The Metroparks were recently briefed on the latest plans for extending the "towpath" trail north to Canal Basin Park (and ultimately Whiskey Island and Lake Erie). Take a look for yourself at the colossal stupidity:
the sub-bridge under Harvard Ave. bridge - cyclists already get north via Old Harvard and Jennings - this super structure is Asinine COST $15 million
Steelyard W. 4th connection - serious cyclists already bypass Steelyard taking Scranton to Denison (through Brooklyn Centre) to Towpath COST $00.00 dollars
Clark Field w/the fake train "roundhouse" sculpture and art "mounds" of toxicity - skip it because the EPA is going to have to scrape the dirt and subject the entire park to the WC Reed Field treatment CONTAMINANTS: Lead, PAH and more COST: $10 million plus CERCLA funds
That's just my brief analysis. This cost analysis doesn't even begin to go into the unncessary LAND Studio add-ons that will cripple access to the Lakefront for generations to come. Northeast Ohio has a Port Authority - there are very REAL transportation needs that should take precedent (LIKE repairing our bridges and INFRASTRUCTURE). For example, Chicago successfully authored a TIGER grant applications that reflects the need to build cooperation with Amtrak, industrial train lines and municipal infrastructure. See:
And NH-ME recognized the significance of their ICONIC Memorial bridge:
CLE does it not remind you of another bridge over another river - that carries freight trains and could also easily carry bikes from East Bank of the Flats to Whiskey Island and our iconic Coast Guard station and to the Metroparks Lakefront Park?
NOTE: Amtrak Capital Limited train -EXTREMELY POPULAR - Chicago to Cleveland to Pittsburgh to Washington DC line now allows bike aboard. NOTE: bikes are allowed on the existing GCRTA at all stations - EXCEPT downtown. You can not walk your bike through Tower City down escalators to the trains. Redline station at Cudell - would allow bike-aboard passengers disembarking from Amtrak to board Redline to all points east and west for their overnight accommodations. If staying downtown - they would have to lock their bikes at the racks that are in the terminal at the Redline platform.
Walk-On Bicycle Service
Standard full-size bicycles may be carried on and stored onboard in bicycle racks on these select certain trains.
Senator Portman don't support this...Support Intermodal
This is the type of "vision" we don't need in Northeast Ohio -
http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Uploads/Public/BoardMeetingArchives/Presentations/Towpath%20Trail%20Schedule%20Update.pdf
Some design critique:
That's just my brief analysis. This cost analysis doesn't even begin to go into the unncessary LAND Studio add-ons that will cripple access to the Lakefront for generations to come. Northeast Ohio has a Port Authority - there are very REAL transportation needs that should take precedent (LIKE repairing our bridges and INFRASTRUCTURE). For example, Chicago successfully authored a TIGER grant applications that reflects the need to build cooperation with Amtrak, industrial train lines and municipal infrastructure. See:
http://www.transportation.gov/tiger/spotlight
And NH-ME recognized the significance of their ICONIC Memorial bridge:
CLE does it not remind you of another bridge over another river - that carries freight trains and could also easily carry bikes from East Bank of the Flats to Whiskey Island and our iconic Coast Guard station and to the Metroparks Lakefront Park?
NOTE: Amtrak Capital Limited train -EXTREMELY POPULAR - Chicago to Cleveland to Pittsburgh to Washington DC line now allows bike aboard. NOTE: bikes are allowed on the existing GCRTA at all stations - EXCEPT downtown. You can not walk your bike through Tower City down escalators to the trains. Redline station at Cudell - would allow bike-aboard passengers disembarking from Amtrak to board Redline to all points east and west for their overnight accommodations. If staying downtown - they would have to lock their bikes at the racks that are in the terminal at the Redline platform.
Walk-On Bicycle ServiceStandard full-size bicycles may be carried on and stored onboard in bicycle racks on these select certain trains.
Downeaster
(accepted at BRK, POR and BONstations only)