Excellent Transportation To The Flats Is A Must!!! (Cleveland: 2013, hotel)

[Mr216]

I know that the flats won't open phase 1 of the East Bank until 2013 and there is a rapid station down there but there is no denying the Flats can be hard to navigate especially to out of town visitors. I was recently reading an article that was saying that Cleveland would become more tourist friendly if they had better transportation to their amenities. Well what I think the City of Cleveland should do or RTA is provide shuttles that pick up from certain spots downtown and drop off at the different Restaurants, Clubs, Etc. so the tourist and residents wouldn't be lost from driving or getting off the rapid and walking. This would also save from a headache or discouragement for the people who come down here to come again. What do you all think and is there any talk of doing this idea?

Readers share ideas to make Cleveland more tourist-friendly | cleveland.com

[OhAcid]

I think it's a stupid idea from an RTA perspective. No public transit caters specifically to "different restaurants" or anywhere else just because people are too lazy to walk half a mile from a rapid transit station. If you want to go to the Flats and you're from out of town, then drive your ass there and park. If you're too American to comprehend a basic public transportation system involving a light amount of walking to "point B" (Especially the RTA, which is about as easy to use as a microwave) then you shouldn't be using public transit. Personally, I'd rather not see tax payer money used to transport out of town residents to entertainment districts when more than sufficient public transit already exists.

[Mr216]

Originally Posted by OhAcid

I think it's a stupid idea from an RTA perspective. No public transit caters specifically to "different restaurants" or anywhere else just because people are too lazy to walk half a mile from a rapid transit station. If you want to go to the Flats and you're from out of town, then drive your ass there and park. If you're too American to comprehend a basic public transportation system involving a light amount of walking to "point B" (Especially the RTA, which is about as easy to use as a microwave) then you shouldn't be using public transit. Personally, I'd rather not see tax payer money used to transport out of town residents to entertainment districts when more than sufficient public transit already exists.

I'm going off of what the article says and the main issue people had was transportation because they said the amenities feel to disconnected and I don't think the problem is walking to a rapid station but getting to the flats can be a hassle especially since the Waterfront line only runs on weekends so if you don't have an alternative to get to the flats the suburbanites who are already hesitant to come downtown won't come and out of towners may become discouraged my main point is to create a means of transportation to fill in for the waterfront line until the weekend to satisfy the wants of tourists.

[OhAcid]

Originally Posted by Mr216

I'm going off of what the article says and the main issue people had was transportation because they said the amenities feel to disconnected and I don't think the problem is walking to a rapid station but getting to the flats can be a hassle especially since the Waterfront line only runs on weekends so if you don't have an alternative to get to the flats the suburbanites who are already hesitant to come downtown won't come and out of towners may become discouraged my main point is to create a means of transportation to fill in for the waterfront line until the weekend to satisfy the wants of tourists.

Public transportation that is paid for by people who ride it and by the tax payers who live in an urban area is meant to benefit that specific group of people. Not "out of towners' and "tourists" who most likely are utilizing automobiles in a city like Cleveland.

Not only that, but anybody who is "hesitant" about coming to downtown Cleveland in general is definitely not anyone who is going to use the city's public transportation while they are there in favor of their own car, especially to visit the Flats.

[Peregrine]

I agree with OhAcid.

When the flats was a popular destination (at one time it was the second largest tourist attraction in Ohio behind Cedar Point.... seriously) no one complained about how hard it was to navigate.
And this new update will make it even easier...

[TheProf]

RTA has indicated that they will re-start 7-day, daytime rail service on the Waterfront Line once the Flats East Bank development (the 18-story hotel/office/restaurant complex) is completed next year.

[osu4brutus03]

Im so happy to see progression in that area...Its looking good on the East Bank of the flats....GO CLEVELAND