Jerry,

 

As a Shaker Square resident and life long Shaker Rapid rider I wonder if the following could be I'd like to ask the following:

 

- More 7PM - 9PM Frequencies?

 

- 24 hour service Friday thru Sunday Night?

 

- Return of the Van Aken Express trains? 

   Local to Van Aken to Shaker Square, then non stop to TC in either direction

 

- Return of the "Square to Square" Service

 

- Ask your drivers to lay off the Horn/Whistle/Bell after 9/10PM between Coventry & Drexmore and Shaker Square.  :whip: :whip:  I need my beauty sleep!

 

 

Not sure where to put this as we have two threads, but I was out of town "on business" (I've never gotten to say that before!), and I love the new rapid stop at W. 117! It's clean, straight-forward, and I think it'll be really nice when the weather gets cold. I told someone I was taking public transit to get to the airport -- as usual -- and she said "or you could just drive to make it easier..." I tried to explain that taking public transportation IS easier. My neighborhood is transit friendly, and I live here for a reason!

 

On the airport: Maybe it has been mentioned before, but I noticed the loudspeaker announcement mentions "rapid transit trains downtown" now. I hope this inspires more downtown-bound visitors to take the train. It really is the best way to do it unless they need to rent-a-car. I was thinking, maybe it would be good to create some sort of vibrant "world-class signage" near the stairway down to the station just to really call out to visitors what's down there.

 

I was in Texas this week and it was sprawl city. No me gusta. When we emerged from the tunnel to see the dense factories, smoke stacks and gray skies, I felt a fond feeling rise up inside me, thankful to be home.

piggy-backing on that last W. 117th comment, does RTA plan to put any signage on top of the platform at W. 117th?  I was driving under the bridges the other day and was surprised that this wasn't part of the new station.  It would help with visibility, would create a landmark, and could help increase positive perception of the RTA as a transit option for all the motorists and others who pass through there each day.

I recall there was a RTA sign atop the platform canopy in the renderings of the station rehab.

As some of you know, RTA is planning a new station at East 55th Street. The station site is being moved, and there are other challenges. Click here for details and artwork.

 

http://www.riderta.com/majorprojects/e55.asp

Jerry,

 

I have another question about Shaker Square.

 

Is there a reason why the waiting areas and the tracks are not covered to provide more comfort?

As some of you know, RTA is planning a new station at East 55th Street. The station site is being moved, and there are other challenges. Click here for details and artwork.

 

Just FYI - http://www.riderta.com/images/rapid_stations/e55_east_800x5180.jpg the page can't be found.

Thank you for your on-going transit support. We may disagree on the details, but we all believe transit is important. That's why we are here on this Forum. The following is really good news, and I am pleased to share it with you.

 

MEDIA ADVISORY

 

RTA declared North America’s best public transit system

 

WHAT:

APTA President William Millar will announce RTA's receipt of APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation System Award. This means RTA has been selected as the BEST PUBLIC TRANPORTATION SYSTEM IN NORTH AMERICA.

 

WHEN:

Monday, October 1, 10 a.m.

 

WHERE:

Euclid Avenue at East 40th Street, new bus station

 

WHO:

William Millar, President, APTA

George V. Voinovich, U.S. Senator, Ohio

Frank G. Jackson, Mayor, city of Cleveland

Peter Lawson Jones, Commissioner, Cuyahoga County

Deborah Sutherland, Mayor, City of Bay Village and President of the Cuyahoga Mayors and Managers

Joseph A. Calabrese, CEO & GM, RTA

 

 

 

Good news!

Congratulations!

There was an earlier glitch in the posting. It should be clear now.

 

East 55th St. Station page

http://www.riderta.com/majorprojects/e55.asp

 

skip the text and go right to the artwork

http://www.riderta.com/images/rapid_stations/e55_east_800x518.jpg

I know this question isn't going to sound right but I'll ask it anyway....

 

Why did RTA get the "Best transit system" award?

I know this question isn't going to sound right but I'll ask it anyway....Why did RTA get the "Best transit system" award?

 

For several reasons...and they will all be spelled out on Monday. I can't say much more than that now, but I did want to give this group of supporters some heads up on the news.

Congrats to those who work at RTA!!  JMasek- I don't know if I said hello before (I love to lurk on these forums- I've learned so much from all of the posters here), but thanks for joining the board, and thanks for sharing the information that you know.

 

:clap: :clap:

Hello Jerry Masek, from another fellow lurker, what is the status of the CSU/Eastside transit center? Last I heard, CSU was witing on the RTA?

Congrats to everyone at RTA!

Here's a question- since RTA has been declared North America's best public transit system, sometime after the announcement will RTA be doing any marketing to draw more riders to the system?  With this ranking, I would suspect that RTA will be using every chance they get to lure new riders on to our bus and rail lines.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

Great news! I was so excited to take the Circulator to the Rapid station to the airport (and the reverse) this week. I love telling everyone that I took every form of mass transportation to get someplace,  :wink2:

 

But come on, I live in Lakewood, and I can get from my apartment door to my airline gate in 30 minutes for $2.50! You can't beat that!!!!!

Joe Calabrese, RTA's general manager, said he's made winning the award a top goal since his hiring seven years ago.

 

"It's been on the top of the white board in my office all this time," he said.

 

So that's been his top priority?  Ummmmmmmmm!  :? :roll: :? :roll: :?  Now wonder why rail hasn't been expanded/enhanced!

 

Clvlndr....I'll let finish this one!  I know you're dying to write two paragraphs and make a historical reference to "what could have been".  :wink:

 

Anyway, in true Cleveland form, Congrats to the non management employees at RTA!   :clap: :clap:

^ Just to clarify, the quote is from Joe Calabrese.

Joe Calabrese, RTA's general manager, said he's made winning the award a top goal since his hiring seven years ago.

 

"It's been on the top of the white board in my office all this time," he said.

 

So that's been his top priority?  Ummmmmmmmm!  :? :roll: :? :roll: :?  Now wonder why rail hasn't been expanded/enhanced!

 

Clvlndr....I'll let finish this one!  I know you're dying to write two paragraphs and make a historical reference to "what could have been".  :wink:

 

Anyway, in true Cleveland form, Congrats to the non management employees at RTA!   :clap: :clap:

 

MTS, you're all over this one and I have nothing more to add.   :wave:

Joe Calabrese, RTA's general manager, said he's made winning the award a top goal since his hiring seven years ago.

 

"It's been on the top of the white board in my office all this time," he said.

 

So that's been his top priority?  Ummmmmmmmm!  :? :roll: :? :roll: :?  Now wonder why rail hasn't been expanded/enhanced!

 

Clvlndr....I'll let finish this one!  I know you're dying to write two paragraphs and make a historical reference to "what could have been".  :wink:

 

Anyway, in true Cleveland form, Congrats to the non management employees at RTA!  :clap: :clap:

 

oh, for cryin' out loud MTS, read the item that was quoted, it says "A top priority", not "THE top priority" (btw, a person can have multiple, dare I say complementary top priorities), and to think that the achievement of an honor like this gets reached without real, substantive progress (albeit not the SPECIFIC form of progress you desire, regardless of the countless reasons that have been presented and re-presented ad nauseum as to why rail hasn't been expanded) is ridiculous

^Fair points.

http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1096

 

Here is the official release...it may be updated later today with more quotes from those who spoke at the 10 a.m. event. Look for news coverage on WCPN, TV-3, TV-5 and for those who live in Cleveland, TV-23.

 

And a personal point of view to those who questioned the quote about "a top priority." In my past, I have served as President of a local chapter of a national organization. When I started my one-year term, I also had a goal of being #1, being named the best in the nation. I mean really, what other goals are there? It gave us a focal point all year, and in the end, we won.

 

When Joe Calabrese came to RTA, he saw a lot of costly projects in the planning phase. He knew that 1). Cleveland was not growing, and 2). we would be lucky to get federal funding for one project, let alone several. In a sense, we were competing against ourselves. At that time, it was decided that the Euclid Corridor Project had the best chance of funding, and that decision has proven corrent.

 

Calabrese also changed RTA's emphasis from "big projects" to "back to the basics" -- on-time perfomance, safety, cleanliness and customer service, finances, image.

 

He had a vision. The Board, the staff and other elected got on Board, and now, we won the award. Thanks for your support.

 

 

Jerry thank you for pointing that out.

 

Having you here acting as a Liason between us and RTA.

 

What makes the situation upsetting, at least for me, is that RTA's management keeps saying we're losing population and we're not this or not that, instead of actively becoming a part of the solution to make the city more appealing to current resident and potential residents.

 

I hate comparing Cleveland to other cities, but RTA doesn't feel like its apart of the "urban fabric" of the region.

 

What is RTA doing to promote using public transportation?  What are the big picture plans?  How can we help?

 

I have some suggestions and I would think RTA would want to listen to some its largest supporters/users - those of us who are care free or use a car less than 20% of the time.

 

Is it possible for us to create a list that you can review?

Historically, transportation is an instigator of growth. Development has always followed paths of commerce, be they rivers, roads, canals, railroads, streetcars, highways, airports and high-speed rail. When investments are made to increase the capacity and reduce the user's cost of using a mode of transportation, then economic growth follows. And, yes, risk is a inherent part of growth.

 

Just ask Alfred Kelley, Cleveland's first village president and Ohio Canal Commissioner, who nearly put the fledgling Ohio government into bankruptcy by building the Ohio & Erie Canal. But that investment was paid off many-fold in economic development.

 

I don't advocate RTA's bankruptcy by urging them to create constituencies for investing more local, state and, maybe, federal funds for major transit investments. But I do advocate that RTA and other agencies not give so much weight to past trends when deciding what investments to make for the future. Otherwise we'll be stuck in no-growth patterns until risks are taken to realize visions many of us share.

I stumbled upon this "oldie but goodie" post recently, and with the progress on the Silver Line, I'd like to remind everyone of some of the ideas previously discussed:

 

OK, here is what I would do to improve Cleveland transportation after the Silver Line is done and the Red Line stations are all rebuilt...

 

Administrative changes -

 

1. develop a regional land use/transportation plan backed with zoning so that the plan has the force of law;

 

2. get the city of Cleveland and as many suburbs as possible to pass a transit-supportive zoning classification;

 

3. get RTA to create a TOD Department with staffing and resources funded out of RTA's budget, real estate revenues, and external grants;

 

4. get NE Ohio communities to create an infrastructure/brownfields/redevelopment fund, initially financed by cost savings from the sharing of certain municipal services and later augmented by revenues from joint development districts;

 

5. allocate funding (be it public or private) to the newly merged land conservancy districts surrounding Greater Cleveland so they can dramatically expand their land acquisitions, thereby creating a de facto urban growth boundary (and to permit more locally grown foods, but that's another issue).

 

These land use tools (and others I'm surely overlooking) are essential, because no matter what we do to promote smarter transportation investments and smarter growth in Cuyahoga County, their value will be diminished and possibly rendered obsolete one day if we don't pursue them in the context of a broader, regional strategy that reins in sprawl. With these tools in place, the next steps should be (although some can and probably should be pursued now):

 

Near-term projects:

 

1. create signal prioritization for buses on city streets (and for the Rapids where they run in the middle of boulevards);

 

2. consolidate parking lots at and near Rapid stations and park-n-rides into structured decks. Rezone land within a half-mile with TOD zoning and redevelop accordingly;

 

3. create more pleasant transit waiting areas, especially at key transit stops and intersections where multiple transit routes converge (waiting areas should have real-time arrival information for the next bus or train, news/weather/sports ticker, etc). And, at the busier transit locations, have a "Bus Stop Shop" that RTA can lease out to private operators to sell coffee, soft drinks, bottled water, snacks, transit passes, newspapers, magazines, ATMs, package/mail drops and, of course, offer WiFi.

 

4. bring MetroCars or some other rental car by-the-hour service to several locations throughout Greater Cleveland (and more bicycle rentals, too!);

 

5. create more dedicated bike lanes on city streets (for the cost of new striping and signage!) and, where possible, bike-only rights of way (eg: Lakefront Bikeway, Canal Corridor Bikeway, etc.).

 

Long-term projects (aside from those already in serious planning stages):

 

1. build the Lakefront Bypass for freight train traffic (see EcoCity Cleveland's website, under the Blue Project section). This will avail four, freight-free railroad rights of way out of downtown for diesel-powered light-rail transit service and restrict local freight access to nighttime hours. The four routes are downtown to: Lorain, Hopkins Airport, Aurora, and Euclid. Designate and develop TOD sites;

 

2. extend the Waterfront Line as a downtown loop (including a fare-free, loop-only train)and restructure the origins or destinations of existing rapid services within the existing system;

 

3. build "Heritage Trolley" from Ohio City to Chinatown using lower level of Detroit-Superior Veterans Memorial Bridge;

 

4. create circumferential busway in the centers of I-480/I-271 with rapid transit-style station at key crossroads that host bus routes but do not have freeway interchanges;

 

5. build busway from intersection of Ridge/Denison to downtown with new bus route from downtown to Parmatown via Ridge Road. Designate Ridge Road as TOD corridor with appropriate rezoning and redevelop accordingly;

 

6. build the Ohio Hub system while we're at it!

 

So many more projects, so little time....

 

KJP

Congratulations, Jerry for RTA's recognition!  I know we all here love to think about system expansion, but RTA definitely deserves praise for performance in some less glamerous areas, like fiscal management, governance transparency, labor relations, experimentation with bus fuel types, and mode experimentation- all this in a pretty tough/apathetic operating environment.  

Congratulations, Jerry, and congratulations to the entire staff and ridership of GCRTA!

 

As a note, GCRTA also received this award in 1990.

Here's a link to video of the festivities at Euclid and E. 40th this morning -- WARNING, it's 41+ minutes, raw footage, lots of "official" speeches

 

 

Quicktime, low-res

Windows Media, high-res/broadband

 

I moved the rest of the ECP videos here:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=2840.msg223871#msg223871

^ dude, that jaywalking vid is classic... :lol:

redbrick thx for the cool vids -- as i suspected the inside of euc brt bus looks exactly like any other articulated bus. meh. the platforms are pretty cool tho.

 

congrats to rta for the award. i realize that all the operational reasons that rta won the award for are more important to riders than the stuff us transit geeks would ideally like to see, like a downtown rapid loop, etc.

 

 

 

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

Great news! I was so excited to take the Circulator to the Rapid station to the airport (and the reverse) this week. I love telling everyone that I took every form of mass transportation to get someplace,  :wink2:

 

But come on, I live in Lakewood, and I can get from my apartment door to my airline gate in 30 minutes for $2.50! You can't beat that!!!!!

 

i can beat it -- i do the same train/bus thing to the airport for $2 where i live  :wink:

 

Cool vids, but weren't they supposed to have Closed circuit televisions?

Jerry,

 

with all due respect -- as I respect and much appreciate your input -- I couldn't agree less with your philosophy on this. 

 

As KJP mentions, as have I in the past, rail transit should be driven by a city smart-growth goal.  It can stimulate growth in a sick city (imagine, for example, what rail could do for or neighbor Detroit which is suffering worse than us).  No one is asking for rail to throw money away, but if city growth is the only aspect that should signal rail growth, you still haven't answered my Qs as to why cities like Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Minneapolis are building and growing rapid rail systems, and Milwaukee is hotly pursuing one? -- all these regional cities being  similar to Cleveland in terms of growth/job-loss (see Rust Belt), sprawl problems.

 

As to Joe Calabrese's junking "big projects" and pursuing small ones, like transit cleanliness, I say this: the extension of the Waterfront Line in 1996, prior to Joe's GM-ship stimulated interest in transit that I had not seen in this town.  It's true, the WL is not/was not the ideal line, but prior to the death of Flats east bank, when the Flats was in its heyday in the late 90s, I saw something I'd never seen in this town: people hopping trains into town after rush hour when there was no big event in town.  RTA had been a sick joke in this town until the 90s when, finally, locals saw the 1st rail extension in 30 years.  That excitement, and not bus or rail car cleanliness, attracted people back to transit.  (and, oh yeah, I don't recall those 'problems' being major in pre-Joe Calabrese -- see, below).

 

And those "big projects" Joe shelved were, as I saw it, the result of locals hunger, after the WL line, that RTA was finally serious about expanding rail, ... and they wanted more... One of those projects shelved, btw, is the very same project that KJP and his people are valiantly attempting to revive: the West Shore Commuter rail line into Lorain County.

 

So I question the success of Joe's little projects -- other than winning an award for RTA, which really means little to the riding public, when there are smart, economic means to develop rail, like West Shore, to a wider public… Oh yeah, and when I look at the garbage along RTA right-of-ways, esp the Shaker Blvd canyon which I ride through regularly, the thick underbrush that scrapes Rapid car windows through there, and elsewhere, dirty stations along the Blue/Green Lines, and crowded 1-car trains jammed unsafely with elderly and women with kids in strollers, etc, I seriously wonder how successful Joe’s “small” programs really are…

 

Cool vids, but weren't they supposed to have Closed circuit televisions?

 

They are in there.  Look again you can see the monitors.

as i suspected the inside of euc brt bus looks exactly like any other articulated bus. meh. the platforms are pretty cool tho.

 

you were expecting maybe marble floors and maple wainscoting, or just gold-plated grab rails? </snark>  :-D

Question for the mods?  

 

With all due respect to redbrick - thanks for the pics/movies - is it possible to relocate the ECP pictures and posts to the ECP thread?  I'd also like to ask if we can keep this thread clear of general RTA issues/comments/concerns as it has it own thread and this thread be used soley to communicate with Jerry?  I know some comments/issues will overlap, but doing this we wont end up with three RTA threads.

 

I'm not trying to run the forum, I'm just think this could be the best way for use to communicate with Jerry and the best use of his time.

I forwarded an early question about Shaker Square service to Joel Freilich, Director of Service Planning. Here are his responses.

 

<<As a Shaker Square resident and life long Shaker Rapid rider, I like to ask the following:>>

 

Q. More 7PM - 9PM Frequencies?

A. Not enough ridership to support more frequent service

 

Q. 24-hour service Friday thru Sunday night?

A. Low ridership in the evening indicates that there would be very few riders per trip during the after-midnight period.

 

Q. Return of the Van Aken Express trains? 

A. Local to Van Aken to Shaker Square, then non-stop to Tower City in either direction. Added convenience for some riders would be outweighed by inconvenience to riders at stops that would be bypassed by express trains.

 

Q. Return of the "Square to Square" Service.

A. Not sure what you mean by that.

 

Q. Ask your drivers to lay off the Horn/Whistle/Bell after 9/10PM between Coventry & Drexmore and Shaker Square. I need my beauty sleep!

A. Safety is of paramount importance here.

 

I can't get the videos to work :(

 

i can beat it -- i do the same train/bus thing to the airport for $2 where i live  :wink:

 

 

Dude, you're on crack if you think that's really the "same thing".  But for one-way trips, I agree you can't beat the value of MTA's free tranfer.

 

 

Thanks for answering, here are some additional questions/comments.

 

I forwarded an early question about Shaker Square service to Joel Freilich, Director of Service Planning. Here are his responses.

 

<<As a Shaker Square resident and life long Shaker Rapid rider, I like to ask the following:>>

 

Q. More 7PM - 9PM Frequencies?

A. Not enough ridership to support more frequent service

Has Joel, though of partnering with the businesses & residents along the line informing them that there is more service so that people can go to a movie, see a play downtown have dinner, etc and still get home quickly without a long wait in between trains.  This is another way to weave RTA into the urban fabric of everyday urban living.  There are A LOT of people who think the trains don't run after 9:30 PM, just simple communication with residents & businesses could do bring back riders at those "off peak" hours.  In addition, you're building a TOD development at Van Aken & Lee, and East 116.  It makes sense and it doesn't cost a lot of money.

 

Q. 24-hour service Friday thru Sunday night?

A. Low ridership in the evening indicates that there would be very few riders per trip during the after-midnight period.

See above, more people would probably use the line knowing it was available, maybe a test run over various weekends thru out the year to actually gauge interest??

 

Q. Return of the Van Aken Express trains? 

A. Local to Van Aken to Shaker Square, then non-stop to Tower City in either direction. Added convenience for some riders would be outweighed by inconvenience to riders at stops that would be bypassed by express trains.

What information is he using?  Since this service was discontinued when the line was rehabbed

 

Q. Return of the "Square to Square" Service.

A. Not sure what you mean by that.

Back in the day, there was service that ran only between Public Square and Shaker Square.  The train would turn around in the loop on the square and head right back downtown.

 

Q. Ask your drivers to lay off the Horn/Whistle/Bell after 9/10PM between Coventry & Drexmore and Shaker Square. I need my beauty sleep!

A. Safety is of paramount importance here.

I understand the safety issue, but at 10 PM, is it a safety issue that drivers must hold down the horn/bell/whistle from the East Side of the Coventry station until they reach Shaker Square?  Some drivers "sound the alarms" the ENTIRE stretch of Shaker Blvd., between Coventry and Shaker Square, shown in the picture below.

 

I completely understand it should be done just prior to crossing an intersection, but not in an excessive manner I should not hear the train in the back of my apartment as if I was at street level.  The buildings on either side of Shaker Blvd. between Coventry and Van Aken create a "canyon" (especially in winter, when there is no foliage on the trees) which makes the horns/whistles/bells echo and sound much louder than they actually are. I'm asking that it be communicated to drivers that there good intentions are at times disruptive.  I hope this better explains why I asked this particular question. 

 

 

Speaking of free transfers, one of the biggest "downgrades" in customer service and convenience in recent years has been the ability to transfer on a one-way trip without purchasing a daily pass or having a multi-ride card.  On days where scheduling creates a conflict for me or my wife (we usually carpool) and one of us takes the bus home, we have to pay twice ($3.00): once in University Circle and once at Public Square, or purchase a daily unlimited ($3.50).  When they had the old tear-off transfers, you didn't have to do this.  I'd love to be able to purchase a multi-ride card at a station nearby, but they're hard to find and not exactly convenient to where we're located.  Not sure if this will be remedied at all as proof-of-payment systems are put in play.

 

 

Hey Jerry more questions....

 

What is the percentage of RTA employees, that use public transportation to and from the office on a daily basis?

 

Of that total, what percentage of management use it?

 

If an employee doesn't use the system, what is the reason?

 

How does RTA track rides by station?

 

How do RTA employees rate the system and what do they think is needed to improve, expand bring more riders to the system?

On my previous note, and following up on a comment I made earlier in this thread, are all Red Line stations scheduled to receive new fare vending machines?  I was disappointed to find at the W. 65th street station that only a change machine and weekly farecard machine were available.  They looked like they were straight outta the 1980s.  A little out-of-date for a new station, if you ask me!

are all Red Line stations scheduled to receive new fare vending machines?

I will have more details for you as time goes on, but here is the short answer. RTA has purchased a state-of-the-art fare collection system. You will see new fareboxes on all vehicles, probably in mid-November. All Red Line stations will get new fareboxes in 2008. Thanks for asking.

the website for the Visible Voice Bookstore in Tremont is now in operation.

 

http://www.visiblevoicebooks.com/contact.html

 

The contact page is exemplary in that it not only shows the bus routes that serve the store, but also includes where to exit the bus and directions from the bus stop.

 

It would be FANTASTIC to see something similar from the PD - or at least on cleveland.com 

 

1). What is the percentage of RTA employees that (WHO) use public transportation to and from the office on a daily basis?

2). Of that total, what percentage of management use it?

3). If an employee doesn't use the system, what is the reason?

4). How does RTA track rides by station?

5). How do RTA employees rate the system and what do they think is needed to improve, expand bring more riders to the system?

 

1.) The last time I checked, about 1.3 million employee rides were recorded in a given year. Personally, I only drive when I have to, such as on those days when I have a personal obligation in Akron or Painesville right after work. I drive one day a month, or less. I hate it.

 

2). Joe Calabrese of Westlake uses public transit as often as possible -- at least 3 times a week. Frank Polivka of Madison uses Laketran almost daily. I cannot speak for others...I am not aware of their commuting patterns.

 

3). I never asked. It is a free country. Possibly, they do not use it because they live outside the county.

 

4). We don't track these regularly now, but the fare collection system will give us a way to do that.

 

5). There are a number of employees who left RTA to go to another system, and then fought their way back to get here. Read that as you wish. Employee feedback is easy here. Joe Calabrese holds employee meetings at each major facility 3-4 times a year to update employees on news and get their feedback and suggestions. He is legally qualified to operate both bus and rail, so he understands the specific on-the-job challenges of each job. His e-mail and direct phone are available to all employees. From a personal standpoint, I make several suggestions or comments a month, either on things that are going well, or things we should consider changing.

 

With all due respect -- as I respect and much appreciate your input -- I couldn't agree less with your philosophy on this. 

 

It's not my "philosophy"...I was just explaining some things to you from an historical perspective...."here is what happened and why."

are all Red Line stations scheduled to receive new fare vending machines?

I will have more details for you as time goes on, but here is the short answer. RTA has purchased a state-of-the-art fare collection system. You will see new fareboxes on all vehicles, probably in mid-November. All Red Line stations will get new fareboxes in 2008. Thanks for asking.

 

Will the station Vending Machines/Turnstiles be anything similar to these?

"It's not my "philosophy"...I was just explaining some things to you from an historical perspective...."here is what happened and why."

 

I've learned that there are people in this world (and regrettably on this forum) who simply cannot make that distinction.

1). What is the percentage of RTA employees that (WHO) use public transportation to and from the office on a daily basis?

2). Of that total, what percentage of management use it?

3). If an employee doesn't use the system, what is the reason?

4). How does RTA track rides by station?

5). How do RTA employees rate the system and what do they think is needed to improve, expand bring more riders to the system?

 

1.) The last time I checked, about 1.3 million employee rides were recorded in a given year. Personally, I only drive when I have to, such as on those days when I have a personal obligation in Akron or Painesville right after work. I drive one day a month, or less. I hate it.

 

2). Joe Calabrese of Westlake uses public transit as often as possible -- at least 3 times a week. Frank Polivka of Madison uses Laketran almost daily. I cannot speak for others...I am not aware of their commuting patterns.

 

3). I never asked. It is a free country. Possibly, they do not use it because they live outside the county.

 

4). We don't track these regularly now, but the fare collection system will give us a way to do that.

 

5). There are a number of employees who left RTA to go to another system, and then fought their way back to get here. Read that as you wish. Employee feedback is easy here. Joe Calabrese holds employee meetings at each major facility 3-4 times a year to update employees on news and get their feedback and suggestions. He is legally qualified to operate both bus and rail, so he understands the specific on-the-job challenges of each job. His e-mail and direct phone are available to all employees. From a personal standpoint, I make several suggestions or comments a month, either on things that are going well, or things we should consider changing.

 

 

Spoken like a true media relations director!  That's a compliment. :wink:

Q. Return of the Van Aken Express trains? 

A. Local to Van Aken to Shaker Square, then non-stop to Tower City in either direction. Added convenience for some riders would be outweighed by inconvenience to riders at stops that would be bypassed by express trains.

What information is he using?  Since this service was discontinued when the line was rehabbed

Also given the train spacing and the high frequency of trains (i.e. during rush hour), any "express" would probably catch up and be slowed by the non-express train in front of it.

 

Q. Return of the "Square to Square" Service.

A. Not sure what you mean by that.

Back in the day, there was service that ran only between Public Square and Shaker Square.  The train would turn around in the loop on the square and head right back downtown.

 

aren't you answering your own question here?

1) lack of a loop

2) lack of extra tracks (see also previous answer, if you want express service, you're going to need your own tracks)