Speed Traps, Self-Driving Trucks, Senate Drama & the Gulf of Cleveland — Crooked River Cast Show #75 🎙
The guys kick things off with the usual recap of their week, including Tom’s trip to Blossom for Billy Idol with Susanna Hoffs opening the show. Both put on seriously impressive performances, especially considering how long they’ve been doing this. From there, Robert and Tom jump right into one of the things Cleveland-area drivers know all too well: I-480 and the latest safety corridor enforcement. And from there, the conversation takes a very Ohio turn — literally and figuratively — with autonomous trucks, Cleveland’s newly christened “Gulf,” the U.S. Senate race, RTA’s funding problems and, of course, a couple of Good Things to finish it out.
🚨 I-480: Welcome to the Safety Corridor
The conversation gets rolling with the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s latest enforcement numbers on I-480. During a five-day enforcement operation, troopers issued 334 speeding tickets, with a significant number involving drivers going more than 20 mph over the limit. The discussion gets into the bigger question surrounding safety corridors: do they actually change driver behavior, or do people simply slow down when they know police are nearby and then get right back to it?
There’s also the increasingly familiar problem of technology working both ways. Drivers have apps that can alert them to police activity, while law enforcement is trying to use enforcement corridors to reduce crashes and dangerous driving. In other words, the cat-and-mouse game on Ohio highways continues.
Source:
🔗: Troopers issued 334 speeding tickets in five days – clevelanddotcom on X
🌊 Cleveland Gets Its Own Gulf
From highway patrol to international-style geography, the guys move on to Cleveland City Council’s decision to rename a portion of Lake Erie the “Gulf of Cleveland.” The resolution covers the portion of the lake extending two miles from Cleveland’s shoreline, and the council even plans to notify mapping companies about the new designation.
The measure was presented as a tongue-in-cheek response to recent federal efforts to rename geographic features. Whether Google and Apple actually go along with Cleveland’s new terminology is another question entirely. But at least Cleveland can now claim its own gulf — because apparently Ohio needed one. Cleveland City Council formally passed the resolution on September 14.
Source:
▶️ YouTube: 19 News – Cleveland City Council passes resolution renaming portion of Lake Erie ‘Gulf Of Cleveland’
🚛 The Robots Are Coming for the Trucking Lanes
Next up is a look at something considerably more consequential than changing the name of part of Lake Erie: self-driving trucks.
Autonomous and partially automated trucks are already being tested on Ohio roads. One of the projects involves trucks traveling between Indianapolis and Columbus, with the latest testing moving toward vehicles operating without a human driver on certain controlled roads. The technology combines cameras, lidar and other systems designed to allow the trucks to navigate without traditional human control.
That discussion also connects back to earlier Ohio testing on I-70, where partially automated semis used platooning technology. Those trucks still had professional drivers behind the wheel who could take over, but the technology allowed the lead truck to communicate with and guide the following vehicle.
So while fully autonomous semis aren’t exactly taking over I-480 tomorrow morning, Ohio is clearly being used as a testing ground for what transportation could look like down the road.
Sources:
🔗: Self-driving trucks are cruising Ohio roads
▶️ YouTube: Partially automated semi-trucks hit the highway in Ohio today, on test runs – clipped version
🗳️ Ohio’s Senate Race Gets Complicated
The conversation then shifts into Ohio politics and the 2026 U.S. Senate race, where polling and voter behavior are becoming part of the story. A Fox News poll examined Democratic unity and Republican crossover support while also looking at the issues Ohio voters say matter most. The survey found inflation was the leading issue among those polled, followed by healthcare and immigration and border security.
Robert and Tom also get into the candidates’ changing positions on data centers. Data center development has become a much bigger political issue in Ohio, with Sherrod Brown criticizing Jon Husted over his previous support for data center projects while both candidates have adjusted their messaging as the issue has gained attention.
And then there’s the question of debates. Vivek Ramaswamy and Sherrod Brown have both said they would like to debate their opponents, but saying you’re ready for a debate and actually getting everyone into the same room are two very different things. The discussion also revisits Ohio’s recent history of Senate and gubernatorial candidates skipping debates.
Sources:
🔗: Democratic unity, Republican crossovers shape Ohio Senate race
🔗: Ohio’s US Senate candidates recalibrate their stances on data centers
🔗: Vivek Ramaswamy, Sherrod Brown say they’d like to debate their opponents. Will they?
▶️ YouTube: WKYC Channel 3 -Can a vanquished Democrat like Sherrod Brown shift Ohio blue again?
🚌 RTA Wants More Money — and Riders Are Watching
The final major discussion turns local again with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and its plans to ask Cuyahoga County voters for a sales tax increase in May 2027.
RTA’s board voted to put a tax increase before voters, with the potential increase ranging from a quarter-point to a half-point depending on the final request. The additional revenue could provide tens of millions of dollars annually to help address the agency’s ongoing budget problems.
But there’s another piece to this story: planned service cuts. RTA staff recommended delaying another round of cuts that had been expected in December until after the May 2027 vote. The agency has already reduced service and says it continues to face a financial shortfall, while riders have raised concerns that additional cuts could lead to even more ridership losses.
So now RTA has a lot riding on the next several months: keep service running, convince voters that additional funding is necessary and figure out how to keep the system financially viable.
Sources:
🔗: Greater Cleveland RTA to put sales tax ask before voters in May 2027
🔗: RTA delays service cuts until after May sales tax vote
🌟 Good Things
🥃 A Fight Over Home Distilling Heads to Washington
A legal battle involving an Ohio distiller is raising questions about how far federal power can extend into what people do in their own homes. The case has attracted support from 61 organizations, public-interest groups, states and individuals filing briefs in support of the challenge.
The dispute centers on federal restrictions against distilling spirits at home and whether those restrictions are a constitutional exercise of Congress’s taxing and commerce powers. The case has produced a split between federal appellate courts, putting the issue in position for potential Supreme Court review.
Source:
🔗: 61 organizations file in support of Ohio distiller, challenging federal overreach that hits homes
🍂 AutumnFest Is Coming to Shaker Lakes
And finally, something a little more relaxing: AutumnFest: Harvest Moon at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes on September 26.
The event celebrates the Nature Center’s 60th anniversary with fall activities, food, music, moonlit adventures, family activities and even a birthday cake decorating contest. There will also be live animals, games, raffles and an adults-only Lunar Lounge. Basically, if you’re looking for something that doesn’t involve politics, traffic enforcement or arguing about who gets to rename a lake, this might be your ticket.
Source:
🔗: AutumnFest – Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
📢 Subscribe & Share
That’s a wrap on Show #75. From I-480 speed traps to autonomous semis, a brand-new Cleveland “gulf,” Ohio’s Senate race and the future of RTA, there’s plenty to chew on this week.
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