Rider's Digest -- July 2017

 Rider's Digest -- July 2017

July 1: RTA service extended for U2 concert at FirstEnergy Stadium

RTA’s Waterfront Line service usually stops at 7 p.m., and Green Line service usually ends at 9 p.m. Both are being extended on Saturday, July 1, for a sold-out U2 concert.

The concert begins at 7 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns. The Stadium is served by the West Third Street Station on the Waterfront Line.

Before the concert, park free at a Rapid Station. If you buy a $5.50 All-Day Pass, you’ll have unlimited access and free transfers from the Red, Blue or Green Line at Tower City to the Waterfront Line. Use the mobile ticketing app to save time waiting in line.

After the concert, trains will be on hand to take you home. Please board promptly.

July 4: Ride RTA to see Cleveland’s finest fireworks display

Every year, Clevelanders enjoy one of the largest fireworks displays in Northeastern Ohio. The display on Tuesday, July 4, will be over Lake Erie, near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.

RTA operates a Sunday/holiday schedule on July 4, and Waterfront Line service ends at 7 p.m. However, RTA offers other options for good viewing.

Through Aug. 6: Kids Ride Free, so explore the City

RTA wants you and your family to discover all that Cleveland has to offer this summer – without affecting your wallet too much.

The “GO RTA” summer fun program allows up to three children 12 and under to ride free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult, age 18 or older. The promotion runs through Sunday, Aug. 6.

“RTA connects the dots. We are making it cheaper and easier for those who want to see the sites, tour local destinations and just be on vacation without ever leaving town,” said RTA CEO and General Manager Joe Calabrese. “There are so many great destinations that you and your children can enjoy throughout Northeast Ohio, and RTA wants to save you money and to help you get there,” he said.

RTA expects this promotion to:

  • Increase ridership by encouraging trips that would otherwise not have been taken
  • Introduce families to the convenience and benefits of riding RTA. This could increase future ridership.
  • Help promote all that Northeast Ohio has to offer. This includes RTA.

Calabrese said that the idea was developed because the cost of taking a vacation away from home can be prohibitive for some.

RTA is working with partners to provide more awareness of the family-friendly opportunities, and to help get customers there in the most fun, convenient and affordable way possible.

By showing your RTA fare card or mobile ticket, you can get discounts at many restaurants and venues in the area. Plan a trip to these participating partners. They are listed here.

July 14-15: RTA your best ticket to Downtown events

Downtown will be rocking with three special events on July 14-15, and RTA can take you to all of them.

At 8 p.m. Friday, July 14, Hall of Fame musician Billy Joel performs at Progressive Field before an expected sell-out crowd. Ride any Rapid to Tower City, and use the Walkway to reach Progressive Field. The Walkway opens at 6 p.m. After the concert, service is extended on the Red, Blue and Green Lines until midnight, or for at least 60 minutes after the concert ends.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, July 15, RTA will extend the same service for the Luke Bryan concert at Progressive Field.

At 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, an international soccer doubleheader starts at FirstEnergy Stadium. The first game features Panama vs Martinique, followed by Nicaragua vs USA at around 7 p.m. Ride any Rapid to Tower City, and take the Waterfront Line to the West Third Street Station.

After the games, service will be extended on all Rapid lines to take soccer fans home. Please board promptly.

July 16 and 29: Tremont hosts special events

The unique Tremont neighborhood hosts two great special events in July, and RTA’s 81 bus route can take you to each of them.

From noon-8 p.m. on Sunday, July 16, Tremont’s many fine restaurants open their doors for a Taste of Tremont. Professor Avenue will be closed from Fairfield to Starkweather.

From 1-7 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, Alefest will be held in Lincoln Park, for those age 21 and older. Cheers!

The 81 bus serves Downtown, Ohio City, Tremont, Steelyard Commons and other West Side neighborhoods. Two popular boarding stops are Public Square, and the West 25th Street Rapid Station.

Some tips to help you enjoy RTA this summer

You may have read this before, but some good news just bears repeating.

  • Rail service: Attending an evening event? Remember: The Waterfront Line stops operating at 7 p.m., and the Green Line stops at 9 p.m. You may want to ride the Blue Line instead.
  • Trolleys: For the summer, free C-Line service to Flats East Bank operates until 11 p.m., seven days a week.
  • Play ball !: All Rapid trains serve the Tower City Station. The Walkway opens 2 hours before every game. Service is guaranteed for 60 minutes after each game ends, even if it goes into extra innings.
  • WOW: Wade Oval Wednesday features music and family fun from 6-9 p.m. Ride the HealthLine to the Adelbert Road Station, and follow the music.
  • Enjoying Edgewater: All Saturday trips by the Cleveland State Line serve the lower level of the Edgewater Park, part of the Cleveland Metroparks. Any day, ride the 26 bus on Detroit Avenue, exit at West 73rd Street, and walk north. Edgewater Live features family fun and live music from 6-9 p.m. Thursdays.

RTA ready to build new station on East 34th Street

RTA is starting to build a new Rapid Station on the site of the current station at 2820 East 34th St.

It is called the Campus Station, because it is near the Tri-C Metro Campus. The station serves the Red Line, Green Line and Blue Line, as well as bus routes 15, 19 and 76.

Total project budget is $7.5 million. Federal funds will cover about 80 percent of the $6 million construction cost.

When completed in late 2018, the Campus Station will be ADA-compliant. It is expected to be a major boost to the Campus District and the Opportunity Corridor. Instead of escalators and elevators, it will use an extended ramp design.

Walking on Mayfield Road easier, brighter now

RTA has improved 500 feet of streetscape on Mayfield Road, near the Little Italy-University Circle Station.

Located under the CSX and Norfolk/Southern bridge, the sidewalk is now well-lit, safe, clean and brightly renovated. It provides a vital link between Little Italy and the surrounding University Circle area, neighborhoods and new developments.

The new station opened in August 2015. RTA returned to the site last fall to make major improvements to the sidewalk, railings, streetscapes and walls under the bridge.

The $1.6 million renovation was funded by grants from NOACA and U.S. Department of Transportation. The project includes

  • A new drainage system, with under-drains and additional structural supports under the bridge.
  • Repaired walls.
  • New railings.
  • Bright lighting along the sidewalk on both sides of the street.
  • Decorative mesh and LED lighting matched the Rapid Station. Those lights change color with the season or for special events and have a special pattern for the solstice.
  • RTA also did work along the abutments and shared additional repair work with CSX on the bridges, before final painting.

Previously, the walls under the bridge were peeling and crumbling, and mud and debris was seeping from the walls and along the sidewalk. The area had limited lighting and was dark, dingy and damp.

Jaywalking is illegal and dangerous

According to the National Safety Council, jaywalking causes more than 6,000 pedestrian accidents every year.

If you cross a road at any point that is not a designated crosswalk, you are jaywalking.

Here are some tips to help you stay safe:

  • Always use designated crosswalks, marked by white lines and/or a yellow Pedestrian Crossing sign.
  • Cross only when the crosswalk signal directs you to. When a sign says Don’t Walk, it means that it is dangerous to cross at that time.
  • Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.
  • Look both ways when crossing the street at crosswalks. Ensure that traffic has stopped in all directions.
  • Put your cell phone away while crossing a street. Whatever you are doing, it can wait a few seconds until you are back on the sidewalk.
  • Pay attention to all oncoming and stopped traffic.
  • When walking at night, wear or carry something that is reflective, to make yourself more visible.
  • Never cross behind a vehicle that is backing up.
  • Walk briskly. Do not loiter in the crosswalk.