The Observation Deck

Maybe Joe Calabrese just doesn't like Lakewood. Regardless of popular sentiment or political pressure; he like to show he's the boss.

He gets nearly one million dollars for increased service. No mention is given for restoring the Lakewood Circulator. I guess RTA is Papa Joe's private train set, so everybody is to keep their hands off. Everybody including a posturing former mayor and a Congressman who just loves a photo op.

Well, still no Circulator, not even a bus stop at the library. Joe's happy, so all's right with the Empire (his). Just pay the fare and shut up.

David Brainard

David Brainard wrote:Maybe Joe Calabrese just doesn't like Lakewood. Regardless of popular sentiment or political pressure; he like to show he's the boss.

He gets nearly one million dollars for increased service. No mention is given for restoring the Lakewood Circulator. I guess RTA is Papa Joe's private train set, so everybody is to keep their hands off. Everybody including a posturing former mayor and a Congressman who just loves a photo op.

Well, still no Circulator, not even a bus stop at the library. Joe's happy, so all's right with the Empire (his). Just pay the fare and shut up.

David Brainard

David

I am disappointed over no Circulator, I am not a huge fan at the cutbacks that have been
coming from RTA for decades. I hate the double buses that often are 3/4s empty. But I am pretty sue you cannot blame their being no stop at the library on RTA.

FWIW


.

Jim - Who is responsible for bus stops? Actually there is a stop in the area, in front of the vacated church across from Tack Bell.

sharon kinsella wrote:Jim - Who is responsible for bus stops? Actually there is a stop in the area, in front of the vacated church across from Tack Bell.

Sharon

The stop was moved for the building of the library. Then when they went back to move it
back, it would not have worked in front for a variety of reasons, and the other area where
it was, is no longer suitable because of walks. One day we walked it off, and it
is actually closer to the side door of the library as the crow flies(rainy day) where
it is, than any other door.

I can find fault with RTA for many things, can praise them for a few but cannot blame
them for the library stop.

FWIW


.

Perhaps flying crows on rainy days can make it to the side entrance of the library faster than they could from the old bus stop, but people have a much more difficult time getting from the present Arthur Ave. stop to the side entrance in the winter time.
Snow plows create barriers which make crossing Arthur quite difficult if not impossible.
The place for a bus stop is at the corner of Mars Ave. and Detroit. There are no 'various reasons' for it not to be there in the face of the far more compelling reasons for it to be there.
A bus stop at Mars and Detroit would also create easy access to the Mars plaza and we've seen with the Circulator how little RTA cares about Lakewood businesses.

David Brainard

David Brainard wrote:Perhaps flying crows on rainy days can make it to the side entrance of the library faster than they could from the old bus stop, but people have a much more difficult time getting from the present Arthur Ave. stop to the side entrance in the winter time.
Snow plows create barriers which make crossing Arthur quite difficult if not impossible.
The place for a bus stop is at the corner of Mars Ave. and Detroit. There are no 'various reasons' for it not to be there in the face of the far more compelling reasons for it to be there.
A bus stop at Mars and Detroit would also create easy access to the Mars plaza and we've seen with the Circulator how little RTA cares about Lakewood businesses.

David Brainard

David

First in full disclosure RTA is an advertiser in the Observer.

That said. RTA had nothing to do with this decision. I am not doing this to save RTA
anything. I just happen to know, it was the building of the library that moved it, and
ended up with it being where it is now. NOT RTA not caring.

Killing the circulator, was a bad idea. But it underlines why "regionalism" has serious flaws.

I think there might be another answer not to far away time wise.


.

It's no great secret the stop was moved because of construction.
The construction is over.
Move the stop to Mars Ave. near the library's entrance.
It's high time RTA served Lakewood instead of making things an uphill battle all the time.

David Brainard

David Brainard wrote:A bus stop at Mars and Detroit would also create easy access to the Mars plaza and we've seen with the Circulator how little RTA cares about Lakewood businesses.

David Brainard

I think that's a problem with all of our "regional" institutions. RTA, Tri-C, Port Authority, MHS, CAC, NOACA, NEORSD and others that act with little outside supervision.

The County "reform" movement rightly concentrated on the corruptions and inefficiencies in County government. However, there is nothing in more efficient or honest County government that is going to improve the economic environment in the region. My own humble opinion is that Ed Fitzerald should expand his mandate to include holding those agencies accountable.

I have a lot of pet peeves with all the above agencies but the most recent pet peeve is Tri-C's construction of its new campus on the boarders of Lorain County in the middle of an industrial park.

That seemed an act of arrogance and shortsidedness. Worse, it was a missed opportunity. Even worse than that it was a mistake.

Since we are talking about the library...I heard from a resident who lives on Mars that the city is planning on removing the traffic light at Mars/Detroit because it is unneeded. Does anyone know if this is true? I thought this to be an awful idea given the amount of traffic and pedestrians walking to the library and to Grant Elementary.

Let's not forget that nearly one million dollar worth of funding, eh? WHY was it not applied to getting the Circulator back? The 'Shopper Special' is a Joe Calabrese figment applied to an argument he constructed.

David Brainard

Has everyone noticed the beautiful bus stop shelter at Detroit and Warren, in front of the Bailey building. Art is on there and it looks to be made of top notch materials.

No money for a circulator, plenty for a fancy stop in front a newly constructed building that is vacant.

sharon kinsella wrote:Has everyone noticed the beautiful bus stop shelter at Detroit and Warren, in front of the Bailey building. Art is on there and it looks to be made of top notch materials.

No money for a circulator, plenty for a fancy stop in front a newly constructed building that is vacant.

I believe that's the $20,000 bus stop. I remember reading about it in Chris Bindel's column in the Observer a while back and thinking there has got to be a better use of $20,000 than a single bus stop. Huge waste of taxpayer dollars. Of course I don't know the final cost....could be more or less.