RTA: What's good, bad, and improvable (Cleveland, Parma: neighborhood, buses, transportation)

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by ferraris

To sum up, yeah if you have any sort of reasonable employment and like $99, you can probably get a car today. It probably won't be a good deal or a reliable car, but you can get it.

But then there are those of us who cannot drive due to medical issues (vision issues, in my case). I guess we're stuck.

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Faster to bike. This is how I function at least (and most people I know in my current location). Any trip under 5 miles, I'm definitely biking. Just suggesting one possible factor of many. There is a reason Uber, bike shares, Bird scooters etc are popular nationwide. They are faster than existing options.

But there are more destinations than downtown. What about University Circle, the airport, Shaker Square, the Heights, Legacy Village or Collinwood... All those places are 5+ miles from Ohio City...

And while I'm not making judgment on your lifestyle -- biking is definitely healthy and a good thing -- but everyone else is not you; you're likely in the minority.
Indeed more younger -- millenials -- people are open to, and are using, transit much more their elders: Gen Xers, Boomers, etc. There wouldn't be this sudden mini explosion of TOD here in Cleveland at/near various rail stations if this wasn't the case.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by TheProf

But there are more destinations than downtown. What about University Circle, the airport, Shaker Square, the Heights, Legacy Village or Collinwood... All those places are 5+ miles from Ohio City...

And while I'm not making judgment on your lifestyle -- biking is definitely healthy and a good thing -- but everyone else is not you; you're likely in the minority.
Indeed more younger -- millenials -- people are open to, and are using, transit much more their elders: Gen Xers, Boomers, etc. There wouldn't be this sudden mini explosion of TOD here in Cleveland at/near various rail stations if this wasn't the case.

I get ya but honestly, there are plenty of good neighborhoods where I live now that I never go to (or at least rarely). Fact is, most people live between work and home and then rely on their neighborhood to provide daily needs. Even if I want to go elsewhere on the weekends, max that's gonna be probably 4 trips on a train.

For what worit's worth, people here complain about the T all the time. Recently on a 95 degree day, the busiest line just kinda shut down at rush hour with no ac. I have found that of it's reasonable to get somewhere by your own physical accord, you should do that.

For the record, I support public transit. I want Cleveland to have elite transit. I'm just saying that even good systems aren't always ideal and many younger people prefer other methods still. That's just one reason why the growing (and very young) central areas of Cleveland might not be using transit as much as you'd think.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by TheProf

But there are more destinations than downtown. What about University Circle, the airport, Shaker Square, the Heights, Legacy Village or Collinwood... All those places are 5+ miles from Ohio City...

And while I'm not making judgment on your lifestyle -- biking is definitely healthy and a good thing -- but everyone else is not you; you're likely in the minority.
Indeed more younger -- millenials -- people are open to, and are using, transit much more their elders: Gen Xers, Boomers, etc. There wouldn't be this sudden mini explosion of TOD here in Cleveland at/near various rail stations if this wasn't the case.

Biking does require a level of physical fitness/ability, but bike infrastructure also costs very little to implement. I think it's worth spending money on even if only a minority of citizens will use it as a primary mode of transportation.

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Biking does require a level of physical fitness/ability, but bike infrastructure also costs very little to implement. I think it's worth spending money on even if only a minority of citizens will use it as a primary mode of transportation.

Yes. And the good news is Cleveland is becoming one of the most bike-friendly big cities in the country; in many ways, it already is. You can rent bikes all around town; more bike lanes are popping up; RTA is very bike friendly and shower facility in Gateway is excellent and pretty unique, ... and then there's the velodrome in Slavic Village.

[j_ws]

Originally Posted by TheProf

Yes. And the good news is Cleveland is becoming one of the most bike-friendly big cities in the country; in many ways, it already is. You can rent bikes all around town; more bike lanes are popping up; RTA is very bike friendly and shower facility in Gateway is excellent and pretty unique, ... and then there's the velodrome in Slavic Village.

We could still do a lot better. Wide roads like Madison should have dedicated lanes and not just sharrows. You could even maintain a lot of the existing parking. Until the most basic commuting routes like this street are safe I'm hesitant to say we're a truly bike-friendly city. I do like the pretty noticeable increase in bike traffic, though! Definitely on the upswing.

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by j_ws

We could still do a lot better. Wide roads like Madison should have dedicated lanes and not just sharrows. You could even maintain a lot of the existing parking. Until the most basic commuting routes like this street are safe I'm hesitant to say we're a truly bike-friendly city. I do like the pretty noticeable increase in bike traffic, though! Definitely on the upswing.

... and, well, we know that, while slowly improving, Cleveland streets generally are still crap... pothole city (or chuckhole city, as we'd say in Cleveland).

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by TheProf

But there are more destinations than downtown. What about University Circle, the airport, Shaker Square, the Heights, Legacy Village or Collinwood... All those places are 5+ miles from Ohio City...

And while I'm not making judgment on your lifestyle -- biking is definitely healthy and a good thing -- but everyone else is not you; you're likely in the minority.
Indeed more younger -- millenials -- people are open to, and are using, transit much more their elders: Gen Xers, Boomers, etc. There wouldn't be this sudden mini explosion of TOD here in Cleveland at/near various rail stations if this wasn't the case.

I'm thinking it's easier to bike in Boston than in Cleveland because Boston is much more compact.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Biking does require a level of physical fitness/ability, but bike infrastructure also costs very little to implement. I think it's worth spending money on even if only a minority of citizens will use it as a primary mode of transportation.

I couldn't imagine biking as a "primary mode of transportation" during a Midwest or Northeast winter, though... Yikes!

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by TheProf

... and, well, we know that, while slowly improving, Cleveland streets generally are still crap... pothole city (or chuckhole city, as we'd say in Cleveland).

Wow... I hadn't heard the word "chuckhole" since I was a kid. LOL