CU offers free transit for First Friday events

The service, called Center City Loop, is a six-month pilot project to determine a need for a fixed route between the two areas. Riders can use the service for free for now but will be asked to participate in a survey.

There are seven stops along the route, which runs south on Jefferson Avenue to Walnut Street, west on Walnut Street to Campbell Avenue, north on Campbell to Commercial, and east on Commercial to Jefferson Avenue. Stops will be made every 15 minutes from 6:30–10:30 p.m.

This is the second run for the service. On July 6, there were 144 riders.

Commercial Street began holding its First Friday event in May and started it as a cooperative effort with First Friday Art Walk that’s held every month downtown. Since then, the events have separated, and vendors are debating whether the two can co-exist without competing with each other.

Springfield Business Journal’s online poll this weekshows 70 percent of voters favor both events. About 27 percent opposed Commercial Street having its own event.

Tonight, there will be five lots available for parking along the route: at North Campbell and Pacific Street, the Cox North hospital parking lot at Jefferson and Division Street, the Greene County public lot at Campbell and Scott Street, the CU office lot near Jefferson and Scott, and the main library at Jefferson and Central Street.