Turnstyle: The Honor System

I love public transportation. I hate driving cars and am admittedly the worst driver EVER. Therefore, I can attest to the awesome public transit systems I've rocked in every city I've lived in (Chicago, Rome, and Seoul) I never had a car in any of these cities so I HAD to rely on public transportation. I love taking the subway whenever I'm in NYC and actually prefer it to cabs. So the question I raise here is this- how can public transportation be successful in Cleveland if we work on the honor system when it comes to buying ride fares?

This isn't meant to be rhetorical- I'm really wondering why there is a lack of turn styles operating at the Ohio City and Airport stops (I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones I often use) I can't imagine everyone is being honest when riding the rapid. I always am, but have to admit *sometimes* I want to just jump on and save the $2.25, because really- whats the point if no one else is paying?

I do pay because I know what a huge expense public transit is and I know I don't deserve a 'free ride' but why aren't the fares enforced? Isn't the GCRTA losing tons of money by not installing turn styles for fare cards? Do you ride public transit? What are your thoughts on the issue?

*To be clear, I'm not knocking GCRTA, I just want them to be the best they can be- that way we all win!

Cleveland RTA lands $2.2 million for new trolley and bus service

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- RTA has landed $2.2 million for a slew of new services in and around downtown Cleveland, including a night-time trolley service and a route serving the rock hall and science center.

The money covers just one year of operation. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority hopes that Gov.-elect John Kasich's administration will support funding the services for two years after that.

More than 40 businesses and public bodies backed RTA's request for the money.

The money comes from a $10 million pot doled out this week by the Ohio Department of Transportation for transit statewide.

It's part of the Next Generation fund, established by outgoing Gov. Ted Strickland in October. The money is focused on economic development and getting people to job centers.
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* RTA executives, nonunion staff receive 3 percent pay increase

Strickland committed one year of funding under a three-year plan. It now falls to the Kasich camp to decide how two, subsequent years of ODOT money will be spent.

"We'll have to wait until the (new ODOT) director is seated and is able to evaluate all these kinds of projects," Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said Friday.

RTA officials are still crafting details of the new services, including launch dates. The new routes are:

"C-Line" downtown trolley: It will run from 7 to 11 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekends.

It extends service offered by two, free trolley routes that ply downtown routes during the day.

"Rock-Line" weekend trolley: It will serve the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Great Lakes Science Center, via Public Square.

The service will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Campus Connector: This route will serve students, workers and residents between Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus.

Students taking classes at both schools will be able to move more quickly between campuses, RTA said.

Southwest Connector, Southeast Connector and Steelyard Direct: The routes will serve riders going to work, hospitals and other destinations in areas including Ohio City, Old Brooklyn and the Steelyard Commons shopping center.

(Article courtesy of The Cleveland Plain Dealer)

American Idol Winner to Perform at Free Concert on Mall B

The Euclid Corridor project, now appropriately called the "Health Line", opens on October 24-25th to celebrate the re-birth of Euclid Avenue. Headlining this public festival is American Idol winner, Jordin Sparx, who This project has been several years in the making, and has been the subject of great debate over the past three years.

Yes, yes, by now we know that the Health Line will connect University Circle to Public Square. We've heard about and/or seen the cool looking bus stations all along the route. We've even heard about how this is revolutionary, environmentally concsious, and so on... But, will we actually use it? Cleveland City Living decided to ask the people on the streets...

• "We'd probably take it to go downtown for dinner after our shift [is over]" - Kathy & Monica from the Cleveland Clinic.


• "I live in the Statler and work at UH, so it's great for me." - William (Downtown Resident)


• "It's cool, but Euclid Avenue is still pretty much a ghost town." - Jessie (Downtown Resident)


• "I've never really rode the bus before in Cleveland, just Chicago and places like that. Is that weird?" - Emily (Downtown Employee in Tower City)

The general feeling for the remaining posts is optimism for the publicity, excitement over the removal of the orange barrels, and surprise by the suburbanites on what Euclid Avenue is becoming. Most people, in spite of all our marketing efforts, still don't know about the 668 Euclid Avenue Building rennovation, the grand opening of Cadillac Ranch, or even the unprecedented growth on East 4th Street.

Ari Maron, partner at MRN (developers of East 4th St), told me that one day, Euclid Avenue will be the premier street in Cleveland. That day I was looking at abandoned buildings, panhandlers everywhere, paintings in the windows of abandoned store-fronts, and a dreadful streetscape. A great deal has changed since then and from the looks of it, Ari can probably say, "I told you so" in the near future!