Corporations feel the pain of sprawl, diverge from oil industry

cincinnati.com : "The group includes some influential members, including Dinsmore & Shohl managing partner and chairman George Vincent, former state senator Eric Kearney, business and community leader Delores Hargrove-Young, West Side community leader Pete Witte and Dunn. The task force also includes members from Procter & Gamble, Western & Southern Financial Group, University of Cincinnati, churches and nonprofits.

Dunn, Vincent and Hargrove-Young are chairing the task force, which also will look at:

• Connecting students to schools and universities and job training programs

• Helping older adults maintain their independence

• Providing more transportation options for people with disabilities

• Looking at transportation needs for young professionals and recent college graduates entering the workforce

"We need to start planning for the future," Vincent said."

Logan, Ohio, local public transportation continues to expand

Daily News: News: "LOGAN — As more and more people re-discover the perks of public transportation, area programs that provide transportation services have had to adapt and change to meet the growing demand of the public."

Dayton RTA To Offer Free Rides Thursday

WYSO: "Greater Dayton RTA wants people to leave their cars behind and use public transport for a day.  

Thursday they’re hosting Dump The Pump Day and offering free rides to the public. RTA wants people to try public transport as an alternative to driving themselves."

New public transportation options eyed

.chillicothegazette: "According to 2013 numbers included in the Ohio Department of Transportation’s “Status of Public Transit in Ohio” report released last October, Chillicothe Transit handled 177,509 passengers on fixed-route trips and an additional 21,546 passengers who were served on an on-demand basis in 2013."

ROI multiplier for #publictransit can be high as 9

Public transportation key to our future: "Business leaders know that to be successful, changes in our way of thinking need to occur. Recently, Yaromir Steiner, CEO of Steiner + Associates and developer of Liberty Center, noted that the key to the design and layout of Liberty Center is the millennial generation, "who want walkable, urban areas with parks and public transportation."

Strategic routes and partnerships connecting people to businesses, jobs, health care and shopping benefit our economy and restore a level of dignity and pride in our residents. Successful connections contribute to the vitality of our businesses and communities. The return on investment can be significant. Statistics from the Economic Development Research Group show that a $1 investment in public transit has a rate of return of $4 and in some cases, up to $9."

Why Ohio ignored its own $1M bus, rail study

cincinnati.com: "Spending money on public transportation has rarely been a priority for Ohio lawmakers. Budgets are set up in such a way that public transportation operating money is a line item buried in the general revenue fund – not even in the transportation budget. The Legislature has cut $36.3 million in public transportation money from the general fund since 2000."

One free bus route turns things around in Columbus, Ohio

The Columbus Dispatch: "Ridership on COTA buses in 2014 reached its highest level since 1986 as the free Cbus Downtown circulator exceeded expectations.

The 19.3 million trips taken on Central Ohio Transit Authority buses last year was about 3 percent higher than in 2013. Of the 550,000 trips the authority added last year, about 348,000 were on the Cbus, which started running between the Short North and Brewery District in May.

The circulator has far exceeded COTA’s projections, said CEO Curtis Stitt."

Millennials choosing public transportation over cars

19 Action News: "DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -
Many young professionals are choosing not to buy cars. Instead, as they move into the city, they're using public transportation. It's an environmental and economical decision."

Fort Wayne bus boss, "we should be running every 15 minutes"

News-Sentinel.com: "Many and perhaps even most Citilink riders are low-income people who rely on the bus to get to work, school, the doctor or other places. But people who have their own car or other transportation options don't want to wait an hour for a bus. "In fact," Housden said, "we should be running every 15 minutes.""

Lorain, Ohio - "poor people can't afford cars and young people don't want them"

Chronicle-Telegram: "That was the contention of expert Tim Rosenberger, who spoke before about 80 people at a transportation forum at Lorain County Community College in Elyria on Wednesday. Rosenberger, transportation planner for Parsons Brickerhoff, an international engineering and transportation company, said demand is outpacing supply due to an aging population, poor people who can’t afford cars and younger people who don’t want them."

#Freetransit best way to deliver social services

mansfieldnewsjournal : "“To me, those Medicaid dollars should be moved more toward RCT because it costs less to buy a bus ticket or pass than to go door-to-door,” Neumann said. She noted that the JFS budget line item for transportation has quadrupled over the last eight years to more than $750,000 last year."

#Autosprawl bridges falling down, falling down

I-75 closes as emergency crews respond to Hopple Street exit - Local 12 WKRC-TV Cincinnati - Top Stories: "CINCINNATI (WKRC) -- One person has died after the Hopple Street overpass has collapsed on I-75. This is the old Hopple Street exit ramp from I-75 northbound.
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