Commuter Rail in Lakewood

[Shawn Juris]

Who is this going to serve again? Commuters who work downtown and don't mind paying for cab fare to get to their job instead of paying for parking and are not already taking the rapid. I'm going to need to see some real examples to be convinced on the feasibility of this one. But then again, I'm not really the one anybody needs to convince.

[Kenneth Warren]

Yesterday, while wearing my Lakewood Observer hoodie, I was asked by a young man if I wrote for the Lakewood Observer or I knew the person who wrote the "awesome Nickel line railroad story." I said that sometimes I write and that I know the man who wrote the story. He asked me to please tell him that he wrote the best story ever written for the Lakewood Observer.

Ed, I hope, you realize the quality and staying power of your LO work.

Congratulations again on writing a great piece.

Kenneth Warren

[Bill Call]

Let's try a little thought experiment.

Imagine that a commuter rail line exists between the Terminal Tower and Lorain. How many of you would take that line to work? How many of you would take that line to shop at Crocker Park? How many of you would take that line to Lorain? What if the money were spent on better bus service? Why don't you take the bus?

Would Lakewood be better off if the time and money spent on a commuter rail line were spent on something less glamorous? How about developing a restaurant district on Madison or a true shopping district on Detroit?

I appreciate the time and effort people like Ed Favre devote to the City. He is thinking outside the box and that can be a good thing. However, I would be happier if the City were working on something less glamorous than a railroad.

I would be more impressed if the City would take a realistic view of the economic health of the City. The canary in the coal mine? Rosewood. They did everything right. It is a beautiful building. According to their Web site they have sold two units. As of now they are still looking for tenants for the store fronts. Does that tell you anything?

How about some help for Rockport? Do you think the plan was to have acres of vacant lots in 2007? I am .... discouraged that the City is taking a hands off approach to that development.

I am reminded of a political commercial that showed a dreamy candidate walking through a cow pasture with his eyes on the clouds.

His opponent responded with an ad that said what the state really needs is a Governor who has sense enough to keep his eyes on the ground when he is walking though a cow pasture. The opponent won.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Bill

What if we weere to dream a little larger.

Baby steps to larger steps.

What about a train that ran between, Cleveland and Sandusky. I could see many families taking the train to Cedar Point in the summer.

Or Ken's idea from Cleveland to the Ferry for Put-in-Bay, Kelley's Island, etc. Call it the Whiskey train.

I cannot speak of the cost, but do know the track is laid.


FWIW

[Bret Callentine]

Who is this going to serve again? ...
...I'm going to need to see some real examples to be convinced on the feasibility of this one.

Well, I can't speak to how many it would serve, but count me in as exibit A.

I rode the red line rapid for many years, but finally got tired of having to drive to the 117 or Trisket stations. Now I take the 326 bus, but admittadly, I'm not too thrilled with it's slower and sometimes standing room only service.

I don't take public transportation because I have to. I take public transportation because I CAN!

I happily live in Lakewood and work downtown and I don't mind walking a couple of blocks (even in the winter) to catch my ride.

Come summer I once again will begin commuting by bicycle, but if there were a commuter rail that ran through Lakewood, I'd be someone that you would constantly see taking a ride. And, with two or three strategically placed stations in Lakewood, it's my opinion that many others would quickly join in.

[Mark Crnolatas]

Chicago would come to a near standstill without their heavy trains, pulling passenger cars. They move immense amounts of people from the outer burbs into and around Chicago and back . Personally I think its great.

My only complaint would be more waiting at all the cross-roads on the currant Right-of-Way....

[Shawn Juris]

Since this discussion started I began running back and forth from Westlake to Downtown a number of times each week. While rush hour may be a different story, I have been amazed at how pleasantly absent traffic is on I-90. 15 minutes when the weather is good. I also have not have a problem yet with parking downtown. Sure I'm an environmental villan for taking my one passenger car back and forth, sometimes twice a day but it's been so utterly convenient that I'm not sure that I would consider a commuter train as an option.
Chicago may well shut down without their system but we're not Chicago. Is our "rush hour" even an hour long? And the worst of Cleveland's tie ups seem to be everywhere but I-90. Maybe it would be more necessary if they closed the shoreway as it sounds like they may, but for now I just don't see it as realistic.

[Charyn Compeau]

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