The plans for the renovation of Cleveland's Public Square took years to finalize and evolved several times along the way to delivery. Now one final decision will impact bus transit in and around the city.
Ginger Christ breaks the news that Cleveland's reopened Public Square will remain closed to buses. "Three months after the renovated square was set to reopen to bus traffic, Mayor Frank Jackson has announced that will not happen," according to Christ.
The article includes statements from Mayor Jackson and Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) CEO. The RTA's plan to work around the Public Square focuses on "the city's 'transit zones' – West Third Street to East 18th Street on Superior Avenue, and West Third Street to East 12th Street on St. Clair Avenue," reports Christ. Also, the "RTA hopes to employ traffic signal prioritization and to create dedicated bus lanes to reduce the impact of a closed Public Square."
Those steps are meant to reduce inefficiencies, but they might not be enough to make up for the impact to the RTA's bus system. A study by Nelson Nygaard during the planning phases of the renovation "estimated that RTA would lose $2.6 million a year if the square were to be closed to buses."
Angie Schmitt also voiced concerns about the impact of the Public Square on bus riders in August of 2016, providing five reasons for allowing buses access to the Public Square.
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