@jam40jeff, I think you hit the nail on the head, as it's a simple Javascript function that triggers the alert box, so a pop-up blocker might interfere with that.

 

Insofar as not considering the map to be printed material, well, it is. There's still a number of folks, believe it or not, who don't use computers as their primary information source, and the Authority can't just abandon them in a shift to all-digital (or even primarily digital) production. ". People on this site draw lines on maps, with labels, all the time" is a spurious, apples-to-oranges argument. I don't believe I've ever seen anyone on here draw a system map, with all of its included information, in a format that is also easily, usably printable.

 

Regarding the statement, "It's not common for an organization's website to state that google's information is more current than its own."; first off, that's not what was said, because we're actually looking at OUTPUTS, not INPUTS. They're all based on the same input information, one (the printed/PDF product) just lags the other (Google).

 

Secondly, while it may not be common for an organization to STATE such, I think the actual occurrence of such a circumstance might be more common than you think. In that respect, I'll take the side of honesty, clarity, and forthrightness in ensuring that people understand that a document primarily intended for print output might not reflect a reality that changes more quickly than the print product can.

JeTDog, I understand that it's a pain to change the on line system map often, but I humbly suggest that if there are massive service changes that go into affect, as there have been on a few dates over the past few years, RTA should muster the resources to update the on line materials closer to real-time.  In other words, even if you didn't update the map more frequently, just timing the updates to the largest service changes would be a big help.

@StrapHanger, your suggestion is absolutely reasonable, and on that matter, I am 100% in agreement. I'm certain we will strive to do a better job coordinating service changes and and print material production in the future -- it's a common-sense approach that ensures the most efficient use of what resources we have.

 

On a semi-related note, something we have started doing lately to try to keep our print materials relevant for a longer period of time, while driving people to our electronic resources, is postings signs that provide general frequency & span-of-service information, with QR codes offering links to the detailed schedules. You can find examples of this at many of our Park-N-Ride lots, and on the Rapid. Let us know what you think!

 

Further implementations of QR codes will be forthcoming, and if anyone has an innovative use they can suggest, I'm all ears!

Good news on RTA ridership...

 

Comparing April 2011 to April 2010...

* Heavy rail up 18 percent

* Light rail up 5 percent

 

Comparing year-to-date, Jan-April, 2011 to 2010...

* HealthLine up 3.5 percent

* Heavy rail up 11 percent

* Light rail up 1 percent

* Total rail up 7.7 percent

 

Average weekday ridership is up 2 percent, or 3,367 trips per day, compared to last year. This is the highest average daily ridership has been since 2009.

 

Total Rapid Transit ridership increased by 13.5 percent in April. This is the highest rail ridership since 2007. Daily average ridership on the rail system grew by 16 percent. Nearly 4,000 more customers rode the Rapid daily than last April.

 

Trolley ridership in April was 87,885; an increase of 5%, or 4,203 more rides than last April.  Average daily trolley ridership was 4,185 rides.

 

3,022 bikes were boarded in April...an 8.3 percent increase over last year. Year-to-date bike related trips are 7,391.

^ Thanks for those numbers! Great stuff to hear!

Thanks! Why was bus ridership not listed? Is it not doing as well?

Awesome news!! Love those trains!!

TV-5 aired a good story on the opening of the Puritas Station

 

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/new-rta-rapid-station-to-be-dedicated-tuesday

Why was bus ridership not listed? Is it not doing as well?

 

Only ridership highlights were listed above. We are seeing an increase in these areas. Bus ridership has not quite rebounded yet.

Wow, I didn't realize they were including free monitored overnight parking for those who wish to take the Rapid to the airport.  That should really get some people to take the Rapid who otherwise wouldn't.

Is American Greetings' recent locational decision an opportunity to anchor transit services along Detroit Ave and/or I-90 with a new node of workweek demand? Even, perhaps BRT or similar enhancements to the RoWs?

Good idea Joe Pepper.  This is a great opportunity to link downtown, Lakewood (where many employees live) and Westlake. 

Wanted to say how much I appreciate and envy the great transit system Cleveland has. As you all have heard me state, I live in Charlotte, for now. I was born and raised I Cleveland though.

 

Charlotte's transit system is very deficient. They have one light rail line that opened about three years ago. Nice train, nice development along the transit line. But that's all the rail they have. Nothing to the airport. Nothing running around their downtown.

 

Charlotte does have a bus system but it has faced cutbacks due to funding.

 

GCRTA may not be the best transit system in the country, right now. Of course it does have it's flaws. But the fact the Greater Cleveland has accessible rail and BRT is such an asset. You don't realize how nice that is until you leave and come to a city like Charlotte.

 

I, for one, am very envious of the transit system Greater Cleveland has. I appreciate the work RTA does and I hope RTA continues to develop rapid/light rail transportation options in the future.

 

Thanks GCRTA!!

Please share that idea with those leading the WestShore Corridor Transportation Project:

 

http://www.facebook.com/ridewestshore

 

http://www.ridewestshore.com/

 

We also have a WestShore thread here in the transit section of UO.

I dont understand how there has been almost no development along the rapid lines

There's been a few scattered projects (Chicle Apartments/Townhouses in Cudell, Avalon Station Lofts in Shaker Hts, plus Coltman 27, Circle 118 & Uptown in University Circle etc), but certainly not a big wave like in other cities. I attribute that to:

 

+ Lack of interest/understanding/will by most developers and municipalities for aggressively pursuing TOD;

+ Many cities that have aggressively pursued TOD around rail stations have done so because of a public demand to avoid serious traffic problems. Cleveland's traffic problems pale by comparison;

+ Gas prices are certainly a motivating factor for people to live near rail stations, but when gas prices spiked the last time (in 2008), there was little or no credit/financing available for such projects and the credit markets still have not fully recovered;

+ Lack of development-ready sites at/near train stations. Most rail lines are either in fully developed communities (Shaker Hts, West Park etc) or are along freight railroad corridors where lots of abandoned/vacated industrial properties have serious environmental contamination problems. It's hard enough to get financing for a development project on clean-n-green sites.

 

That's my take.

 

I dont understand how there has been almost no development along the rapid lines

 

Like where/what were you thinking?

EcoVillage?

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/05/plans_for_an_rta_station_in_li.html

 

Plans for an RTA station in Little Italy: Whatever happened to ...?

Published: Sunday, May 22, 2011, 5:30 PM

  By Tom Breckenridge, The Plain Dealer

^For once, the PD is actually keeping the spotlight on a much-needed rail project... this is a welcome sight, indeed.

 

^^ I would add the 6-year old Sussex Court, on Chagrin Ave., in Shaker Heights as another rare recent example of Cleveland-area TOD.  Their literature has always pitched SC's high-density townhouses' proximity to the RTA Blue Line's Farnsleigh station as a basis for its construction and appeal.

Also the Avalon Station develpment in Shaker.  But I agree with KJP's overall point that we're not seeing enough of it, and his reasons why.  It seems clear that city leaders and developers are not grasping some of the basic concepts.  You can tell by what they've tried to build near Rapid stations recently.  EcoVillage was a particularly lame attempt.  TOD doesn't usually mean tiny cottages, certainly not at 65th and Lorain.  St. Luke's Point was another wasted opportunity.  Vaguely suburban for-sale units, plus a large historic conversion set aside for the elderly.  Not exactly the makings of a happening neighborhood. 

In the current environment, traditional federal funding for this project will be almost impossible.  That said, it is too important for the city and it must go forward.  UCI and the other institutions in the area need to step to plate and get creative.  I don't care if that means holding 10,000 bake sales...the $$ has to be found.

 

Did see where the UC station got another 2 mil yesterday and construction bidding is to begin in the fall (although I had thought it was already fully funded and construction was to begin this summer).  This probably means that construction will not begin until next spring.

RTA introduces its newest and greenest equipment yet: the Segway.

 

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1588

Urban Land Institute (ULI) presents HealthLine with Award for Excellence

 

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1589

RTA wins national safety award for second year in a row

 

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1587

Congratulations, RTA!

Great news for RTA

Cant wait to see the comments once the Plain Dealer picks up the story  :drunk:

RTA introduces its newest and greenest equipment yet: the Segway.

 

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1588

 

Wouldn't a bicycle have been a lot simpler and cheaper?

I think Segways are goofy. The few times I've seen someone riding one, I get a little chuckle because they strike me as so odd. I keep picturing George Jetson riding on one with Orbit in hot pursuit.

RTA introduces its newest and greenest equipment yet: the Segway.

 

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1588

 

Wouldn't a bicycle have been a lot simpler and cheaper?

Or if they're too lazy to pedal, an E-Bike would still be much cheaper than a Segway.

 

I think Segways are goofy. The few times I've seen someone riding one, I get a little chuckle because they strike me as so odd. I keep picturing George Jetson riding on one with Orbit in hot pursuit.

Orbit?

Orbit?

 

I assume he meant Astro.

 

Orbit?

 

I assume he meant Astro.

 

 

Well, the maintenance guy was named Henry Orbit, maybe that's who he meant!

 

 

 

Nope, Astro.

 

Thanks for the correction.

Yesterday, we hopped over the river on the Red Line to Ohio City's bustling district for dining drinks @ GLBC, ABC and others... unfortunately, the W.25/Ohio City Rapid station was not a pleasant part of an otherwise great afternoon (btw, the Rapid ride, itself, was fine).... The Station, with no AC or circulation was about 100+ degrees (it was 90 outside).  It felt like a car w/ the windows up on a hot day.  If you can't have AC, why not some fans, at least?  Philly and New York do this at their subway stations.... I'm sure others do as well... and to add insult to injury, my friend noticed an air conditioner cranking away on the top of the station... for what?  Cooling the sealed-up fare collector's booth?  it surely wasn't to cool off the station... For a transit system constantly strained for cash, this seems like a huge waste.

 

... then there's the elevator.  The narrow stairs were so crowded (I'm happy for RTA for this, at least) that we decided to take the elevator... Big mistake!  The thing reeked with urine odor.  there even appeared to be standing urine in the corner of the car... we had to steay one heavy-set lady who appeared about to pass out from the stench.  Fortunately the torturous ride up didn't take too long, and we all welcomed the hot air from the station... at least it didn't stink....

 

Ohio City is one of our jewel neighborhoods we want to attract city/suburban folks to; even tourists.  We're fortunate that it's transit friendly and highly walkable... RTA, though, needs to do its part; and the W.25 station as it exists is currently a black-eye in the face of all that's positive about Ohio City.

 

^I agree. My experiences with the Ohio City Rapid station have not been that pleasant. It would be nice to see a new one get built, one like they are building at other stations.

Mopping would be another possibilty, one that's cheaper than building a new station.  The older stations wouldn't be so bad if not for the constant urine issues.  I'm sure RTA thinks it's saving money by not having any bathrooms in them, not even at Tower City which is ridiculous, but how much ridership and funding is lost by associating RTA with the smell of piss?  In that sense toilets might pay for themselves.

^I agree. My experiences with the Ohio City Rapid station have not been that pleasant. It would be nice to see a new one get built, one like they are building at other stations.

 

Actually it would be nice if they just did a little maintenance.  There are many other stations that need to be completely replaced.  Brookpark, and most East Side stations...

The Ohio City station was the first of the original Red Line stations to be replaced, which was done in the early 90s. The 20-year-old station is starting to show premature age because of the maintenance issues. The rust, lack of cleanliness, etc is certainly causing the station to age before it's time.

Yesterday, we hopped over the river on the Red Line to Ohio City's bustling district for dining drinks @ GLBC, ABC and others... unfortunately, the W.25/Ohio City Rapid station was not a pleasant part of an otherwise great afternoon (btw, the Rapid ride, itself, was fine).... The Station, with no AC or circulation was about 100+ degrees (it was 90 outside).  It felt like a car w/ the windows up on a hot day.  If you can't have AC, why not some fans, at least?  Philly and New York do this at their subway stations.... I'm sure others do as well... and to add insult to injury, my friend noticed an air conditioner cranking away on the top of the station... for what?  Cooling the sealed-up fare collector's booth?  it surely wasn't to cool off the station... For a transit system constantly strained for cash, this seems like a huge waste.

...

Ohio City is one of our jewel neighborhoods we want to attract city/suburban folks to; even tourists.  We're fortunate that it's transit friendly and highly walkable... RTA, though, needs to do its part; and the W.25 station as it exists is currently a black-eye in the face of all that's positive about Ohio City.

 

 

the heat issue could be partially solved by installing a few vents or operable windows in at the top of the atriums - this would allow the hot air to flow out.  they could also install a film that either had some white lines or dots that would reflect a lot of the energy away from the structure, but transparent enough so that you could still see inside.

The Ohio City station was the first of the original Red Line stations to be replaced, which was done in the early 90s. The 20-year-old station is starting to show premature age because of the maintenance issues. The rust, lack of cleanliness, etc is certainly causing the station to age before it's time.

 

The same can be said about the West Blvd station. It's really hard for me to imagine that this station is only 12 years old! There are broken tiles on the floor and rust stains are dripping all over the place. Last summer the automatic doors were broken for 5-6 months with yellow tape over them. It looks like the building hasn't been touched in decades and the rust on the white walls is just disgusting. It's sad that millions of dollars are spent on rebuilding these stations, but yet the simple (and extremely cheap) act of having someone spend 2 hours to clean the rust every couple months or put in a new tile when one breaks makes these buildings look like 5 million dollar dumps.

 

I'm not sure if it's because this is not a "destination" station that it doesn't get the simple needed attention it deserves, but a humorous anecdote to a West Blvd rapid experience:

 

I was coming home after a trip and landed at CLE. I always just take the rapid home (one of the best conveniences of living next to a red line station) But I boarded at a very late evening hour with just a couple other people and one off duty RTA employee. When I started to stand up when the train approached the West Blvd station, the RTA employee yelled over to me:

 

"Don't get off here!"

 

I was quite startled and thought something bad was happening outside. So I said, "What's wrong?"

 

"Downtown isn't for a few more stops!"

 

me: "Oh, but I live here"

 

She had this bizarre look on her face, almost shock that someone would actually take the rapid home from the airport who lived in Cleveland.

 

I guess it's good that she thought she was "looking out" for a tourist who might be getting off at the wrong stop. But how someone could confuse the West Blvd station with downtown Cleveland is bewildering.

Did anyone report these issue to RTA?

Couldn't figure out how to enter a post on a new subject so hope you will all forgive my jumping in on this thread.  For at least two months I have observed something stupid regarding a certain 26 bus and wonder why it hasn't been reported and if so, remedied.  The recorded announcement when the door opens is supposed to let blind people know what bus it is, right?  Well, this 26 bus, number 3005, appears at the East 12th and Superior stop westbound every day at 3:15 (and probably several other times too) and the recorded announcement says "263 bus, Great Northern Park and Ride".  It isn't even one of the Park and Ride highway coaches,  I can imagine the driver constantly having to tell obviously blind customers that it isn't really the 263 but does inner city Detroit Avenue.  I'm sure he has to have reported it.  What happened? 

Here's an advertisement for transit. This young lady was applying makeup on her commute this morning on the Red Line coming into downtown Cleveland from the West Side. When someone is running late, would you rather have this happen while driving or on transit? Yes, transit is safer is driving!!

 

And likely she wont be taking transit again since there seem to be random pervs taking pictures of her..... :evil:

And likely she wont be taking transit again since there seem to be random pervs taking pictures of her..... :evil:

 

I don't know if the photographer knew her or not.

 

EDIT: the photographer, even if he didn't know her, probably had her phone number before they arrived downtown. Yes, he's one of THOSE guys.

Did anyone report these issues to RTA?

 

I just did. I have been out of the office for a few weeks and just catching up on the posts now. Original posts on the W. 25th St. Station and the West Blvd. Station have been forwarded verbatim.

 

Remember, posting on this list may be great for on-line conversation, but changes will not occur until they are reported to RTA. There are channels for this on the Web site, and you are free to let me know, as well. Thanks.

Did anyone report these issues to RTA?

 

I just did. I have been out of the office for a few weeks and just catching up on the posts now. Original posts on the W. 25th St. Station and the West Blvd. Station have been forwarded verbatim.

 

Remember, posting on this list may be great for on-line conversation, but changes will not occur until they are reported to RTA. There are channels for this on the Web site, and you are free to let me know, as well. Thanks.

 

Thanks Jerry!

I am glad they have been reported, but seriously RTA should not need to be notified by the random public of the large-scale issues at these stations.  The Cudell station issues are plainly obvious to RTA staff who pass through there.  The broken sliding door for 6 months seemed excessively long, didn't it?

 

On the other hand, perhaps they prioritize repairs based on the number of complaints, so the particularly bad issues should be reported frequently.  Who knows.

I am glad they have been reported, but seriously RTA should not need to be notified by the random public of the large-scale issues at these stations.  The Cudell station issues are plainly obvious to RTA staff who pass through there.  The broken sliding door for 6 months seemed excessively long, didn't it?

 

On the other hand, perhaps they prioritize repairs based on the number of complaints, so the particularly bad issues should be reported frequently.  Who knows.

 

Yes thats the absurd part, as if RTA wouldnt notice these blaring things unless it is reported...