Commissioners to hold public hearings on ending Lorain County Transit's Downtown Elyria Loop

Lorain County Transit is considering discontinuing its Downtown Elyria Loop route due to low ridership and to improve on-demand dial-a-ride services. Deputy County Administrator Karen Perkins on Friday told county commissioners about the fixed bus route that runs through downtown Elyria. It also runs out to South Abbe Road on the city's east side and to the Lorain County Jail on Murray Ridge Road in the west. It serves multiple county offices, the Rural King and Dollar General on Oberlin-Elyria Road, Elyria High School and stops in between. The bus also transports jurors from a satellite parking lot on Washington Avenue to the county Justice Center on Court Street and back. It is a service that "has consistently had very, very low ridership," Perkins said. Lorain County Transit wants to improve its on-demand dial-a-ride service, and continuing to run the Downtown Elyria Loop means turning away dial-a-ride customers, she said. Discontinuing the loop "is a way we can resolve the issue," Perkins said. She said court and jail staff are aware of future plans to discontinue the route. If it goes away, they will still be able to schedule rides for jurors and people at the jail who need the service, Perkins said. "It's a little unpredictable for jurors but we're going to be as flexible as we can," she said. Public hearings are required before the route can be discontinued. Those are tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m. May 20 and 6 p.m. May 26 at the County Transportation and Community Center, 40 East Ave. in Elyria. Perkins said final times and dates will be announced and advertised later. Commissioner Marty Gallagher said when he was called for jury duty, he found it easier to walk from the satellite parking lot on Washington Avenue to the Justice Center — about 1/3 of a mile. "It wasn't that far to walk," he said. "I hope whatever we do it will make life better, not worse, for the jurors who are doing their public service," Commissioner Jeff Riddell said. He said he hoped there might be a way to reallocate parking spaces in front of the Justice Center for jurors doing their civic duty. Perkins said most people who park in those angle-in spaces — which are already at a premium most weekdays when Common Pleas, Juvenile and Domestic Relations courts are open — have business there and are not county employees. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.