It is difficult to come to any other conclusion than advanced energy will be a multitrillion dollar global industry within the space of a few decades, one which needs now to be invented largely from scratch. With its manufacturing heritage and materials excellence, Ohio can become a global hub of technology and business expertise in advanced energy. No place in the world is necessarily poised to dominate all forms of advanced energy, and Ohio can effectively compete to claim a major place at the advanced energy table. Thus, advanced energy can be the vehicle by which Ohio can reclaim the economic leadership it had achieved in the early 20th Century and has since lost.
Because of the high cost of fuel and drop in state funds, RTA has scheduled public hearings the week of Aug. 4, to discuss a proposed fuel surcharge and service reductions. If approved, they would take effect in October. For more information and a schedule of hearings, go here.
A pair of public meetings tonight begin to shape the future for two of Cleveland’s prime destinations: The Flats and University Circle.
First, Ohio Canal Corridor and the City of Cleveland will introduce the Canal Basin District Plan. The focus of the plan is on “connections”—trail, bikeway, public transit and pedestrian boardwalks—to and from a new 21-acre urban park at the last oxbow in the river with major redevelopment activity in the Flats. Canal Basin Park will serve as the destination or jump off point for the Towpath Trail, but beyond that goal, how it integrates with the boardwalk along the river to Flats East Bank and to public spaces in and around the Flats and Cuyahoga Riverfront are still up for discussion.
Going on at the same time, uptown, is the continuation of plans to find a higher purpose for the sea of surface parking lots along Mayfield Road—the main artery connecting Little Italy and University Circle. Last year, an arts and retail village idea was floated along with RTA’s plans to move a Rapid Transit station to Mayfield and E. 119th (from its current location at E. 120th). Tonight’s meeting will introduce the city’s streetscape planning project for this stretch, begin to analyze traffic circulation and set goals to improve pedestrian friendliness.
Why is the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) considering service cuts and a fare hike as Northeast Ohio faces the perfect storm of high gas prices and a renewed interest in transit?
A new study that looks at each state’s vulnerability to oil prices and what they’re doing about it sheds light on Ohio, and with it, transit agencies like RTA’s plight.
While the National Resources Defense Council "Ranking States' Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change" study released today ranks Ohioans right in the middle on oil vulnerability (its 26th spot is based on percentage of income spent on gas), only ten states were slower to respond to that vulnerability with investments in transit.
Ohioans spend 5.4% of their income ($1,886 per driver annually) on gas, but the state ranked 40th in transit spending (.77% spent on transit compared to highway spending in 2006). The picture is bleaker when considering Ohio far exceeds the bottom twelve states in population.
Ohio has treated transit like an afterthought for more than a decade. The NRDC findings confirm a 2006 report from the Transportation Research Board, which tallied Ohio’s transit investment second to last among states—it ‘spent’ -8% on transit from 1995 to 2004 (based on compound annual growth rates). The national average was 3.9% during that time. While Ohio was reducing its funding for public transit, other states increased financial support for transit by approximately 130%.
Because of the high cost of fuel, RTA has scheduled public hearings the week of Aug. 4, to discuss a proposed fuel surcharge and service reductions, If approved, that would take effect in October. For more information and a schedule of hearings, go here.
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority invites you to participate in a community meeting to review preliminary station designs for its $10 million upgrade and renovation of the Cedar-University Rapid Transit Station.
GCRTA’s primary goal is to make the Cedar-University Rapid Station integral to the community by maximizing its connection with area neighborhoods and ensuring that the station is designed with your input in mind.
RSVP to Emily Baunach at BrownFlynn (440-484-0100, Ext. 210 or emilyb@brownflynn.com)
Gas prices have Clevelanders thinking for the first time about the cost of their commute. Scooter sales are up, but what changes need to happen before you feel comfortable commuting by bike? Can cars and bikes coexist on the roads in Northeast Ohio? Would a bike lane on your route to work make you feel safe?HOW MANY DAYS CAN YOU AVOID COMMUTING ALONE, DURING THE WEEKS OF July 20th – August 2nd?
Carpool - Find a partner, even for just 1 day a week, using our free service at www.OhioRideshare.org.
Bike To Work and To Do Errands - View or print a FREE county bike route map at www.noaca.org/bikemaps.html
Ride the Bus - Visit www.noaca.org/cc2008.html for all the regional transit links Walk - No additional equipment needed!
Telecommute (Work from Home) - First time? This is a good week to try it!
Compressed Work-Week - Work four 10-hour days and take a day off!
Please share your commute story at www.noaca.org/cc2008.html and we will calculate the emissions you saved as a region!
Commuter Challenge 2008 is brought to you by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency’s Air Quality Programs, Rideshare Program, and Bicycle Planning. NOACA is a regional transportation and environmental planning agency. For more info call (216) 241-2414 ext. 252 or 373.
Could it be that — after an astonishing run-up at the pump — the point at which oil prices “matter,” in terms of changing consumer behavior, has finally been reached? New York Times reporter Andy Revkin wonders after the Times reported that gas prices are fueling a nationwide increase in transit ridership.
The next challenge is for regions to prepare for transit boom times. How will regions around Denver and Cleveland, where the Cuyahoga County sales tax supporting our transit system has dipped, respond? In line with the national picture, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has reported an increase in ridership for the last five years, despite fare hikes and cut backs in bus service (to adjust for rising fuel costs).
If you ever felt the contradiction of driving your car to the zoo to celebrate Earth Day, you have worry- and car-free options to get there. ClevelandBikes will lead an organized bike ride to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo this Sunday, April 20th for Earth Fest.
Pump some air in your tires and roll over to Dewey's Coffee at Shaker Square or Phoenix Coffee on Detroit Road in Lakewood. Sip a free beverage (courtesy of the shops) to get you started. Experienced riders will lead the rides to the zoo, beginning at 9 a.m., and travel back with you to your starting point at 3 p.m. The rides will leave in small, comfortable groups, traveling on a safe, scenic route. While you enjoy yourself at the Zoo, your bike will be securely stored at the temporary bike station.
If you volunteer and pay the registration fee for Bike for the Earth, you gain admission to the Earth Day celebration. Enjoy music and entertainment, visit with the animals, enjoy a children's activity area and eco-friendly products, snacks and exhibitors, free trees and more! You have a chance to earn great prizes and receive membership to the Earth Day Coalition for one year. To register or learn more, visit the Earth Day Coalition. Even if can't volunteer, the bike parking is free.
Complete Streets is a national effort to re-design our local system of roads so that we can feel comfortable walking, biking, driving, and taking transit if we so choose. It may take decades, as Boulder, Colorado found, to reshape the landscape so that cars don’t dominate every aspect of transportation.
The myth of Boulder as always being a Mecca for cyclists and pedestrians was demystified at the recent Complete Streets teleconference. It took a generation before the city got its Complete Streets program off the ground.
This site is inspired by the memory of Richard Shatten, a former board member of EcoCity Cleveland,
who pushed Northeast Ohio to think strategically about regionalism and sustainability.
A service of the GreenCityBlueLake Institute at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike2.5 License.
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