With the Healthline running up and down Euclid, and all CSU students having passes included in their student fees, would it make sense to reroute the E-Line trolly as it serves the same general area of the Healthline. I would think that a routing of PS->south on Ontario->west on Lorain->North on w 25th->east on Detroit/Superior->back to PS (could have the current routing N on W 9th and S on W 6th before going back to PS). Anyway I am wondering what other pepole think about this.

 

P.S. I think this question belongs here, but if mods feel it should be moved let me know and I will do so. Or move it with your God powers :)

 

1. Good idea, I like it. 2. This is the appropriate place. Carry on :-)

I'm not sure how much I like it.  The E-line is packed almost all day up and down Euclid due to the fact that people don't want to pay $2 to take the HealthLine and don't want to walk.  I'm not sure a loop from PS to W25 would generate the same level of ridership.  I can see people taking it to head over to the WSM or a restaurant on their lunch break, but the people using it to get to and from business meetings would be greatly reduced I would suspect.

 

Maybe they can try out this loop on a trial basis on Saturdays only?  I could see this being pretty successful on Saturdays (especially in the summer).

With the Healthline running up and down Euclid, and all CSU students having passes included in their student fees, would it make sense to reroute the E-Line trolly as it serves the same general area of the Healthline. I would think that a routing of PS->south on Ontario->west on Lorain->North on w 25th->east on Detroit/Superior->back to PS (could have the current routing N on W 9th and S on W 6th before going back to PS). Anyway I am wondering what other pepole think about this.

 

I also like it. And I'll bet the Ohio City Near West Development Corp., the businesses on West 25th, and even some just off West 25th would love it! But I'll bet some of the businesses along Euclid wouldn't.

I love the idea of one of the trolley's going into Ohio City!  I actually like where the E-Line goes right now.  But the B-line, on the other hand, seems like it could be modified.  But if one of them went to Ohio City and back, maybe the remaining trolley could "split the difference" and had a modified route in the downtown area.

 

(oh, and I love the fact they don't BEEP BEEP BEEP!)  ;)

We had a discussion about this precise topic at a DCA public forum event a few weeks back.  The suggestion was to create an "entertainment loop" connecting Ohio City-Tremont-East 4th and the WHD.  The problems with this were twofold, one, the length of time waiting between the too few trolleys to arrive would be too great, and two, the budget is not there to be able to pay for this extended hour service(weekends/late nights).  I'm assuming the same problems would persist even with an abbreviated route such as what is suggested above.  I was told that this "entertainment loop" would cost at the very least an additional $125k to implement. 

I thought the trolleys were corporate-sponsored, though, no? Maybe they could do that with some establishments along the route, etc?

 

I'm sure they've thought of that .. it was more a question than anything.

The E-Line trolley runs every 10 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. So does the B-Line trolley. That's 72 trips per route per day or 144 total trips per day for both routes.

 

I propose that both run every 12 minutes. But while the B-Line would continue to run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (that's 60 trips), the E-Line could run from 7 a.m. to Midnight (that's 85 trips), or 145 trips total. That's just one extra trip. Yeah, I know that adds up over a year, but hear me out.....

 

The E-Line currently travels via Public Square, Euclid, East 22nd, Chester, East 21st, Euclid, Public Square, Superior, West 9th, Lakeside, West 6th, Superior, Public Square. According to my estimates, that's a distance of a distance of about 3.4 miles.

 

The routing of Public Square, Ontario, Lorain-Carnegie, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Public Square is about 3.2 miles by my estimation.

 

I don't care much for a routing on Ontario since it doesn't have all-day ridership generators and on some days it has none south of Huron (and all the way across the Hope Memorial Bridge -- a total distance of 1 mile or one-third of the route). As a side note, the route should be operated counter-clockwide to be pedestrian friendly -- I wouldn't want pedestrians crossing to the west side of Ontario and then board buses at a pretty barren area if I didn't have to make them do that. No big deal, it's just a point of clarification.

 

So I looked at two other potential routings to penetrate downtown a little more and be closer to more ridership generators:

 

> A routing via Tower City/Prospect entrance, Prospect, East 9th, Lorain-Carnegie, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Tower City/Prospect entrance is about 3.4 miles.

 

OR

 

> A routing via Public Square, Euclid, East 9th, Lorain-Carnegie, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Public Square is about 3.5 miles.

 

So the two of the three potential routings via Ohio City I looked at were the same or less distance than the current E-Line routing. The third was only slightly longer which might be covered by additional sponsorships in Ohio City and in the Gateway Neighborhood (including from the sports teams).

 

Let the debate begin!

You all have sold me.  I think the idea should be investigated further.  It has definitely has some merit.

It's so easy too... this shouldn't affect Euclid at all.  Simply don't check people's POP on the healthline and it will function exactly like the trolley currently does.  Not only that but it will probably put people on the healthline that typically wouldn't ever get on it.  And perhaps using it on this stretch downtown, becoming familiar with the vehicles and platforms may actually encourage them to use it outside of this stretch at some point.  I can't see how RTA would lose money on this.  I would be shocked if they currently have so much as one customer that pays $2 to ride the healthline between 18th and Public Square.  All this would do is divert current resources to a different location... encourage interaction with the healthline, and get the trolley off euclid which should help with ease of traffic flow.

It's so easy too... this shouldn't affect Euclid at all.  Simply don't check people's POP on the healthline and it will function exactly like the trolley currently does.  Not only that but it will probably put people on the healthline that typically wouldn't ever get on it.  And perhaps using it on this stretch downtown, becoming familiar with the vehicles and platforms may actually encourage them to use it outside of this stretch at some point.  I can't see how RTA would lose money on this.  I would be shocked if they currently have so much as one customer that pays $2 to ride the healthline between 18th and Public Square.  All this would do is divert current resources to a different location... encourage interaction with the healthline, and get the trolley off euclid which should help with ease of traffic flow.

 

It would be like the "free transit zone" in downtown Salt Lake City.  There is a series of like 5 or 6 light rail stops that if you get on or off within that zone, you don't have to pay.

 

I don't know if I agree with hard core modifying the B line, however.  I don't know what the B-line ridership is during the day (someone could help me out?), but the B-line services the E. 12th/Superior/Chester area, which has one of the highest population densities in downtown.  The B-line could perhaps benefit from fewer trolleys during the day while extending service into evenings/weekends.  Again, somebody's gonna have to help me out with respect to daytime ridership :).

The E-Line trolley runs every 10 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. So does the B-Line trolley. That's 72 trips per route per day or 144 total trips per day for both routes.

 

I propose that both run every 12 minutes. But while the B-Line would continue to run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (that's 60 trips), the E-Line could run from 7 a.m. to Midnight (that's 85 trips), or 145 trips total. That's just one extra trip. Yeah, I know that adds up over a year, but hear me out.....

 

The E-Line currently travels via Public Square, Euclid, East 22nd, Chester, East 21st, Euclid, Public Square, Superior, West 9th, Lakeside, West 6th, Superior, Public Square. According to my estimates, that's a distance of a distance of about 3.4 miles.

 

The routing of Public Square, Ontario, Lorain-Carnegie, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Public Square is about 3.2 miles by my estimation.

 

I don't care much for a routing on Ontario since it doesn't have all-day ridership generators and on some days it has none south of Huron (and all the way across the Hope Memorial Bridge -- a total distance of 1 mile or one-third of the route). As a side note, the route should be operated counter-clockwide to be pedestrian friendly -- I wouldn't want pedestrians crossing to the west side of Ontario and then board buses at a pretty barren area if I didn't have to make them do that. No big deal, it's just a point of clarification.

 

So I looked at two other potential routings to penetrate downtown a little more and be closer to more ridership generators:

 

> A routing via Tower City/Prospect entrance, Prospect, East 9th, Lorain-Carnegie, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Tower City/Prospect entrance is about 3.4 miles.

 

> A routing via Public Square, Euclid, East 9th, Lorain-Carnegie, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Public Square is about 3.5 miles.

 

So the two of the three potential routings via Ohio City I looked at were the same or less distance than the current E-Line routing. The third was only slightly longer which might be covered by additional sponsorships in Ohio City and in the Gateway Neighborhood (including from the sports teams).

 

Let the debate begin!

 

I modify my original suggestion to the Prospect routing of KJP's through the gateway.  I think this could have tremendous potential as there are many more business' that would be supported.  I also think that this could make a few more business' interested in w 25th.  Increased access has a funny way of making that happen.

If CSU-bound ridership from the trolley is diverted to the HealthLine and RTA does POP checks on the HealthLine between Public Square and CSU, that might pay for the slightly additional cost of the 3.5-mile routing I listed above (the last routing option I listed, which I think is the most desireable of the three options in my concept).

 

Then you throw in potential trolley sponsorships from the Indians, Dave's in Ohio City and other Ohio City businesses, RTA might do more than just cover its trolley costs. They might even be able to continue with the 10-minute frequencies on both trolley lines.

 

DocBroc, I would leave the B-Line trolley routing the way it is, except maybe to operate it in a counter-clockwise routing to eliminate the need for the buses to take Lakeside west to West 9th before doubling back on Lakeside so it can head south on West 6th. For those living outside Cleveland, a concrete barrier and an exit from the West Shoreway prevents westbound traffic on Lakeside from making left turns to West 6th southbound. But you can make right turns from West 6th northbound to Lakeside eastbound.

 

In fact, all circulating downtown bus routes should operate clockwise as much as possible anyway. Making right turns is less prone to traffic congestion and delays than left turns. So clockwise routings might also improve on-time performance and service reliability.

 

tedders55, my preference is the Euclid/East 9th routing, but to each their own.

The trolley could just do a loop in Tremont and head back the same way it came instead of going over the Lorain Carnegie, which I agree, is a long way without any activity.

^how do you propose a tremont loop?

A routing via Public Square, Detroit-Superior, West 25th, Lorain, Abbey, West 7th, College, Professor, West 10th, Abbey, Lorain, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Public Square is about 5.5 miles.

 

If it instead went south on West 11th and looped around Lincoln Park, that would be a total of about 5.7 miles.

I understand why so many of the bus schedules were cut back over the last couple years, but if a route I was taking every day was already standing room most days during rush hour, and it operated every 10 minutes, what did you expect would happen when you cut it to every 20 minutes? If a bus passes me up once (because they have no room) and I have to wait an extra 20 minutes, fine, but when it happens more than once in the same afternoon, I get pissed off. (On a related note, I also get upset when I get kicked off just because I can't fit behind the white line. If I can't get behind the line, its not my fault, you need to get a bigger bus)

...

 

Finally cleanliness. I've never in my life been considered a neat freak. I don't mind a little bit of dirt, the occasional candy wrapper or whatnot in the bus. I do mind though, if I'm standing on the bus, when I grab the grab bars and my hands turn black because its obvious no one has wiped them in months. If that happened once, I could care less, but it happens all the time. I also have a problem with getting on the bus at the beginning of the route, when the driver has obviously had time to do something (he sat and read the paper for 15 minutes) and yet there's still garbage sitting on the bus. All that would take is 30 seconds to walk through the bus, pick up some garbage and throw it in the can at the stop where he took his break. 

 

Grumpy, I'd like to at least address the two issues I've quoted above. If you can provide me some more details about the route(s) where you've noticed overcrowding, inclding as much detail as possible (specific times, days, locations, etc...), I can at least have our scheduling folks look into historical load numbers, perhaps request updated counts, and see if there's anything we can do to help alleviate that problem. We don't want to be in a situation where we're turning away customers on any route.

 

As far as the cleanliness, again, specific details (including 4-digit coach number) would be appreciated, and will help me to route this complaint appropriately. While I'd HOPE that every employee would show a basic commitment to cleaning up their immediate work environment (and for an operator, this means the vehicle), that may not always be the case. "See something, say something" is a mantra that needn't just apply to safety & security.

JetDog,

 

The incidents of overcrowding that I described were a while back, and I submitted comments on the issues via RTA's website about them at the time. I haven't ridden on the 39F for several months now, as I've moved, but it was very overcrowded in the afternoons around 4pm.

 

For the most part the busses are kept clean, with a few exceptions, that I also mentioned in comments to RTA, but it seems like no one remembers to wipe off the hand rails.

 

I appologize if I got a little overly negative in my post the other day, I was having a long day.

 

I tried to send this to you by PM and it says your inbox is full.

Yeah, my inbox apparently has "issues"...

 

A #39F rider, eh? That's a route that is near and dear to my heart, as I ride it on a daily basis -- I'm sorry we never met in person. It is definitely one of our better-used routes, although the load has gone down lately due to the economy, but it's still pretty well traveled. I know some of the loading in the past was based on the fact that people just wouldn't wisely position themselves, with people who were getting off late along the route constantly taking front seats, and noone wanting to move to the rear of the vehicle. Unfortunately, there's no easy corrective action for a lack of common courtesy. I will say that any attempt to reduce that route beyond a 20 minute frequency will be met by hard resistance from me.

 

The 9500-series coaches, which are frequently used on that route, have seemed a bit grimy at times - I wonder if it's just the soot from the old diesel engines. I've bent the ear of that district's transportation manager on a few occasions, and will continue to do so as necessary. Fortunately, these coaches should be up for retirement soon (approaching their 14th anniversary now as they are).

Man, I remember riding 8300-series coaches in high school in St. Louis (circa 1999).....  Those were pretty similarly crappy by then!!!  The hand rails on the newer RTA buses seem pretty clean (even though I do wash my hands after getting off the bus, but that's more because I'm anal retentive).

 

JeTDoG - did you ever figure out why the automated announcements on the #9 (regardless of exact coach) don't work between Chester and E. 17th and Euclid and E. 89th?  Also, I don't remember if I said anything, but bus 2831 seems to be feeling better these days :).

Why are the ideas from everyone on this board so much better than the ideas coming out of W. 6th?

Some great ideas do come out of RTA staff just as they do here. Sit down and have friendly and frequent chats with them and you'll hear their ideas. But many seemingly great ideas die early deaths because they often have fatal flaws we're not seeing or knowing about yet. We find those flaws by testing the ideas against real world situations, talking to others and, more importantly, and listening to them. This trolley routing may be a great idea on paper, too, but a bad idea in practice. We'll have to see.

Ideas are like opinions, which are like ...  everybody has one.  In our little fantasy worlds things like mandates, budgets, and opposing interests are never quite as apparent and/or concrete as they are in reality. 

 

I don't doubt they have good ideas at RTA, it's a question of which ideas you go with.  Some of this stuff is revenue-neutral, like the beeping and the horns.  It cost money to set that up, and it'll cost money to shut it off at some point, though not much in the grand scheme of things.  The recordings were apparently a waste of money, as were several features of an item that has its own thread.  The POP system has pros and cons but can't really be judged yet.  The number of times that individuals here have seen rides not get counted is troubling. 

 

I'm just summarizing the last few pages of the thread, leaving out the parts about expanding service, which obviously would cost money.  The rest of it involves losing or wasting money, and taking steps to alienate the public for reasons that, to some people, don't seem to add up.  So it's hard to accept finances as an answer to everything that's wrong.  Nobody here dislikes RTA.  There's just some concern about the direction it's being taken.  Everyone has faith it'll turn around.   

 

> A routing via Tower City/Prospect entrance, Prospect, East 9th, Lorain-Carnegie, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Tower City/Prospect entrance is about 3.4 miles.

 

OR

 

> A routing via Public Square, Euclid, East 9th, Lorain-Carnegie, West 25th, Detroit-Superior, Public Square is about 3.5 miles.

 

 

This is one of the best ideas I have heard yet.  Admittedly biased coming from a west bank resident, but still...the RTA is a  business...the better it serves it's constituants...

I get that.  But when I read this thread I don't put "hey fix this" and "hey we should really be doing this" into the same stack in my mind.  For example, fixing the robot voice announcements so they're not malfunctioning (as reported in this thread); or that the drivers need to make sure they take time for some light custodial work (litter, dirty hand rails etc), I just don't consider those sort of things as the "ideas" 79 was mentioning.  Very subjective on my part but that's where I was coming from with my previous post, if that makes sense at all.

Your trolley ideas are interesting, but here are some facts, and a personal opinion...

 

FACTS: When the trolleys were introduced, the routing was kept simple to make them easier to understand, and sponsors were sought so people could ride free. They were "branded" with a unique color, and operators were chosen who had great customer service skills and could aid visitors. The current system is working well -- in fact, it is a major transit success story. The old Loop buses carried 700 people a month. The current trolleys are carrying some 5,000 people a day.

 

PERSONAL OPINION: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. RTA officials have plenty on their plates right now, and from what I gather, changing a system that runs as well as the trolleys is far down on their list of priorities. I am not suggesting the system can't be improved -- every system can -- but there are only 24 hours in a day, and a wise person spends those hours carefully. First, let's balance the budget, get the Red Line POP up and running, sign a new ATU contract, monitor the stimulus projects carefully...and work on safety issues.

 

That's my story, and I am sticking to it.

Just curious, for all the Ohio City area folks who want trolleys: there are tons of bus routes through this area; it's the throat RTA's West Side system, plus you have the Red Line serving the main/southern portion.  Why is the need to extend the Trolley's?  I'm not dogging the idea, just curious.  I know the trolleys are interesting from a tourist POV, but when it turns to just getting back and forth conveniently, the current system is very good -- I usually transfer from the Blue/Green Rapid to the Red Line for a quick, 3 min trip.  But when I've used the buses, I've never not received a seat.

I like the thought of expanding the trolley service, but I just don't see how we can cut from somewhere else that is currently being serviced by the existing routes.  And as a downtown resident/worker, I speak from personal experience using the trolleys almost everyday.

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but how would the Healthline be able to serve those looking for a free ride down Euclid from Public Square?  Assuming the method is to not check POP, how would the distinction be made between those looking for the free ride to say the Huntington Building and those looking to go all the way to Cleveland Clinic (obviously not free)?

 

Also, under KJP's (and others suggestions) the new E-Line routing would exclude almost all of the Warehouse District, which actually has a very concentrated group of office workers/riders.  I know, I see it on a daily basis.  And as much as I would like being able to go grab a Dort and burger at Great Lakes Brewery at lunchtime, I think the Ohio City area lacks the needed concentration of riders to justify just such a re-routing, during the day.

 

I personally would prefer to see a weekend/weeknight "entertainment loop" connecting all the entertainment districts (Ohio City / Warehouse District / East 4th / Tremont). This service would run Thurs-Sat 8pm-2am.  Based upon KJPs same routing, I would estimate that the trolley could make one complete loop every 30 minutes, allowing for just one stop at each area. 

 

A free trolley service, especially along this route, would go a long way towards connecting these "islands of entertainment", especially in the dead of winter.  This route would also hit Cavs/Indians game crowds, allowing these establishments a chance to attract these people before they flee the city.

 

Perhaps this service could be paid for partly out of advertising, maybe Anheuser Busch or Molson Coors, or some alcoholic beverage company could sponsor it as part of an ongoing public safe drinking-anti drunk driving advocacy program? Or this service could be funded out of some sort of entertainment co-op fund among all of the bars/restaurants.  I would think that each establishment involved theoretically stands much to gain from the implementation of just such a free transportation service. 

 

Let's assume we can have the following bars/restaurants sign-up in each of these areas:

 

East 4th -10

Warehouse - 20

Tremont - 10

Ohio City - 10

 

If each were to spend just $500/year on this, we would have $25,000, with more being funded from the advertising, sponsorships, or maybe government grants, etc....

 

Oh, the free aspect...OK.

When riders board the Trolley, the driver will press a button to register the rider count.  Sometimes, I've noticed when several people get on board some drivers simply start hitting that button over and over and over again, sometimes double the amount of times necessary for as many people who got on board.  I think this has a way of really skewing an accurate rider count on the Trolleys.  If 5,000 people/day were really riding the Trolleys, why was service cut back from the original 11pm time?

When riders board the Trolley, the driver will press a button to register the rider count.  Sometimes, I've noticed when several people get on board some drivers simply start hitting that button over and over and over again, sometimes double the amount of times necessary for as many people who got on board.  I think this has a way of really skewing an accurate rider count on the Trolleys.  If 5,000 people/day were really riding the Trolleys, why was service cut back from the original 11pm time?

 

The next time, write down the bus no and report it.  Have you done that?

The only time I've "reported" a driver is when I saw him using his cell phone (not a Trolley driver, by the way.)  Hitting the "passenger count button" extra times really doesn't seem like a reason I should get my feathers ruffled to the point of reporting a driver... but thought I should bring it up since Jerry mentioned the passenger count of 5,000/day.  The Trolley drivers are very nice!

This morning on the red line (car 310), the operator clearly announced each stop and alerted riders to the locations of emergency instructions.  It was a profound improvement over the recording.  I hope this is the new way.  Best part-- when we got stopped outside Tower City, she announced to everyone "We've got a red light.  Hopefully we'll be moving again soon."  Did this explain much?  No.  But it made everyone on the train feel better, because RTA was acknowledging the oddity of having to sit trapped on a train just before your destination.  This acknowledgement helps a great deal.  She also apologized for it, and that helps too.  All in all a much improved experience.  Good job RTA.

Your trolley ideas are interesting, but here are some facts, and a personal opinion...

 

FACTS: When the trolleys were introduced, the routing was kept simple to make them easier to understand, and sponsors were sought so people could ride free. They were "branded" with a unique color, and operators were chosen who had great customer service skills and could aid visitors. The current system is working well -- in fact, it is a major transit success story. The old Loop buses carried 700 people a month. The current trolleys are carrying some 5,000 people a day.

 

PERSONAL OPINION: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. RTA officials have plenty on their plates right now, and from what I gather, changing a system that runs as well as the trolleys is far down on their list of priorities. I am not suggesting the system can't be improved -- every system can -- but there are only 24 hours in a day, and a wise person spends those hours carefully. First, let's balance the budget, get the Red Line POP up and running, sign a new ATU contract, monitor the stimulus projects carefully...and work on safety issues.

 

That's my story, and I am sticking to it.

 

I would agree that this should not be the highest priority of the folks at RTA.  The issues you mentioned are a bit more pressing.  It just struck me that the Trolly's and the Healthline occupy a similar route and might be better served going elsewhere.

 

Also, under KJP's (and others suggestions) the new E-Line routing would exclude almost all of the Warehouse District, which actually has a very concentrated group of office workers/riders. I know, I see it on a daily basis. And as much as I would like being able to go grab a Dort and burger at Great Lakes Brewery at lunchtime, I think the Ohio City area lacks the needed concentration of riders to justify just such a re-routing, during the day.

 

I think in the original route I laid out I left the option open to going back down through W 9th and W 6th.  However after reading some of the comments on here I do agree that there is very little need for this service during the day.  W 25th is not a major employer and the subesquent routing does not link many either.  Which leads us to . . .

 

I personally would prefer to see a weekend/weeknight "entertainment loop" connecting all the entertainment districts (Ohio City / Warehouse District / East 4th / Tremont). This service would run Thurs-Sat 8pm-2am. Based upon KJPs same routing, I would estimate that the trolley could make one complete loop every 30 minutes, allowing for just one stop at each area.

 

A free trolley service, especially along this route, would go a long way towards connecting these "islands of entertainment", especially in the dead of winter. This route would also hit Cavs/Indians game crowds, allowing these establishments a chance to attract these people before they flee the city.

 

Perhaps this service could be paid for partly out of advertising, maybe Anheuser Busch or Molson Coors, or some alcoholic beverage company could sponsor it as part of an ongoing public safe drinking-anti drunk driving advocacy program? Or this service could be funded out of some sort of entertainment co-op fund among all of the bars/restaurants. I would think that each establishment involved theoretically stands much to gain from the implementation of just such a free transportation service.

 

Let's assume we can have the following bars/restaurants sign-up in each of these areas:

 

East 4th -10

Warehouse - 20

Tremont - 10

Ohio City - 10

 

If each were to spend just $500/year on this, we would have $25,000, with more being funded from the advertising, sponsorships, or maybe government grants, etc....

 

 

This would provide a much better service to the public than what I originally said (I may have actually just have been thinking of this as it was a Friday afternoon when the idea struck).  I remember when the e-line did run til 11 and thought that it was a great service.  If this entertainment loop could be put together it would be a great way to get to and from our entertainment islands.

This morning on the red line (car 310), the operator clearly announced each stop and alerted riders to the locations of emergency instructions. It was a profound improvement over the recording. I hope this is the new way. Best part-- when we got stopped outside Tower City, she announced to everyone "We've got a red light. Hopefully we'll be moving again soon." Did this explain much? No. But it made everyone on the train feel better, because RTA was acknowledging the oddity of having to sit trapped on a train just before your destination. This acknowledgement helps a great deal. She also apologized for it, and that helps too. All in all a much improved experience. Good job RTA.

 

Yes, this is a GIANT improvement... glad to hear it!

The only time I've "reported" a driver is when I saw him using his cell phone (not a Trolley driver, by the way.) Hitting the "passenger count button" extra times really doesn't seem like a reason I should get my feathers ruffled to the point of reporting a driver... but thought I should bring it up since Jerry mentioned the passenger count of 5,000/day. The Trolley drivers are very nice!

 

If I reported that, I'd have to report nearly every driver on the Trolley and the Healthline. I have never seen a driver push the button an accurate number of times. Even when I walk on alone I hear a string of beeps.

 

I can also say some of the decreased ridership on the 81 has nothing to do with job loss but due to the time shift. All I have are isolated anecdotes, but I personally know nine people who now drive because the bus doesn't get them downtown at a convenient time when it did before. Of course there could be new drivers resulted from the shift in scheduling.

 

But there are far, far bigger concerns, like RTA not properly servicing the Waterloo Arts District or top brass mulling (or just threatening — whichever) cutting off a day of weekend service because of the decrease in revenue.

When riders board the Trolley, the driver will press a button to register the rider count. Sometimes, I've noticed when several people get on board some drivers simply start hitting that button over and over and over again, sometimes double the amount of times necessary for as many people who got on board. I think this has a way of really skewing an accurate rider count on the Trolleys. If 5,000 people/day were really riding the Trolleys, why was service cut back from the original 11pm time?

 

I ride the E-line quite frequently and I've noticed that sometimes drivers won't press the button right away when someone gets on if it's just one or two people and they want to get moving to catch a light or something.  They will then get everyone counted at another stop (typically Tower City for my route).  I don't think this is an issue.

 

The trolley service was EXTENDED to the 11 pm time to help out during the Euclid Corridor construction.  Once the HealthLine was up and running the trolley was pulled back to it's normal operating hours (7-7).

 

I think we can all agree that late night E-line trolley service on the weekends (Th-Sa) a loop going to Ohio City would be great... but someone's gotta come up with the money. 

 

By the way, instead of sending a potential Ohio City loop over the D-S bridge why not send it down into the flats?  Send it over the Center Street bridge and right by the apartments, bars and restaurants down there and then back up to W25.  Seems to me that would be a worthwhile detour.

When riders board the Trolley, the driver will press a button to register the rider count. Sometimes, I've noticed when several people get on board some drivers simply start hitting that button over and over and over again, sometimes double the amount of times necessary for as many people who got on board. I think this has a way of really skewing an accurate rider count on the Trolleys. If 5,000 people/day were really riding the Trolleys, why was service cut back from the original 11pm time?

 

I ride the E-line quite frequently and I've noticed that sometimes drivers won't press the button right away when someone gets on if it's just one or two people and they want to get moving to catch a light or something. They will then get everyone counted at another stop (typically Tower City for my route). I don't think this is an issue.

 

Well, when RTA says "5,000 people/day" ride the Trolleys or whatever, I think the accuracy of those numbers gets called into question when the driver isn't keeping an accurate headcount.

^From my experience the count is accurate.  When I'm bored on the trolley I'll count people that get on and listen for the 'beeps' and they've been relatively accurate (+/- 1).

Anyone up for an UO audit of the trolley counts?

 

I'll participate.

This morning on the red line (car 310), the operator clearly announced each stop and alerted riders to the locations of emergency instructions.  It was a profound improvement over the recording.  I hope this is the new way.  Best part-- when we got stopped outside Tower City, she announced to everyone "We've got a red light.  Hopefully we'll be moving again soon."  Did this explain much?  No.  But it made everyone on the train feel better, because RTA was acknowledging the oddity of having to sit trapped on a train just before your destination.  This acknowledgement helps a great deal.  She also apologized for it, and that helps too.  All in all a much improved experience.  Good job RTA.

 

A similar thing happened to me on the Blue Line coming home on the 4th; a driver actually announced we had a red signal and we'd be moving as soon as the train ahead went into the E.55 Street yard and cleared the tracks... While a product of Eastern rail systems, and the Chicago L (they even have their automated/GPS voice programmed to announce problems), this is totally new to RTA where, traditionally, you'd sit for long periods w/ no comments from Rapid drivers (and some would even get surly if you'd ask) -- nothing is ruder... This is a very welcome change, indeed.

MEDIA ADVISORY

 

CLEVELAND -- The Board of Trustees of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) will hold a special Board meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, to discuss options to balance the 2009 budget.

 

The meeting will be held at RTA's Main Office Building, 1240 West Sixth Street.

 

 

The RTA system maps on their webpage have been updated with the healthline finally.  Hooray!

Bus driver on the #55 honked his horn at every intersection downtown. It scared me every time. A guy on a motorcycle next to our bus on West 3rd risked whiplash when he turned his head so fast when the driver beeped his horn.

 

I didn't want to be scared again, so on my return I walked 10 minutes to Tower City, took the Red Line to West 117th, and then walked 20 minutes home. Anything to avoid those horns.

I saw an articulated bus today, but it wasn't of the HealthLine style.  It looked like the newer standard buses in the fleet except for the articulation of course.  Are these for the new BRT route up Clifton?

^Could you tell if it was in operation on a route?

 

The RTA system maps on their webpage have been updated with the healthline finally. Hooray!

 

Excellent!  The new system map looks great- it even has Citywheels car sharing locations (not sure if that was on the old version).  Nice job, RTA!  One minor suggestion- I'd think you'd want to show the HL station locations on the University Circle map, as you do on the downtown map.

^Could you tell if it was in operation on a route?

 

all of the new articulated buses are supposed to arrive by end of july, but there are already a number that have been delivered.  i don't think any will go to revenue service until sometime in august.

Excellent! The new system map looks great- it even has Citywheels car sharing locations (not sure if that was on the old version).

 

 

I wondered what those circle-shaped icons were on the downtown map. They're not identified in the map's key.

^Could you tell if it was in operation on a route?

 

It was being used for training and was driving North on E13 crossing Superior.

 

I wondered what those circle-shaped icons were on the downtown map. They're not identified in the map's key.

 

Yeah- took me a while, but then I noticed then on the system-wide map key.