Cleveland public transit riders spoke out against a proposed and suggested putting a levy on the ballot before making cuts to routes.
Attendees packed the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority board room Monday for the agency's first of three public hearings. Speakers raised concerns over the proposed cuts impact on connectivity, wait times and reliability.
"I think everyone here knows the feeling of missing your bus, missing your connection, and being like, 'okay, I have to wait here 30 minutes now,'" Clevelanders for Public Transit Co-Chair Jenna Thomas said. "It is deeply frustrating."
GCRTA proposed reducing frequency for No. 78 West 117th 鈥� Puritas from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes and No. 86 Rocky River Dr. 鈥� Bagley from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes.
Weekend frequency reductions were also proposed for No. 3 Superior and No. 10 East 105 鈥� Lakeshore from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes.
The transit agency also proposed running the Waterfront line only during special events, but the B-Line Trolley and service from Downtown Cleveland to South Gate in Maple Heights could be cut entirely.
The changes would save GCRTA $2.5 million annually.
But the reductions would drastically change riders鈥� experiences, Lakewood resident Mia George said.
鈥淕oing from a 鈥� 30 minute frequency to a 60-minute frequency, or 15 minutes to 30 minutes on some lines may not seem like a big deal," she said, "but oftentimes that is the difference between whether you can make a connection or not It can be a difference between making it to work on time or appointments on time or not."
Several speakers called for a levy to increase GCRTA funding without reducing service. In December, GCRTA CEO India Birdsong Terry told 精东影业 the agency was beginning to research its options for a levy, but that customer satisfaction was key.
"That's going to have a huge impact on whether or not we can be successful at the ballot box," she said. "I've been in different agencies that have been successful and those that haven't. So, we want to make sure that if we endeavor to do that, that we're going to win it."
RTA will hold Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning at the GCRTA boardroom, and public comment will be accepted until April 27.
All feedback will impact the final proposal presented to the board next month, GCRTA Director of Service Management Joel Freilich said, but changes to service must be made.
鈥淲e don't have the ability to cut nothing," he said. "We have a financial need and we cannot spend more than we take in. But hey, that's the joy of these hearings, is that you hear something you didn't expect and now you have to factor that into your thinking.鈥�
The GCRTA board is expected to vote on the proposed service cuts in May. Any reductions would take effect in August.
