Jan 7: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees and Committees
Covered by Documenter Regina Samuels (notes)
RTA Shelter improvements
During the Jan. 7 Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Operational Planning & Infrastructure Committee meeting, members of the committee unanimously approved a proposal to replace 36 shelters along the Blue and Green light rail lines. The proposal now goes to the Board of Trustees for final approval.
The Light Rail Shelter Project is intended to increase ridership by improving comfort, convenience and service through new shelters, lighting, informational signage, seating, bicycle parking and landscaping, the transit agency said. As part of the project, three contracts will be awarded for shelters, construction and real-time digital arrival signs.
Twenty-eight of the 36 shelters will be placed along the Blue and Green light rail lines, and eight will be placed at connecting bus routes.
Mike Schipper, GCRTA’s deputy manager for engineering and project management, told the committee that Tolar Manufacturing Co. will provide the new shelters, for a total negotiated contract amount of $826,750. GCRTA will install them.
Mandy Metcalf, senior planner for GCRTA’s Programming & Planning department, said the new shelters will be weather-protective, featuring extended roofs and standard size panels that can be interchanged with existing shelters. She also said the agency would be installing benches where there are currently no bus shelters.
Community influences change
Some of the new shelters will also feature real-time update signs for train arrivals at key transfer points and eastbound stations. These improvements were a direct result of community feedback on how to improve the RTA riding experience.
Lauren Welch, committee chair and vice president of the GCRTA Board of Trustees, praised Schipper and Metcalf for taking the time to incorporate internal and external feedback into the design of the new shelters during the selection process.
“I appreciate the concerted effort to take community feedback about shelters, as that is an instrumental part of the rider experience,” Welch said.
The new shelters will replace existing shelters and can be moved if necessary to support the platform modifications project.