Riverside wants to upgrade RTA bus stops

Mary Curtis

RIVERSIDE — High gas prices make public transportation look more attractive, and that’s even before Riverside executes its plan to improve the look of bus stops around the city.

The city’s Multimodal Transportation Commission recommends the city use Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority grant funds and money raised by local property owners in designated improvement districts to install bus shelters with a consistent design and color scheme.

“We would like to make our bus stops uniform throughout the city, so that when you come into Riverside, you know it’s Riverside just by looking at the bus stops,” said Lori Luckner, the commission’s chair.

This year, the city received an $18,200 grant to install two bus stops near Kroger at Spin-Kemp Shopping Center. It will ask about 10 businesses in that area to shell out $3,800 for a local contribution to help pay for the shelters, lights and concrete pads.

Last year, the city paid for bus stops on Eastman Drive and Woodman Drive, and the year before that, it installed stops in the Airway Road and Woodman Drive areas.

The commission will gather public input to determine a priority list of bus stops that residents would like to see upgraded. Luckner said the stops and streetscaping will help slow down traffic, promote safety and be more attractive to the eye.

Bob Murray, director of planning and economic development, said the Greater Dayton RTA grant program provides 80 percent of the funding and cities must come up with the other 20 percent.

Murray said new or revamped bus stops are good for economic development, because businesses want to move into areas accessible by public transportation.

Apartment complexes also want decent bus stops nearby because many would-be residents rely on public transit.

Murray said property owners in some improvement districts may not want to wait for grant funding to become available to cover the cost of installing bus shelters. They may want to raise the funds themselves.

“I fully believe there will be people stepping forward and doing the bus stops themselves,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0749 or cfrolik@DaytonDailyNews.com.