Thanks to publicsquander.com, anyone with an internet connection can now monitor in real time the money that RTA is losing due to the re-routing of buses on Public Square.

The new Public Square was unveiled to wide acclaim immediately before the Republican National Convention in July. It was supposed to open to bus traffic on August 1.

The Square was designed with bus traffic in mind. A 2012 study recommended keeping Superior Avenue open to buses, having considered the alternatives. It outlined the significant costs of re-routing buses around RTA’s most important hub in town: $1,550,000 annually.

But Frank Jackson, who always preferred the idea of a “unified” square, and his administration, have refused to allow buses to return. In the intervening three-plus months, Jackson’s spokesmen have claimed that the city is “meeting with stakeholders” and “discussing the situation.” But we suspect that that’s no longer true. Mayor Jackson has said before that he often has his spokesmen spit out stock phrases to the media if he hasn’t developed an opinion, or else to buy time, and that’s what this feels like. RTA remains in the dark and continues to eat the costs, even as it’s staring a deepening financial crisis in the face.

When Scene requested an update from the city last week, we received no response. We asked that if they still claimed to be meeting with stakeholders that they provide a schedule of meetings and the stakeholders who attended. Dan Williams, the City’s media relations director, was out of the office Friday.

Publicsquander.com, constantly ticking, currently pegs the total lost money in the $435,000 range. It links to the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, where concerned residents can send a letter to Frank Jackson.

It’s unconfirmed who created the site but is thought to be an outgrowth of the Sunlight Foundation’s Transparency Camp, hosted in Cleveland last month.

This article appears in Nov 9-15, 2016.

Sam Allard is a former senior writer at Scene.

6 replies on “Hey, We Can Now Watch RTA Lose Money in Real Time”

  1. Add to the counter all the lost commerce $ from drivers who stopped going downtown because of all the hassle. Right now it’s not as visible due to sports teams doing well. In a while it’ll be visible to most. Even noted left wingers on local NPR/90.3 admitted to the failure/problem.

    Here we have a liberal/left wing pet cause of public transportation. Democrats are strangling their own. Meanwhile rank and file, again, don’t see failure of big government ideology. It’s amazing how many people are still voting for Democrats in local Ohio elections.

  2. not only drivers, but the delays of the buses. FOUR MILLION rides a year go through Public Square and each route is losing tons of time getting caught in traffic surrounding the square since it was supposed to go through instead of around.

  4. If only Frank’s grandson was a public transportation rider on city streets….instead of illegally riding a dirt bike on city streets.

  5. This entire project was a destruction of the collective historical memory of this city. It’s a travesty that any of the early urban planners of this great city would decry! Why not just empty out downtown…….nobody goes down there anymore except for a sports event. The RTA trips take forever because of the mess in the square, and parking is ridiculous. They gave away most of the parking spaces in Huntington Garage to the Convention Center and hotel. County workers are scrambling to get there early to find spaces. Oh, and everything in the city looks like it belongs to some big corporate entity……Huntington Convention Center, First Energy Stadium, Progressive Field, etc. Meanwhile, water and sewer bills are higher than ever in history, the school levy (which would have REDUCED) taxes, was passed for a failing school system. Let’s all just move out.

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