I went to an exciting breakfast this morning hosted by the Civic Innovation Lab, an entrepreneur-incubation project that awards $30,000 grants for new, civic-minded business ideas in the city of Cleveland, and provides grantees with mentors to guide them in devising a business plan. (http://www.civicinnovationlab.org)

One of this year's funded projects is CityWheels, a for-profit car-sharing business being developed by Ryan McKenzie of EcoCity Cleveland. It's a car-sharing program that city residents can join for a $100 membership fee. Members will have a fleet of 50-75 hybrid cars available for use 24/7, at a rate of $8.50 per hour including gas and insurance. The idea is that members will be able to walk to a car within five minutes from their home.

McKenzie will unveil the program this January in Ohio City, then have a "grand opening" in April, when cars will be available in the Warehouse District, St. Clair-Superior and other neighborhoods.

Similar programs have met with success in cities such as Boston and San Francisco; Cleveland's fleet will be smaller than in those cities.

See http://www.citywheelscleveland.com for more information.

The other projects discussed at the breakfast were also quite exciting but don't really fit here! There truly are some fantastic things going on in this city.

(Insert the Hallejuah chorus)  :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

Except... I have to wait until April?  :cry:

 

And I clicked on that link - I hope I don't have to wait until April for that to work!  :wink:

Blinker,  I was at the breakfast this morning as well.  It really was invigorating.

This is great for Cleveland.  I have to express some skepticism, though.  First, the membership fee is way high.  ZipCar charges an annual $25 membership fee (and $25 for the one-time record check).  Hourly rates are the same at $8.50.  Second, car-sharing works well in the DC area (among others), but we have a strong transit system.  It's not as easy to go car-free in Cleveland, although this is a step in the right direction. 

 

There needs to be a commitment from the City to reserve designated parking spots on the street for the car-sharing vehicles.  I know that in my area, some governments such as Arlington County and Alexandria (both in Virginia) have offered to pay the $25 sign-up fee for their residents.  That might be nice to see from the City of Cleveland too.   

MayDay, I know they're working on the Web site but I'm not sure when it'll officially launch. I saw some of the designs today, and they look quite snappy. :)

DaninDC, McKenzie mentioned today that he's aware this kind of program will be a greater risk in Cleveland than it would be in a denser city, like DC. But he's setting modest goals for success, at least initially, and he has some good people behind him (i.e., the innovation lab). I'm not sure where the $100 membership fee comes from; perhaps it has to do with the relatively modest demand anticipated here (resulting in a need to charge more).

As a car-free Clevelander who is frothing at the mouth - I think $100 is perfectly reasonable and I'd write a check today if I could. Just a guess but maybe they're testing the waters in an area that's more car-dependent?

 

I look at it this way - if I were to go to Enterprise and use their "Weekend Special" which is 50% off weekend rentals - the cost is (give or take):

 

1. Approx. $20 per day (50% off $40.00 each day) = $60.00

2. Full Coverage for insurance (CDW@$10, SLP@$10, PAI@$5 each day) = $75.00

3. Gas (10 gallons @ $2.50) = $25.00

4. Taxes... who knows

 

That's over $150 right there and that's for ONE weekend. I'll still be doing cartwheels when the service starts! I could still take a taxi from my place to Ohio City for under $10, pick up my CityWheels car and still be well under the money I'd spend on a full-blown rental. A $100 membership fee? Bring it on!!!  :-D

 

 

I've seen this type of program be wildly successful in cities like Seattle and Portland.  It can definitely work in non-East Coast style cities.  50-75 cars isn't a particularly small fleet, either, at least to start.

Duly noted, blinker.  I think it would be nice to see some commitment from the City, though, to promote alternate forms of transportation.  Despite living in Shaker Square, Mayor Jane seems hellbent on everyone driving more more and more.  Perhaps they can persuade RTA to allow shared cars to be parked at rapid stations.  The City could allow reserved street parking near key bus terminals. 

$100 doesn't seem too unreasonable to me, esp if there is no per mile charge.  It is definitely cheaper than renting.

 

Chicago has I-Go which I have thought about using, but don't currently.  The main use would be groceries for most people, and I am lucky to have a full service Jewel/Osco store in walking distance...or I order delivery online with Peapod.  If I didn't have those options, I'd probably join.  Friends of mine really like it.

 

1. Pay-As-You-Go Plan

$75 membership, $6 an hour and .50 a mile

 

2. GO 25 Plan

$225 a month, includes 25 hours and 250 miles. Anything over this amount will be billed at $6 an hour and .50 a mile.

 

3. GO 50 Plan

$425 a month, includes 50 hours and 500 miles. Anything over this amount will be billed at $6 an hour and.50 a mile.

 

4. GO 100 Plan

$850 a month, includes 100 hours and 1000 miles. Anything over this amount will be billed at $6 an hour and .50 a mile.

 

 

 

I don't understand why they wouldn't add something between pay-as-you-go and the GO 25 plan. Honestly, a car payment on a used car can run around $200 and the idea is to convince people that they don't need a car. Something like 10 hours and 100 miles - enough to do errands once a weekend. And can someone explain the logic of the GO 50 and 100 plans???

^Maybe that's for the Ferrari and the Bugati

 

KJP

I don't understand why they wouldn't add something between pay-as-you-go and the GO 25 plan.

 

You're right, they should have something between those plans. 

 

And can someone explain the logic of the GO 50 and 100 plans???

 

50 might make sense because after a car payment, parking(average $200 a month), insurance, repairs, maintenance and gas, it stills comes out cheaper than owning if you are going to use a car that much(think maybe an artist that travels to shows, or a massage therapist that does house calls and brings trhe table).  Plus your cost is fixed monthly, can be budgeted and you have a new and reliable car, unlike owning a used car.  I add the cost of parking because the locations are generally in neighborhoods where parking is a nightmare and you most likely will end up renting a space.

 

As far as the 100...If you live in the city and depend on a car that much...you need to move because you aren't getting the urban lifestyle at all.

Perhaps the pricier plans are geared for businesses?  Car sharing might be an option that's cheaper than taking cabs if you're not located close to a transit stop.

the funky urban car-sharing trend has arrived on the local scene. niiiice work!

 

 

 

link:

http://www.citywheelscleveland.com/

 

Can't wait for it to get here - although I saw on the Hotel Bruce blog that the cars won't be in Cleveland until March, but the site says "early 2006"? Hopefully they'll clear that up and we can get rolling!  :clap:

The site looks just fantastic. Nice job, Ryan McKenzie and company...  :clap:

Great site!  Word on the streets is that the first cars will be in Ohio City and Oberlin...well-picked!

The site says there will be two cars in Ohio City to start in early 2006. From what I've seen, it is quite possible with a few years of expansion to get some seriously decent coverage in some of a region's denser neighborhoods.

 

Locations under consideration:

Near Market Avenue and West 26th Street

Near St. Patrick’s Church on Bridge Avenue and West 38th Street

Near Lutheran Hospital on West 25th Street

Near the Federal Knitting Mills building on Detroit

 

They are accepting input on where future cars should go:  [email protected]

 

I think that Downtown and U.Circle should be the next two places.  Actually, I am surprised they didn't start there.

  We're launching in Oberlin on February 7th with two cars, in part because the College agreed to grants and subsidies.  By mid-March we'll have a car in Ohio City, Coventry, Shaker Square and the W 117th/Clifton area, with additional cars to follow in those locations as demand grows. We'll get to downtown Cleveland by May 1st (aiming for six cars if capitalization allows), and we're in discussion with University Circle institutions.  In total, we're aiming for 15-20 vehicles in 2006, and at least that many more in 2007, and continuing our efforts to cover all the likely neighborhoods with an increasingly dense network.

 

We didn't want to tackle downtown until we had a least a few months of operational experience -- we figure Oberlin customers and the early neighborhood customers will be more forgiving of any startup glitches than corporate clients downtown.  We're also aiming to find free parking, and that's easier to get outside of downtown.

 

BTW, though we'll have 0/5/10/25-hour monthly plans, we'll also offer a 50-hour plan -- suitable for a household with several drivers, or a business with several employees.  The same logic applies to the i-Go 100-hour plan -- one billing plan, many individual customers.

 

Ryan McKenzie - CityWheels

www.citywheelscleveland.com

Ryan, welcome to the forum! Everything sounds great, especially the selection of those four neighborhoods - keep up the great work!

 

Gotta ask - is your online application working? I sent my info over a week ago and haven't heard anything, though I know these things take time  :-)

 

 

Welcome to the forum, Ryan! Glad to see you're aboard.

 

I owe you a phone call about CityWheels, though I'm going to have to call you after I get back to the office from a working vacation Feb 6.

Welcome to the forum!  Your decision not to start in downtown makes alot of sense now that you explain it. 

 

Your planned growth rate is pretty impressive, too.  I take it that from what you've said about your plans, your goal is to create a few viable "car sharing neighborhoods" with multiple options, more so than to expand to the greatest number of neighborhoods? 

 

Is there any reason why the EcoVillage isn't going to be one of the test neighborhoods?  Carsharing seems like such a natural fit.  Is it just not developed enough, yet?

 

At any rate, good luck.  This is a really great program.

From today's PD,

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/lorain/113947780286740.xml&coll=2

 

Car-sharing plan starts rolling at Oberlin College

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Carl Matzelle

Plain Dealer Reporter

Oberlin

 

-- CityWheels, a car-sharing program for occasional drivers, will take its first spin around the block today at Oberlin College.

 

The Cleveland-based company, partnering with the college and a student environmental group, is the first of its type in Ohio, CityWheels founder Ryan McKenzie said.

Fantastic!  I like that Oberlin is subsidizing membership for its students.  I have a friend who is going to be in Oberlin for a conference in a month and this may prove to be a viable option while she's in town.  She can borrow the car for the day and come hang out in Cleveland!  I wonder if Oberlin is considering this at all?

Here's a link to a pdf file on how Arlington, Virginia's car-sharing program is working and apparently very well.

 

http://www.commuterpage.com/pdfdocs/ArlCo_CarshareReport_2006.pdf

I heard that it is expanding and will place two cars in University Circle.

Is there an updated list of locations?  I couldn't find one on their website.  It did have an announcement for a new location at the Tower Press downtown, though.

Wimwar beat me to the punch!  Yes, two new cars in University Circle, which I can see expanding in the not-too-distant future if they're successful...that's just my optimistic opinion, though! 

 

Are we on pace to see 20 cars by the end of the year?

 

ps: I've yet to see anyone but Ryan actually driving one of these!

^ I believe I saw some other than Ryan driving it on Lorain today, although I could be wrong.

He hasn't been on for a while now, but Ryan has told me he would like to have at least another car at CSU... but not until there is a little more critical student mass - in other words, three to five years.

 

 

Car-sharing service on roll

CityWheels rents cars in Cleveland, Oberlin to people who occasionally need ride

By Bob Downing

Beacon Journal staff writer

 

CLEVELAND - Chris Trepal has become a firm believer in car sharing.

 

``It's wonderful,'' she says. ``It's easy to use. We haven't found a downside yet.... It's made a big change in our small office.''

 

Trepal is director of the Earth Day Coalition. She and her five fellow eco-group employees now rent CityWheels vehicles several times a week to get to meetings around the Cleveland area.

 

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/15373855.htm

Well, unfortunately, the two cars in University Circle are the cars from Ohio City and Coventry.  But hey, they're new and they're figuring out what works best for the startup.  Plus, they're still optimistic that these cars will be restored in the near future.  It's all about building up membership and use in core locations first.

Some more good press.  This time from Crain's....

 

 

Local car-sharing company keeps clients on the road

By TIM TIBBITTS

6:00 am, August 28, 2006

 

 

Michael Bennett walks to his job as a patient advocate with Recovery Resources in Ohio City. His bicycle and the bus get him almost everywhere else he needs to go in the city.

 

Yet, it took Mr. Bennett a long time to be willing to dump his own vehicle and go “car free.” Even for those who live and work near good public transit, the trip to stock up on household supplies or the occasional work or social function in the distant suburbs makes Cleveland a tough place to live without a car.

 

More at:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20060828/SUB/60825013

Don't know if this is bad news for the project's business to date (at least on the Near East side), but they have removed the dedicated CityWheels parking sign from the back of Tower Press (21st between Superior and Payne), and there's been no sign of the Scion for at least a week. :cry:

Maybe it was moved to University Circle? I wouldn't think that there would be enough of a market near the Tower Press building to support a CityWheels car.

This article acts as if City Wheels were just being launched here, and that it was UCI's idea. It makes no mention of the car in Ohio City. Good ol' PD.

Guess we know where the old Tower Press car is now!

 

University Circle launches car-sharing program

Friday, September 15, 2006

 

John C. Kuehner

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Workers, students and residents in University Circle might no longer need to own their own car.

 

University Circle Inc. and CityWheels announced an innovative car-sharing program Thursday that they hope will help ease congestion and parking problems in Cleveland's fastest growing area.

the website no longer lists the ohio city car.  is it still there or were both cars moved to UC?  with the guarantee on revenue for 6 months, it's not a bad move, but i would have figured at least 1 new car in the mix. 

Well, it's the first time in Cleveland that an organization (UCI) is guaranteeing revenues for CityWheels.  I see this being a model that will be replicated throughout Cleveland and the region.  Other UC institutions, City of Cleveland, CSU, Downtown hotels and office buildings will want these in their garages for convenience and cost reasons.  The individual cars in Ohio City and Tower Press (I actually didn't remember this one!) were not paying for themselves, so until the program gains momentum, it looks like this is the model to go with.

^Oh, I didn't realize the Ohio City car had been moved too. In that case, I understand better where the article is coming from. I'm glad City Wheels has been so resilient in finding a formula that works. This sounds like it should do the trick.

Ryan is on talks with the City of Cleveland and there has been limited discussion with Playhouse Square.

PS wants him to acquire minivans though, and maybe a Pick-up truck.

Ryan has stated he would like to talk with CSU eventually. But not until there is more students living on campus.

CityWheels is finding its footing -- I tried going into residential neighborhoods (Ohio City, Coventry) and Tower Press without a revenue guarantee and without a marketing partner, and I couldn't get the critical mass fast enough to keep covering the direct vehicle costs (north of $800 per month, per car), let alone any marketing or overhead.  Our partnership with UCI will be the model for going forward.  And I think colleges/universities will be a primary customer. 

 

-Ryan McKenzie

 

Here's the message I sent to members last week.

 

To: [email protected]

Subject: Improvements to your CityWheels experience

 

Dear CityWheels members,

 

Thank you for being among the first in Ohio to use car-sharing for your transportation needs. The CityWheels family has worked hard to bring this new travel option to you, and we have appreciated your patronage and support in our first seven months of operation.

 

In an effort to improve the quality of your experience with us, and to ensure that CityWheels can grow, I am pleased to announce a number of changes. 

 

Cleveland cars move to University Circle

We are excited to announce a sponsoring partnership with University Circle Inc.(UCI), the nonprofit development corporation for the region’s premier arts and education district.  The UCI sponsorship will make it possible to introduce CityWheels to thousands of employees, students and residents living in and around the University Circle area.

 

Today we held a press conference with UCI to announce that our Cleveland- based Toyota Prius and Scion xB have moved to their new home in the heart of University Circle – the UCI Lot at the corner of Euclid Avenue, Ford Drive and Mayfield Road commonly known as Hessler Beach [http://tinyurl.com/f8nfu].  This lot is a short walk from the RTA Red Line station at E 120th & Euclid Ave, and is on the RTA #6 and #9 bus routes.

 

[For transit information, visit http://www.RideRTA.com]

 

We are engaged in conversations with potential sponsors of several cars in downtown Cleveland and in Ohio City.  Stay tuned for more information about these new cars and their arrival in the upcoming months.

 

 

 

Changes to Application and Annual Membership Fees

Pricing and membership fees have been modified and made more simple to understand.  New members can now join for $75 -- a one-time application fee of $25.00 plus a $50 Annual Membership (charged on the anniversary date of joining).  Oberlin Students will continue to pay only $25 to join CityWheels, thanks to assistance from Oberlin College.  Members who applied before September 1st have been credited for their first annual membership, and the cost to add an additional person to these accounts is just $25.

 

 

 

Changes to Hourly and Distance-based Pricing

Three new pricing plans will replace our existing pricing structure, effective October 1, 2006.  All of these plans continue to provide you with the freedom to use a CityWheels vehicle by the hour or day.  And of course gasoline, insurance and maintenance are still included.

 

The new Local Plan puts you behind the wheel for just $5.90 per hour and 30 cents per mile – this is an inexpensive option if you need a car mostly for local errands and nearby shopping trips.

 

If you’re driving longer distances, consider the new Standard Plan and Value Plan.  Previously 125 miles per day were included in each reservation--no matter how short the time. The past six months of experience, unfortunately, have proven that we cannot afford to support long distances (and their gas bills) on short reservations. 

 

The new Standard and Value Plans will now include 20 miles with each reserved hour (so 2 hours include 40 miles, 2.5 hours, 50 miles and so on).  Additional miles will be billed at $.30 per mile.

 

The new Standard Plan is $8.90/hr, and will no longer include a $4.99 monthly charge.

 

Choose the new Value Plan if you’re likely to use your CityWheels for more than eight hours per month.  A $15 monthly Value Plan fee will have you driving for only $6.90 per hour (i.e. - $2/hr less than Standard).

 

Those of you who were on the old Standard Plan (i.e. – who didn’t have a prepaid balance) have already been switched to the new Standard Plan for September (Note that you have not been charged $4.99 for a September monthly plan fee).

 

If we don’t hear from those of you currently on a Value 10 or 25 Plan, we’ll switch you to the Value Plan on October 1st.  We’ll charge the same amount as previous months to your card on file, deduct $15 for the monthly Value fee, and the rest will be shown as your available balance to use at just $6.90 per hour.

 

Please contact us at 888-692-9457 or e-mail to [email protected] if you would like to switch to another plan

 

 

 

Changes to Weekday Rates

The weekday rate will be available for Standard members ($65) and Value Plan members ($55) for reservations up to 24 hours (8pm Sunday through 6pm on Friday).  So that we can make CityWheels available to multiple members on weekends, daily rates will not be available on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekday rates will continue to include 125 miles, with additional miles increasing to $0.30 each.  For longer distance trips of less than 24 hours, the billing system will automatically choose the lowest-cost option for you.

 

Local Plan customers can take a car for up to 24 hours for $40, plus $.30 per mile (no miles included).

 

We want you to be safe, so we’re making it easy to keep the car overnight for those nights out when you’re getting home late. Pay just $5.90/hr for your first two hours past 11pm, and return the car by 7am to avoid additional hourly charges. All overnight miles cost $0.30 each.

 

 

 

NEW - Security Deposit for Insurance Deductible

In order to reduce the risk of bad debt in case of a car crash, a fully refundable security deposit of $250 (half of your $500 insurance deductible for an at-fault accident), will be required for customers for whom CityWheels does not have a major credit card on file. (Note that debit cards drawing from your bank account are NOT credit cards, even though they have a Visa or Mastercard logo).  We will contact you individually to make arrangements.

 

Save $500!

Did you know that if you pay your monthly bill with an eligible Visa credit card, you have the opportunity for Visa to cover the cost of damage instead of CityWheels? This is free to you, and you’ll have nothing to pay if you are involved in an accident - not even the $500 deductible we would otherwise charge.

If you use one of the following cards to pay for your driving, you can use this benefit: Visa Classic, Visa Secured, Visa Gold, Visa Platinum, Visa Signature

 

Mastercard provides this for some of its cards, so you'll need to check with your card issuer to be sure.

Do check with your card issuer to be sure you qualify. If you currently have a debit card, you might wish to apply for a "Visa Secured" card, which functions in a similar fashion as a debit card.  For more information, contact us at [email protected].

 

Improvements to Monthly Billing and Payment

Plans that require you to choose a specific number of monthly hours (e.g. – Value 10 vs Value 25 plans) are being eliminated.  Now you will simply maintain an account with CityWheels, and it will be easy to see your account balance at all times. 

 

Just fuel up your account, and drive to your heart's content -- we hold your debit or credit card info on file for easy billing. You can fuel up in two simple ways:

 

With pay-as-you-go, add value to your account when making a reservation to cover its estimated cost.

For easy and predictable budgeting and to save a few mouse clicks, choose convenient monthly auto-debiting.  Your credit or debit card will be charged an amount that you choose, on the same day each month.  Any remaining value rolls over to the next month, with no “use it or lose it” commitments.  If your account runs low, just pay as you go. 

 

Mid month, you’ll receive a monthly invoice that reconciles any differences between actual and estimated costs for your use.

 

For members who prefer not to pay their monthly charges with credit or debit cards, CityWheels will continue to accept personal checks. However, checks must clear our bank account before the funds will be available for reservations.

 

 

 

Vehicle access and security

CityWheels has temporarily converted to a system of lockboxes and trip tickets, while we evaluate new technology that will provide more reliable and accurate access in the future. 

 

You can access each car’s ignition key from a nearby lockbox, fill out a trip ticket in the driver’s door pocket for each reservation, and go as usual.  Look on your reservation confirmation sheet for details. 

 

 

 

Reservations & Emergencies

We have established a new number for extending reservations and reporting emergencies:

 

THE NEW RESERVATION & EMERGENCY LINE IS

 

1-888-275-8923

 

The previous emergency number - 888-MY-C-WHLS - now rings directly to a CityWheels staff person for general questions and non-emergency customer support.

 

We expect these changes will provide you with an even better car-share experience.  CityWheels is a family-owned company, and we’re dedicated to constantly improving our service for you.  If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to contact me, Ryan McKenzie, at 216.308.1059, 888.MY-C-WHLS (692-9457), or [email protected].

 

Drive on and share the road!

 

Ryan, Miriam, Andrew and Megan

 

 

Thanks for all the information Ryan!  Much success going forward!

I finally saw one of the vehicles in use on Friday driving east on Chester.

I presume she was heading to UC.

 

TRANSPORTATION

Car Sharing Picks Up Speed -- and Groceries

 

By Eric M. Weiss

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, November 30, 2006; Page B06

 

Too much traffic and too little parking have already made Washington area drivers among the most enthusiastic adopters of car sharing -- and the two leading car-share companies are betting millions that many more area drivers are willing to give up their car keys.

 

Yesterday, one of the two major car-sharing companies that operate in the Washington region, Zipcar, announced a $25 million investment that will allow it to possibly double the 350 vehicles it already puts on area streets. In June, Zipcar's rival, District-based Flexcar, announced a major investment by a company started by AOL co-founder Steve Case.

pd:

 

CityWheels brings car sharing concept to Northeast Ohio - Bright Ideas

CityWheels puts nonowners behind the wheel at an hourly rate

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Shaheen Samavati

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Ryan McKenzie lived eight years in Cleveland without a car.

 

As he biked to work and everywhere else, he watched the traffic around him getting worse.

 

"I saw it was getting harder and harder to feel safe and comfortable riding a bike, and that's a shame," he said. "We shouldn't feel like we have to get into a $20,000 car to be safe and just go a couple of miles."

 

Those experiences shaped his career and eventually made him an entrepreneur. McKenzie worked for a decade to improve public transportation and make Cleveland neighborhoods more walkable.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business-3/118898202542920.xml&coll=2

Good article. Congrats Ryan!

I'm looking for feedback on the ideal locations for new CityWheels cars in downtown, Shaker Square and Cedar-Fairmount (or other place along the top of the hill between Mayfield & Cedar). 

 

We expect to add six cars within 4 weeks: Four downtown (Warehouse District, Tower City, Playhouse Square and near Lakeside/E 9th), one in Shaker Square, and one in the Cedar-Fairmount area. We already have two in University Circle.

 

I'm looking for exact on-street parking spots (meter number or street address) in anticipation of a meeting this week with the city's parking people.  Each location's visibility is important, along with proximity to the highest numbers of potential residential and workplace customers.  I personally think it is also valuable to be near places where our target customers are in the habit of frequenting (i.e. - grocery store, transit station).

 

I'll be happy with our network when we've grown enough to support multiple cars within a 5-minute walk of most people in our target districts (e.g. - one here, another nearby to the south, another to the east, etc.).  But for now I have only six new cars to deploy, and I'm seeking feedback on where others would "plant the flags", and why.

Congrats on Expanding. 

 

On Shaker Square.  For the love of Christ, I can't think of any place to put the car. 

 

Oh, wait.  The only place I can think to put the car is at the meters in the median of the street, on South Moreland.  The meters are located between Dave's and National City Bank. and Shaker Square South and Drexmore.

 

This is the closest address:

2771 South Moreland Blvd.

Cleveland, OH  44120

My own feedback is: why spread out the cars around downtown? Why not have just two hubs of activity to simplify things for customers? My suggested locations would be along the free RTA trolley bus routes, especially the E-Line...

 

 

Put one hub on the west side of downtown and one east side of downtown.

 

My west side downtown suggested location would be on Frankfort Avenue, somewhere in the vicinity of West 6th Street. Cleveland Planning GIS maps show this location to be:

The Frankfort Avenue side of 1427 West 6th St.

 

There are usually open parking meters available here, even during weekday business hours.

 

The east side downtown location could be in/near the Playhouse Square area, which puts it in the vicinity of downtown residents from the Gateway/Theater/Avenue districts as well as from CSU's growing residential student population. It would also be on the Euclid Corridor and RTA trolley bus line. Possible meter locations might be on Huron near the Wyndham Hotel, or on East 17th Street between Chester and Euclid.

 

Cleveland Planning GIS maps show these location to be:

Approx. 1110 Huron Road East

or

Approx. 1859 East 17th St.

 

However, I do not recall if the latter street still has on-street parking available.

The idea behind spreading cars out is to put wheels within a 5-minute walk of as many people as possible.  The trolley is an ideal way to reach more distant vehicles, but wouldn't people rather walk to a car if one is available?  That's how it's done by other CSOs (carsharing organizations). Some parking locations (CSOs call them "pods" = points of departure) do have multiple cars, once the market has been established.

 

The 9th and Lakeside location is important because it is between city hall and the water department, with whom we're trying to nail down a six month employee pilot project that has been pending for nearly a year.  CH2M Hill has also expressed interest in signing up, and there are some big firms in the north point tower.  But that is probably the weakest of the bunch.

 

We're also aiming for Tower City, opposite Houlihan's valet parking on Prospect.  Close to a lot of office space, the rapid station, and within a reasonable walk from both East 4th and the Warehouse District.

 

We've looked at Huron behind the Wyndam, but I'm excited about E 14th -- the first space south of Euclid on the west side (directly west of Starbucks). Right outside the front doors of Hanna and Ideastream.

 

Why Frankfort, rather than St Clair?  Isn't the density closer to Lakeside?  Same question about 6th vs 9th?  I've considered 9th & St Clair - maybe even farther north, opposite Constantino's. It's a destination for a lot of people, so it would have great visibility.

 

Thanks,

-Ryan