Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

A healthy transition┬áMike Schipper explains to Gay Sutton how the newly opened rapid transit system in Cleveland is changing the face of the communities and business districts it services and is leading the way in transport thinking. ClevelandÔÇÖs new $200 million rapid transit system known as the HealthLine BRT (bus rapid transit) was opened to the public in October 2008, two months ahead of schedule, and is the result of 30 months of construction work and traffic disruption.  The line replaces what was one of the busiest bus routes in the city, linking the thriving downtown area with University Circle some five miles to the east, where the cityÔÇÖs major medical centers, university, museums and cultural institutions are located.┬á As far back as the 1950s Cleveland authorities had been toying with ideas such as a subway system or rail link to join these two areas but had not been able to secure funding. It wasnÔÇÖt until the current transport authority, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) scoped out the BRT system that they were able to secure funding from the FTA New Starts Program.During an intensive 30-month period beginning in spring 2006, a 7.1-mile stretch of Euclid Avenue was systematically closed off, reconstructed and upgraded. A little over 4.5 miles of the avenue, stretching from downtown to the western edge of University Circle, now has a dedicated bus lane that runs along the center of the road. The section of the line to the east of this point has been completed in a more conventional fashion, where the vehicles run in the curb lane.ÔÇ£In addition to the 7.1 miles, we have a 2.3-mile component in the downtown area that we call the Transit Zone, where in 2005 we improved the pavement, bus stops and curb ramps,ÔÇØ says Mike Schipper, GCRTAÔÇÖs deputy general manager, engineering and project management. ÔÇ£All our buses downtown run on the Transit Zone streets, so by making those improvements, we have increased the efficiency of the downtown bus network, which was also an aim of the project.ÔÇØThe vehicles GCRTA has selected for the route are very distinctive 64-foot-long articulated diesel electric hybrids that have been adapted specifically for the route from a vehicle platform created for Seattle. Elongated in form, the vehicles include a unique stylized nose and driver compartment, doors on both sides, and unique features such as a docking arm. ÔÇ£They are very striking,ÔÇØ Schipper says, ÔÇ£and attract people to them because theyÔÇÖre unique.ÔÇØ The authority has tried other environmentally friendly types of vehicle in the past, including compressed natural gas buses, but this is its first trial of hybrid vehicles. ÔÇ£TheyÔÇÖre very expensive, but now that theyÔÇÖre up and running we intend to evaluate their fuel efficiency and maintenance record and decide whether it will be worth buying hybrids for some of our other routes.ÔÇØUpgrading the route has had a significant impact on many of the communities and businesses along it. ÔÇ£The midtown section had gone through some hard times,ÔÇØ Schipper explains. ÔÇ£We went in and upgraded the utilities and drainage systems, put in new curbs and sidewalks, new street lights, new landscapingÔÇöin fact made this corridor a new piece of infrastructure.ÔÇØ All of which is making it an attractive development and relocation prospect.┬á Meanwhile, at the outer end of the route, Cleveland State University has reoriented its campus master plan to focus on Euclid Avenue and the transit line. ÔÇ£In fact, theyÔÇÖve already built new front entrances onto Euclid Avenue for some of the buildings.ÔÇØ The two other major employers at the outer ends of the line, Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, have not only given the HealthLine its name through an innovative naming rights agreement, but they are also reorienting many of their services so that patients and staff can more easily take advantage of the transport system.Cleveland Clinic, for example, is currently in the middle of a huge development program, and Schipper has been in close communication with them. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve worked together to adapt the design of our roadway so that our BRT line and dedicated bus lanes all fit with their needs. And it has turned out really nice.ÔÇØ In a similar way, University Hospitals are also realigning their services to the new route. ÔÇ£Their cancer center and emergency room are going to be located on Euclid Avenue, and weÔÇÖre working with them to make sure it all fits together.ÔÇØOne of the aims of the new rapid transit system was to increase the operational efficiency of the line. ÔÇ£It used to take 46 minutes to travel end to end on this route, and we aim to cut that to 34 minutes,ÔÇØ Schipper says. ÔÇ£The last time I rode it, it was a 36-minute trip. WeÔÇÖre a couple of minutes slower than we envisioned, and some of that can be improved by working out the traffic signal system and getting our operators used to how the line operates. I believe we will get very close to our aim.ÔÇØThe success of the project can be measured only after it has been up and running for a while and local users have decided whether it is efficient enough, comfortable enough and fast enough to be preferable to the car. But initial figures are looking good. ÔÇ£We became operational on October 24th, so we have about two months of data. The first month we had 12 percent more passengers than we had on the original bus line. Then in December we had 46 percent more. Although there may be some anomalies in that figure because of the number of weekdays and weekends in the month, itÔÇÖs very encouraging.ÔÇØ A rapid transit system of this nature with the vehicles running exclusively in the central lanes is a fairly new concept in the US, and in some ways Cleveland is pioneering the idea. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve had a number of people from other citiesÔÇöChicago, San Antonio and NashvilleÔÇöcoming to see how weÔÇÖve done it,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£We would like to think that others can learn from the challenges weÔÇÖve had to overcome, and our experience will make it easier for other cities to do the same.ÔÇØ ÔÇô Editorial research by Jim Rose┬á