FWIW, there's worse abbreviations here on the Web, IMHO.

I don't find them confusing. I think they're helpful in removing questions as to when the next trains are scheduled to arrived. Helps remove one of the "unknowns" of taking transit.

 

I think they're confusing because of the uncertainty of whether or not they're working.  The ticker at University Circle sometimes has incomplete next train information, where the words just cut off.  There was a time in December when the news flash was about the Tribe being in the playoffs.  If you read that, you might start to doubt that anyone is actually updating the content...

OC b/c we're lazy, not OC b/c we want to be "cool" like the show  :wink:

My beef with the next connect signs is the ratio of news and advertising to schedule information.  I know the advertising is important to pay for the things, but it would be great if future generations had screens large enough to show schedule info at all times, without scrolling.  When working, they are a great service though.

And what is with the recent business of having some guy set up two big speakers in Tower City at the train tracks with an amp and a mike attempting to announce when the next trains are coming?  a) isn't that what the sign is for and b) you CANNOT understand him, particularly with the cracking and popping and buzzing and sound cutting in and out.  I've seen better sound systems from street performers in New York. 

^I was there one night and the staffer had a real personality, and a sense of humor, and the customers really liked him. I personally think it is a great addition. Signs are nice, but Tower City can be confusing, especially to newcomers. Having a person to talk you is always preferable to reading a sign, and the signs do not take into account dayt-to-day delays, breakdowns, etc. I handle platform questions all the time down there.

The last time I heard him, the feedback and mumbling were bad enough that the people waiting for the train were cracking jokes about the award RTA won for best service.

 

I don't disagree with you that it's confusing there or that it's a good idea.  But the sound system is a problem.

Is that on the Red Line side of the station?

Yes, the red line.  Are we notorious grumblers?  :-D

Comments from Michael York, Deputy Generall Manager of Operations:

 

"The portable sound system was an initiative by RTA to try and improve our communications with customers at Tower City until we can replace the PA system. The sign doesn't tell you which track the train is on and it is scheduled time, not real time. We have received lots of positive feedback."

Comments from Henry Kwee, who supervises the operations of the electronic signs, on the scrolling comments for NEXT TRAIN:

 

"I assume that you are talking about the SignPost signs (and not the OnStreet/Nextconnect signs). This SignPost signs have advertising.  The OnStreet/Next Connect don't have advertising, they have only the time of day, and the route and departure times. You may have them mixed up. If you look at the SignPost signs at Tower City, you will see the scheduled departure times scrolling at the bottom continuously.  So there is always a departure time displayed. The next time you have a concern, please tell us which of the two types of signs you are talking about. Thanks for your comments."

Comments from Michael York, Deputy Generall Manager of Operations:

 

"The portable sound system was an initiative by RTA to try and improve our communications with customers at Tower City until we can replace the PA system. The sign doesn't tell you which track the train is on and it is scheduled time, not real time. We have received lots of positive feedback."

 

I understand the PA system, however, if announcements are not audible, its not "help".

 

Comments from Michael York, Deputy Generall Manager of Operations:

 

The sign doesn't tell you which track the train is on and it is scheduled time, not real time. We have received lots of positive feedback."

HUH???  :wtf:

 

Comments from Henry Kwee, who supervises the operations of the electronic signs, on the scrolling comments for NEXT TRAIN:

 

"I assume that you are talking about the SignPost signs (and not the OnStreet/Nextconnect signs). This SignPost signs have advertising.  The OnStreet/Next Connect don't have advertising, they have only the time of day, and the route and departure times. You may have them mixed up. If you look at the SignPost signs at Tower City, you will see the scheduled departure times scrolling at the bottom continuously.  So there is always a departure time displayed. The next time you have a concern, please tell us which of the two types of signs you are talking about. Thanks for your comments."

 

Thanks Jerry.  My observations are mostly from the Shaker Square and airport signs (not sure which type they are).  I am going to be back in town in a couple weeks and see how they're looking- I might have just caught them early in their life.

^ The "next train" sign is programmed to reflect the printed timetable. It gives the scheduled time. A staffer on the platform has communication with the dispatcher, and knows the real time of the next train.

On March 2, RTA plans to open the segment of Euclid Avenue from East 55th to East 86th Street. That means that all buses will use the stations in the median strip (not the curbside stations), and customers will be asked to use the crosswalks to reach the median stations.

Thanks Jerry.  My observations are mostly from the Shaker Square and airport signs (not sure which type they are). 

 

This must be a signpost sign (Airport)

 

The last item at this link is for you to respond to officially....

 

http://www.inside-business.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=F8C8DDD4679A4F8481CFF990B1FAAEA5&nm=Archive&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=7B30C2FA072245DE9AD5D82735C7041A&tier=4&id=44985C2CEE12409F91452DC114E2AC62

 

My own response is that business is up at the Union Club across Euclid from the CYC. And I'm one of those who have taken the bus from downtown to University Circle -- just one of the 2 million who have taken the same trip in the past year.

^Mike Roberts, listing major wastes of tax dollars, writes in Inside Business: "The Euclid Avenue Corridor project has helped turn downtown into a wasteland, driving businesses and other organizations such as the Cleveland Athletic Club to ruins, while public officials spend more than $300 million ensuring a comfortable bus ride between Public Square and University Circle. Some liken the project to the urban renewal fiascos of the 1950s that played a big role in killing downtown's vibrancy. Know anyone who ever took a bus from downtown to the circle?"

 

KJP asked for an official response. This is one man's opinion. He is a veteran journalist, and he is paid to have opinions -- even if they are not based on facts. FACTS: The cost of the project is NOT "more than $300 million", the project does not use a "bus", businesses on Euclid Avenue were closing long before construction started -- RTA just became a convenient scapegoat, and millions of people ride the #6 bus every year between downtown and University Circle, Cleveland's two largest employment hubs. He even has the name of the project wrong. But the real test will come when the Project is finished. I invite all posters to keep Roberts' clipping, and send it to him when business on Euclid Avenue is flourishing.

 

I sent a copy of the story to our Media Relations staff. I am sure they will have dialogue with Mr. Roberts.

JMasek,

 

What was with the Car-Train Accident on the WFL a few days ago? I saw a short blurb in the PD, but haven't really seen anything since.

 

Thanks.

What was with the car-train accident on the Waterfront Line a few days ago? I saw a short blurb in the PD, but haven't really seen anything since.

 

I have no specific knowledge of this accident, but I can tell from my knowledge of that area, and light-rail in Cleveland, that many motorists do not respect light-rail, and they should. I am sure that in the future, these people will. I worked on the Waterfront Line a few years ago on St. Patrick's Day, allegedly to give people directions, but in reality, I became a traffic cop. Over the course of several hours, some trains had to come to a full stop, because the cars would not stop going over the tracks. They ignored the presence of the train and flashing warning lights, and just kept going.

 

Several years ago, a man who was a bit tipsy exited a light-rail train, lost his balance, and fell against the side of the train as it pulled away. A TV station, of course, reported that "an RTA train struck a pedestrian". One TV reporter even asked me, just a few minutes after the incident occurred, if the operator had been suspended yet. I replied, "You are assuming the operator is guilty. What was the operator supposed to do, swerve?"

 

To get back to your question, the PD does not often do second-day stories on such accidents, which are really traffic offenses -- failure to yield to an oncoming train that is more than twice as large as your vehicle.

Actually, Jerry's numbers are a serious underestimate... the average coupled-pair light rail vehicle like what we run weighs on the order of 90-100,000 pounds unloaded... that's 45-50 TONS, folks, and that weight doesn't stop on a dime (high school physics, F=mV²); play chicken with that and the only nickname you'll acquire is "the late..."

Actually, Jerry's numbers are a serious underestimate... the average coupled-pair light rail vehicle like what we run weighs on the order of 90-100,000 pounds unloaded... that's 45-50 TONS, folks, and that weight doesn't stop on a dime (high school physics, F=mV²); play chicken with that and the only nickname you'll acquire is "the late..."

 

I see this all the time on Van Aken or Shaker Blvd.  Especially upper Van Aken.  And who is the wrong the majority of the time.........automobile drivers.

Didn't hear about the auto-Rapid crash, but then there was this (below) which underscores my call for more Transit cops wandering the system and being stationed at major rail stops.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/02/rta_rapid_shooting_might_have.html

 

RTA rapid shooting might have started with 'a vendetta'

 

Posted by Mark Puente, John Caniglia and Jesse Tinsley February 04, 2008 20:18PM

Categories: Crime, Impact

 

An East Cleveland man thought two teenagers appeared suspicious Saturday night as they ambled around the RTA rapid platform at the Woodhill Road station. Within minutes he and his 8-year-old son were diving for cover, rushing through the open door of a train as one teen opened fire.

 

"He pointed the gun at me, and just then the train came at the right time," the boy's father said Monday. "We got on, and I covered my son. The other people on the train ducked, too. My son was terrified; he still is."

 

The train pulled away and the teen gunman and his companion ran from the station. Moments later, in what police said was a random act of violence, the gunman fatally shot Mandrell Means as the 33-year-old walked home.

 

.....

a very interesting read (okay, for varying degrees of "interesting"), FTA has just released their Annual Report on Funding Recommendations for FY 2009

 

feel free to discuss amongst yourselves, which I'm sure you will... this gives you some idea of where the big money goes, and why...

http://www.19actionnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=7867474

 

TV-19 ("honest...fair...everywhere") aired a 5:31 story on RTA safety issues last night. RTA's official response was in the last 10 seconds. Here is a letter that Joe Calabrese sent out late Monday afternoon.

 

February 14, 2008

 

Dear Friend of RTA,

 

At the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), we take safety seriously. Extensive work goes into what we do to assure the safe transport of the 57.3 million customers that we serve annually. This evening, RTA will become the subject of a story by Channel 19’s Carl Monday that calls our safety practices into question.  However, in Mr. Monday’s investigation for this story, he did not request any safety records from RTA. Without a doubt, we believe this story will be greatly sensationalized. We hope that it does not smear the good reputation that RTA has worked so hard for.

 

.....

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me directly at 216-566-5218.

 

Sincerely, Joe Calabrese 

 

If he's qualified enough to watch people masturbate, then clearly he's qualified to comment on public transportation safety. (Carl Monday that is, not Joe C.)

I used to work with Carl and have great respect for him, but I have the same question of his interview tactics as I do with many so-called investigative reporters: the "ambush" interview.

 

It's one thing if the reporter has made numerous attempts to arrange an interview to obtain information or a response and gets stonewalled by whomever that person is that could and should provide the response.  But if they just show up at the door and demand an asnwer on the spot to what is clearly a question that requires a detailed response, how is that in any way productive or illustrative?

 

A 10-second response at the tail end of the story just doesn't cut it.  Carl's implication may have been that GCRTA is somehow hiding something, but (whether or not that is the case) the story left me wanting more information on which to make a decision and wondering if Carl and his investigative team had truly made the effort to get the full story.  In my mind, that lack of substance looks like lazy reporting.

Let's just say having to share a locker room with Monday has scarred my retinas (and libido) for life.

 

I SO don't need a visual like that before lunch (or after lunch, or at any waking or sleeping moment in my earthly existence)...

I used to work with Carl and have great respect for him, but I have the same question of his interview tactics as I do with many so-called investigative reporters: the "ambush" interview.

 

Mr. Monday's "reporting" was the journalistic equivalent of a drive-by shooting, with all the concomitant pain and utter confusion that goes along with such an occurrence... the man never lets a good story get overly cluttered with facts

Let's just say having to share a locker room with Monday has scarred my retinas (and libido) for life.

 

S H U T   U P!  :oops: You poor thing!  You poor, poor thing!  I know a good therapist, if you need one.

My fiance and I were out on sunday driving around making my "development rounds" (it's very cold these days so i am forced to drive around downtown to check this stuff out rather than hoofing it)... Trying to turn onto 13th from superior some idiot was sitting in the middle of the intersection (while at a red light) essentially blocking my way. This of course lead to some type of response from me of "What type of an a**hole sits in the middle of an intersection like that?".... Yep, Carl Monday.

Someone should do an investivagite report on investigative reports.

Anything that has the word ACTION in front of it has no credibility in my book.

FYI, RTA's media relations manager gave more than one interview to Monday. They were cordial and never used.

Of course not, washed-up muckrakers rely on cherrypicked "facts" to put together their sensationalistic tripe.

"What type of an a**hole sits in the middle of an intersection like that?".... Yep, Carl Monday.

 

That's when you "accidentally" hit the accelerator instead of the brake. I'm surprised a person who does "investigative reporting" would be so careless and leave him open to being an easy target.

If he's qualified enough to watch people masturbate, then clearly he's qualified to comment on public transportation safety. (Carl Monday that is, not Joe C.)

 

This is off the topic at hand, but on-topic with the thread. Guess who just a new job with no downtown parking privileges? YEP! One more full-time public transit consumer added. I'd rather take the Red Line but I'm closer to the 55X until I move this summer. I'm actually going to save way more money when you subtract the gas and parking costs. This is a good thing!

This is off the topic at hand, but on-topic with the thread. Guess who just a new job with no downtown parking privileges? YEP! One more full-time public transit consumer added. I'd rather take the Red Line but I'm closer to the 55X until I move this summer. I'm actually going to save way more money when you subtract the gas and parking costs. This is a good thing!

 

Congrats Mr. Media Director!!

Media director?? Anyone else hiring there???

hahaha, yeah i wish i had a title like that. I'm still making my way up the PR totem pole, but this a really awesome opportunity.

 

I know it's cheating, but what I think I'm going to do is drive my car the 1 mile to the Rapid station and take it downtown. It's less sustainable, but the trains are more frequent, faster and overall more enjoyable. Two miles driving a day compared to 12 is a nice reduction, though.

The question still stands though: is this PR firm hiring?

 

Sorry mods. I realized too late I should be asking this via personal message. Jamiec, please reply by PM.

hahaha, yeah i wish i had a title like that. I'm still making my way up the PR totem pole, but this a really awesome opportunity.

 

I know it's cheating, but what I think I'm going to do is drive my car the 1 mile to the Rapid station and take it downtown. It's less sustainable, but the trains are more frequent, faster and overall more enjoyable. Two miles driving a day compared to 12 is a nice reduction, though.

good for you!!  Mr. Pulicist.  We all have to start at the bottom and work our way up..man do I never want to do that again! 

 

Take the 55 and not worry about driving or alternate at first to see which you like best.

A-O Way to Go Ohio.  Way to go Chrissie!

Why not post that article at one of these two threads? ......

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,8164.0.html

 

Or here:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,7257.0.html

 

And is there a reason why the two above threads couldn't be combined?

 

EDIT: I just noticed - the article's text was posted twice (I do that all the time!)

Kind of an odd question for you, Mr. Masek, or anyone who might know

 

Late last Fall, I was on the Rapid and witnessed a temperamental woman berating her kids.  One of them crawled into the seat in front of her (facing mine), and the woman lost it and - it's hard to explain - grabbed him from the head and kind of dumped him at her feet.  The kid fell very hard head first.  I was shocked at this parenting but completely unsure what to do.  I actually just sat there and tried to zone it out, which is probably a normal reaction but one I regretted.

 

I've seen other scenes where people are yelling at their kids - in an unnerving, non-parental, bullying manner - but this was the first actual violent incident I saw.   

 

What exactly should I have done?  I considered telling her to take it easy (I'm sure that would not have been effective), talking to the conductor (which I wasn't even sure was allowed), calling the police (the kid was flat out assaulted), walk over to the kid (which I was worried would get me in all kinds of trouble from that woman), or doing nothing (which I regretably did).

 

What would have been the proper response.  Is this the kind of incident that warrants actually speaking with the conductor?

Kind of an odd question for you, Mr. Masek, or anyone who might know

 

Late last Fall, I was on the Rapid and witnessed a temperamental woman berating her kids.  One of them crawled into the seat in front of her (facing mine), and the woman lost it and - it's hard to explain - grabbed him from the head and kind of dumped him at her feet.  The kid fell very hard head first.  I was shocked at this parenting but completely unsure what to do.  I actually just sat there and tried to zone it out, which is probably a normal reaction but one I regretted.

 

I've seen other scenes where people are yelling at their kids - in an unnerving, non-parental, bullying manner - but this was the first actual violent incident I saw.   

 

What exactly should I have done?  I considered telling her to take it easy (I'm sure that would not have been effective), talking to the conductor (which I wasn't even sure was allowed), calling the police (the kid was flat out assaulted), walk over to the kid (which I was worried would get me in all kinds of trouble from that woman), or doing nothing (which I regretably did).

 

What would have been the proper response.  Is this the kind of incident that warrants actually speaking with the conductor?

 

*unofficial response (because I needed a mental diversion from a remote Javascript implementation that has me stumped)*

 

It's unfortunate that such a question even needs to be asked, although I understand your hesitation in getting involved (you never can tell with some of the crazies out there today). While the Samaritan in me would applaud your direct confrontation of the situation, it's more than I'd expect from most people.

 

In my mind, a situation like this absolutely warrants speaking to the operator (unnecessary conversation is frowned upon, but this hardly falls into that category), as all operators have the ability to contact dispatch and get the police involved if necessary. Failing that, you'd always have the option of calling Transit Police directly (566-5163), if you feel that what you witnessed warrants police intervention.

 

RTA's police force is no different than the Cleveland PD in terms of law enforcement powers, they just have different jurisdictional boundaries (those being RTA property, which can sometimes be a broadly-defined term).

 

^ I feel your pain. I have been there, and none of your options is perfect. (The rest of this answer is personal opinion). I might have taken a low-key approach, asking the woman if she needs any help. She probably feels overwhelmed, or angry at life, and lashes out at her kids for no good reason. A warm smile just might help. I agree with JD...telling the operator is a great first step,

 

Unfortuneately, our society does a poor job of preparing parents to be parents, and an equally poor job protecting children. Let's say you are walking through a shopping mall, and a screaming kid gets on your nerves. You walk over and slap the child to get him to shut up. The mother, of course, calls security, and has you arrested for assault. Then the loving mother straps her kid in a car seat, rolls up the windows because it is cold outside, and chain-smokes cigarettes for 30 minutes while she drives home.

 

I ask you, who did the greater damage to the child -- you, who are now in jail -- or the mother, who forces her child to inhale cancer-causing fumes during the tender formation years? What are our laws doing to protect the child from its own loving mother?

 

Thanks for letting me vent. The problem is -- even if you get the mother on the Rapid car to handle her child properly -- the same scenario is being played out every second of every day, all over this area. The real solution is bigger than either of us. Thanks for caring. That counts for alot.

wow that's a tough call e. hits close to home for me too.

 

i get rotten verbal ghetto stuff like, "shut the ef up or i'll punch you in your ef-ing face" yelled by adults at toddlers at least weekly on my mta commute. i cringe, but i mostly just try to ignore it. luckily i have never seen anything physical like that.

 

i always wonder what i'd do if it gets to that physical point. the answer is even after all my years of public transit riding i dk what i'd do.

 

 

My wife's [least] favorite example to cite is the p.o.'d mother shaking her kids on the subway and yelling at them to sit still when she's just cracked open a sugar & caffeine loaded can of soda for them.  This was a sad, but not uncommon sight to see when we lived in NYC and it's not absent here in Cleveland.  But yeah, what do you do? 

It difficult.  a couple years ago I was on the red line coming from the airport and this woman was going off on her kids and smacked the hell out of one of them so I told the conductor and at was 98, the police got on.

 

However, you never know what has taken place prior to that incident, like, was the child misbehaving prior to boarding the train.

 

In December me, my cousin, his girlfriend and her 6 year old son were on the way downtown on the train.  Prior to boarding his mom laid out all the rules for him and she warned him he would be punished if he disobeyed.  So we board and sit in consecutive seats, he is in the front, my cousin and his girlfriend right behind and me across from them.  All of a sudden the gets up to walks toward the conductor - and she "yanked" him one good time.  She reminded him of the rules and said, and in angry black mothers clinched teeth voice said,"didn't I tell you to sit down and stay seated" and continued to say, "when we get off this train I'm going to take you in the bathroom and beat your A$$".  I know that my mother would have done the same thing and I would have gotten smacked one good time!

 

The woman next to the conductor was like that is no way to raise a child, and you can't hit a child or teach them anything by violence.  However, she didn't know what transpired BEFORE we boarded.  My cousins girlfriend told the woman, that she appreciated her concern, but she knows whats best for her son.

 

I know the woman's heart was in the right place, but she didn't know the whole story.  It's a catch 22.