A nine-month bus rapid transit planning process, one of the key components of the Cincinnati region’s “Reinventing Metro” long-range transit plan, launched recently.
Cincinnati has launched a planning process for bus rapid transit (BRT) additions to its public transit system as part of the Reinventing Metro plan approved by Hamilton County voters in 2020.
According to the Reinventing Metro website, the BRT planning is underway as a collaboration between Cincinnati’s Metro and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA). A nine-month study will narrow down the choices along four corridors identified by Reinventing Metro as the most popular transit corridors in the Metro system: Glenway Avenue, Hamilton Avenue, Reading Road, and Montgomery Road.
Chris Wetterich reports on the bus rapid transit plans in a paywalled article for the Cincinnati Business Courier. In 2021, the Cincinnati Business Courier identified bus rapid transit [paywall] as one of the most critical infrastructure projects for the region.
Public transit has faced challenges in Cincinnati in recent years, so successful planning of BRT routes would go a long way to instilling public faith in transit in the region. Despite voters approving the sales tax necessary to support Reinventing Metro, the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar has been dogged by political opposition, management crises, and low ridership from its inception.
FULL STORY: Cincinnati Metro to vet where to build bus rapid transit lines
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