Updates on Cleveland Heights School Travel Plan and Transportation Advisory Committee

After several drafts, the Cleveland Heights School Travel Plan is nearly complete.  Once submitted to the Ohio Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School, the recommendations provided in this plan will be the basis for applications for infrastructure and non-infrastructure grants.  The grant applications are due on March 3.  Infrastructure improvements around the schools in the study could include better signage and ladder crosswalks, for example.  Non-infrastructure improvements may include materials to market the benefits of walking or biking to school or new equipment for crossing guards.  The schools in the plan are Canterbury, Oxford and Roxboro Elementary Schools, Monticello Middle School and Hebrew Academy.  Grant awards will be announced in May.

The Cleveland Heights Transportation Advisory Committee will be meeting for the second time on Tuesday, February 25, 7 p.m., at Cleveland Heights City Hall.  The committee will hear a presentation by Public Works Director Alex Mannarino on the City’s plans affecting transportation.  Also on the agenda are development of a mission statement and goals, and a process for electing committee leadership.   The meeting is open to the public.  Members of the Committee are Cleveland Heights residents Chris Cummings, Marc Lefkowitz, Julie Lustic, Howard Maier, Charlie Mosbrook, Sarah O’Keeffe, Gary Schumacher, and Akshai Singh; City employees include Richard Wong (Planning), Alex Mannarino (Public Works), Police Sgt. Ben Osowski; and representing RTA, we are honored to have Joe Calabrese, RTA CEO and General Manager. Residents represent various interests, including transit users, bicyclists, pedestrians, people with disabilities, and the school and business communities.  A first meeting of this group was on January 28 and included presentations by Richard Wong, Officer Osowski and Joe Calabrese. Mary Dunbar is City Council liaison to the committee.