May 11, 20187 yr Author The city can do a number of things to wring out value from their existing assets and/or spend political capital to seek a sales/property tax but they choose not to for lack of political will. These are obviously not slam dunks, but they could do this.... A 20-year, $2.25 billion bond issue at 2.5% would require about $144 million per year Increasing rail route mileage from 37 to 111 could require new operating costs of about $70 million per year A 1-cent county-wide sales or comparable-scale property tax could generate about $182 million per year The current sin tax that is about to expire generates about $25 million per year TOTAL REVENUES FROM THESE SOURCES ARE ABOUT $207 million per year ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL SOURCES COULD COME FROM: Replacing multiple bus routes with higher capacity streetcars could save $$ millions per year Replacing park-n-ride bus routes (GCRTA and Laketran) with rail extensions could save $2 million to $4 million per year Leasing parking in Cleveland could generate about $92 million up front and $3 million per year Tax Increment Financing & Transportation Improvement Districts could provide additional millions per year Advertising, sponsorships and other revenues could provide hundreds of thousands of dollars per year "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 11, 20187 yr ^^That has to be part of a master plan. But with going on 60 years of regional stagnation and continual population decline in Cuyahoga County, we may not see it happen for some time...
May 11, 20187 yr Author 111 miles is such a specific number. Surely that came from somewhere, a pie-in-the-sky master plan? Anybody have a clue what that would encompass? It's in NOACA's master plan I forgot about traffic signal priority. Still waiting on that fantasy. Why is something that's common in other cities a fantasy? Cleveland doesn't do it because it favors cars over transit. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 11, 20187 yr 111 miles is such a specific number. Surely that came from somewhere, a pie-in-the-sky master plan? Anybody have a clue what that would encompass? It's in NOACA's master plan I forgot about traffic signal priority. Still waiting on that fantasy. Why is something that's common in other cities a fantasy? Cleveland doesn't do it because it favors cars over transit. Cleveland moves backwards on everything. No signal priority for the HL and now no POP. It is just a bus now. And everyone should refer to it as such.
May 11, 20187 yr 111 miles is such a specific number. Surely that came from somewhere, a pie-in-the-sky master plan? Anybody have a clue what that would encompass? They're just taking 37 and tripling it. In other words, 'We'll triple our rail infrastructure".
May 11, 20187 yr 111 miles is such a specific number. Surely that came from somewhere, a pie-in-the-sky master plan? Anybody have a clue what that would encompass? They're just taking 37 and tripling it. In other words, 'We'll triple our rail infrastructure". math
May 11, 20187 yr 111 miles is such a specific number. Surely that came from somewhere, a pie-in-the-sky master plan? Anybody have a clue what that would encompass? They're just taking 37 and tripling it. In other words, 'We'll triple our rail infrastructure". So... no further thought was put into it and no expansion plans exist.
May 11, 20187 yr Regarding the traffic signal fiasco, wasn't there some higher-up business or Cleveland Clinic leader(s) preventing the technology from being implemented. I could have sworn I heard something to that effect.
May 11, 20187 yr Author 111 miles is such a specific number. Surely that came from somewhere, a pie-in-the-sky master plan? Anybody have a clue what that would encompass? They're just taking 37 and tripling it. In other words, 'We'll triple our rail infrastructure". So... no further thought was put into it and no expansion plans exist. Only two or three rail expansion plans are still "fresh" -- ie: five years old or less: > Red Line extension to Euclid -- 5.3 miles > Blue Line extension to Highland Hills/North Randall -- 2 miles > West Shore Corridor to Westlake/Lorain -- 8/25 miles So that could nearly double the rail system. Several other rail expansions studied/planned in the pat 20 years would add much more: > Waterfront II/Downtown Loop -- 2 miles > Southeast Corridor to Aurora -- 23 miles > Southwest Corridor to Car Rental/Berea -- 3 miles > CAC Corridor (Cleveland-Akron-Canton) -- 60 miles "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 11, 20187 yr I was gonna say....it would make sense for the blue line to go down Northfield to north Randall. With the amazon facility, the jack casino, southpointe hospital there are reasons to take that train down there
May 11, 20187 yr Amazon would love it if the Blue Line extended out to Randall and the Red Line extended to Euclid. Having their facilities connected to more people and potential employees would work to their favor. Heck, Bezos has enough money to just pay for it himself or at least give out an interest free loan for it to get done!
May 11, 20187 yr Author I was gonna say....it would make sense for the blue line to go down Northfield to north Randall. With the amazon facility, the jack casino, southpointe hospital there are reasons to take that train down there The Blue Line could also turn eastward along the former Erie-Lackawanna/Conrail railroad line to Solon and possibly to Geauga Lake that will be redeveloped with a large mixed use development. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 11, 20187 yr Regarding the traffic signal fiasco, wasn't there some higher-up business or Cleveland Clinic leader(s) preventing the technology from being implemented. I could have sworn I heard something to that effect. Could it be working but only in certain areas? I consistently see the signal at E12th change it’s normal pattern to accommodate the healthline. ?
May 11, 20187 yr My understanding was that the Blue Line has been effectively blocked off by a new parking garage.
May 12, 20187 yr Regarding the traffic signal fiasco, wasn't there some higher-up business or Cleveland Clinic leader(s) preventing the technology from being implemented. I could have sworn I heard something to that effect. Could it be working but only in certain areas? I consistently see the signal at E12th change it’s normal pattern to accommodate the healthline. ? The HealthLine’s signal priority has been back on for years. It’s not active at major intersections like E 9 & E 55th, but it is at most other places.
May 12, 20187 yr Has that garage been built yet? I thought it was part of a later phase. That's correct. There is currently nothing blocking a blue line extension.
May 12, 20187 yr Has that garage been built yet? I thought it was part of a later phase. That's correct. There is currently nothing blocking a blue line extension. Good. So let's cancel the garage plan. Let's go ahead and take that right off the table because we understand the importance of expanding our transit network. And let's put some guidelines in place at RTA to make sure nothing so foolish ever gets this far again. Here in Cleveland, we don't even consider blocking our rail lines. That would be absurd.
May 12, 20187 yr I'd rather see the blue line tunnel under the intersection, making whether the garage is built or not a moot point. I can't imagine what a mess crossing the rail line diagonally through a major four-way intersection would be. But, you know, capital costs and all that.
May 17, 20187 yr I find it amazing but not surprising that there is absolutely no mention of the Little Italy Rapid Station in these articles... https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/05/street_resurfacing_will_snarl.html
May 30, 20187 yr Author Opportunity Corridor construction progress photos, mostly focusing on the new RTA station, were posted today at: https://www.urbanohio.com/forum/index.php/topic,2267.msg916422.html#msg916422 Here's one of the photos, showing work progressing on the expanded East 105th-Quincy station and new East 105th bridge over the RTA-NS-CSX tracks.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 2, 20187 yr Author Booming Columbus would love to have the legacy transit infrastructure that Cleveland media and elected leaders are debating whether to rebuild or neglect to death.... https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/06/01/downtown-cleveland-s-commuter-options-drive.amp.html?__twitter_impression=true "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 2, 20187 yr I don't doubt they would love to have the Rapid lines and something like Tower City connecting it all, but that article was just marketing fluff. "SPONSORED CONTENT BY DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND ALLIANCE"
June 3, 20187 yr I'm never going to understand how the most TOD ready site, Superior station just goes underdeveloped, it is surrounded by houses that could use redevelopment and shopping that's past its expiration date. Mixed use would kill. It's easily the site with the most TOD potential.
June 3, 20187 yr East Cleveland likely wouldn't be able to provide the necessary services/infrastructure/support/etc.
June 3, 20187 yr Author I don't doubt they would love to have the Rapid lines and something like Tower City connecting it all, but that article was just marketing fluff. "SPONSORED CONTENT BY DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND ALLIANCE" Yes, all the more reason why we need to take care of what we have, not just promote it to other city. If all we do is use our rail/transit system as PR but don't actually come up with money to rebuild it and to develop around it, then that is a misallocation of effort. Perhaps we should be promoting it more to our own community (especially its leaders) and less to other communities. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 4, 20187 yr East Cleveland likely wouldn't be able to provide the necessary services/infrastructure/support/etc. Logical. I wonder if Cleveland ever is forced to take over Cleveland would we see swift interest in these sites.
June 4, 20187 yr It's possible. Right now I would imagine East Cleveland is seen as far to risky to try to work in or work with. If Cleveland annexed it, it would probably take some time to get things to relative stability but, given the proximity to University Circle, I'd think development would happen.
June 4, 20187 yr I'm sure the city's dysfunction is an additional headwind, but even aside from that, seem pretty unlikely market rents in that area are anywhere close to high enough support medium/high density new construction without massive subsidy.
June 4, 20187 yr East Cleveland likely wouldn't be able to provide the necessary services/infrastructure/support/etc. Logical. I wonder if Cleveland ever is forced to take over Cleveland would we see swift interest in these sites. I assume you left out an "East". I doubt it. We'd be replacing "dysfunctional" with "somewhat less dysfunctional". Plus, it would go to the back of the redevelopment line. Other parts of the city have some forward momentum and the current powers-that-be will prefer to keep them moving so they can take/keep credit.
June 4, 20187 yr It's possible. Right now I would imagine East Cleveland is seen as far to risky to try to work in or work with. If Cleveland annexed it, it would probably take some time to get things to relative stability but, given the proximity to University Circle, I'd think development would happen. I'm not so sure, I suspect the OC area is ahead of it in line due to the proximity of the Clinic as well.
June 4, 20187 yr It's possible. Right now I would imagine East Cleveland is seen as far to risky to try to work in or work with. If Cleveland annexed it, it would probably take some time to get things to relative stability but, given the proximity to University Circle, I'd think development would happen. I'm not so sure, I suspect the OC area is ahead of it in line due to the proximity of the Clinic as well. I think we'd be looking at different type of redevelopment along OC vs. Euclid Avenue in East Cleveland.
June 4, 20187 yr It's possible. Right now I would imagine East Cleveland is seen as far to risky to try to work in or work with. If Cleveland annexed it, it would probably take some time to get things to relative stability but, given the proximity to University Circle, I'd think development would happen. I'm not so sure, I suspect the OC area is ahead of it in line due to the proximity of the Clinic as well. I think we'd be looking at different type of redevelopment along OC vs. Euclid Avenue in East Cleveland. Truth, but there's only so many dollars.
June 4, 20187 yr On the Healthline today. It’s ridiculous enough that our transit cops’ racism has killed POP but the driver of the bus I’m on is accepting cash fares info the fare box, rather than making then use the machines, which apparently were working just fine where I boarded (East 2nd), which slows things down further.
June 4, 20187 yr On the Healthline today. It’s ridiculous enough that our transit cops’ racism has killed POP but the driver of the bus I’m on is accepting cash fares info the fare box, rather than making then use the machines, which apparently were working just fine where I boarded (East 2nd), which slows things down further. RTA is intent on ruining the one good thing they had done. They've turned a decent BRT into a just a regular bus and they don't care. They should just make it POP with random checks by the driver. This isn't rocket science.
June 4, 20187 yr On the Healthline today. It’s ridiculous enough that our transit cops’ racism has killed POP but the driver of the bus I’m on is accepting cash fares info the fare box, rather than making then use the machines, which apparently were working just fine where I boarded (East 2nd), which slows things down further. At that point making them use the machines would take longer, wouldn't it? They're standing there, they have the cash, there's a box right in front of them. The whole BRT/POP thing was never going to work well using the fare machines RTA chose to purchase. That was a devastating error and we're still paying for it.
June 10, 20187 yr RTA chief Joe Calabrese plans to retire in 2020 CLEVELAND, Ohio - Joe Calabrese says he plans to retire as head of the Regional Transit Authority at the end of February 2020, when his current contract runs out. Calabrese told his board about his retirement plans a year ago, well before a sharp cut in sales tax receipts last summer and two recent scandals about RTA healthcare. Despite these setbacks, trustees praise Calabrese for delivering vital services frugally. "We've got wheels on the buses because of Joe Calabrese," says trustee Georgine Welo, also South Euclid's mayor. Last year, in his most recent evaluation, board members rated Calabrese at 4.64 on a scale up to 5. They gave him a perfect score in the category of financial management. His lowest score was 4.25 for attracting riders, whose numbers have fallen for years. https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/06/rta_chief_joe_calabrese_plans.html
June 10, 20187 yr Author It's been known for years that Joe would retire in 2020. There was even some speculation he could be forced out before then. BTW, I have a 5-year-old son. That's enough to keep me busy. But thanks anyway. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 22, 20186 yr Author Rider Alert: Three-week West Side shutdown of Cleveland RTA Red Line rail service between Puritas and W. 117th Street... https://t.co/4dXp43boUL "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 22, 20186 yr Rider Alert: Three-week West Side shutdown of Cleveland RTA Red Line rail service between Puritas and W. 117th Street... https://t.co/4dXp43boUL At least they're maintaining it....
June 22, 20186 yr Author Yep. This is due to NOACA funneling $45 million in flexible transportation funds to GCRTA to rebuild the west side Red Line, including the remaining tracks to/through Tower City station. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 6, 20186 yr Author These RTA changes could impact your weekend plans https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/these-rta-changes-could-impact-your-weekend-plans "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 24, 20186 yr Joe Calabrese is out https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2018/07/24/rta-board-votes-to-boot-joe-calabrese-transition-him-to-senior-advisory-role The Board also passed a motion to support drafting language for a possible levy this November
July 24, 20186 yr Author RTA News: July 24, 2018: RTA Board, CEO agree to accelerate leadership transition. Joseph Calabrese to Remain CEO and General Manager until September 1, then Assume Advisory Role http://www.riderta.com/news/july-24-2018-rta-board-ceo-agree-accelerate-leadership-transition "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 25, 20186 yr Author Yes. RTA had become atrophied under his leadership. There was a time when RTA needed to a dose of financial reality and stop building beyond its means. Calabrese offered that, along with professional, apolitical management. But in recent years Calabrese took "living within its means" too far, by constantly shrinking as his taxbase shrunk. He continued to beat the drum for more state fundingeven as the state refused to listen. He needed to expand his revenue base either by expanding his service area, diversifying his revenue stream or creating new revenue streams including new taxes. Instead he considered public revelations of the transit agency's physical and fiscal conditions a kind of weakness. He would rather wither on the vine than plead for water. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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