Comments on: How do YOU get to work? http://thegldc.com/blog/2010/02/20/how-do-you-get-to-work/ Greening America one blog post at a time Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:32:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Robert Stockham http://thegldc.com/blog/2010/02/20/how-do-you-get-to-work/#comment-7286 Robert Stockham Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:39:35 +0000 http://thegldc.com/blog/?p=1656#comment-7286 I agree with everything that you have said. The Health Line being a failure is purely my own opinion (though I am not alone). The problem I have with it is not the investment, but I feel that the money was not spent very wisely. The line is beautiful and the bus stops and buses very nice. I consider it a failure when the money spent on making ti a "fast line" didn't seem to work, that the ticket dispensers did not operate when they were installed, and that the line doesn't go farther east. I will retract some of my words, because I was unaware that the line went as far east as it did. However, they spent too much money on it, when now they have to cut or eliminate other bus lines to pay for the Health line being built. I have ridden the health line and it certainly was not any faster than it used to be. I admit that i haven't ridden it lately and hopefully they have worked out all the kinks. I want an investment in new public transport, but skip some of the bells and whistles if you cannot keep up the bus and rapid lines that are already in place. The entire city IS worth saving and an investment in any part of it is good-I just don't think that this investment was the wisest use of funds. But like I said, this is just my opinion. I have not studied the numbers and seen how much ridership has improved with the installation of the project. Euclid looks fantastic, though I worry about what happened to the retailers who could not survive construction, and the universities rapidly tearing down buildings to make the rest of the corridor look better.... But what do I know? I hope that I am completely wrong and that the whole project turns out to be a huge success. I agree with everything that you have said. The Health Line being a failure is purely my own opinion (though I am not alone). The problem I have with it is not the investment, but I feel that the money was not spent very wisely. The line is beautiful and the bus stops and buses very nice. I consider it a failure when the money spent on making ti a “fast line” didn’t seem to work, that the ticket dispensers did not operate when they were installed, and that the line doesn’t go farther east. I will retract some of my words, because I was unaware that the line went as far east as it did. However, they spent too much money on it, when now they have to cut or eliminate other bus lines to pay for the Health line being built. I have ridden the health line and it certainly was not any faster than it used to be. I admit that i haven’t ridden it lately and hopefully they have worked out all the kinks. I want an investment in new public transport, but skip some of the bells and whistles if you cannot keep up the bus and rapid lines that are already in place. The entire city IS worth saving and an investment in any part of it is good-I just don’t think that this investment was the wisest use of funds. But like I said, this is just my opinion. I have not studied the numbers and seen how much ridership has improved with the installation of the project. Euclid looks fantastic, though I worry about what happened to the retailers who could not survive construction, and the universities rapidly tearing down buildings to make the rest of the corridor look better….
But what do I know? I hope that I am completely wrong and that the whole project turns out to be a huge success.

]]> By: Robert Stockham http://thegldc.com/blog/2010/02/20/how-do-you-get-to-work/#comment-7285 Robert Stockham Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:26:08 +0000 http://thegldc.com/blog/?p=1656#comment-7285 Thanks Toni! Thanks Toni!

]]> By: Toni Chanakas http://thegldc.com/blog/2010/02/20/how-do-you-get-to-work/#comment-7279 Toni Chanakas Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:58:58 +0000 http://thegldc.com/blog/?p=1656#comment-7279 Thanks Robert. Very interesting. It boils down to having new Infrastructure that promotes public transport and changing attitudes. Love the Graphic. Thanks Robert. Very interesting. It boils down to having new Infrastructure that promotes public transport and changing attitudes. Love the Graphic.

]]> By: Sam http://thegldc.com/blog/2010/02/20/how-do-you-get-to-work/#comment-7277 Sam Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:48:27 +0000 http://thegldc.com/blog/?p=1656#comment-7277 Loved this graphic. I wanted to discuss a few of your points about our own public transit system, however. I couldn't agree more that our metro area has been all about the suburbs, and as such, it is not possible to provide the level of bus/rail service one can reasonably have in a more dense area. I cringe, though, when people start using the HealthLine as an example of failures. First, it was a major investment IN the city - a part of the city I'd think is worth saving. Second, the #6 was the highest ridership route and continues to be the highest ridership route in its current form. Don't we want investment downtown? In Washington, D.C. it was decided that the Orange Line would go through the heart of Arlington, VA instead of along the median of I-66. People fought against it and some businesses were displaced. But 40 years later, Arlington is one of the most vibrant and transit-friendly areas in the city. They won an award for Great Streets last year by the American Planning Association. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/08/AR2008100803547.html Is Cleveland scared to look long-term? Is a bus that carries 4 million people a year really a failure? I get annoyed when people blame RTA for land use decisions. We are supposed to be a team. Without unlimited resources and some pretty insane insurance, it's just not possible to have buses go into shopping plazas with 100,000 sq. ft. of parking out front. If parking was in the back or on the side of these types of places, with setbacks much closer to the road, everyone would win. And because all public transit is subsidized, it is impossible to do more with less when funds disappear. We need to change the Ohio constitution to allow gas taxes to be used for operating costs. Even Michigan changed their laws a few years ago to allow for this. And one aside about the rail stations. Every one of those stops breaks my heart. So much potential for healthy, sustainable development. But alas, we do not have the market for such a thing right now, and so we have dozens of park and ride commuter lots. I dream that some day we will figure out how to build scale-appropriate communities around the stops. Loved this graphic.

I wanted to discuss a few of your points about our own public transit system, however. I couldn’t agree more that our metro area has been all about the suburbs, and as such, it is not possible to provide the level of bus/rail service one can reasonably have in a more dense area.

I cringe, though, when people start using the HealthLine as an example of failures. First, it was a major investment IN the city – a part of the city I’d think is worth saving. Second, the #6 was the highest ridership route and continues to be the highest ridership route in its current form.

Don’t we want investment downtown? In Washington, D.C. it was decided that the Orange Line would go through the heart of Arlington, VA instead of along the median of I-66. People fought against it and some businesses were displaced. But 40 years later, Arlington is one of the most vibrant and transit-friendly areas in the city. They won an award for Great Streets last year by the American Planning Association.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/08/AR2008100803547.html

Is Cleveland scared to look long-term? Is a bus that carries 4 million people a year really a failure?

I get annoyed when people blame RTA for land use decisions. We are supposed to be a team. Without unlimited resources and some pretty insane insurance, it’s just not possible to have buses go into shopping plazas with 100,000 sq. ft. of parking out front. If parking was in the back or on the side of these types of places, with setbacks much closer to the road, everyone would win. And because all public transit is subsidized, it is impossible to do more with less when funds disappear.

We need to change the Ohio constitution to allow gas taxes to be used for operating costs. Even Michigan changed their laws a few years ago to allow for this.

And one aside about the rail stations. Every one of those stops breaks my heart. So much potential for healthy, sustainable development. But alas, we do not have the market for such a thing right now, and so we have dozens of park and ride commuter lots. I dream that some day we will figure out how to build scale-appropriate communities around the stops.

]]>