What forms of public transit would everyone like to see in Columbus, Ohio in the future?

Idea for the future: bring it back. (Also, I couldn’t find a Columbus transit history  thread, sad face. )
 

 

On 1/10/2024 at 10:16 AM, PizzaScissors said:

I'd love to see more engagement with/density along ORR. Hopefully it's not all isolated behind those frontage lots. The massive lot for the single Chase ATM needs a better use and feels emblematic of the current density. 

If Columbus were to ever truly have a subway, running it North and South up Olentangy River Rd would be the ideal location. ORR is already 2 lanes each direction besides the portion between Henderson and Bethel. 

 

The subway would start underground around Goodale St where it can connect to the existing rail tracks that came from downtown. The subway would go all the way up ORR from that spot to Bethel Rd where it would have its final stop on ORR

 

The stops on this line would include the following:

1. Goodale St.

2. 3rd Ave

3. 5th Ave

4. OSU Medical Center / King Ave / Lennox Town Center

4.5 Maybe secondary line that goes across the river and up Cannon Dr with stops at OSU Medical at 10th Ave, 12th Ave,  Morrill & Lincoln Tower, Cannon Dr & Woody Hayes

5. Lane Ave

6. Woody Hayes Athletic Center / CAS

7. City Apartments Complex

8. Riverview Dr

9. Kohls Redevelopment / Canterbury

10. Riverside

11. Henderson

12. Bethel

 

Afterwards you can put additional lines such as E/W line to connect on ORR line at:

 

1. 5th Ave

2. Lane Ave

3. Henderson

4. Bethel

 

^I like your thinking but I think High St. would be a better location. I'm concerned the walkshed for the ORR BRT is pretty low as it is. For a subway, the ideal walkshed is 1/4 to 1/2 mile - the distance someone would walk to the station. At each of those locations listed above, there is a low residential population. Who would walk to these stations? Sure, in the future there may be T.O.D. that might fill that void.

7 minutes ago, Pablo said:

^I like your thinking but I think High St. would be a better location. I'm concerned the walkshed for the ORR BRT is pretty low as it is. For a subway, the ideal walkshed is 1/4 to 1/2 mile - the distance someone would walk to the station. At each of those locations listed above, there is a low residential population. Who would walk to these stations? Sure, in the future there may be T.O.D. that might fill that void.

Yeah high st would be the best place for a subway line, or if you want it off the main stretch, put it on 4th or 3rd/summit. I agree that ORR is too far away from the main areas, which worries me about the BRT line also. Now if the city forced developers to build properly along ORR, this could be a different story. 

Edited January 11, 20241 yr by VintageLife

Agree that High St is far and away the ideal line for our subway.

On 1/11/2024 at 3:12 PM, Pablo said:

^I like your thinking but I think High St. would be a better location. I'm concerned the walkshed for the ORR BRT is pretty low as it is. For a subway, the ideal walkshed is 1/4 to 1/2 mile - the distance someone would walk to the station. At each of those locations listed above, there is a low residential population. Who would walk to these stations? Sure, in the future there may be T.O.D. that might fill that void.

In an ideal world I 100% agree going up High St or Up 4th/Summit would make the most logical sense. The reason I selected ORR as the main corridor is due to the street being a wide road that could be reduced several lanes to accommodate the heavy construction of implementing a subway around Columbus. That or we can maintain an up ground elevated line on ORR. 

 

The goal is to densify ORR and make it a desirable stretch to live, work, go to school. 

With the new Carmenton Area coming along on the west side of OSU campus, I think it's time for a circular light rail to be installed. This allows folks to get from Upper Arlington, to Lennox, then OSU Medical Center, Neil Ave, High St, and the Schott with relative ease. The photo is cutoff, but the line would go down Olentangy River Rd crossing over King St Bridge, up Old Cannon Dr and around Medical Center Dr till it connects to Cannon's Dr. Future lines would have one going E/W on John Glenn Avenue and another N/S line on Neil Avenue and of course a N/S from Worthington to Hungarian Village on High St. 

 

Edited December 4, 2024Dec 4 by KyleofColumbus

And Ohio State could pay for all of that, easily.

1 hour ago, ColDayMan said:

And Ohio State could pay for all of that, easily.

There's already hundred's if not thousands of cars being parked in Carmenton and riding shuttles to the hospital. Why not just make it easier with light rail transit that drops you off at the front door and/or anywhere else around campus. 

 

Not to mention it would be much easier for folks to park further away and/or live and ride the train to campus for events / hospital / classes / shops. 

4 hours ago, KyleofColumbus said:

There's already hundred's if not thousands of cars being parked in Carmenton and riding shuttles to the hospital. Why not just make it easier with light rail transit that drops you off at the front door and/or anywhere else around campus. 

 

Not to mention it would be much easier for folks to park further away and/or live and ride the train to campus for events / hospital / classes / shops. 

just wait until these show up on campus...they may be faster than the shuttles but where do we put it while in class, at an event, or at work on campus