CINCINNATI — A proposed ordinance would target loitering at certain transit zones throughout the city and provide law enforcement with a means of enforcing the issue.
There is currently nothing on the books in Cincinnati directing police on how to respond to complaints of loitering at streetcar transit zones.
Stops along the city's Connector route are raised portions of the sidewalk creating a boarding and off-boarding platform. That design means the transit zones remain part of the public right-of-way.
"At the streetcar today, (existing city code) regulates what you can do, which is to board the streetcar, deboard the streetcar. What that also legally implies is that you can't hang out there all day," council member Mark Jeffreys said.
Jeffreys said he wants to see safety improved at streetcar stops. His effort to crack down on people utilizing the loading zone for anything other than transit was introduced to the city's Public Safety and Governance Committee on Tuesday. Before his fellow committee members passed the ordinance to the full council for a final vote, it got some words of public support.
"Safety is crucial for an effective bus system in Cincinnati and it begins at the bus stops," said Gerald Checco, the city's director of sewers who spoke during public comment. "This proposed anti-loitering code represents a positive first step."
Watch here for more on the proposed ordinance and what it would like for Cincinnati transit:
Checco isn't the only one backing Jeffrey's ordinance. The Southwest Regional Transit Authority is too.
The city is working with SORTA to establish a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in the city."Metro Rapid" will contain corridors with lanes solely for Metro buses. The buses will also have signal priority, meaning traffic lights will know when a Metro Rapid bus is approaching, allowing the buses priority to get through the corridors.
Because those bus shelters will have a platform design similar to those for the streetcar, Jeffreys is proposing his ordinance apply to designated BRT zones as well.
"I really appreciate your efforts here," SORTA Chief Operations Officer John Ravasio said. "Covered areas, imagine level boarding and the access that grants to all members of our community, so this ordinance would go a long way towards the quality of that transit experience for the riders using the bus rapid transit system."
Jeffreys said should the ordinance pass, enforcement should not prove difficult for police officers at streetcar transit zones. Because enforcement would pose a challenge for officers at Metro bus shelters, he said those zones are not included under the proposal's current language.
"CPD says it's just impossible to enforce anything so right now there is, in effect, no enforcement," Jeffreys said. "And we do hear from residents that folks, especially older people. go to the bus stop with the intent of taking the bus and there's no place for them to sit, so it does impact the quality of the experience and it's something that I think we need to figure out. But it is, legally, a lot more challenging."
Council member Scotty Johnson, who heads the Public Safety and Governance Committee and is a former CPD officer, said there needs to be more discussion with CPD on what enforcement would look like.
"Enforcement would look like, first and foremost, move along. Number one. Number two is if that's not adhered to, a citation. Repeat offenders — I think those citations could increase. But more than anything else, Cincinnati police need cooperation. Metro needs cooperation before we start issuing citations," Johnson said. "We do know our numbers with law enforcement officers in the city is down, so the opportunity to enforce that may be something that is balanced out, but then we don't want people loitering and making our citizens uncomfortable to ride the (transit systems) too so we've got some balancing out to do to be quite frank."
