CINCINNATI (Cincinnati Business Courier) – Advocates for bus riders and the Cincinnati Connector streetcar want the city and Metro to implement a transit-only lane along Walnut Street downtown, arguing it will speed up service for riders and start preparing the city for when Metro launches its $339 million bus-rapid transit option later this decade.
Brad Thomas, a former Metro board member, and Cam Hardy, co-founder of the Better Bus Coalition, are making a renewed push for the city and Metro to act now instead of waiting for Metro to launch BRT, which it is branding Metro Rapid. Metro Rapid’s original plan called for bus-only lanes on Walnut Street. Bus-rapid transit is a bus line that has some of the characteristics of a rail line, including dedicated lanes, priority at traffic signals, no-step boarding and dedicated stations.
But neither Metro nor the city of Cincinnati seem inclined to move forward on the idea before implementing Metro Rapid, which Metro projects will launch in 2028…