June Updates on Public Transit in CLE

Posted on by clefortransit@gmail.com

Clevelanders for Public Transit has been busy! We wanted to let you know what we’ve been up to and hope to see you at our next meeting…

Riders Meeting Scheduled for June 21st

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Our next meeting will be Wednesday, June 21st from 6:30-8:00pm at 15415 Kipling Avenue, off Saint Clair Ave. Near routes #1 and #37.

We will be training new members on how to talk to other riders and grow our membership. We will also discuss long-term goals of the group.

With cuts likely coming and fares increasing to $2.75 next August we must get together and act. We need your help!

State Budget Update:

We have continued to meet with state representatives regarding the state budget. The budget will be released at the end of June. We have been demanding a fix to the loss of the MCO sales tax on medicaid. With the tax set to expire, GCRTA will lose nearly $20 million starting 2019. That could mean a cut of up to 10% of service. We can’t take anymore cuts.

If you haven’t already, contact State Senator Matt Dolan at (614) 466-8056. Tell him to find a tax based solution to the Medicaid tax that won’t throw public transit under the bus. Dolan represents the outer suburbs of Cuyahoga County. Let him know access to his district is essential for jobs and his area may be significantly affected by cuts.

Next County Transit Committee Meeting is June 1st

Clevelanders for Public Transit continues meet with the County Transit Committee regularly. The next meeting will be this Thursday, June 1st at 1pm. Representatives from NOACA will discuss transit-oriented development. The committee will also discuss the current bus network and if a system redesign is needed.

Check out the video from the last meeting for more info. All Committee meetings are streamed and archived on the County’s website. They are open to the public and include time for public comment.

Join us on June 14th for a Panel Discussion

Transportation in Northeast Ohio: Where’s the Equity? Wednesday, June 14 from 7 to 8:30 pm @ Urban Community School, 4909 Lorain Ave.

RSVP on Facebook here.

Panelists will discuss the role transportation plays in creating more equitable communities. It will tackle how to offer affordable public transit and structure infrastructure to meet the needs of residents throughout the region and examine the funding challenges in doing so.

Panelists include: Derek Bauman, Vice Chairman, All Aboard Ohio; Grace Gallucci, Executive Director, NOACA: Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency; Hunter Morrison, Senior Fellow, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs and Akshai Singh, Member, Clevelanders for Public Transit.

Moderator: Ginger Christ, Reporter, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Hosted by Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at Case Western Reserve University