March 17, 200817 yr What COTA needs to do is grow it's taxing district outside of Franklin County in order to become an actual "Regional" transit authority serving the adjoining counties where growth has been the greatest. But this is a topic more for the COTA thread. As for advocacy..... there are already organizations like 1-Thousand Friends of Central Ohio, All Aboard Ohio and other advocating for rail & mass transit. I'm not sure another organization is going to accomplish that much more.
March 18, 200817 yr What COTA needs to do is grow it's taxing district outside of Franklin County in order to become an actual "Regional" transit authority serving the adjoining counties where growth has been the greatest. But this is a topic more for the COTA thread. Pickaway County residents sure sound like they would fight that tooth and nail.
March 18, 200817 yr I think they're already spread too thin. I think they should refocus, stick to upping frequency on key routes, and get people in neighboring counties clamoring for their service. Even if they aren't clamoring now, wait until they're stuck on an island thanks to high gas prices.
March 18, 200817 yr This discussion is getting away from streetcars, but it's a good topic. Can we put it over on the COTA Impressions 2008 thread?
March 18, 200817 yr Two letters to the editor in this morning's Columbus Dispatch Columbus would benefit from streetcars Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:04 AM NANCY J. ROWE Columbus http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2008/03/18/Rowe_ART_03-18-08_A14_5K9L7M3.html?sid=101 City needs to connect rail line to airport Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:04 AM DAVID W. DOLL Westerville http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2008/03/18/Doll_ART_03-18-08_A14_5K9L7M5.html?sid=101
March 20, 200817 yr Streetcars still ride high on mayor's plan for city's future By JENNIFER WRAY Suburban News Publications Published: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:50 PM EDT How do you spell relief? S-T-R-E-E-T-CA-R-S, if you're Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman. Coleman revisited his plan to relieve the pain of bloated gas prices during his state of the city address Thursday, March 13. First raised by Coleman in his 2006 state of the city, the mayor has continued to champion the construction of a streetcar system. He calls it a means to ease residents' dependence on fuel, to help people live and work Downtown, to link the city's neighborhoods with one another and to encourage visitors. Full story at http://www.snponline.com/articles/2008/03/19/the_booster/news/colstateof_20080317_0304pm_1.txt
March 24, 200817 yr Received this streetcar notice via email... Columbus Streetcar Working Group Thursday, March 27 (6-8 pm) 90 W. Broad St., City Hall Second Floor City Council Chambers Streetcar Funding: City to Unveil Financing Plan Last week in Mayor Coleman’s State of the City address, he talked about the excitement of bringing streetcars to Columbus. Now it’s time to hear how the project could be funded. The City is reconvening the Streetcar Working Group to present the financing plan and get feedback. The public is invited to attend. Over the last six months, a team of national and local experts, hired by the City, has examined different strategies to pay for streetcars while meeting the Mayor’s requirement of no new citywide tax. Streetcars received a huge vote of confidence at the Columbus Bicentennial Citizen’s Summit. Your voice is important. RSVP your attendance NOW by email at [email protected]
March 25, 200817 yr In light of Thursday evening public meeting at Columbus City Hall regarding the release of the financial plan to develop the Downtown Streetcar, it's worth repeating an earlier article from a noted expert on the subject of streetcars and rail-based transit. BTW: The Streetcar Working Group/Public Meeting, to be held 6 to 8 pm at 90 W. Broad St., City Hall, in City Council Chambers. This is THE time to raise your “Go Streetcar” signs and cheer your loudest for the Downtown Columbus Streetcar!!! It’s critical that our elected officials know what you think about expanded public transportation in Columbus! Get there early --- and start thinking about how you would answer this question from a reporter: “why do YOU think a streetcar is a great idea for Columbus?” It is expected there will be significant media coverage. Reconnecting Columbus By Scott Bernstein Center for Neighborhood Technologies Building the Columbus Streetcar now, provides direct economic benefits—cost-oflivingreduction, new real estate investment leading to area-wide tax stabilization, reduced street wear, and improved reputation from amenities that work for everyone. And this is the kind of catalyst that’s worth even more than such stand-alone trophies as stadiums, that helps bring the city and the region together, and in time for the city’s Bicentennial in 2012. Here’s why. Minding the Gaps Columbus is challenged by a new economy, demographic trends, and a legacy of forgotten assets. Crossing east-to-west yields a sense of disconnection, downtown is anything but pedestrian, alleys are blocked for bus stops, and traffic limits convenience in the name of mobility. High taxes result from regional housing oversupply. The I70/71 split prevents sensible reconnection, and using central land for highways keeps this asset untaxed. Business needs to know that people can get to work and that each car has a place to park (each space costing $10-$50,000), further reducing the tax base, leading to publicly-supported parking. The Strategic Downtown Plan notes the cost to develop a unit of housing exceeds value by $20,000; the city has helped fund the gap, instead of bridging it by increasing value through better transit and better urban quality. Investors know that quality isn’t a cost, but an investment that returns dividends. PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ survey of managers who invest $350 Billion annually finds their top pick is “mixed-use, transit-oriented development,” but only 5 percent goes to mixed-use projects, too much money chasing too few deals. Columbus is not a recommended pick, but it could be. And the easiest way to get on the path is to proceed with the Columbus Streetcar. What’s the Business Case for Proceeding Consider recent experience— • Kenosha built a $6.2 million streetcar to link reclaimed lakefront to their downtown, resulting in $150 million invested nearby. • Little Rock’s $19.6 million streetcar to the Clinton Presidential Library captured $200 million in investment; • Portland Oregon’s initial (2001) $55.2 million system connecting the Pearl District to downtown gathered $1.05 Billion, and its new South Waterfront extension, another $17.8 million, for additional investments worth $1.35 billion. • Grand Rapids’ civic and elected leaders, needing to attract a young workforce raised money to make Grand Rapids “cool,” is planning for new streetcars to meet these goals. • Atlanta’s Bell South relocated 10,000 workers from 72 offices to 3 downtown transit stops, solving their workforce commuting problem by bringing “jobs to people.” • Arlington, Virginia’s corridor housing five transit stops produces 33 percent of the County’s property tax revenue from 7.6 percent of its land, yielding the lowest tax rate for any northern Virginia town. Most Columbus families own two cars, an annual tab of $11,000, a fifth to a third of disposable income for those earning less than $50,000 per year. Residents spend $3 Billion on getting around, and regionally, that figure soars to $7 Billion. Metropolitan households and businesses will spend $300 Billion in the next 30 years. Most of this bleeds out; 20 percent is for increasingly pricey and polluting energy, and all of it for short-lived vehicles instead of wealth-producing homeownership or job creation. Helping people lower the cost-of-living and doing business is a worthy goal. Maybe there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but this may be the gift that keeps on giving. Today’s Bridge to Tomorrow’s Columbus Streetcars alone won’t solve Columbus’s challenges. Streetcars work for “last-mile” access, and it will pay to ensure direct connections to nearby activity centers such as OSU, the Arena District, and to traditional “villages” and such new ones as Jeffrey Place. It will take better buses, local shopping, car-sharing, regional rail, and the “Ohio Hub” to get deeper vehicle reductions. But invest in streetcars now, and you catalyze these expansions, downtown transformations, and the circulation needed to keep neighborhoods vibrant and growing. You can “boulevard” over the 70/71 split, as Mayor Coleman proposed, as other cities have done (Milwaukee, Portland, San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York) and are planning (Cleveland, Seattle, Buffalo, Grand Rapids), among other signature re-designs. And you’ll learn how to build out the bigger asset that’s needed. Many believe that streetcars need federal help, but consider— the President signed a bill slashing funding this week; project screening is biased against urban development, and federal requirements add years to project completion. Streetcars use creative financing. ODOT, whose federal funds are block grants, can shift money from highways to transit. Governor Strickland, committed to a more urban focus than his predecessor, can help guide this decision. Ignoring flexibility costs the state and its regions dearly as Congress backtracks to pay for its “earmarks” and for shortfalls from people reacting to higher gas prices. Using local sources (flexible state funds, parking fees, naming rights, transit passes that come with your home or job, or selling local shares) and fares, no federal approval is needed to start groundbreaking. In 1920, Williams Jennings Bryan thundered, “The streetcar is the apostle of democracy!” to a thrilled crowd and he had it right. Recent critiques fail to look at the evidence. Let’s achieve a world-class Columbus that works for everyone by being more economical with our community wealth, and less economical with the truth. Scott Bernstein is President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago. He co-authored Street Smart: Streetcars and Cities in the 21st Century (2006, www.reconnectingamerica.org and can be reached at [email protected]. For the full article visit www.aiacolumbus.org. A monthly design journal connecting Central Ohio architects and the community A Chapter of The American Institute of Architects AIAColumbus For more information visit our website at www.aiacolumbus.org or call 614.469.1973 .
March 26, 200817 yr Found some more on tomorrow's streetcar meeting at the downtowncolumbus.com website... http://downtowncolumbus.com/development/streetcar.php Streetcars Could Be Coming to Downtown Columbus? Click here for more information about the unveiling of the Streetcar Financing Plan on Thursday, March 27 at 6 p.m. Can you imagine streetcars running down High Street? It could happen if the recommendation of a 42-member citizen’s group gets the go ahead from City Hall. Mayor Coleman asked the group to take a look at possible routes, construction costs, economic impact and financing back in 2006. The group liked the idea so much, they recommended that streetcars run downtown but also all the way up to the Ohio State University campus. Now the Mayor’s office is determining if the financing can be put in place to build a system in time for the City’s Bicentennial Celebration in 2012. Streetcars are similar to light rail in that they run on a track, but they mix in with local traffic, travel more slowly and stop every block or two. Ideally, they serve as circulators along a two to four mile route, not as a commuter system connecting suburbs to downtown. An economic impact study prepared by Danter and Associates, found that Columbus streetcars would create $764 million in economic impact after five years of operation. That’s one of the reasons why the Downtown Residents Association has endorsed the idea and has launched a petition drive to show rider interest. Send us your feedback about streetcars at streetcars@downtowncolumbus Download the Columbus Streetcar Map (PDF) link: http://downtowncolumbus.com/development/docs/StreetCarAmenityRout_2B1C0E.pdf Columbus Streetcar - Economic Impact Study 6,400 -7,200 rides per day after five years 3,000 jobs downtown - $2.7 million in income tax collections 1,500 additional housing units 90,000 additional convention visitors spending $52.8 million over five years 300 new hotel rooms $674-$764 million in economic impact after five years
March 27, 200817 yr 'Benefit zone' may finance scaled-back streetcar plan Thursday, March 27, 2008 3:27 AM By Robert Vitale and Tim Doulin THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Shoppers, drivers, diners and drinkers are among the people most likely to pay for a Columbus streetcar line that Mayor Michael B. Coleman officially endorsed yesterday, two years after he first raised the idea. It would cost about $103 million to get electric streetcars started on a route along High Street, from the southern edge of Downtown to the Ohio State University campus, Coleman said. It would cost about $4.5 million a year to keep them running. And at least three-quarters of the money would come from a zone that extends three blocks to either side of the line, covering "people who work and play" Downtown, in the Short North, in Victorian and Italian villages and in the University District. In an interview with The Dispatch, Coleman offered little funding detail beyond that. A 38-member Columbus Streetcar Working Group he appointed in 2006 will present its financing recommendations tonight at City Hall. Full story at http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/27/scadvance.ART_ART_03-27-08_A1_9F9OPDD.html?sid=101
March 27, 200817 yr Coleman said he views streetcars as a first step toward light-rail service for central Ohio, an idea voters rejected in 1999 when the Central Ohio Transit Authority sought a sales-tax increase to start it. Times have changed, Coleman said yesterday. Although he first began pushing streetcars in 2006 as a spark for economic development, he addressed the issue in closer-to-home economic terms during his State of the City address this month. With gasoline prices staying above $3 a gallon, he said, people will need transportation options other than cars. "We have to go there. We have to," Coleman said. "If we don't begin walking down the light-rail path, our city will be less competitive in the future." This mayor continues to impress me. He needs to stay focused on this big picture vision while taking baby steps like this streetcar line.
March 27, 200817 yr I have been waiting for years for him to take a public stance on light rail and I find Mayor Coleman's remarks very encouraging. He is beginning to connect the dots and showing a realization that people outside of the streetcar service area are going to want and need to be connected with something that runns on steel wheels. Hope those of you U-O'ers here in Columbus will be at tonight's meeting. I am a member of the Streetcar Working Group, so I will be there. So will a lot of media, so we need your voces.
March 27, 200817 yr Speaking from the perspective of working on the Cinci streetcar, getting lots of folks to show up, that showing of political will, is very important. I highly encourage anyone who wants to see this happen to show up and make your voice heard. It takes little time and can make all the difference in the world to show up and let the city adminstration know that there is a wide group of people who want to see it happen.
March 27, 200817 yr I should be able to make it. I'd like nothing more than to see this venture get off the ground and show everyone the perks of rail transportation right here in our own city.
March 28, 200817 yr Was good meeting you tonight CMH_Downtown. ;) Great turnout at the meeting. Glad to see the Streetcar moving forward with such a carefully laid plan. There's a bit of running commentary from the meeting here for anyone interested: http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13129&start=40 and http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13112&start=20
March 28, 200817 yr <b>Mayor Coleman Unveils Streetcar Financing Plan</b> <i>‘Benefit zone’ to provide 80% of funding</i> March 27, 2008 Streetcars could be riding the rails in Columbus in 2012 under a plan outlined tonight by Mayor Michael B. Coleman, City Councilmember Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, and a team of engineers and financial experts. The team brought together the Mayor’s 42-member Streetcar Working Group and residents to outline the funding scenario to pay for a $103 million starter line that would travel 2.8 miles up High Street from Mound to The Ohio State University campus. “We’ve done our homework and asked the toughest questions, and it is clear that streetcars can be good for Columbus,” said Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “A sleek, modern Streetcar system will reconnect neighborhoods and downtown, connect workers to jobs in a time of high gas prices, help build our economy, and we can do it all without a citywide tax increase.” The plan represents more than two years of study by the City, businesses, civic leaders, and most recently by HDR, a national engineering firm, and John Rosenberger, formerly of Capitol South, who developed the detailed financial scenario. An economic impact study commissioned by the Streetcar Working Group from the Danter Company estimated $300 million in private investment in new housing, jobs, commercial development and visitor activity along the first phase of the streetcar line. “Along these routes you have a lot of people – some 50,000 students, 141,000 workers at 6,000 companies and another 60,000 people who live between campus and downtown Columbus. Every year we get more than one million visitors for conferences and conventions. If we share the costs among all those who benefit from having access to streetcars, we can build a great system by our Bicentennial in 2012,” said Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, City Council Member. The funding scenario presented to the Streetcar Working Group during a public meeting held at City Hall calls for 80% of the funding to be generated from within a ‘benefit zone’ drawn approximately three blocks on either side of the Streetcar line. All parking revenue from the ‘benefit zone’ would be dedicated to streetcars, including a increase on metered parking, and a 4% surcharge on paid parking and ticket admissions to sporting and entertainment events. Fares and an annual funding contribution from The Ohio State University would bring ‘benefit zone’ funding to 80% of the cost needed to build and operate the starter line. “This is a funding scenario that asks a lot of people to pay a little, so that no one has to pay a lot,” said John Rosenberger, a local expert on public private partnerships and downtown development. “We have been timid too long, streetcars would be a bold, transportation option that would drive a new generation of investment.” While the majority of funds come from those who live, work and visit the ‘benefit zone’, the remaining 20% will be paid for by the greater community, which also benefits from the economic growth of the area. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has already pledged $20 million to the project. Mayor Coleman proposed an initial investment from the City Capital Budget of $2 million in 2008 to begin engineering the project. Under this scenario, the streetcars could be rolling as early as 2012, in time for the City’s Bicentennial celebration, with construction starting as early as 2010. In making its recommendation to move forward, in November 2006, the Streetcar Working Group identified several benefits that streetcars would bring the city including economic development, connectivity, help with parking, and green transportation. The streetcar also fulfills part of Mayor Coleman’s Downtown Business Plan that has already attracted two billion dollars of investment since 2002. The full report will be available at www.columbus.gov on 3/28, residents can leave feedback by writing to: streetcars@downtowncolumbus
March 28, 200817 yr This photo was emailed to me this morning from the Mayor's Office with a note: "Here is a photo of the streetcar style envisioned by Mayor Coleman." <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/0313StreetcarClose.jpg">
March 28, 200817 yr To say the Streetcar meeting went well tonight is an understatement. The Columbus City Council chamber swas packed (even the balcony).... full media coverage (all three TV stations, Public Radio, the Columbus Dispatch, etc). The big news is that the funding package announced by Mayor Coleman actually secures $1.5-million dollars more than will be needed to build the streetcar and get it built and running by 2012. That's not to say the $$$ are in the bag, but the funding plan is very well thought out and doesn't put an unreasonable load on any one entity or the public. True to his word, Mayor Coleman's plan does not impose a tax on its citizens. 80% of the identified funding will come from within the so-called "benefit zone", which is defined as one to two blocks (roughly) either side of the proposed High Street starter line (Fulton St on the South end to 11th Avenue on the OSU Campus). Even OSU will kick in 500K a year over the next 10 years. Other revenues will come from parking meter revenues, a fee on paid off-street parking (lots and garages). I'm sure the details will be in the Dispatch tomorrow. But I wanted to make sure you got a taste for the outcome of the meeting. Several other U-Oers were there.... your thoughts??
March 28, 200817 yr Glad to hear it. It would be great if we can get streetcars running in the downtowns of Cincinnati, Columbus and possibly even Dayton (though the latter's heritage streetcar project is only recently getting some nudging). You get the 3-C trains linking up those new rail transit services, along with the established rail system in Cleveland, and suddenly you've got a interconnected, multi-modal rail passenger network in Ohio. It's certainly not up to European standards or even to those in some regions of North America. But it would be a pretty good start to give Ohioans an option to the ever-worsening gas prices at the pump. Let's make it happen, for the sake of Ohio. For without a means to avoid to the high cost of Ohio, our jobs, residents and visitors will pack up and go to states and regions which have provided options to driving. Rail isn't an amenity anymore -- now it's about survival of the fittest. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 28, 200817 yr <b>Mayor proposes ticket surcharge to pay for streetcars</b> Thursday, March 27, 2008 10:58 PM BY ROBERT VITALE THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH It will take about $12.7 million per year, including $1.3 million for contingencies, over 25 years to build and operate a streetcar line along High Street. Here's how Mayor Michael B. Coleman proposes to pay for it. Fees paid by institutions and visitors in the area served by the streetcar would cover $10.5 million, or 80 percent, of the cost. - Ohio State contribution: $500,000 - 4 percent surcharge on off-street parking: $1.1 million - 4 percent surcharge on paid admissions: $3.8 million - Fares (average $1 per ride): $700,000 - Rate increase on parking meters: $800,000 - Existing parking meter revenue: $3.6 million - Another 20 percent, or $2.2 million, would come from sources outside the streetcar zone. - Federal grants through the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission: $2 million - Advertising and naming rights: $100,000 - Other federal funds: $100,000 Hockey fans, concertgoers and people who drive Downtown would pay the biggest share if Columbus goes ahead with a $103 million streetcar line on High Street. Taken off the hook with a financing plan endorsed today by Mayor Michael B. Coleman: hotel guests, diners and bar patrons, movie buffs and people in the cheap seats at the new Columbus Clippers baseball stadium. Full story at http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/27/streetcar.html?sid=101 <img src="http://www.dispatch.com/wwwexportcontent/sites/dispatch/local_news/stories/2008/03/27/streetcar_map.jpg">
March 28, 200817 yr Good catch on the Dispatch article, Walker. Great map of the starter line. I was pleased to see not only the size of the crowd last night, but the quality of those who attended: an excellent and broad cross-section of business people, rail & transit advocates, downtown residents, state and local government reps, students from OSU (including the President of the Undergraduate Student Government and a very enthusiastic endorsement from OSU President Gordon Gee. What struck me as the most powerful point made by several speakers was that this is no frill or an attempt to bring back the good old days with a historic trolley. It is, rather, a modern streetcar plan that is being driven not just by overhead electric wires...but by the public push for an answer to higher gasoline prices and the economic burden of owning and maintaining a car. Even the Mayor conceded the streetcar won't be the "silver bullet", but most agreed this is an absolutely critical part of the answer.
March 28, 200817 yr Link to story and video by WCMH-TV (NBC4).... but, of course, the first images they use of streetcars is the "historic trolley" in Tampa (ugh :wtf:). They eventually showed a modern streetcar, but went right back to the trolley. Morons. Text: COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It's a transportation project that Columbus' mayor has been talking about for years: streetcars in Columbus. Mayor Michael Coleman's office believes that adding streetcars to Downtown will spur economic development, attract jobs, help make Columbus a green city and connect people to dozens of Downtown destinations. But how much will streetcars cost taxpayers? Coleman discussed his proposal Thursday night for funding the $103 million project. The plan for phase one is a 2.8-mile stretch on High Street running from the Franklin County Courthouse to The Ohio State University campus -- not including German Village or the Brewery District, which had been discussed in a past streetcar conversation. Full story at http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2008-03-27-0036.html
March 28, 200817 yr Link to story and video by WCMH-TV (NBC4).... but, of course, the first images they use of streetcars is the "historic trolley" in Tampa (ugh :wtf:). They eventually showed a modern streetcar, but went right back to the trolley. Morons. Seems like the news media everywhere always thinks of streetcars as "trollies". Right Cincinnati?
March 28, 200817 yr Found one more graphic from today's Dispatch article. This is the same map that Walker posted above but it also includes the financial information next to it.
March 28, 200817 yr Link to 10TV story and on-line poll on the streetcar plan: http://10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2008/03/28/story_streetcar_fees.html
March 28, 200817 yr Nice analysis of last night's meeting over the Columbus Retro Metro blog: http://columbusretrometro.typepad.com/columbus_retrometro/2008/03/columbus-stre-1.html
March 29, 200817 yr This reporter (and I use the term loosely :roll:) is a real piece of work. I have criticized his work before in a letter to the editor of The Other Paper. Erik Johns seems more interested in trying to write with a smirk than reporting the story straight and letting a ready decide on their own. But then, that's probably why he writes for a rag like the O-P.
March 29, 200817 yr Nice of OSU to contribute financing. I wonder if UC will do the same if we go along with the Uptown route. Both schools have roughly the same endowement. The streetcar should give development a huge boost in the area between OSU and the already developed portion of the Short North, as well as incentivizing infill downtown. I like how the mayor is so enthusiastic about the project. Coleman is great.
March 29, 200817 yr The full version of the financial plan is now online: http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/development/docs/ColumbusStreetcarProjectFinancialPlan.pdf
March 29, 200817 yr Not all aboard on streetcar notion 'Cutting-edge' transport along High Street a real lure, some say; others agog at price Saturday, March 29, 2008 By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Don't call it a trolley and don't call it a tourist ride, the mayor says. Apparently, don't call the High Street streetcar a popular idea for everyone, either. "What's the difference between a streetcar and a bus, except that a streetcar (system) will cost more money?" asked Sharon Adkins, a 61-year-old loan processor who works Downtown. "I don't see the advantage." Adkins voiced what some are wondering: Will folks be more willing to ride a streetcar down much the same route the No. 2 COTA bus already travels? Mayor Michael B. Coleman and other city leaders are convinced they will, to the tune of the $103 million it will cost to build the 2.8-mile line between Mound Street, where the Franklin County government complex is, and the Ohio Union, about halfway up the Ohio State University campus. More at www.dispatch.com
March 29, 200817 yr A good, fair article. I think the media is going to have a hard time finding anything much stronger than skepticism about the streetcar plan, especially now that Mayor Coleman has linked it's development to a larger future system of light rail and intercity passenger rail. In this financial climate with people getting their wallets gouged by fuel prices at the gas pump and elsewhere, greatly improved rail and transit is not only making more sense, but has suddenly become more cost-effective. BTW: Here is the Business First take on the Streetcar: Plan keeps funding in small group for Columbus streetcar proposal Business First of Columbus - March 28, 2008 Higher parking rates, a surcharge on sports and entertainment tickets, and $500,000-a-year commitment from Ohio State University would help fund a $103 million streetcar line proposed for High Street in Columbus. The financing plan, unveiled Thursday night by Mayor Michael Coleman's Streetcar Working Group, would also include ridership fares and revenue from parking meters in the areas that would benefit from the streetcar line. A 2.8-mile line would run along both sides of High Street from the Franklin County Courthouse at Mound Street to the Ohio State campus at 11th Avenue. Electric-powered cars would run every five to 10 minutes up to 17 hours a day. Coleman said the streetcar project would connect downtown with neighborhoods and business districts north of it. He sees it boosting economic development along High Street and serving as a transit option for workers at a time of high gasoline prices. More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/
March 29, 200817 yr Streetcars for Columbus The Cranky Commuter Blog - Columbus Dispatch Posted by Tim Doulin on March 28, 2008 - 7:26 PM Are you ready for a streetcar? It’s looking like it could become a reality for Columbus. The city and Central Ohio Transit Authority have discussed COTA operating the streetcar. William Lhota, COTA president and chief executive officer, favors it but said the streetcar won’t stand in the way of COTA fulfilling its promise to increase bus service in exchange for taxpayers passing a levy two years ago. “We are going to meet that commitment,” Lhota said. “But also we are a transportation provider and we want to be an integral part of the operation of this streetcar system.” I’m not sure how many times I will need to use the streetcar. But for those who live in the Short North or Ohio State University and those working Downtown or visitors spending a few nights in Downtown hotels, it could be a relatively cheap and easy way to get to destinations along the line. It also represents a chance to get a foothold on building a more elaborate rail system. If it catches on, the High Street route could be expanded and new routes built. Could this be the first step to light rail? Full entry at http://blog.dispatch.com/commuter/2008/03/streetcars_for_columbus.shtml
March 30, 200817 yr Even Cincinnati is taking notice of the Columbus streetcar proposal... Columbus considering streetcars, too Friday, March 28, 2008 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A proposed $103 million streetcar line running through city neighborhoods would be paid for with a 4 percent surcharge on concert tickets, sporting events and downtown parking, Mayor Michael Coleman said. The nearly 3-mile streetcar route would spur economic development in the area and could serve as the first step toward a wider commuter rail system for central Ohio, Coleman said in announcing the financing plan Thursday. An electric-powered streetcar system would require officials to lay track, buy the streetcars, run electric lines, add stops and create a maintenance center. Construction would start in 2010 with passenger service to begin two years later. The average fare would be $1. The mayor's plan assumes the surcharge would raise $6.9 million each year for 25 years to cover the overall cost, plus interest. The system also would cost $4.5 million a year to operate. Full story at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080328/NEWS01/303280029 Anyone want to bet on which city gets their streetcar system built first? :wink:
March 31, 200817 yr Cities with streetcars call them boost to development Monday, March 31, 2008 By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Since Portland, Ore., blazed the trail a decade ago, more than 70 cities have taken up the idea of streetcars as a linchpin for economic development. It could be the biggest trend in urban planning since Downtown shopping centers (and we all know how that one ended). Mayor Michael B. Coleman says he's certain, though, that streetcars in Columbus won't end up like a City Center on wheels. "We're not guessing on this," he said Thursday as he prepared to unveil a financing plan to get a proposed $103 million line between Downtown and Ohio State University running by 2012. But not everyone is buying the hype. "It's a lie," said Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian policy-research group based in Washington. O'Toole describes streetcars as "a really expensive Disney ride" and contends they get credit for economic development that's really spurred by government incentives and subsidies. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/31/carstory.ART_ART_03-31-08_A1_QM9PQD4.html?sid=101
March 31, 200817 yr Of course, they trot out Randall "hey-let's-give it-to-Mikey-he-hates-everything!" OToole. Ironic he should use the word "lie", since that's all this guy has been spreading for decades when it comes to public transportation of any kind. Funny that he never mentions heavy subsidies for highways and aviation. Good article otherwise and the facts from other cities more than amply answer O'Toole's free-market manure.
March 31, 200817 yr If he gets on the air on the radio up there, make sure to call in and give him a hard time. He'll say he lives "near" Portland. (But he lives near Portland like Cleveland is near Cincinnati) Someone really needs to call him out on this ;) (Never mind the complete distortions he is using to argue against streetcar systems)
March 31, 200817 yr Every positive article about streetcars needs a "Randy O'Toole" to be "fair and balanced"! :roll:
March 31, 200817 yr It could be the biggest trend in urban planning since Downtown shopping centers (and we all know how that one ended). Mayor Michael B. Coleman says he's certain, though, that streetcars in Columbus won't end up like a City Center on wheels. Is anyone else getting tired of paid newspaper writers writing articles in the style of bloggers? I know it's the new 24hr news model of hitting people with hundreds of lightly researched stories that are ginned up with drama, but I just wish the news would stick to sharing actual information. Drama free.
March 31, 200817 yr Any relation between what passes for most news (broadcast and print) and actual journalism is mostly a coincidence. Easily half of the people I see working in TV news today would never have lasted a week in the newsrooms where I started my career and developed as a reporter. Most are just too lazy to even reach the level of being factually-challenged, much less thorough and accurate. Making it worse is news management that demands high story counts with no story getting more than superficial (at best) coverage. Tabloid papers like the Other Paper are just a print version of the dreck that is TV news.
April 1, 200817 yr OK Randal O'Fool got his sound bite. What about the pro-rail advocates? All we hear from are officials and the far-right "think tank" types. Yes, it IS lazy journalism. They know where we are and who we are. They are just too lazy to seek us out.
April 1, 200817 yr COTA willing to run streetcars, sees benefits Tuesday, April 1, 2008 3:09 AM By Tim Doulin THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Managing a Downtown streetcar line would not interfere with the Central Ohio Transit Authority's ability to provide bus service, the head of the bus company said. COTA is willing to operate and maintain the streetcar system if it is built, said William Lhota, COTA's president and chief executive. COTA has talked with the city, he said. "I think it is a positive because it further ensures it will be seamlessly integrated into the COTA system," Lhota said. COTA is a "strong possibility" to operate the streetcar system, "but we haven't made a decision yet," said Antone White, a spokesman for Mayor Michael B. Coleman. For one thing, the City Council must decide whether to give the go-ahead for the streetcar line. That decision is expected this year. Full story at http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/04/01/COTASTCAR.ART_ART_04-01-08_B2_AT9Q5QF.html?sid=101
April 1, 200817 yr Does this fall into the category of "Thanks, but no thanks"? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 1, 200817 yr Pro's: *Pass programs might more easily include the streetcar *Better integration with existing or augmented COTA bus lines *Possible cost savings by using existing COTA funding and resources *Future rail construction and integration into existing/augmented system could come quicker/easier Con's: *COTA's less the stellar record in managing their own system *Bus needs might come before streetcar needs I do think the "pro's" outweigh the "con's" in this situation, but the "con's" would certainly need to be addressed if COTA does indeed take on the responsibility of running the Columbus streetcars.
April 1, 200817 yr :? To what are you referring? Of COTA's interest in running the streetcars. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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