by Nick Castele
The city of Cleveland is still weighing whether to re-open the Public Square section of Superior Avenue to buses.
The redesigned Public Square has been open for more than a month, but it’s not clear when the “road closed” signs on Superior will be coming down. The road is marked for buses only, and there had been plans to open it back up a week ago.
But at the time, the RTA posted on social media that Superior would remain closed while the transit agency and city of Cleveland discuss whether to reopen it.
Although the original plan was to resume bus service on Superior Ave through Public Square on August 1, the City of Cleveland & RTA cont'd
— Greater Cleveland RTA (@GCRTA) August 1, 2016
are in discussions regarding when and if the buses will be allowed to use the designed, exclusive transit lanes.
— Greater Cleveland RTA (@GCRTA) August 1, 2016
Daniel Ball, a spokesman for the city, said now that the Republican National Convention is over, Cleveland’s Division of Traffic Engineering is measuring traffic around the square.
“Mayor Jackson is committed to ensuring that Public Square remains a place for public transit in the City of Cleveland,” Ball wrote in an email. “This is a preliminary process and no final decisions have been made. The City of Cleveland is focused on achieving the proper balance between pedestrians, public transportation and motorists.”
Plans for Public Square allowed for keeping the road open. While Ontario was shut down, Superior remained, and new bus shelters were placed along it.
