TRANSPORTATION

By Marilyn Hyland

Hamilton County needs better bus service and light rail

As a county commissioner, I will work to encourage Metro to implement more convenient service for citizens living in the outer reaches of the county, and provide incentives for more people to ride the bus.

I will also work to develop passenger rail throughout Hamilton County and beyond. The I-71 Corridor Committee recommended light rail. The OKI Eastern Corridor Study seems to be leaning toward commuter rail. Together, we can create a regional commuter rail-light rail system which will establish downtown as the centerpiece of our region, while linking neighborhoods and villages as destinations.

Commuter rail has been something have believed in for a long time. It was an important issue during my 1998 campaign for Hamilton County Commissioner. In fact, I assisted Cincinnati City Councilman Todd Portune with a four-phase proposal to develop passenger rail for Greater Cincinnati, starting with a stretch of existing tracks linking downtown Cincinnati with Lawrenceburg.

While many funding and logistical questions remain to be answered before the more populated I-71 corridor can be developed, I believe it makes sense to upgrade existing tracks west of downtown as a pilot project. I firmly believe that an efficient mass transit system can guide new development and not just react to existing population trends.

We have wasted enough time and money studying and discussing ways to improve public transportation. As a county commissioner, I will work to implement a light rail-commuter rail system in Hamilton County within the next five years.