Careful planning is key to navigating the streets and highways during your Cleveland visit.

Cleveland is the kind of town where renting a car can be an asset or a liability depending on what you’re doing on a given day. Navigating the city’s streets and highways is not particularly difficult, but traffic can get badly snarled during morning and evening rush hours, or when treacherous winter weather blows in off the lake. On the other hand, having your own wheels can make it much easier to explore the city and its environs. That said, here are a few crucial points to consider when choosing an appropriate means of transportation:

--If you’re staying downtown, numerous attractions including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the three major sports venues and various shopping and entertainment districts will be easily accessible on foot, by taxi or on one of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s bus or rail lines. See www.gcrta.org for GCRTA route and schedule information (including rail service from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport). Various multi-day and multi-ride passes are available, including good deals for families traveling together.

--In good weather, you can easily visit the museums and other arts organizations of University Circle on foot, though you might prefer to have a car handy when returning to your hotel after an evening concert or a late dinner in Little Italy.

--If you do choose to rent a car, bear in mind that Cleveland residents have a reputation for highly selective observance of traffic rules. Defensive driving is definitely in order, particularly at intersections and merging lanes where local drivers are often try to eek out every possible inch of forward motion.

--Best to avoid driving to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or anywhere else in the North Coast area when the Browns are playing at home. Similarly, the Gateway District tends to get uncomfortably congested when games are scheduled at Gund Arena or Jacob’s Field.