Westlake Park-N-Ride adding space for more cars
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published July 29, 2009

RTA plans to add more than 200 parking spaces to its popular Park-N-Ride that has entrances off Columbia and Sperry roads.

Westlake City Council approved plans for the expansion at its July 16 regular meeting. The city’s planning commission had given its approval earlier in the month.

RTA is planning to purchase 6.9 acres south of the access drive off Columbia. But only half of the new land will be utilized initially, according to Westlake Planning Director Bob Parry.

Council and the planning commission placed a condition that the new parcel be legally combined with the existing one once the purchase is completed.

A new bus shelter will be added along with 218 new parking spaces. According to Parry, the new spaces are badly needed. Because all existing parking spaces had often been taken, commuters took to illegally parking their cars along the access driveways, Parry said.

“That parking lot is sometimes full, so it’s being well used,” Parry told West Life.

Ward 2 Councilman James Connole said at the council meeting that the city will contact area parochial schools to possibly use the Park-N-Ride as a pick-up and drop-off point for local students who take the bus to school. Using the site for school buses makes sense, Connole said, since it is designed to handle bus traffic.

The Westlake Park-N-Ride is currently serviced by the No. 43 Lake-Wolf bus, No. 246 Westlake Park-N-Ride, (which both go to downtown Cleveland), and the No. 808 West Shore Commuter Circulator.

However, due to budget cuts, RTA plans to eliminate its 12 circulator routes in September. The transit agency also will implement a 25-cent per ride fare increase beginning Sept. 1.

RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese said in a statement the cuts will help balance the 2009 budget, which currently faces a deficit of $5.2 million.

The Park-N-Ride expansion will go forward despite the budget crunch, according to RTA marketing supervisor Patricia Kearney, because it is funded through the agency’s capital budget. RTA’s operating budget has been adversely affected due to a drop in county sales tax revenue and a cut in state funding for public transportation.

On the Web:

• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority