9 minutes ago, MyPhoneDead said:

So I think location of current stations, their condition and a lack of car traffic is the issue for RTA right now. So I recently got a job downtown on Public Square after having a job out in Beachwood for almost 2 years. Immediately I said “I’m going to Park and Ride at Windermere and catch the train to work.” As I thought about it I realized, “That’s actually not a convince to me and I’m only taking the train due to me being a transit advocate.”

 

I live in Grenville, Superior station is 5 minutes or so down the road from me but lacks true security to park my car at so my next option is Windermere Station. That is about 10 minutes away from me and it takes me 17 minutes to get Downtown, essentially a 30 minute trip to work (if the train is there when I arrive at the station.) If I drive straight down Superior Avenue it is 14 minutes to get to work. I would be doubling my commute just to say I take the train to work. 

 

If the Superior Road station was in better condition and offered a more comfortable feeling when it comes to parking for 8+ hours I could justify it. The only argument one could offer for taking the train (unless you live walking distance away) is the savings in gas, but that argument goes out the window once gas prices fall. Even if we had heavier traffic I feel people would go out of their way to take trains but every major street is wide open for people to make it downtown instantaneously. 

 

^Are you closer to St. Clair (#1 bus) or Superior (#3 bus)?  I get wanting to get on the rapid, but if you're in Glenville you're right in that it's not convenient and is like going backwards in order to go forwards.

 

I can say that the #1 bus from Glenville can be quick in the morning, even coming from further east.

18 hours ago, Oldmanladyluck said:

 

 

^Are you closer to St. Clair (#1 bus) or Superior (#3 bus)?  I get wanting to get on the rapid, but if you're in Glenville you're right in that it's not convenient and is like going backwards in order to go forwards.

 

I can say that the #1 bus from Glenville can be quick in the morning, even coming from further east.

No I live on the #3 bus route, it can be hit or miss. 

On 11/9/2021 at 2:18 PM, MyPhoneDead said:

So I think location of current stations, their condition and a lack of car traffic is the issue for RTA right now. So I recently got a job downtown on Public Square after having a job out in Beachwood for almost 2 years. Immediately I said “I’m going to Park and Ride at Windermere and catch the train to work.” As I thought about it I realized, “That’s actually not a convince to me and I’m only taking the train due to me being a transit advocate.”

 

I live in Grenville, Superior station is 5 minutes or so down the road from me but lacks true security to park my car at so my next option is Windermere Station. That is about 10 minutes away from me and it takes me 17 minutes to get Downtown, essentially a 30 minute trip to work (if the train is there when I arrive at the station.) If I drive straight down Superior Avenue it is 14 minutes to get to work. I would be doubling my commute just to say I take the train to work. 

 

If the Superior Road station was in better condition and offered a more comfortable feeling when it comes to parking for 8+ hours I could justify it. The only argument one could offer for taking the train (unless you live walking distance away) is the savings in gas, but that argument goes out the window once gas prices fall. Even if we had heavier traffic I feel people would go out of their way to take trains but every major street is wide open for people to make it downtown instantaneously. 

 

On 11/9/2021 at 2:26 PM, sizzlinbeef said:

Is free parking included with your job then?

What price does one put on time?  More importantly, what price does one put on safety and security?  If you park your car at an RTA facility and it isn't there when you return, any savings are lost.  The reality is that RTA's security is not very good.  Based upon a $5.00 fare round trip, the cost to drive downtown and pay for parking isn't that much more and you have the convenience of leaving when you want and perhaps more reliability (until the new equipment arrives, but that won't be for at least 5 years from now).  I am a transit advocate as well, but I had to put up with being a victim at an RTA lot and putting up with service issues.

On 11/9/2021 at 2:26 PM, sizzlinbeef said:

Is free parking included with your job then?

No it is $85 a month for the garage space, the same cost as a monthly pass. This is where the idea that COTA has with collaborating with businesses to over transit passes to workers downtown would come into play. It would be worth the trip. 

I know RTA does a partnership with CSU, and I'm sure they have it was other organizations to give free/discounted passes to students/employees. In my opinion, this would be a great opportunity for growth in expanding these types of partnerships. Reach out to all the large employers in downtown and UC to provide employees with discounted monthly passes. Honestly RTA would have nothing to lose by this, as the trains, busses, and capacity are all there, and would gain paying riders.

 

 

1 hour ago, KJP said:

 

 

From their link: 

Roll out the red carpet for buses. In 2020, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the optional use of red paint on city streets to signify bus priority lanes. CPT recommends all current 24/7 bus lanes, such as on Superior Avenue, Ontario Street, and Euclid Avenue, be painted red to ensure bus priority and speed trip times.

 

I would add the CSU Line on Clifton to this list.   Commuters use the bus lane as a "I'll pass everyone on the right at 60 mph lane."      Marking the lane would definitely cut down on this practice somewhat.  

 

I strongly disagree with this: "Stop closing the Public Square Bus Lanes for superfluous events. Closing Superior Avenue through Public Square creates delays that ripple throughout the GCRTA system and affect thousands of riders. Weekday closures in 2021 included: Holiday Tree Installation, a Recharge Auto Rally, and a City Club event." 

 

Superfluous is a  word that leaves plenty of wiggle room, but a lot of the events that close down PS are awesome! and couldn't be done at PS, or even at all, without closing the square. The best example of this (to me) was a Hip Hop dance event/competition  that closed down the square for a whole Saturday. The square functioned as one unit, and it brought a cool, cultural event into the heart of Cleveland. We should be striving to have more events like this, which means closing down the square MORE OFTEN. 

Edited November 17, 20213 yr by Ethan

16 hours ago, Cleburger said:

 

From their link: 

Roll out the red carpet for buses. In 2020, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the optional use of red paint on city streets to signify bus priority lanes. CPT recommends all current 24/7 bus lanes, such as on Superior Avenue, Ontario Street, and Euclid Avenue, be painted red to ensure bus priority and speed trip times.

 

I would add the CSU Line on Clifton to this list.   Commuters use the bus lane as a "I'll pass everyone on the right at 60 mph lane."      Marking the lane would definitely cut down on this practice somewhat.  

 

 

So would regular policing and towing of cars like what Lakewood does. CPD is pretty scarce and RTA police sometimes work the Cleveland side, but not enough to keep the cars from trapping buses almost every day.

17 hours ago, Cleburger said:

 

From their link: 

Roll out the red carpet for buses. In 2020, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the optional use of red paint on city streets to signify bus priority lanes. CPT recommends all current 24/7 bus lanes, such as on Superior Avenue, Ontario Street, and Euclid Avenue, be painted red to ensure bus priority and speed trip times.

 

I would add the CSU Line on Clifton to this list.   Commuters use the bus lane as a "I'll pass everyone on the right at 60 mph lane."      Marking the lane would definitely cut down on this practice somewhat.  

 

 

The solution here is to use Mall B for events that require that sort of contiguous space.

 

Though to be honest, it's the re-routing the HL for high school graduation events in Playhouse Square venues that I find far more annoying.  

 
From their link: 
Roll out the red carpet for buses. In 2020, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the optional use of red paint on city streets to signify bus priority lanes. CPT recommends all current 24/7 bus lanes, such as on Superior Avenue, Ontario Street, and Euclid Avenue, be painted red to ensure bus priority and speed trip times.
 
I would add the CSU Line on Clifton to this list.   Commuters use the bus lane as a "I'll pass everyone on the right at 60 mph lane."      Marking the lane would definitely cut down on this practice somewhat.  
 

Don't forget the 1 bus route

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On 11/16/2021 at 6:30 PM, Cleburger said:

 

From their link: 

Roll out the red carpet for buses. In 2020, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the optional use of red paint on city streets to signify bus priority lanes. CPT recommends all current 24/7 bus lanes, such as on Superior Avenue, Ontario Street, and Euclid Avenue, be painted red to ensure bus priority and speed trip times.

 

I would add the CSU Line on Clifton to this list.   Commuters use the bus lane as a "I'll pass everyone on the right at 60 mph lane."      Marking the lane would definitely cut down on this practice somewhat.  

 

In most areas, this would amount to a waste of paint and labor to apply it.  CPD is so dreadfully understaffed, they regularly have overtime just to provide minimal patrols.  They have trouble responding in a timely manner to all but the most urgent calls.  They do not have the time or staffing to make any effort to enforce this.  I don't think that RTA's Transit Police have the staffing to regularly enforce it either.  If a violator decides flee, will pursuit policies cause the police to not follow? 

 

People disregard speed limits, traffic lights/signs, school bus stop signs and construction zone warnings without regard to the consequences that violations would cause.  Heaven forbid if ticket violations seem to be disproportionately given out.  When Mayfield Village announce it would start ticketing speeders due to large number of drivers exceeding 100 mph on I-271, a certain publication tagged that community as a "money-grubbing Cleveland suburb is the latest to make itself an interstate highway speed trap".  Will that same publication accuse RTA of doing the same on either claim?

^These are already bus-only lanes. The reason you paint them is to improve compliance without needing the political will for enforcement cameras (used in other cities) or police resources.  

13 minutes ago, LifeLongClevelander said:

People disregard speed limits, traffic lights/signs, school bus stop signs and construction zone warnings without regard to the consequences that violations would cause. 

Bring back the traffic cameras and the vehicle-based rather than driver-based fines.

19 hours ago, StapHanger said:

^These are already bus-only lanes. The reason you paint them is to improve compliance without needing the political will for enforcement cameras (used in other cities) or police resources.  

Exactly.  In watching these people, I would guess more than half of them don't actually know it's a bus lane.  Paint the lane red and they would notice (along with all the illegal parked cars).  

On 11/20/2021 at 8:02 AM, Cleburger said:

Exactly.  In watching these people, I would guess more than half of them don't actually know it's a bus lane.  Paint the lane red and they would notice (along with all the illegal parked cars).  

I remember I was downtown on the corner of Superior right before Public Square. A City of Cleveland garbage truck was sitting in the bus lane at the light. Even when the bus traffic light allowed it to go it blew the horn and the truck didn't move and the driver looked confused. The driver only moved once the actual lights turned green for normal cars. Same thing happened when I turned the corner, this time it was a city dump truck. 

News? Eh, this might be stretching it but got on the holiday train the other day. Pretty cool they do this!

 

 

Finally!

 

Maybe this ties in with things, saw a new HL bus training today (sorry my phone was slow going when I tried to snap a pic!)

 

 

Maybe this ties in with things, saw a new HL bus training today (sorry my phone was slow going when I tried to snap a pic!)
 
 

FINALLY!!!!! Did you see the manufacturer of the bus? I feel New Flyer has done a great job in the quality of their busses.

Side note: I'm not a fan of the big "Healthline" on the back other wise I like it.

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RTA dragged their collective feet on the whole rail car fleet replacement process.  They should have been getting specifics together about 15 years ago.  With requirements in hand, by 2009-2010 it would have been the ideal time to work with the area's congressional delegation in seeking funding to replace the fleet.  Back then, nearly all funding requests for everything were being rubber-stamped and approved.  By 2015, that new fleet would have been in service. 

 

RTA's action: nothing.  The current rail fleets date to the early 1980's and are each one-off orders that are unique to Cleveland.  Off the shelf parts are unavailable.  RTA must cannibalize parts off of other rail cars to keep their dwindling fleet operational.  There are only so many times this can be done, so they must go the expensive custom part run route to get replacement parts.  Even for "standard" parts like replacement wheels, they cannot place timely orders, so they run out of replacement stock and were forced to put rapid transit cars out of service as the wheels were worn out.  Fewer operational cars meant overcrowding and reduced service.

 

Finally within the last few years, RTA has slowly started the replacement process.  They have been cobbling together small grants to be able to add a few more cars to an order.  The nearby Laketran system was able to gain support from Senator Brown and Representative Joyce to secure funding for 10 new battery powered electric buses along the supporting charging and support infrastructure.  Yet for RTA, we hear nothing about their working with the area's congressional delegation regarding rail car replacement.  To further screw up the process, RTA was being so inflexible and the whole bidding process was so bungled, it gathered little interest in prospective builders.  That botched attempt was scrapped and the Federal government needed to get involved to monitor the next round.  It only delays replacement further.

 

Expect more break-downs, fires, failures a further dwindling of the operational fleet.  Service will continue to degrade and with it, the rider counts.

 

Yup, RTA started the midlife overhaul of its railcar fleets about the time they should have been replacing the railcar fleets. GM Joe Calabrese didn't think he could raise enough money to replace the railcars. So he didn't even try. He expected his successor would deal with a situation that he gave up on.

Typical mindset in RTA's upper management.  The fiasco with the wheel replacement for the heavy rail fleet was due to somebody wanting to make their budget look good and come in under projections.  A replacement wheel order that would have totally eliminated the shortage before it hit was canceled.  It was badly estimated how long the existing supply would last and no consideration was given by RTA that it would be loosing its place in the the supplier's processing schedule when the order was canceled.  It came to not worrying about it today when they could push it off into the future.  Wonder how many of the heavy rail cars that went off to scrap were sitting on good wheels.  It didn't help when the general manager was perfectly content in turning RTA into a glorified shuttle bus system.

 

Unfortunately, there has been nobody who served or currently serves on the board trustees with any sense of how a transit system operates.  Many of the appointees for the slots filled by Cleveland and county are no more than political window dressing.  The suburban mayor appointees have no transit insight either.  Having transit knowledge isn't a requirement of serving on the board, but in lacking that knowledge of the workings of a transit system, nobody seemed to bother to ask for information and analyze it.  It was all taking in whatever Calabrese served up, taking it as gospel and approving anything he wanted.  They never questioned the downward spiral of the system and rewarded Calabrese with contract extensions, pay raises and bonuses.  

It wasn't until All Aboard Ohio started rattling their cages about the railcar fleet in 2015 that they started paying any attention to it.

 

3 hours ago, KJP said:

 

It's about time.  After all, it has only been what, 13 years (2008) since Health Line was completed? 

Signal priority and a return to off board fair pay. Somebody wake me up 

5 hours ago, KJP said:

It wasn't until All Aboard Ohio started rattling their cages about the railcar fleet in 2015 that they started paying any attention to it.

Perfect example of what happens when the people who have the technical and mechanical background (people who learned under Ed Allen or had similar experience in other transit systems) who have been driven off by RTA's leadership.  They get fed up to the point where they can no longer deal with bureaucracy from headquarters or see their roles trivialized to where they see their jobs as a waste of time.  The practical knowledge departs the agency, lost due to lacking competent successors only to be replaced by paper-pushers or "yes" people.

1 hour ago, gildone said:

It's about time.  After all, it has only been what, 13 years (2008) since Health Line was completed? 

 

I think they were being facetious. RTA is touting signal priority on the HealthLine yet it doesn't exist.

1 hour ago, KJP said:

 

I think they were being facetious. RTA is touting signal priority on the HealthLine yet it doesn't exist.

I thought it existed, but it was never activated. 

4 hours ago, gildone said:

I thought it existed, but it was never activated. 

 

Yes, that's a better way of saying it

13 hours ago, KJP said:

 

Yes, that's a better way of saying it

I tried to file a complaint with the FTA about this because FTA money was used for the project and the project was supposed to include signal prioritization.  I never got a response.  I even sought help getting FTA to respond from Marcy Kaptur's office.  Even they couldn't nudge them. 

 

 

11 hours ago, KJP said:

 

Looking sharp! I like the color a lot better than the strictly silver OG buses. I do think that signal prioritization will actually be activated now, call me crazy but I have much more faith in this leader of RTA. 

43 minutes ago, MyPhoneDead said:

Looking sharp! I like the color a lot better than the strictly silver OG buses. I do think that signal prioritization will actually be activated now, call me crazy but I have much more faith in this leader of RTA. 

AND this leader of the city of Cleveland. I suspect the city was the bigger challenge for getting signal prioritization running. 

23 minutes ago, MyPhoneDead said:

Looking sharp! I like the color a lot better than the strictly silver OG buses. I do think that signal prioritization will actually be activated now, call me crazy but I have much more faith in this leader of RTA. 

The colors of the new HealthLine buses are better.  The silver colors on the original fleet were in line with the silver/gray scheme of the day.  There just seems to be no uniformity/consistency.  The various bus rapid transit routes (HealthLine, CSU and MetroHealth) have their own unique schemes.  The regular city buses have pretty much switched over to the red/white/blue design.  There are still older city buses and articulated ones that have the older gray scheme and others in gold.  The park-n-ride buses have their own scheme.  The trolley-style buses have their own unique old-time green design.  As the idea of a "paint shop" is basically gone from the system, so that the colors they have when delivered will be the same one they have when they are set off to scrap in 12-18 years.  Bus color doesn't correct the underlying problems.

 

As for Birdsong, the jury is still out on her.  NextGen has probably made the system worse.  The biggest question is what RTA will do regarding the rapid transit rail fleet replacement.  The first attempt at bids was badly mishandled, ending up in wasted effort and time.  In the meantime, the rail fleet gets older and less reliable.  She also apparently delegates quite a bit to her subordinates and many of those are hold overs from Calabrese, the same ones who helped put RTA in the poor situation that was inherited by Birdsong.

^Curious why you think NexGen has made the system "worse".   I'd be curious to hear feedback from any regular bus riders on the forum, in fact.  

1 hour ago, StapHanger said:

^Curious why you think NexGen has made the system "worse".   I'd be curious to hear feedback from any regular bus riders on the forum, in fact.  

 

If you read the most recent pages in here I think it's spelled out pretty well from @LifeLongClevelander.  Not to put words in their mouth, and (a very bad) TLDR has to do with the RTA alienating pretty much anyone but residents of CLE with the redesign. That and getting rid of certain park and rides, certain routes, ramifications when it comes to an RTA levy, etc. etc.

 

Again, terrible TLDR and there's more to it but I get where they're coming from. It benefits me as a city resident but at the same time my coworker in NO lost their park and ride and it now would take them 1-2 hours on a CSU line to get downtown.

1 hour ago, GISguy said:

 

If you read the most recent pages in here I think it's spelled out pretty well from @LifeLongClevelander.  Not to put words in their mouth, and (a very bad) TLDR has to do with the RTA alienating pretty much anyone but residents of CLE with the redesign. That and getting rid of certain park and rides, certain routes, ramifications when it comes to an RTA levy, etc. etc.

 

Again, terrible TLDR and there's more to it but I get where they're coming from. It benefits me as a city resident but at the same time my coworker in NO lost their park and ride and it now would take them 1-2 hours on a CSU line to get downtown.

 

People expected the merger to end up being a CTS takeover from the start, they seem prophetic now.

2 hours ago, StapHanger said:

^Curious why you think NexGen has made the system "worse".   I'd be curious to hear feedback from any regular bus riders on the forum, in fact.  

NextGen implemented re-routes that took away direct routes and make them circuitous.  Why would somebody who used the North Olmsted Transit Center (with a freeway routing downtown) want to take a branch of the #55 to Clifton to get downtown?  The #30 which traveled Lakeshore Blvd into Lake County and ended at Windermere (Stokes) Rapid Transit Station was eliminated and replaced with an extension of the #10.  To now catch the Red Line if on Lakeshore, one has to use the 105th/Quincy Station, a much longer bus ride.  The #1 used to go to Babbitt & St. Clair, not far from the new Amazon facility.  Now, the #1 ends at East 153rd and to continue to Babbitt & St. Clair one must transfer to the #31 bus.  The #18 W. 98th-Garfield route is a winding mess.  Faster flyer and express routes have been eliminated.

 

As @GISguy stated, suburban riders have been alienated.  Many one-seat routes have been eliminated.  Flyer and express trips are now slower local routes.  Direct routes have been replaced circuitous routes.  It seems like RTA has ignored the fact that people are interested in getting things done quicker.  They don't have hours to waste riding a bus or multiple buses with transfers that on top of it are uncomfortable every day.  In the end, the only people who will be regular riders on RTA will be the ones that have no other option and that is no way to increase ridership.

Well, yes, if you only look at the cost side of something, it will always fail a cost/benefit side. I guess the question is how much riders value the increased frequency on the core routes with enhanced frequency, and which I reckon carry most of the riders (especially transit-dependent ones).

15 minutes ago, StapHanger said:

Well, yes, if you only look at the cost side of something, it will always fail a cost/benefit side. I guess the question is how much riders value the increased frequency on the core routes with enhanced frequency, and which I reckon carry most of the riders (especially transit-dependent ones).

How does increased frequency help when a rider's commute time is doubled or tripled?  A one-way commute that takes at least an hour when it used to take 20 minutes doesn't matter if the bus frequency is once every 10 minutes versus once every 30 minutes.  It still is a much longer commute.  The actual trip time is still much longer.  If someone has to substantially extend their day due to increased travel times every single day, that becomes basically lost time taken away from something else.  I don't know of any employers are going to reduce the time their employees are on the clock because commuting time is longer.  The only thing that increased frequency does is that if somebody misses a bus, they don't have to wait as long for the next one.  I also know that transfers take time.  If a transfer wasn't required and then one or more get factored into a trip, there is the time spent getting off the bus, waiting for the next one (if it is even on time) and then boarding the next one.  Just more time added to a commute.

 

If RTA's management really thinks that commuting length of time and complexity is comparable to frequency, that is flat-out alarming.  Nearly everything that society wants is to have things quicker, faster and easier.  A leisurely long ride is something somebody might do on a weekend afternoon.  They have little interest in doing that to substantially add to their everyday work routine.

 

  

^I mean the frequency experienced by the riders of the core routes, like the 26. The NextGen exercise was very explicitly about trading off coverage for frequency, which obviously has winners and losers. The riders in North Olmstead are the losers in what happened, but if you are going to assess the redesign, you have to also take into account reduced average trip times for the winners too.   I am not arguing one way or the other about the wisdom of the redesign, but I only see people focusing on the costs, not the whole equation. 

GCRTA issued an addendum today to their new railcar RFP. But I'm still trying to figure out what it means. I was told the addendum is intended to provide a scope for proposed changes to high-level platforms (Red Line) to accommodate the new high-floor railcars. But the addendum speaks only of modifications to low-level platforms and their mini-highs for ADA access. So I dunno....

8 hours ago, LifeLongClevelander said:

As for Birdsong, the jury is still out on her.  NextGen has probably made the system worse.  The biggest question is what RTA will do regarding the rapid transit rail fleet replacement.  The first attempt at bids was badly mishandled, ending up in wasted effort and time.  In the meantime, the rail fleet gets older and less reliable.  She also apparently delegates quite a bit to her subordinates and many of those are hold overs from Calabrese, the same ones who helped put RTA in the poor situation that was inherited by Birdsong.

 

Sounds like if Birdsong really was a good leader, she would have gotten rid of the bad next level leadership after she did an assessment of the staff. But she hasn't meaning she doesn't know better, doesn't know how to manage, or doesn't really care. Didn't she take two maternity leaves in her first two years? It may be a combination of all of those, as she laughs her way to the bank and thinks CLE are a bunch of idiots who don't know better.

17 minutes ago, StapHanger said:

^I mean the frequency experienced by the riders of the core routes, like the 26. The NextGen exercise was very explicitly about trading off coverage for frequency, which obviously has winners and losers. The riders in North Olmstead are the losers in what happened, but if you are going to assess the redesign, you have to also take into account reduced average trip times for the winners too.   I am not arguing one way or the other about the wisdom of the redesign, but I only see people focusing on the costs, not the whole equation. 

How does reduced trip time really factor into the equation?  The only way I see it happening is the wait time for a transfer "may" be reduced due to frequency changes.  If core routes are the same routes as before, than the distance from start to end will be the same and so will the travel time.  A local route is still a local route with the same number of physical stops.  A bus doesn't run "faster" because 5 are on the route or if their are 10.  They still have to travel the same distance dealing with the same traffic and signals.  The only meaningful time that could be gained is to turn local routes into express/flyer routes which did not happen, in fact there are now fewer ones now than before.  Time is a huge cost and that cost should not be ignored.

 

There is another thing that is being disregarded in the way RTA has redesigned the system.  When RTA was created in 1975, Cleveland comprised about 41% of the county's population.  In 2020, it was just under 31% of the county's population.  RTA will eventually decide to go to the taxpayers for more money, be it from an increase to the sales tax or a property tax.  When that comes to a vote (only a matter of time), suburban voters who see little to no benefit of a transit system that provides little to no service to their communities and what service is provided is sub-standard, that ballot initiative is far more likely to fail.  With all of the scandals that the system faced in recent years, the board of trustees acknowledged about 2 1/2 years ago that any revenue enhancing tax would fail at the polls.  The system is already on thin ice with the voting public.  If RTA is seen as irrelevant, prospects of passage will be poor.

 

8 hours ago, LifeLongClevelander said:

As for Birdsong, the jury is still out on her.  NextGen has probably made the system worse.  The biggest question is what RTA will do regarding the rapid transit rail fleet replacement.  The first attempt at bids was badly mishandled, ending up in wasted effort and time.  In the meantime, the rail fleet gets older and less reliable.  She also apparently delegates quite a bit to her subordinates and many of those are hold overs from Calabrese, the same ones who helped put RTA in the poor situation that was inherited by Birdsong.

I was hoping she’d clean house but, from a external lens, it doesn’t even seem like she’s done some light dusting. More than two years in and the operation she inherited is now firmly hers to own.