drive over to the Blue Line, although it's not quite as convenient.

 

As for the Waterfront Line, the cuts are not as bad as the pre-2013 cuts (ie no daytime service at all).  That said, half-hourly service during the day is pretty bad.  I, like Adam Fishman, don't like cutting this line just as the FEB is just taking off.  But at least, RTA says they are willing to put back WFL service as traffic is warranted.  If Fishman really wanted to force RTA's hand, he may want to consider closing that big surface lot between Phases I and II.  Drivers just have it too easy and parking is too cheap in downtown Cleveland.

 

Also, I wish somebody in RTA would spell out exactly the expenses saved by the Waterfront Line cuts.  Somehow the figure mysteriously went from $300 to 500K saved with even less cuts from pre-2013 (and the $300K amount was quoted from 3 years ago)... As was echoed in cleveland.com, the Waterfront Line is an extension of the Blue and Green Lines.  Employee shifts are not going to be shortened with these cuts.  Rather than driving their trains through for 2.2 miles along the WFL, drivers are merely going to leave their trains in TC after inbound runs, go shoot the bull with RTA cops and/or other RTA employees at the turnstiles, then return to their trains for the outbound/Eastbound run.

 

The trains themselves will remain powered up -- it's RTA's (and most transit systems') policy to merely close/lock the doors while trains are parked so they are still eating electric current.  So can RTA show that the extra power used to actually DRIVE the trains the 2.2 miles to the Muny Lot and back is the difference?  Keep in mind that, during rush hour, many Blue/Green drivers actually dead-head their trains Westbound out onto the Cuyahoga viaduct to store/turn them for the next eastbound run -- I'm guessing this is a distance of about .7 miles. 

 

Again, I'd just like to see some hard savings numbers from RTA accountants because all of this seems a bit cloak 'n dagger.

"If Fishman really wanted to force RTA's hand, he may want to consider closing that big surface lot between Phases I and II."

 

He is doing just that soon.  It's called Phase III.

^... and it can't come fast enough for me.  I would close it now, but Fishman probably wants the parking receipts.

Unfortunately, RTA's entire rail system shut down this morning due to communication systems failure. The Red Line was back up and running as of 7:30am but the Blue/Green line trains continue to be replaced with shuttle buses as of 8am. It appears to be a byproduct of a lack of reliable funding for transit in NE Ohio and indeed statewide.

Blue & Green lines restored and will be back to a normal schedule btw 8:30am.

^As was noted up thread, RTA and the State have been doing this ridiculous funding dance since at least 2006... What is this, a friggin' dance marathon?  I know Ohio is a conservative state but, geez, when this issue is going to become 'hot' enough for pols to give a sh*t?  Even though Cleveland has traditionally had the only real transit infrastructure besides Dayton, but Cincy is now getting a streetcar and looking to expand, and Columbus is also talking LRT and BRT, so today there's not the usual upstate/downstate conflict.

 

From former "smiling/reasonable Republican" presidential candidate John Kasich on down, it's obvious that transit funding just isn't something state politicians feel they have to address based on the perceived lack of consequences for ignoring... This MUST change.  AAO and other transit advocacy groups from the urban areas of the State really need to come together and hoist a joint megaphone.

FYI. Some riders have seen the clean up crews from the trains and asked how they can help. There are two more clean up days coming...

 

RTA seeks volunteers for Red Line cleanup effort before Convention

May 27, 2016

Help RTA clean up the Red Line Corridor

 

CLEVELAND – As part of a collaborative beautification effort along the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's (RTA) Red Line, staff is seeking volunteers during three weekends in June and July to clean up along the tracks between Hopkins Airport and Downtown.

 

Volunteers are needed for shifts that begin at 9:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. on these dates:

 

+ Saturday, June 11.

+ Sunday, June 26.

+ Sunday, July 10.

 

Want to volunteer?

 

1. To sign up, call 216-781-4543 between 8 a.m.-5pm., or send e-mail (link sends e-mail).

2. Wear protective clothing, such as jeans, long sleeve shirts / sweatshirts, sunscreen, closed toe shoes or tennis shoes. Work boots are preferred, as the ground is uneven. RTA will supply gloves and safety vests.

3. Park at any West Side Rapid Station and ride the train to the West 25th Street Station. There is limited parking at the West 25th Street Station.

4. Come to the West 25th Street Station platform to pick up work assignments along the Red Line. Clean-up locations will vary.

 

http://www.riderta.com/news/rta-seeks-volunteers-red-line-cleanup-effort-convention

Earlier today, I found this PD story from 2006--almost 10 years ago. Does anything sound familiar? We were facing almost identical issues back then. What the hell have we been doing for the last 10 years? (The difference though is that ridership was increasing then, yet is decreasing today)

 

 

Cash-strapped RTA wants more state money

Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) - September 20, 2006

James Ewinger, Plain Dealer Reporter

 

The state's largest transit system may have to boost fares again or cut service as state subsidies continue to decline and income from the countywide sales tax - 70 percent of RTA's income - continues to flag, RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese warned Tuesday.

 

The Regional Transit Authority board passed a resolution urging the state to follow the examples of Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania by investing more in public transportation. As it stands, Ohio's per capita spending on public transit ranks down in the realm of South Dakota, New Mexico and West Virginia.

 

Calabrese's warning comes on the heels of RTA's first major fare increase in 13 years and a rise in ridership ignited by climbing fuel

costs. But those fuel costs have outstripped ridership gains, further cutting into revenue.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B16RJdSArUFaLVhlZE1EMlBDdzg/view?usp=sharing

 

September 2006...before the Depression started.

FYI. Some riders have seen the clean up crews from the trains and asked how they can help. There are two more clean up days coming...

 

RTA seeks volunteers for Red Line cleanup effort before Convention

May 27, 2016

Help RTA clean up the Red Line Corridor

 

CLEVELAND – As part of a collaborative beautification effort along the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's (RTA) Red Line, staff is seeking volunteers during three weekends in June and July to clean up along the tracks between Hopkins Airport and Downtown.

 

Volunteers are needed for shifts that begin at 9:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. on these dates:

 

+ Saturday, June 11.

+ Sunday, June 26.

+ Sunday, July 10.

 

Want to volunteer?

 

1. To sign up, call 216-781-4543 between 8 a.m.-5pm., or send e-mail (link sends e-mail).

2. Wear protective clothing, such as jeans, long sleeve shirts / sweatshirts, sunscreen, closed toe shoes or tennis shoes. Work boots are preferred, as the ground is uneven. RTA will supply gloves and safety vests.

3. Park at any West Side Rapid Station and ride the train to the West 25th Street Station. There is limited parking at the West 25th Street Station.

4. Come to the West 25th Street Station platform to pick up work assignments along the Red Line. Clean-up locations will vary.

 

http://www.riderta.com/news/rta-seeks-volunteers-red-line-cleanup-effort-convention

 

One thing a Democrat controlled city doesn't want visiting Republicans to see is the tons of trash gracing its rail lines.  The tons of trash that has been there for decades.  Volunteers?  This should be at least a twice a year event using prisoners or those sentenced to community service. 

 

At least the trash will be gone for a bit even though the city itself may end up being trashed by demonstrators next month.

One thing a Democrat controlled city doesn't want visiting Republicans to see is the tons of trash gracing its rail lines.  The tons of trash that has been there for decades.  Volunteers?  This should be at least a twice a year event using prisoners or those sentenced to community service. 

 

At least the trash will be gone for a bit even though the city itself may end up being trashed by demonstrators next month.

 

RTA does use Court Community Services to clean up along the Rapid lines. Not as much as I would like. But that have used them before.

Does anyone know if the Rapids are running later due to the fact that the finals game doesn't start until 9pm and anyone taking the Rapid to the game would be stranded downtown?

Does anyone know if the Rapids are running later due to the fact that the finals game doesn't start until 9pm and anyone taking the Rapid to the game would be stranded downtown?

 

RTA's policy is to continue running the Rapids until 90 minutes after a downtown game ends. But I think that's going to change after the new service changes take affect -- especially on the Green Line. The Blue and Red lines are unaffected. And the Red Line runs until 1 a.m. anyway.

Does anyone know if the Rapids are running later due to the fact that the finals game doesn't start until 9pm and anyone taking the Rapid to the game would be stranded downtown?

 

RTA's policy is to continue running the Rapids until 90 minutes after a downtown game ends. But I think that's going to change after the new service changes take affect -- especially on the Green Line. The Blue and Red lines are unaffected. And the Red Line runs until 1 a.m. anyway.

 

Yeah, seemingly the only exception to that will be for Browns games, for which RTA says they will keep the Green Line running longer. Even though it's very rare that a Browns game runs later than 9pm...

So, we had a family BBQ yesterday at my sister's house in Brunswick, I was downtown, and was wondering, do I take the bus back home, join my wife, and then we drive to Brunswick, or checking Google Maps, hey, park&ride goes to Brunswick near her house.

 

I had ZERO CASH on me yesterday, but credit card. So, I head down to the Tower City RTA customer service desk, and ask for a single-trip Park & Ride pass. They don't have such things, she said to use my existing RTA pass, and then insert a quarter to make up the difference. I have zero cash. I bought a 5-trip Park & Ride pass.

 

I had been reading the website about fares, and county line, and $1 surcharge, but I wasn't sure what that meant. My understanding was that if I want to transfer from RTA park&ride to a Brunswick-Transit bus, then I pay that dollar to RTA to get an inter-agency-transfer-pass? Nope. To exit the bus, outside of Cuyahoga county, you pay a cash dollar to the fare box, to exit the bus. I have zero cash. I offerred to burn another trip on my 5-trip, but, fortunately, the driver let me off with a warning.

 

Some thoughts from this. I can understand that it would be valuable for GCRTA and areas outside of Cuyahoga to buy-in to RTA. Brunswick for example, has a Tri-C campus, and is a continuation of sprawl along Pearl. However, the land use, I don't often go out to that next of the woods, but, as you radiate further out, those towns are trying to one-up each other with putting things further-and-further away from the curb. A Giant Eagle Market District was insanely far from the curb, with a christmas-black-friday-thanksgiving-easter-hurricane-sandy proof amount of parking in front of the building. However, near 82/Pearl, Strongsville is building a few buildings near the curb... Also, those towns don't have grid streets, but cul-de-sacs and windy developments for residential. So, outside of rush-hour, I'm not sure ridership you could attract. Its unwalkable, things are very far, non-dense, building set-backs, things aren't entirely on-the-way...

 

Also, park&ride was incredibly fast... Tower City, I-71S to Strongsville Park&Ride at the turnpike, was 15-20ish minutes. The rider that sat next to me said that the bus has a very special trick for going downtown in the mornings to avoid the worst of traffic, and they do some non-intuitive looping to attack downtown from a different angle than the majority of traffic, isolating it from morning gridlock. The bus travelled many miles, but had many riders. But for the most part, many miles between people getting off.

 

So:

- Allow/encourage towns outside of Cuyahoga county to buy-in to RTA. Might want to have an RTA planner made available to towns, to advocate for "smart growth", as a consultant. If you make this change to your design, you'll have a non-fugly looking town AND, it will be walkable, and compatible to transit.

- Come up with a non-paper auto-reloadable fare-card. So that I can set it to auto-refill, and never have to worry about these travel woes. Plastic, keep in wallet, tap-n-pay.

- I should carry cash and a roll of quarters in my backpack

 

At the office, we just got a new co-worker from France, and he looked at the RTA website, and the fares section says that a "smart card" is coming soon. I said, if I had a guess, that a section like that has been on the website since Y2K.

^Happily, web site improvements (especially the practical "how to ride" stuff) are likely on the way, due in part to our complaints here and JeTDoG[/member] 's attention. There is a separate thread on that. Clarifying the county line surcharge policy sounds like another thing to add to that list.

 

The need for modern fare media is something RTA knows about, and it really does sound like they are working towards it, with progress in the not too distant future. We all agree it's long overdue. RTA is likely still being hurt by its atrociously executed fare machine upgrade 8 years ago.

 

Interesting thought about making RTA expertise available to outer county suburbia, but I think the land use you observed goes hand in hand with a broad indifference to transit by all but a few residents out there, so not sure it would do much.

And mobile fare cards through Passport will start their pilot next month, so that should alleviate some of those issues.

Good report, peterdietz. I can tell you that in the last couple of years RTA has made pitches to the collar counties to buy in to RTA, but they've yet to do so. Some independent bus transportation companies have also made pitches in recent years to the collar counties to run their existing transit as well as provide express buses to downtown Cleveland. Officials in Lorain and Medina counties have yet to bite on these overtures.

TransitCenter analysis: Most city dwellers are near transit, but few are near good transit

 

http://www.streetsblog.net/2016/06/10/many-americans-live-near-transit-but-few-live-close-to-good-transit/