Transit advocates are celebrating Greater Cleveland RTA's decision to stay the course on an extension of Bus Rapid Transit despite the opposition of some Ohio City business owners.
Members of Clevelanders for Public Transit met Thursday to show their support for the RTA plan to extend its to the city鈥檚 West Side.
"We're here celebrating the West 25th bus lanes," said Jenna Thomas vice chair of Clevelanders for Public Transit. "RTA is moving forward with the design that prioritizes transit riders and will significantly improve transit service."
The project includes a continuous bike lane connection, traffic calming and more reliable bus service along West 25th Street from Detroit Avenue to State Road.
GCRTA鈥檚 decision displays a commitment to transit users, Thomas said.
"Better transit service is great for workers, for poor people, and for ... families and for safety," she said. "There's so many things and I'm excited that local leaders are staying strong even despite the opposition."
The BRT extension is largely supported by members of Clevelanders for Public transit, but it continues to get pushback from dozens of Ohio City business owners over concerns about safety and access to parking along West 25th Street between Detroit and Lorain avenues.
Transit advocates engaged with GCRTA early in the process, Thomas said, to ensure that the agency's plans met riders needs.
"We wanted make sure decision makers knew that there was a lot of support behind the bus lanes," she said. "We sent letters to Mayor Bibb and to County Executive Chris Ronayne just to let them know that there are a lot of transit riders in Cleveland and they want better service and this [project] would give that to them."
The design for the BRT extension was driven by rider input, GCRTA Planner Nicholas Miller said.
"This is the sort of work that does not happen in a vacuum," he said. "Despite pressures from different sources, ... the design that you've seen is what we're moving forward with today. So you can rest assured that you had your voice and we heard you."
GCRTA representatives say the MetroHealth Line BRT extension project is nearing the end of the design phase. The agency plans to put the project out for bid at the end of the year and begin construction in 2027.
