Metro will not relocate its Downtown hub out of Government Square after a study determined a move would increase travel times and operating costs.
Metro hired a consultant, Benesch Transit Group, to consider the feasibility of moving the main transit hub to the Regional Transit Center (RTC) located underground at The Banks, or to another location.
"The wholesale relocation of the transit center [from] Government Square does not make sense from an operational standpoint or from an economic standpoint," said Senior Transit Specialist Randall Farwell. "It also creates adverse impacts in ridership."
The study determined moving to the RTC would increase travel times by 10 to 13 minutes per bus trip, and would increase Metro's operating costs by $55 million annually, plus require up to $96 million in new vehicle expenses.
Metro studied a possible move at the request of stakeholders. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge has expressed concern about Cincinnati Public Schools students involved in incidents with police at transit centers.
The Benesch study determined Government Square has low to medium crime levels compared to other Downtown locations.
The study also looked at traffic crash data and identified two hotspots for major crashes: 3rd Street and I-71 exit 1B/Broadway Street, and 3rd Street/Elm Street. If Metro moved the transit hub to the RTC, all buses would have to go through these intersections.
"If these are the high crash zones, and we're routing every bus through there, you are effectively creating a routine expectation for travel delays and disrupting service reliability, which is not good for operations, not good for costs, and really not good for ridership," Farwell said.
Farwell says they studied several Downtown locations and three (other than the RTC) have potential: land that will eventually be reclaimed after the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project; Central Parkway Corridor (no sufficient sized lots identified); and 5th and Race streets. All three locations have "fatal flaws" and are not recommended for a Downtown transit hub.
The study also looked at eliminating Stop D on Government Square, located at Fifth Third Center on Walnut Street. It says other stops do not have the capacity to take on all Stop D routes, but Metro should consider shifting some routes away from Stop D.
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