The NOACA Governing Board approved the following project as a candidate to be amended to the NOACA Transportation Plan and in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) by adopting Resolution No. 2004-012 on March 12, 2004.

Title: Laketran Eastlake Stadium Commuter Service
Sponsor:  Laketran
Estimated Total Cost: $250,000
Proposed Source of Federal Funds: NOACA

History/Background:
In 2003, the City of Eastlake invited Laketran to use up to 150 parking spaces at the new Lake County Captains Baseball Stadium as a park and ride facility for commuter service to Cleveland. The city also offered office space for use as a passenger waiting area. This project was initiated after Laketran’s 2004 – 2007 TIP was submitted to NOACA in January 2003.

Parsons Brinckerhoff completed a Park and Ride System Design Plan for Laketran in 2002. The plan compared sites at Lakeland Boulevard, east of the SR-2/Lloyd Road Interchange, in Wickliffe and at Water Tower Drive, off SR-528, north of I-90 in Madison (which were opened at the time) and Market Street, west of Munson Road, north of SR-2, in Mentor (which was under construction) with a range of possible additional sites. The Eastlake Stadium site was projected to have the second highest ridership (200 – 230 daily riders) of all possible additional sites.

Proposed Project:
Laketran is proceeding to implement commuter service between the stadium and downtown Cleveland beginning in April 2004. Riders will come from residential areas upstream from the stadium, north along SR-91 and east along SR-640. The start up schedule will offer three trips to Cleveland in the morning and three trips from Cleveland in the afternoon. Laketran will use its existing commuter buses, which are accessible for both wheelchairs and bicycles, offer individual reading lights, reclining seats and overhead luggage storage.

Regular fares will apply (i.e. $2.00 each way, 11 trip passes for $20.00 or monthly passes for $75.00). This will be a new route with new service. No existing routes will be reduced. The budget for the two-year demonstration period is $250,000. This includes the cost of operation, promotion, fixing up and heating the passenger waiting area, installing signage. This figure is net of fare box revenue. At the end of the two-year demonstration period, Laketran will cover the full cost of the service itself.

Staff Comment (Summary):