MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - On Tuesday, August 16 CATA will be hosting two community work sessions to receive comments and address questions about their current Bus Rapid Transit design.

The meetings will be located at the Meridian Township Municipal Building from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the Meridian Township Fire Department from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

During each meeting they will be discussing possible designs as well as weighing the pros and cons of the idea.

Many residents have shown some opposition to the current BRT plan, from the elimination of stops that the current Route 1 bus serves to the idea of the new station platforms being located in the median of the road.

“When you go from 45 or 40 plus stops to 37, you are eliminating a lot of services that people may depend on,” said East Lansing resident Beth Boyce.

Residents believe that both the walks they will have to take to the transit station platforms and from those platforms to their destination will be too long of a stretch and is not in the best interest of CATA users, especially those who are elderly or disabled.

CATA declined to comment on the current proposed design, but did say that they are looking forward to the work sessions and hearing out the concerns of community members.