Mike,

RTA recently held public meetings to get the ball rolling on the redevelopment of the Cedar-University Rapid Station and, hopefully, improve the access to and from the area. One of the big topics was how to improve access and visibility to University Circle. RTA floated the idea of a new entrance from the Carnegie/MLK side just west of the tracks to create a visible gateway from University Circle. In fact, they discussed the possibility of up to three entrances to the station. They discussed improving the pedestrian bridge to the University Hospital medical campus (to improve the perception of safety since it's a little below grade of the parking lot there at Murray Hill and Adelbert and next to a fence). They also discussed improving the conditions of the underpass on Cedar Hill. Comments included the need to improve on the human touches such as signage, wayfinding, lighting and even publicity for transit connections like the shuttle bus run by Cleveland Clinic. There was some talk about combining East Blvd. and Stearns into one boulevard, but for my money, I would work on improving the access into the campus from Euclid/Stokes for pedestrians who want to access the Rapid station via a highly visible route (right now, Euclid is clogged up with surface parking with no logical way to walk from the Rapid to the campus from the west. If a new entrance is added west of the tracks, it will be particularly important to improve the pedestrian experience for Case/UH, Clinic, School of the Arts, etc. Then, you really create a nice district and park area instead of a dead zone between UH and the Clinic.) The Cedar-University station will be completely torn down and rebuilt. Bids for construction will go out later this year ('08), and construction will begin in spring '09, and is expected to last two years. RTA's design consultants are currently working on a master plan that enhances the economic development and pedestrian flow in the area.

What do you think about the possibility of converting a line like that to a bike trail? With the Heights Circulator now splitting its route in two including a dedicated leg that shuttles between Shaker Square and Coventry (with connections to the University Circle Red Line station), it seems to me that surface streets take care of the train connection. What we need more of, in my opinion, are safer bike boulevards and paths. Do you have a map of where this rail line runs? Could a Rails to Trails initiative on the Conrail line link up with Shaker Heights' planning department's desire to build an off-road bike path in the vicinity of North Park?