RTA Trolley Bus.jpg

RTA trolley-like buses in the future may provide shuttle service to bars and restaurants along Detroit and Madison avenues. Local business owners are exploring the possibility.

This shows the proposed route for a shuttle bus service Lakewood bar and restaurant owners are proposing for Lakewood.

LAKEWOOD, Ohio – Several Lakewood bar and restaurant owners, with assistance from a city councilman, hope to bring shuttle bus service to the city's business district along Detroit and Madison avenues Saturday nights.

The service would be free to riders, as the bar and restaurant owners would pick up the tab. The service would use the same green trolley-like buses the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority runs on several downtown routes.

The Lakewood weekend service is needed, business owners said, because of a lack of adequate parking for customers.

"There is no restaurant in Lakewood that would tell you that parking is not a serious concern for their business," said David Igel, a regional manager with Dewey's Pizza, 18516 Detroit Ave.

Bar and restaurant owners hope the plan would attract additional customers on Saturday nights. Some patrons are frustrated with the parking shortage.

Mike Potraffke, general manager of the Harry Buffalo restaurant on Detroit, said it also would encourage Lakewood residents to use public transportation when drinking.



The shuttle service, involving two buses, would run a loop along Detroit Avenue, Riverside Drive, Madison Avenue and Bunts Road. A bus would come along every 15 minutes. Passengers could get on or off at any of about eight stops on the loop, said City Councilman Shawn Juris, who is helping business owners try to negotiate a contract with RTA.

The total cost for two buses to run on Saturdays from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. would be $41,500 per year. However, bar and restaurant owners are hoping RTA may negotiate further on cost.

Mayor Michael Summers said he would be willing to ask RTA to agree to a six-month pilot program rather than require a one-year commitment from the businesses.

Business owners said their goal is to secure commitments from at least 14 bars, restaurants and possibly other late night businesses to help fund the service. If 14 businesses sign up, it would bring the cost per business down to $57 per night. At least five businesses have agreed to the plan if details can be worked out and enough partners brought on board. Juris is talking with about 25 additional bar and restaurant owners.

Lakewood was built during a time when streetcar service was the dominant form of transportation, and the RTA service would be a good substitute, Juris said.

Juris said creating some type of park-and-ride option also would be possible. There is municipal parking near Detroit and Warren Road, and the bar owners could negotiate agreements with owners of private parking lots, he said. A park-and-ride feature would allow out-of-town residents to use the shuttle service as well.

While discussions about providing the service are in preliminary stages, Igel said he believed a Lakewood shuttle service would benefit everyone.

"It's safe for the people; it's safe for the environment; it's good for the businesses," he said. "There's no reason this can't be a win for everybody."

If the program works out, bar and restaurant owners said they would be interested in expanding the program to Friday nights as well. Igel said he would like to see the bus service start about 6 p.m. because an earlier start time would be beneficial for restaurant patrons.

Juris said he would like to see the service launch by June. However, it could be difficult to line up all the partners needed and complete negotiations in time to meet that goal. If the bus service doesn't start this summer, it could be delayed until summer 2015, he said. Businesses would not want to launch the service during the winter.