It's been a fun few weeks for the RTA press secretary.

 

I can't help but wonder if this is why the Rapid has been stopping after 12:30 lately, as well...

It's been a fun few weeks for the RTA press secretary.

 

I can't help but wonder if this is why the Rapid has been stopping after 12:30 lately, as well...

 

When was it running after 12:30 a.m.?

http://www.riderta.com/newsroom/releases/?listingid=1821, shooting update

It's been a fun few weeks for the RTA press secretary.

 

I can't help but wonder if this is why the Rapid has been stopping after 12:30 lately, as well...

 

When was it running after 12:30 a.m.?

 

Pretty sure it went till 2?

http://www.riderta.com/usercontent/file/2013-Transmittal-Letter-COMPLETE-with-cover&signature.pdf

 

This is a link to the Budget Transmittal letter, which went to the Board last week. It is loaded with facts and figures. Enjoy.

My girlfriend was riding the rapid "eastbound  E. 116 right before Shaker" at 3pm today and a kid stole her phone out of her hand and ran off the train with it. She deactivated it already, and I asked if she reported it to RTA police but don't know if she did yet. She posted this on FB and another girl responded that a teenager tried to grab her iPhone out of her hand as she was walking just west of shaker square last week but they didn't get it and ran off. I wonder if this is the same kid or just what all the cool kids are doing now.

My girlfriend was riding the rapid "eastbound  E. 116 right before Shaker" at 3pm today and a kid stole her phone out of her hand and ran off the train with it. She deactivated it already, and I asked if she reported it to RTA police but don't know if she did yet. She posted this on FB and another girl responded that a teenager tried to grab her iPhone out of her hand as she was walking just west of shaker square last week but they didn't get it and ran off. I wonder if this is the same kid or just what all the cool kids are doing now.

 

I was on a WB HealthLine bus near East 30th at maybe 9 p.m. last spring. A woman forgot her purse on the bus, so a good Samaritan brought it up to the front of the bus and handed it to the bus driver. The driver placed the purse on the dashboard. At the East 30th stop, a guy went up to the front of the bus to get off, grabbed the purse and ran out the door. By the time the bus driver got his seatbelt unbuckled, the thief was long gone. Unfortunately, the driver had to fill out a report with the RTA cops at the scene, so we all got off and had to wait for the next bus. It's the only theft I've ever witnessed on transit.

 

Pretty sure it went till 2?

 

That was back in the late-1990s on Friday and Saturday nights only. RTA tried it after the Waterfront Line opened to tap the late-night bar crowd in the Flats. But the ridership wasn't that great. So by 2000, the Red Line was moved back to its current 12:30-1 a.m. last trains, and the Blue/Green Lines back to the 12 midnight-12:30 a.m. last trains.

My girlfriend was riding the rapid "eastbound  E. 116 right before Shaker" at 3pm today and a kid stole her phone out of her hand and ran off the train with it. She deactivated it already, and I asked if she reported it to RTA police but don't know if she did yet. She posted this on FB and another girl responded that a teenager tried to grab her iPhone out of her hand as she was walking just west of shaker square last week but they didn't get it and ran off. I wonder if this is the same kid or just what all the cool kids are doing now.

 

That totally stinks.  Unfortunately, I think it's what the kids (or at least some of them) are doing in lots of places these days.  Theft of apple products alone is responsible for a noticeable uptick in crime on the NYC subway after many years of declining crime. http://storify.com/matthurst/iphone-theft-on-the-rise  And I know there have been snatch and runs on the street even in very nice neighborhoods of other cities.  I think I've even seen police advisories warning against using the instantly recognizable white headphones. Totally frustrating.  Makes me wish apple products had exploding dye packs.  FWIW, sometimes police actually do track down the thieves: http://www.macnn.com/articles/12/08/27/incident.cracks.smartphone.theft.ring/

Not sure why it seemed to matter so much that the trash that did the shooting wasn't actually on the bus.  It certainly didn't matter to the riders that got shot, or to those who might be considering riding transit through that or similar areas.

 

It's a cultural disease that the transit agencies can't do much about but can't help impact their ridership, particularly of buses and trains that pass through areas where the disease festers.  Unfortunately, with a downtown-centric system, that's most of them.

Not sure why it seemed to matter so much that the trash that did the shooting wasn't actually on the bus.  It certainly didn't matter to the riders that got shot, or to those who might be considering riding transit through that or similar areas.

 

It's a cultural disease that the transit agencies can't do much about but can't help impact their ridership, particularly of buses and trains that pass through areas where the disease festers.  Unfortunately, with a downtown-centric system, that's most of them.

 

This is why Cleveland and most other cities in the world have a downtown-centric transit system. Because transit requires density (two-thirds of all transit trips begin/end as pedestrians), linear travel corridors (vs scattered origins/destinations for cars) and nodes (typically the only node sufficiently dense to be a ridership anchor for transit is a downtown). And because we invest more in roads, less in transit, and make it difficult for poor people to reach available jobs in a timely manner, most of America's poor is in our urban cores. In many other places of the world that invest heavily in transit, some of the wealthiest people live in the urban cores. So here are some of the few places in Greater Cleveland where residents/workers have a propensity to use transit....

 

http://www.riderta.com/images/stratplan/FigA_TransitPropensity_2550x1650.jpg

I hate oversized graphics.  Cut it down so we don't have to scroll down, over, then back up, then repeat to see the whole thing, please.

Or just post a link.

There's a lot going on at Tuesday's Committee meetings. Here's the agenda.

 

http://www.riderta.com/newsroom/releases/?listingid=1823

My girlfriend was riding the rapid "eastbound  E. 116 right before Shaker" at 3pm today and a kid stole her phone out of her hand and ran off the train with it. She deactivated it already, and I asked if she reported it to RTA police but don't know if she did yet. She posted this on FB and another girl responded that a teenager tried to grab her iPhone out of her hand as she was walking just west of shaker square last week but they didn't get it and ran off. I wonder if this is the same kid or just what all the cool kids are doing now.

HUMMMM.  I don't believe anyone should have their items taken, but when you're not careful, things like this happen.  They are crimes of opportunity.  Why is anyone walking with their cellphone out not paying attention?  I see this every day.  Pay attention people, thieves are looking for people with their guard down.  If you're talking on your phone, have it in your pocket, not your hand.  Thieves KNOW you're preoccupied and immediately label you a target.

 

If you must send a text, email or have a conversation, stop, put your back up to a building (or face the, so you can have 180 degree view, then post your text, email, have a short convo, etc.  ESPECIALLY WOMEN!

Right, it was her fault. She wasn't walking down a crowded street not looking where she was going, she was sitting in her seat on the rapid, using her phone to text like thousands of other people do all day. Maybe she should handcuf herself to her purse too, because if she doesn't and that gets stolen, it's her fault.

 

I'm not saying people shouldn't pay attention to their surroundings but someone grabbing your phone out of your hand just seems crappy to me. If she were reading a book and they grabbed that, was she negligent there as well? Do all female rapid riders need to sit at attention and stare at everyone around them during their whole trip to ensure nobody comes near them?

 

FWIW she did say the RTA police were very nice about it.

Not sure why it seemed to matter so much that the trash that did the shooting wasn't actually on the bus.  It certainly didn't matter to the riders that got shot, or to those who might be considering riding transit through that or similar areas.

 

It's a cultural disease that the transit agencies can't do much about but can't help impact their ridership, particularly of buses and trains that pass through areas where the disease festers.  Unfortunately, with a downtown-centric system, that's most of them.

 

Trash, again you're labeling someone trash?  I don't condone with they did, but calling them trash is not making you any better.  This is close to home as I often take the No. 10 bus to my grand parents house.

 

When you mention areas "where disease festers", are you saying ethnic neighborhoods?

Right, it was her fault. She wasn't walking down a crowded street not looking where she was going, she was sitting in her seat on the rapid, using her phone to text like thousands of other people do all day. Maybe she should handcuf herself to her purse too, because if she doesn't and that gets stolen, it's her fault.

 

I'm not saying people shouldn't pay attention to their surroundings but someone grabbing your phone out of your hand just seems crappy to me. If she were reading a book and they grabbed that, was she negligent there as well? Do all female rapid riders need to sit at attention and stare at everyone around them during their whole trip to ensure nobody comes near them?

 

FWIW she did say the RTA police were very nice about it.

 

Sweetie, stop, just stop.  Don't be so defensive.  DID I SAY YOUR FRIEND ON THE RAPID WAS AT FAULT?  YES OR NO? 

 

I'm speaking in general about people who walk around and are not paying attention and have their phones snatched.  Rich neighborhood, poor neighborhood. Male, female.  Young, Old.  Black, white, Latino.  I see it every day.

 

 

Not sure why it seemed to matter so much that the trash that did the shooting wasn't actually on the bus.  It certainly didn't matter to the riders that got shot, or to those who might be considering riding transit through that or similar areas.

 

It's a cultural disease that the transit agencies can't do much about but can't help impact their ridership, particularly of buses and trains that pass through areas where the disease festers.  Unfortunately, with a downtown-centric system, that's most of them.

 

Trash, again you're labeling someone trash?  I don't condone with they did, but calling them trash is not making you any better.  This is close to home as I often take the No. 10 bus to my grand parents house.

 

When you mention areas "where disease festers", are you saying ethnic neighborhoods?

105th and Ashbury is "disease fester" adjacent.  :-)

 

 

Not sure why it seemed to matter so much that the trash that did the shooting wasn't actually on the bus.  It certainly didn't matter to the riders that got shot, or to those who might be considering riding transit through that or similar areas.

 

It's a cultural disease that the transit agencies can't do much about but can't help impact their ridership, particularly of buses and trains that pass through areas where the disease festers.  Unfortunately, with a downtown-centric system, that's most of them.

 

Trash, again you're labeling someone trash?  I don't condone with they did, but calling them trash is not making you any better.  This is close to home as I often take the No. 10 bus to my grand parents house.

 

When you mention areas "where disease festers", are you saying ethnic neighborhoods?

105th and Ashbury is "disease fester" adjacent.  :-)

 

 

 

I had to laugh, but I dont think the people in those areas would find it funny.  But lets I'm going to say, lets keep this on topic.

DID I SAY YOUR FRIEND ON THE RAPID WAS AT FAULT?  YES OR NO? 

...when you're not careful, things like this happen...

  :?

DID I SAY YOUR FRIEND ON THE RAPID WAS AT FAULT?  YES OR NO? 

...when you're not careful, things like this happen...

  :?

 

Did I specifically say her friend?  Again, I'm speaking in general terms.

^Alright, time for you to settle down and quit jumping on people, mister.

My girlfriend was riding the rapid "eastbound  E. 116 right before Shaker" at 3pm today and a kid stole her phone out of her hand and ran off the train with it. She deactivated it already, and I asked if she reported it to RTA police but don't know if she did yet. She posted this on FB and another girl responded that a teenager tried to grab her iPhone out of her hand as she was walking just west of shaker square last week but they didn't get it and ran off. I wonder if this is the same kid or just what all the cool kids are doing now.

HUMMMM.  I don't believe anyone should have their items taken, but when you're not careful, things like this happen.  They are crimes of opportunity.  Why is anyone walking with their cellphone out not paying attention?  I see this every day.  Pay attention people, thieves are looking for people with their guard down.  If you're talking on your phone, have it in your pocket, not your hand.  Thieves KNOW you're preoccupied and immediately label you a target.

 

If you must send a text, email or have a conversation, stop, put your back up to a building (or face the, so you can have 180 degree view, then post your text, email, have a short convo, etc.  ESPECIALLY WOMEN!

iPhones are, from what I've heard, the biggest object of theft now in New York (and apparently elsewhere, too). You have to  be super-cautious about even taking them out in public. It reminds me of the gold chain snatching epidemic 30 years ago, when people would just grab them from victims' necks, virtually strangling them.

HUMMMM.  I don't believe anyone should have their items taken, but when you're not careful even if you're careful, things like this happen.  They are crimes of opportunity greed.  Why is anyone walking with their cellphone out not paying attention? I see this every day.  Pay attention people, thieves are looking for people with their guard down.  If you're not talking on your phone, have it in your pocket, not your hand.  Thieves KNOW you're preoccupied and immediately label you a target.

 

If you must send a text, email or have a conversation, stop, put your back up to a building (or face the, so you can have 180 degree view, then post your text, email, have a short convo, etc.  ESPECIALLY WOMEN!

 

There, fixed that for you. Victim's gender -- irrelevant. Victim blaming -- unnecessary. Victim's individual behavioral motivation -- not your concern.

HUMMMM.  I don't believe anyone should have their items taken, but when you're not careful even if you're careful, things like this happen.  They are crimes of opportunity greed.  Why is anyone walking with their cellphone out not paying attention? I see this every day.  Pay attention people, thieves are looking for people with their guard down.  If you're not talking on your phone, have it in your pocket, not your hand.  Thieves KNOW you're preoccupied and immediately label you a target.

 

If you must send a text, email or have a conversation, stop, put your back up to a building (or face the, so you can have 180 degree view, then post your text, email, have a short convo, etc.  ESPECIALLY WOMEN!

 

There, fixed that for you. Victim's gender -- irrelevant. Victim blaming -- unnecessary. Victim's individual behavioral motivation -- not your concern.

 

I disagree.  If you want to discuss PM me.

OK, let's get back more on the subject of this thread, which is service and safety issues regarding GCRTA. It has been veering into a debate about people's behaviors. I appreciate the offer made to take those discussions to PM.

OK, let's get back more on the subject of this thread, which is service and safety issues regarding GCRTA. It has been veering into a debate about people's behaviors. I appreciate the offer made to take those discussions to PM.

 

On that note, the operator of the Blue Line train I was on last night did add a "situational awareness" message to his usual departure announcement as we left Tower City. Not sure how many people paid attention, but it's something.

OK, let's get back more on the subject of this thread, which is service and safety issues regarding GCRTA. It has been veering into a debate about people's behaviors. I appreciate the offer made to take those discussions to PM.

 

On that note, the operator of the Blue Line train I was on last night did add a "situational awareness" message to his usual departure announcement as we left Tower City. Not sure how many people paid attention, but it's something.

The operator of the Westbound Redline train out of Tower City last night also added a "situation awareness" message to their usual departure announcement.

Me too, on a Red Line train westbound from Tower City Wednesday evening. BTW, that Red Line train had standees on it -- at 7 p.m.! Very impressive.

I checked the RTA website yesterday to see if the shuttle bus replacements to the airport were in effect yet but didn't see any obvious rider alert. Despite a lack of obvious notice (maybe it was buried somewhere ) the shuttles were operating.

 

Just before Brookpark the conductor announced the shuttle bus procedure. I wish RTA would make this a smooth/seamless connection. After exiting the train (about 5:30 pm) we walked to the shuttle. We all boarded the shuttle and sat in the bus for 10 mins before it departed. All in all, it took about 20 minutes to get off Brookpark to shuttle to airport. I hope RTA can figure out how to make this faster. I understand this is a new procedure, but hopefully they can make it so that the shuttle leaves the moment all the red line riders exit the train and board. I don't see why the shuttle schedule isn't in sync with the red line schedule.

 

I hope the airport shuttle and w 117 shuttle don't overlap. In which RTA should seriously consider express buses between Tower City/Airport for that duration.

^ Thanks for your feedback. The Airport shuttle notice is, and will continue to be, part of the notice on the Web site home page every day. Just click on the message, and it take you right to the information.

 

I will pass along your concerns about the Red Line shuttle schedule.

 

Yes, the work at the Airport and the S-curve may overlap. However, the Airport tunnel work affect only a small percentage of travelers. The large majority will see only the S-curve shuttle.

I checked the RTA website yesterday to see if the shuttle bus replacements to the airport were in effect yet but didn't see any obvious rider alert. Despite a lack of obvious notice (maybe it was buried somewhere ) the shuttles were operating.

 

Just before Brookpark the conductor announced the shuttle bus procedure. I wish RTA would make this a smooth/seamless connection. After exiting the train (about 5:30 pm) we walked to the shuttle. We all boarded the shuttle and sat in the bus for 10 mins before it departed. All in all, it took about 20 minutes to get off Brookpark to shuttle to airport. I hope RTA can figure out how to make this faster. I understand this is a new procedure, but hopefully they can make it so that the shuttle leaves the moment all the red line riders exit the train and board. I don't see why the shuttle schedule isn't in sync with the red line schedule.

 

I hope the airport shuttle and w 117 shuttle don't overlap. In which RTA should seriously consider express buses between Tower City/Airport for that duration.

 

The oversight of the Riders' Alert not being posted has been corrected. The Riders' Alert, with a description and embedded map of where to board the buses, can be found at http://www.riderta.com/ridersalerts/list/?listingid=1830. This same map is also available on the Major Projects page describing the Airport Tunnel project, which can be found at http://www.riderta.com/majorprojects/airporttunnel/.

 

I can also try to address some of your concerns about the timing of the replacement shuttles. Typically, RTA's service changes are put in place on an approximately quarterly basis. As part of that process, operators pick the blocks of work they want to perform for a given quarter -- basically, all runs of all trips on all routes are put into a bucket and sliced into available chunks for operators to pick from, and a given chunk may not consist of work on a single, continuous route.

 

An operator might leave our Hayden garage, deadhead out to Shoregate, perform an inbound run as a #39F as his first trip, and then perform an outbound run on the #11 Quincy - Buckeye. He might then continue doing inbound and outbound trips on the #11 for the rest of the day, and then get a #39F outbound trip from downtown to Shoregate in the afternoon as his last piece of work before deadheading back to the Hayden garage and ending his day. Some operators have traditional weekends off, some have perhaps Tuesday & Saturday, some possibly Thursday & Sunday, some might have a "weekend" that consists of Monday & Friday.

 

I give the long-winded example above as an introduction to what we're going through with replacement shuttles for the Airport Tunnel project. When we have service changes that occur between regularly scheduled "picks", those changes are put in place by means of a "patch". As the name implies, it's basically a best-fit approach using the available resources we have without rejiggering the entire system. If a service change is of a long enough duration that it will affect an upcoming pick, we'll often try to work it into the actual pick setup and allocation of blocks of work. There are very few projects that fit that description, but the Airport Tunnel is definitely one of them.

 

If you look at the upcoming Red Line schedule, http://www.riderta.com/schedules/#rt66, you'll see that the replacement shuttles are scheduled in sync with the departing and arriving Red Line, while allowing sufficient time for all passengers to make a given connection. This, combined with the increased frequency being restored to the line now that the lightning damage has been repaired, should make for a more enjoyable ride.

 

Of course, the biggest enjoyment will be had by everyone once this project is completed. The rehab being done on the tunnel is extensive, and necessary, and should have a very long lifespan.

 

It is our intention that the S-curve rehab will take place within the time the Airport Tunnel is closed. That project will be of a much shorter duration, approximately 4-6 weeks. At this time, there are only bus bridges planned for both project areas.

Here's a pretty cool animation of GCRTA vehicles in motion over a 24-hour period....

 

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=r3yn_BIgi1w

Here's a pretty cool animation of GCRTA vehicles in motion over a 24-hour period....

 

 

I was wondering if they were going to pick up our feed, as I'd already seen some others that they'd done. A neat visual exercise. Oh, KJP, I also "fixed" your link to point to the desktop version of YouTube.

Here is a link to all the presentations from Tuesday's Committee meetings, including one for the new Safety and Security Committee.

 

http://www.riderta.com/newsroom/releases/?listingid=1824

Thanks Jerry. I see RTA has a line item/account called "Rolling Stock Replacement Funds" where $6 million was set aside. How long has RTA been doing this, how long will RTA continue doing this and will the amount likely be the same each year?

OK, let's get back more on the subject of this thread, which is service and safety issues regarding GCRTA. It has been veering into a debate about people's behaviors. I appreciate the offer made to take those discussions to PM.

 

On that note, the operator of the Blue Line train I was on last night did add a "situational awareness" message to his usual departure announcement as we left Tower City. Not sure how many people paid attention, but it's something.

The operator of the Westbound Redline train out of Tower City last night also added a "situation awareness" message to their usual departure announcement.

 

Is this announcement also being made on the Shaker Rapid?  I could catch someone off guard. 

KJP asked about the new Rolling Stock Replacement Fund.

 

In several years, RTA will have to replace a large number of buses. In the past, this kind of purchase was funded 80 percent federal, 20 percent local, but now, the federal share is far from being a sure thing.

 

Obviously, having a reliable fleet of buses is key to the RTA to meet its mission. RTA is putting some money aside each year for the next several  years, so new "rolling stock" can be purchased when it is needed. The life span of a bus is usually considered to be 12 years. After that, more breakdowns occur, and repairs become more costly. That negatively impacts ridership, reliability and on-time performance.

 

Personally, I believe that is a prudent use of taxpayer money, and I am pleased to see it happening.

Interesting. I thought it was the money RTA is setting aside for the replacement of rail equipment. Usually the term "rolling stock" refers to rail equipment. Thanks.

Hmmm, surprised no one has posted about this:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/12/rta_bus_driver_dead_after_cras.html

 

This happened in my neck of the woods.

^  That's sad.  Sounds like he had an attack or something.  Do RTA or any bus drivers need to pass a regular internal physical like pilots before they are allowed to tranport people? 

^yes and every two years they are required to pass DOT physicals.  Sometimes the driver is only given a 6mo DOT card if there are health concerns. 

RTA will operate Sunday/holiday service on:

· Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012

· New Year's Day, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013

 

RTA will operate regular weekday service on:

· Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012

· New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012

 

^  That's sad.  Sounds like he had an attack or something.  Do RTA or any bus drivers need to pass a regular internal physical like pilots before they are allowed to tranport people? 

 

That's what I'm thinking, too.  Scary to this about this being a possibility.

Don't you think its scarier that there are many drivers of cars out there who can experience sudden medical emergencies. And those numbers are likely to go up as the Baby Boomers age further. All things being equal, I'd rather have them on RTA or in senior vans or walking down the street getting exercise than behind the wheel of their own cars. But so many of them, like my parents, are out in suburbs where the sprawling land use makes it difficult to afford providing alternatives to driving.

 

That's why we need a concerted effort to build many, many apartments around RTA and in walkable settings where our seniors can retain their independence and stay safe. Unfortunately, Northeast Ohio's rents don't support significant new construction to quickly accommodate this shift. I urge that interested parties (RTA, City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Division of Senior & Adult Services, Ohio Department of Aging, HUD, Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and many others) to come together to help subsidize housing around its transit system. RTA's contribution could be the land it owns at many stations, now taken up by wasteful surface parking lots. Instead, debt finance parking decks with parking revenues via federal TIFIA loans (historically low interest rates make the timing ideal). Then build the apartment buildings atop, next to, or around the decks at many stations.

 

And of course, there's our young people who, when they become adults, are looking to get out of the suburbs and go to dynamic urban places built around transportation alternatives. Sadly, we lack the housing options around our transit system. So if they can't find them here, they will go to cities that do offer them.

 

Let's allow our seniors to retain their independence -- with transit oriented development!

Happy 10th anniversary to the North Olmsted Park-N-Ride, which was dedicated on Dec. 9, 2002.

Looking ahead, here are some things that may affect transit in 2013.

 

May 1, 2013, Ernst and Young completes tower on the Flats East Bank. Waterfront Line returns to full operation.

 

Spring 2013, RTA completes work on Airport tunnel, and begins work on Red Line S-curve.

 

July 2013, Opening of Medical Mart/Convention Center.

 

July 21-Aug. 5, 2013: Summer National Senior Games, with more than 10,000 athletes, age 50+, from around the world.

 

Late 2013, Grand re-opening, Cleveland Museum of Art.

 

Ridership Report thru Nov. 30

 

Systemwide, up 3.3 percent, or 134,000 rides in Nov., and 4.8 percent YTD.

 

HealthLine, up 8.4 percent in Nov., highest Nov. ridership ever. Up 3.6 percent YTD.

 

Rail, up 2.4 percent in Nov, 8.0 YTD

* Red Line ridership in Nov., 523,000, highest month in more than 40 years

 

Trolley ridership up 21 percent in Nov., with average daily ridership at 4,853

 

Bikes boarded: 4,000 in Nov., 42,000+ YTD

 

HealthLine, up 8.4 percent in Nov., highest Nov. ridership ever. Up 3.6 percent YTD.

 

Rail, up 2.4 percent in Nov, 8.0 YTD

* Red Line ridership in Nov., 523,000, highest month in more than 40 years

 

Both great news, but the Red Line news is amazing. 40 years??