Fort Wayne, Ind. – Residents are invited to learn about and comment on the draft version of the Bus Fort Wayne plan at a public meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. The open house will take place at Citizens Square, 200 E. Berry St., in the lower level Omni Room. During the open house, the public can also tour Citilink and Countilink buses and talk to public transit operators and commuters.

The goal of the Bus Fort Wayne plan is to lay the foundation to grow and improve the community's public transit systems in order to increase public transit ridership, and to establish public transit as a viable, preferred transportation choice. The plan includes many community-wide recommendations to accomplish this goal, a few of which include: educating residents about the benefits of public transportation, improving the public transportation experience for riders, and continuing to look for stable funding sources to support public transportation.

"A strong public transportation system impacts a community's quality of life by improving air quality, lowering traffic congestion and providing residents alternatives for traveling to work, school, medical appointments and more," said John Urbahns, division director of Community Development. "Bus Fort Wayne creates the strategy for improving our public transportation system and encouraging more residents to take advantage of it."

Bus Fort Wayne will coordinate with the City's Bike Fort Wayne and Walk Fort Wayne plans; these three plans are part of the City's efforts to promote a variety of transportation options for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit users of all ages and abilities. After the public meeting, City planners will further refine the Bus Fort Wayne plan and then present it to the Plan Commission and City Council. If adopted, it will be an amendment to Plan-it-Allen!, the community's comprehensive plan.

The Bus Fort Wayne draft was developed in partnership with the City, Citilink, Countilink and the Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council. Input from an advisory committee included City and County agencies, non-profit groups, elected officials and citizens. The full draft of the plan can be found online by visiting www.fwcitilink.com and then clicking on "news and events" or the direct link is: http://www.fwcitilink.com/transportation_news_events.htm.