Tag: rta

RTA-Please…Pull The Plug On the Beeping and Honking!

Dear RTA,

My name is Robert Carillio, local contact for the national anti-noise pollution group Noise Free…and Noise Off. Regarding your new policy to have buses beep and honk at intersections, I would like to explain to you why this is an irresponsible and thoughtless decision on your behalf.

I want to state first and foremost that by state law—and contrary to the fact that pedestrians have been bullied into thinking that vehicular traffic owns the road with drivers often disregard for pedestrians—-that it is the responsibility of vehicular traffic to watch out for pedestrians at crosswalks/intersections—and not solely the responsibility of the pedestrian to be on the constant watch for vehicular traffic as if they have no right to cross the road!

First of all, the unfortunate situation where a pedestrian was killed was NOT the fault of the pedestrian….it was the fault of the driver. Had the diver been more attentive and NOT talking on a cell phone, this would not have happened. I have witnessed several of your drivers operating their vehicles in a less than responsible way on the streets…and more so, a ‘bullying’ one.

Now comes your decision to ‘alert’ pedestrians of your presence at intersections by horn honking and the use of the beeping device. If there is one thing we do NOT need to add more of in the air-scape is NOISE. Cleveland, like many other cities already has their hands full of enough of the kinds of noise that contribute to people leaving their communities because of the audio assault excessive and unnecessary noise contributes to the community. I suggest you research the US Census Bureau’s statistics on some of the top reasons people flee any given community, be it rural or urban. You will find noise at the top. You will also find it amongst the top complains fielded by police departments.

Unnecessary noises such as illegally modified exhaust systems on cars, trucks, and motorcycles….audio equipment that violates noise ordinances, incessant and unnecessary and/or irresponsible uses of motorized lawn care equipment are the top three most complained about sources of noise to date—about which we at the noise pollution awareness movement—receive hundreds of emails on a monthly basis…from people crying out for help—Mostly because local law enforcement bodies are unaware of the ill-effects of noise on the body, mind, soul—And on the community, socially, environmentally, and economically.

Now we have RTA making this brilliant decision to add their fair share of noise to the mix. This decision could very well backfire because the beeping and horn honking startles drivers and pedestrians and could result in an accident. There is a big difference between alerting pedestrians/drivers—which should be alert from the overly loud noises of bus engines to begin with—and startling them to experience a sudden and frightening adrenaline surge. You really need to sit down and educate yourselves on just what a noise situation actually does to the body. Instead, we should be promoting a quieter world, where we can all be heard….and do not have to live life louder and louder over an ever increasing nosier world.

Lastly, noise pollution is REAL form pollution and it is time more people become informed about it to realize why this is so. For now, I invite you to educate yourselves by visiting our websites at www.noisefree.org and www.noiseoff.org Then, I suggest you pull the plug on this very irresponsible decision to make noise. In a city striving to be more environmentally sustainable, these are not the kinds of decisions that such an effort needs. Instead, try screening your drivers better…and answering or listening to complaints when they’re reported. Then, remove them from behind the wheel.

Posted by Angry Man In The Basement at 9:14 PM

Stop Funding Sprawl-Start Funding Urban Cores!

The recent decision of the Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to discontinue the service of smaller circulator bus services inspired the following thoughts which I shared with several state representatives……

As Ohio moves into the future we must find was to help preserve its urban historical heritage and its rural/natural historical heritage.

I believe we can do both, but only if we cease this archaic spending pattern that has rural interests being represented more than urban. By shifting funding interest and support in favor of urban, Ohio will boast attractive urban cores that will promote economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, less dependency on oil—as well as social and economic diversity. We will create thriving and world wide competitive urban cores that are truly one of a kind.

What the above will in turn mean for rural interests is that we preserve Ohio’s family agriculture community from being overrun with unsustainable, unethical, and environmentally destructive factory farming. Additionally we will help protect many other small locally owned and independently operated businesses from the homogenization of the clone zone franchising scene. We will preserve Ohio’s unique natural heritage/environment—and rural identity.

I do not comprehend how anyone who is thinking on a long term future basis—can be supporting measures that lead to the kind of land and energy consuming sprawl we do not need. Supporting spending stimulus money for rural over urban, for example, contributes to making rural Ohio go extinct. Where was the gain? How does this end up ‘supporting’ or benefiting rural areas, in the long run when they will be destroyed along with the quality of life they offer? Is such support looking out for the best interests of the identity forged for years that became the charm of rural America??? No, its not… And people need to learn that sprawl in areas that do not need it, is not some sort of benefactor as conventional misguided wisdom seems to suggest.

By taking federal stimulus money and spending most of it outside the urban core, we only dig a deeper hole in being more oil co-dependent–by creating energy consumptive cities outside of cities outside of cities and so on. When does this aggressive cycle level off and strive to achieve sustainability?

No more spending on, and construction of roads, bridges, and other infrastructures that will eventually become a maintenance spending never ending nightmare—if we cannot even maintain what we have already. What kind of mess is this state visually going to look like in the future? Do you think such a chaotic seen will foster the kind of quality of life people or businesses seek when deciding to locate somewhere. Why hasn’t Ohio learned after all these years, that such sprawl and financial support of it, only benefit’s a few, and not the state overall?

Ohio is still following these outdated spending models that favor rural over urban. As a taxpayer with a say in the matter, I do not want more money, especially stimulus money, spent on new rural roads and bridges, etc., that will just promote more sprawl…..UNLESS they are existing items that are in need of repair. Otherwise, we should be spending the majority of the money helping to build healthy and competitive urban core scenes that we can be proud of in Ohio. Part of helping to achieve creating the thriving urban core means increasing spending for encouraging and promoting alternative means of transportation such as busses, trains. It means MORE funding for public transportation, NOT less!

This state for too long has been given limited choice in the transportation scene as we have had cars and highways crammed down our throats for too long, which helped to foster and promote this very costly ongoing habit of the automobile, in the first place. Had trains and busses had the luxury of finance, advertising and promoting as do anything associated with cars, highways, etc, you would see more people riding these alternative modes. Ohio had it right the first time when the state designed a comprehensive network of rail service. Then, suddenly, we scrapped that, and allowed the auto industry to get us hooked on cars. While that certainly has purpose, by no means should we be so limited in choice.

Environmentally, we need to pull our heads from our tails and the sand…get out of denial and understand we are reaching a pivotal tipping point in this world. We will have to chose which direction we will want that scale to fall before there is no turning back–and all goes downhill, economically, socially, and environmentally. 1. On a side that has negative outcomes….by supporting sprawl and becoming more co-dependent on oil and other limited recourses—leaving us on this never ending treadmill rat race to nowhere and thus becoming the ‘good ‘ole boy’ closed minded laughing stock of the nation. OR 2. We chose to create positive impacts that will gain international kudos—and be an example setter and leader—by rebuilding the urban cores to achieve the kind of sustainability which is essential if we are going to become a place of choice for anyone or any company with forward progressive thinking. I hope for the sake of our state’s future, you will consider taking the latter choice.

Please do not undermine our urban cores OR our rural heritage anymore by supporting this mis-allocation and balance of funding that continually favors rural. The time for that kind of thinking has long passed. I do not want to be embarrassed of this state anymore by decisions that are contrary to what we should be doing for a more sustainable future for both urban and rural environments.

Posted by Angry Man In The Basement at 12:55 PM