Cleveland Transit (BRT) Impressions: Would it work here?
Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to head down to Cleveland to watch some Tigers baseball [[lost 10-0) and visit attractions around town. I used Cleveland's RTA Rapid to get around town and rode on Light Rail, Heavy Rail, and BRT forms of transport. As the conversation around Detroit BRT is gaining steam, I decided to take the Cleveland HealthLine from Downtown to University Circle, to visit Cleveland's spectacular Art Museum. Here are a few BRT impressions:
1) Stations were nice. I boarded at E. 6th and it had a piece of public art, benches, wheelchair ramp, two TVM's, and a shelter.
2) Ticketing was a little weird. Having used tap-to-pay cards in Chicago I found it to be a little weird having to use a paper ticket to get on. But, nevertheless, it was a good $5.50 value for a day pass.
3) As soon as I boarded the bus, my experience went downhill. The bus pulled about 8-10 inches away from the platform, requiring a long step to get on. I noticed rollers along the side used to bring the bus closer to the platform, but they were not used.
4) NO AC. This was extremely uncomfortable for the majority of the trip. It was either broken or on a very low setting, because the bus was VERY hot on a humid 85 degree day.
5) We were told we had to swipe our tickets up front. I was confused, because I thought the line had proof-of-payment and all-door boarding, with no inside the bus fare collection- a key advantage of BRT. I was wrong, and this took a while to load everyone onto the bus.
6) Signal Priority was at play in a few spots and this sped up the trip. The bus was fast and got us across town in 20-25 minutes. We only stopped at 2 red lights.
7) The center bus lane ended when we got to University Circle. From then on, the buses stopped using the high platforms and ran along the side. Disappointed they didn't go full BRT the entire way.
Overall, I was a bit let down by the BRT. I was disappointed that 1) there was little to no AC 2) you still had to swipe your ticket up front and 3) level platforms did not last the whole way. If Detroit does implement BRT, we should move it to being more of a train on wheels, not just a fast bus.
I also rode the Red Line [[Heavy Rail) to Ohio City for dinner.
1) Tower City Center is a good example of what can be done with a train station. While RTA trains still run underground, the above portion has been transformed into hotels, a mall, and even a casino. I could see MCS filling a similar role in the future. Not to mention to facade at night, with the large columns and brass clock, is extremely photogenic.
2) Platforms themselves were mostly empty on a Saturday night. Smooth Jazz FM played over the speakers, as if they couldn't even get any street performers down here.
3) Trains smelled like disinfectant- though a little irritating, did go to show that RTA keeps their trains in good condition.
4) Train was pretty slow going over the Cuyahoga. Nice views of flats and industrial ruins, however.
5) We exited at the Ohio City station, which was in a very good location [[next to West Side Market) and seemed clean enough, though the rickety steps were off-putting.
Finally, I rode the Waterfront LRT line.
1) Was a Saturday afternoon at the North Harbor station, near the R-R Hall of Fame. Waited 25 minutes for a train. Very disappointing. Station was clean enough.
2) Just going three stops to Settler's Landing for lunch took a while, as the train had to curve and go over a viaduct to cross the CSX tracks before rumbling along at a leisurely pace through the flats. Trains and stations were all totally empty. I'm surprised this line wasn't more utilized.
Overall, I found it odd that the Cleveland HealthLine, lauded for being one of the best BRT systems in the US, was quite mediocre and didn't feel much better than a regular bus. In addition, the Red Line, the HRT system with the lowest ridership in the US, was clean and, most importantly, cool. Should Detroit ever get its act together I think building an HRT system similar to Cleveland along existing ROW's [[which is what Cleveland did in the 60's) would be beneficial, especially to the Airport. And if BRT is built, do it right!
