Strategic Plan

As jobs move away from Cuyahoga County’s core, so do people. RTA needs to streamline its services to ensure transportation still meets existing needs in the core, especially in the growth areas served by the HealthLine, and positioning itself to increase its market share of travelers to the downtown and Euclid Corridor core, while serving new riders in suburban neighborhoods in and out of the county.

During difficult times in Cleveland when industry and people were drifting away from the city’s core, RTA strove to best serve its customers by expanding routes and offering more services to more people. Unfortunately, even these new growth areas are now less populated and auto-oriented, making them more difficult to efficiently serve with public transit.

RTA must change to meet changing needs. The problem RTA faces in these uncertain times, however, is not knowing the future demand for its services, or the level of funding it will have to provide those services. Should the future demand for services be higher, and the funding be available to provide additional service, RTA must expand service, replacing reduced levels of service on existing routes and filling in its network. Should demand or future funding levels be lower, RTA must continue to retrench its services and focus on maintaining its state of good repair, while continuing to provide basic transit services to meet the needs of area residents.

Looking towards the future, RTA will make financial decisions based on maximum benefit to our customers. This means restructuring our network with a focus on concentrated populations and encouraging their development. It also means finding alternative ways to serve outlying areas of the county with lower populations. To change, RTA must reevaluate all routes and services. These are not easy financial decisions to address, but they are vital.

Network Continuity and Improvement

Even with the recent financial struggles, RTA has worked diligently to maintain a base transit network for Cuyahoga County. As RTA evaluates where service needs to be augmented to complete its network, and to better connect residents to jobs with the service restructuring, the Park-N-Ride and Transit Center network need to be continually evaluated. The completion of the Park-N-Ride system has been a component of RTA’s plan for many years. As RTA shifts its priorities to a maintaining a state-of-good repair, only those areas that demonstrate the greatest need for these facilities will be considered. Existing facilities shall be reviewed for parking and amenity additions.

Divide Service District into Core and Flexible Service Areas

As shown in Figure B, RTA recommends dividing its service area into core and flexible zones. The core service area will be comprised of the City of Cleveland and inner higher ridership suburbs with larger populations. The peripheral areas of the county will make up the flexible service area.

Core Area: Provide fast and frequent service along recommended priority transit corridors (Figure C). Stations, bus stops and transit facilities will gradually be improved along these corridors. There are many existing riders in this area, along with need, due to larger employers and residents.

Flexible Service Area: With fewer people, but remaining need, RTA will provide these areas with a combination of fixed routes for network connectivity augmented by Park-N-Ride Express and paratransit service for the disabled. RTA shall work with local employers and others to assist in funding and operate non-base service options, such as shuttles or van pools.

Establish Priority Transit Corridors

Developing these Priority Transit Corridors along RTA’s most popular routes within the core service areas will increase the mobility of existing riders, while offering more amenities and improve the quality of service. This will require close collaboration with multiple municipalities.

In addition to the existing rail and HealthLine services, RTA could potentially provide high-quality service and improved transit accommodations along nine additional corridors shown in Figure C below based on funding availability and coordination with local communities.

The corridors and their improvements would be completed in collaboration with the individual cities where the corridors are located. This coordination will demonstrate to the community that these corridors are areas where RTA is committed to providing high-quality transit service and ideally, new development. The revitalization of these areas is an important part of building a more sustainable, transit-oriented future for the region.

Maintaining and continuously improving the current bus and train networks remains critical for RTA. All improvements must complement any new service decisions, to encourage and support growth in Cuyahoga County.

RTA strives to encourage economic growth in core communities by maintaining and improving its infrastructure and renewing development along its path.

Over the years, RTA has developed and maintained an impressive and efficient rail and bus system. As a result of Cleveland’s current economic reality, it is critical for RTA to reevaluate the infrastructure required to sustain the existing transit system – a system that includes 85 bridges and culverts, one tunnel, four bus maintenance facilities, one rail maintenance facility, seven transit centers (including the recently opened Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center), twelve Park-N-Ride Lots and 23 rapid transit station facilities. The rail system includes 37 two-way miles of track and 52 stations, while the 7.1 mile HealthLine includes 4.5 miles of two-way bus lanes, and 59 stations.

Projected ahead, RTA has nearly $100 million in unfunded state of good repair projects in our five year capital improvement plan (CIP). RTA is not alone. The Federal Transit Association estimates that the transit industry needs $78 billion to achieve a state of good repair. State-of-good repair will remain a key item on the Federal agenda for transit agencies.

Future analysis and new development of RTA’s restructuring will guide the agency’s actions related to its current system and facilities. RTA will continue to aggressively work towards state of good repair while balancing any needs for capacity enhancement or new facilities in an ever-changing regional environment.

While the fare paid by transit users pays a portion of the cost of transit, the majority of the cost of RTA’s public transit service is provided by county sales tax revenues. The balance of the funding is from state and federal funding. Like the rest of the region, RTA has struggled with declining revenues and must continue to investigate and pursue alternative, reliable and adequate funding sources. Deciding the best way to invest in capital resources to receive the best return on the dollar for customers is vital.

RTA must aggressively pursue new funding sources and investments to sustain its financial future.

With fewer riders and decreasing State of Ohio and sales tax revenues, RTA’s funding is down substantially. Now is the time for effective and broad-based collectives to be formed, lobbying for additional federal, state and local funds, along with working together with local communities and major employers to share in the cost of transportation.

RTA continues to search for transit funding. Even as the leading transit agency in the State of Ohio, minimal funds come from the state. Due to increased efforts, politicians and citizens seem to better understand RTA’s revenue issues, while recognizing the benefit RTA provides to the community.

RTA will also continue to aggressively pursue discretionary grant funding opportunities for capital and service improvements. Our past performance with successfully obtaining and executing competitive grant funding indicates the agency is strongly positioned for future opportunities.

RTA has increased fares on its system repeatedly in recent years, ensuring that transit users share with other taxpayers the burden of providing the transit service that they use. As a result, RTA’s fares are now among the highest in the country. While it is important that transit users pay their fair share of the cost of providing high quality transit service, it is important that high fares do not discourage transit use. This could increase auto use and the pollution and traffic problems this causes, and place an undue burden on new workers and other lower-income people who depend on transit service. RTA’s goal is to maintain the current fare structure while finding alternative funding to maintain its operations.

The time for change is now. The NE Ohio region was especially hard hit by the recession, and County government is in evolution. As we all look towards a revitalization from population loss and dispersion, RTA has a key role to play. Transit must take a step forward from reacting to redeveloping the new NE Ohio.

True "Regional" Transit

For many years, RTA has been brainstorming with other regional transportation agencies about the development of a multi-county regional transit system to better connect all of Northeast Ohio. There are a large number of commuters that traverse county lines for work each day and significant barriers exist for transit riders traveling between counties. RTA forming a team with the NOACA Transit Council benefits the entire northeast Ohio region.

Coordinate Transportation and Land Use Projects at a Regional Level

RTA and the other transit agencies need to work together with NOACA, the cities, counties, developers and various planning organizations throughout Northeast Ohio to make transportation and land use decisions. With coordination and cooperation among all these groups, urban sprawl — which has traditionally had a negative impact on transit service – can be leveraged.

RTA can educate the public about how even small changes to development plans can make better transit environments. This, in turn, generates higher transit ridership, more attractive development and a higher quality of life for those who live, work and shop in these areas.

Resource Coordination with Other Northeast Ohio Transit Agencies

Costs for transit are rising; that includes wages, benefits, fuel, oil and tires, just to name a few. Resource coordination and outsourcing are two options to fight high costs and make public transportation easier for customers to use throughout the region. Items for consideration range from vehicle, fuel, and parts purchasing to fleet maintenance, human resources, and payroll functions. Universities within Ohio are finding synergy and cost savings through a similar concept of shared state contracts.

Explore Privatized Transportation

Providing contracted transportation services to other counties in the region would be beneficial for both RTA and the outer counties. Inter-county service would improve options for riders with no service or limited routes. There are many examples across the nation, such as Denver RTD, that combine privatized transportation services with union labor forces to provide a blend of operating strategies.

Sustainable Transportation

Each day, tens of thousands of Cleveland area residents (many of whom would otherwise drive) choose to use RTA for their transportation needs. Using RTA reduces the need for new highway infrastructure, the use of fossil fuels and the production of pollutants and greenhouse gases, helping the Cleveland area to meet its environmental goals. RTA has made sustainability an organizational goal with its sustainability policy. RTA can and will improve its environmental performance by considering use of vehicles and equipment that increase efficiency and reduce pollution, through LEED® certification of its facilities and accreditation of appropriate members of its staff.