"(We) are starting with a clean slate in developing a long-range comprehensive transit plan."

 

Wooo-hooo!  :)

I've got their long-range comprehensive transit plan right here:

 

1. Build light rail.

2. Now.

3. Watch ridership explode.

 

4. Pay me $25,000.  :-D

 

Well, at least that's how it should be...

This is typical of the timidity displayed by Lhota and the COTA Board of Trustees.  They have done nothing but back-track off of light rail.

 

"A long range comprehensive plan" (Lhota says)??? Why are they attempting to re-invent the wheel here?  I participated in the public meetings that were held back in 2000 and 2001 and the public clearly stated they not only wanted light rail, but they wanted it (eventually) in all eight corridors that COTA (at the time) had identified. The other part of the plan was to use the construction anf operation of light rail as a means of re-configuring the entire bus system to provide services they haven't done before: suburb-to-suburb commute routes, an Outerbelt commute system, more cross-town routes and possible services into neighboring counties.

 

They are doomed to fail at the ballot box this November, if they put up anything less than an agressive plan.  By "aggressive", I mean a multi-corridor light rail plan and a complete restructuring of the bus routes.  But my sources within COTA tell me they are still looking at an "ask" of only .25%, which won't even get them even with whjere they would have been back in 1999, when they ran two .25% levy issues and only one passed.  COTA will have to eat up most of any new revenues just restoring the service cuts they've made.

 

Honestly, I'm to the point they should dissolve and dismantle COTA and start a whole new Regional Transit Authority that truly encompasses "Central Ohio" and not just Columbus and Franklin County.  COTA is a joke on bus tire.... and those tires are losing air.

Any idea how far south the routes are supposed to come?  Will they end at the Statehouse?  Being in the Brewery District, I'd like to see them extend down 3rd and dead end at Schiller Park (I wonder how the GV Society would appreciate that).

When the original North Corridor line was being explored, I remember a committee in German Village opposing the project because it would end before entering the German Village/Brewery District area. I attended one of the public meetings concerning the North Corridor, and I do recall a graphic of a light rail stop at the intersection of High and Main. I think that's the farthest it was planned to go.

I can't believe the complete ineptitude of city leaders two decades ago...

 

COTAs proposal for light rail still struggling to get on track

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Tim Doulin

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Central Ohio transit experts have spent more than two decades and nearly $13 million studying every aspect of light rail.

 

You can go to Columbus Public or OSU's Science-Engineering Library and see their collection of transit studies for Columbus.

You can go to Columbus Public or OSU's Science-Engineering Library and see their collection of transit studies for Columbus.

 

I think they built a separate wing to shelve all those studies, didn't they?  :|

Has COTA studied the feasability of streetcars?

Not to any great degree.  Under Ron Barnes, they didn't want to even talk about streetcars, because it made transit sound old-fashioned.... a throwback to the old trolleys of the Columbus Transit Company.  Pretty narrow-minded, when you consider modern streetcars, such as those in Portland, Oregon.  here's a link to their system....

 

http://www.trimet.org/streetcar/index.htm

 

 

They also run an historic trolley, and those have also proved to be a crowd-pleaser and a ridership draw.

 

According to the word on the street (columbusretrometro.com), the mayor may come out with a streetcar related announcement soon.  With all of the noise going on lately, I'm keeping my fingers crossed with the hope that we can get something on the ballot this fall.

I'm sure the Columbus Transit Company was run much, much better! Didn't Columbus have streetcars up until the 50s or 60s. Imagine lines on High, Broad, Cleveland, Livingston, Main, and Morse! A lot of cities around the world still have streetcars, such as Germany, France, Italy, many countries in Easter Europe! Hell, I would rather ride a streetcar than a COTA bus anyday

The last Columbus streetcars ran in the late 1940's, I believe.  They were replaced by electric (rubber-tired) buses, which used the same overhead wires, much like what Dayton still has.

 

Brewmaster.... I've heard a similar rumor: to the effect that a group of private investors want to establish a downtown-based historic trolley system that would have several "loops" in and around the downtown, with possible connections into the OSU campus, German Village, Arena District....

 

I'm keep the antennas up on this one.  From what I understand, these "investors" are fed up with COTA's inaction and decided to do an "end around" on Lhota & Company.  I hope they succeed.

Haha, I wonder if we'll have trolleys going up and down High St. with the Nationwide logo emblazened on the cars! Nationwide is basically carrying the downtown area on its shoulders, why not build a transportation system to link all its babies together?  :-o

if that rumor is true, then that is bloody awesome!

Went to a COTA public meeting tonight for their 2025 "Vision" plan.  It was like getting caught in a time warp! Pretty much the same plan they have presented since 1999... questionable short-term fixes, a lack of a clear and agressive long-term plan.  The only difference: light rail plans have clearly been dialed down.  It is still mentioned, but the emphasis instead is on more buses, different routes, the possibility of bus-rapid transit (BRT) and little else.

 

These guys are kidding themselves about running and passing a levy in November.

Heard through the grapevine today:  Mayor Coleman of Columbus will announce a plan by local business to build a downtown "streetcar" system along High Street from German Village / Brewery District to the Short North, with "loops" into the Arena District and east from High Street into the Grant Hospital / Olde Towne East neighborhood.

 

Stay tuned!  It is supposed to be announced as part of the Mayor's State of the City address.

Thats sounds pretty cool.

God bless Coleman.

^ Ruined my morning with that one.

Great news!

:-o 8-) holy shit!

Noozer -

 

Is "streetcars" in quotations because these would be dressed up busses (faux streecars), or will they run on tracks with overhead lines?

Nope.  These are real streetcars.... steel wheels on rails, run by electricity (overhead wires).

 

BTW: The Mayor's State of the City Address is tonight at 6pm, so we may see some of this on the evening newscasts locally.

 

Nevermind.

great scoop noozer!

 

good deal. so is the mayor running an end around on cota? sounds like it. or will cota be in charge?

columbus would make for a good streetcar town (again). i like the starter loop choices too.

 

ps -- hey frankjackson are you listening guy????

I have a source pretty close to the plan and it will not be run by COTA, althought COTA hass been advised of the plan.  The backstory, I'm told, is that the business interests behind this plan were weary of COTA's indecision about pursuing light rail and they also want to get rid of what they see are ugly buses around Braod & High in downtown (mostly on High Street).

^aha thats what i suspected. thx noozer.

 

 

now i cant wait to hear what coleman has to say.

That's certainly great news.  Are there any radio stations that might carry his full speech?

^ Not sure about radio coverage, but there will be a webcast...

 

http://mayor.columbus.gov/soc2006.asp

Hey... nice catch Brewmaster!  Thanks!

im not a supporter of coleman, he is a democrate, but im very excited about this. i hope that they are not dresses up buses like brewmaster says. if they do go thru with the plan, i wonder how long before they will be up and running??? but very cool stuff

They are real streetcars.  I am told it will take 2 to 3 years to complete the entire system once construction gets underway.

With Whittier Peninsula, RiverSouth, the reworked 70/71 split (with caps), and now a streetcar system, it's going to be difficult for me to ever consider leaving downtown!

Wow!!! Why can't COTA do this? I hope this gives COTA a good smack in the face and helps them to realized what they are doing wrong and how to fix it.

Wow!!! Why can't COTA do this? I hope this gives COTA a good smack in the face and helps them to realized what they are doing wrong and how to fix it.

 

Why not COTA?  Go to the last page of posts in the Columbus Light Rail thread here and you'll understand why.

Here is a portion of the text from Mayor Coleman's Sate of the City Speech.

 

"We know we're turning the corner with all the progress we're making in revitalizing our downtown. Nearly 110,000 people work downtown today. Another 33,000 students attend classes. 4,500 people live downtown, with thousands more on the way, and 20,000 people live in the nearby neighborhoods. A million conventioneers visit our city every year. We've got new projects popping up all over, from the new Huntington Park, home of the Clippers, to the new RiverSouth neighborhood. And every time we turn around there's another new housing project underway like last week's announcement of North Bank Tower.

 

But one thing we need is a better way to get all these people from one end of the downtown to the other. So how about this? Imagine connecting the north to the south, that is from The Ohio State University to the Brewery District and from the Arena District to RiverSouth. How convenient would it be to connect the east side to the west side, from Grant Hospital and the Discovery District to Franklinton near COSI. I've heard ideas, I've seen proposals, and I've listened to many points of view, but I've seen no results, so tonight I am asking City leaders, business leaders and community leaders to look to Columbus' future by embracing a part of our past.

 

That is to imagine a future with rail Street Cars once again gracing our streets, moving our people and energizing our core. OhioHealth, Grange Insurance, Battelle, Nationwide Insurance Company, the Convention Facilities Authority, The Columbus Dispatch, The Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, and the City of Columbus will set aside a quarter million dollars to thoroughly investigate this issue with a working group of stakeholders to determine if this is right for Columbus.

 

My criteria for moving ahead will be based on three principles: First -- it must have an economic impact, it must promote economic development and jobs. Second -- it must reconnect neighborhoods and the destinations in downtown; and third- - if a rail street car is initiated, it must be affordable to build and operate without a citywide tax increase. This will not be a part of COTA's levy, but COTA will be at the table.

 

We know that connectivity drives economic development, It makes it easier for people to live and work downtown, and it's been proven effective in other cities. In Charlotte, they report more than $400 million of development in just the past 4 years along their rail line. You may know that Columbus is no stranger to the Rail Streetcar, In fact, for decades streetcars were part of the very fabric of this community. That's until the automobile took its place, and rails were ripped from streets all over Columbus. Let us not fail to consider these new ideas, even if they are old. Let us not limit our questions as to why we can't … but open our eyes to see how we can and ask if we should."

 

Okay... now that the Mayor has spoken... I can tell you a bit more from my source, who is very involved in the planning of this downtown system. 

 

Though the Mayor says the city will set aside $250,000 to "investigate" the issue, virtually all of the planning a a local funding commitment (from the private businesses involved) has already been done.  About the only thing left to be done is to secure an FTA "Small Starts" grant to complete the funding.  I do not know an exact dollar figure, but something in the order of $10- to $15-million would not be out of the question.

 

As for the service itself, it would be a mix of modern and "historic-looking" electric streetcars, running on rails embedded in the streets. They would run very frequently.  I'm told at 7 to 7 1/2 minute intervals. 

 

This would also entail moving COTA's buses off of High Street and on to Marconi, Front, 3rd and Summit for their North South Routes.  Buses would also be connecting to the streetcar service, which won't be difficult given the frequency of service of the streetcars. I am told there are plans to extend service eventually upto the OSU campus via Neil Avenue anbd North High Street.

 

I think this is an exciting development for downtown, but I also have a caution that I hope this effort doesn't stop with downtown.  If Mayor Coleman and these local business leaders are truly committed, they had better show us something toward bringing light rail service nearer to a reality for the rest of the city and county.  Otherwise, this system.... though much-needed and well-thought out.... will become viewed as transit for the downtown while the rest get nothing.  Let's hope this finally lights a fire under the twits at COTA to put LRT back on the front-burner.

Thanks for the inside info noozer.  When I heard the speech I was a little disappointed knowing that these studies rarely turn into concrete and steel.  Then when the Mayor said that it would be done without tax increases, I got extremely skeptical.  Thanks to your info, I'll be sleeping better tonight!

 

It looks like I may be selling one of our cars and renting out our spare parking space sooner than I thought!  I'd ride this everyday to work from the Brewery District (and might be able to free up some cash flow in the process...car insurance, gas, parking, etc...)

God.  Bless.  Coleman.

That's very good news. Remember that this is similar to how the mega-system ($4 billion plus) rail system in Denver got its meager start. It began with a short downtown rail line that was later extended. A second route was added. And then a third longer route to the southeast. That's when voters approved the mega expansion.

 

You've got to start somewhere, just to overcome the skepticism and to create a buzz about rail so that more parts of the city say "me too."

 

Noozer, do you have information as to the routing of Columbus' starter line? And the length in miles?

I know this may be a stupid question, but would we be the first city in Ohio to have real,authentic streetcars again, since they were uninstalled about 40 or so years back?

The total system should cover around five or six miles.

 

The routing would be twofold:

 

1. High Street from the Short North to the German Village / Brewery District on the South.  There would be neighborhood "loops" at both ends.

2. East and West "loops" that would both merge with the High Street service.  The East loop would serve the area around Grant Hospital and part of the Old Towne East neighborhood.  The West loop would serve the Arena District.

 

There is also a plan to eventually extend service into the OSU campus via Neil Avenue and North High Street.

Columbusguy20 .... I believe you're right.  Althought Dayton has it's trolley-buses on rubber tires.

 

Interestingly, there are still a number of areas around Columbus where you can still find remnants of the old Columbus Street Railway system.  There is still an old power station near Arcadia & North High Street (in back of a KFC).  There are also a couple of old carbarns on the near East side.  Damn shame we lost all of this, but good that we're getting some of it back...and brand new too.

I'm a map guy, so a map of this would really help.

Poll Question:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/issue/issue.php?story=168458

 

The Columbus Dispatch

Friday, February 24, 2006

 

The Hot Issue: If Columbus installed streetcars, would you use them to get around the city?

76% Yes

24% No

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/24/20060224-A1-00.html

 

Streetcars a desire for mayor

Coleman outlines ambitious agenda in speech

Friday, February 24, 2006

Jodi Andes

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Picture dining in the Brewery District and hopping a streetcar to a hockey game in the Arena District.

 

Or riding a trolley to Ohio State University from Downtown for a noon class — without paying, or hunting, for another parking spot.

 

It’s an idea reminiscent of Columbus in the last century, rather than "the 21 st-century city" Mayor Michael B. Coleman talks about.

 

But during his seventh State of the City speech last night, Coleman said businesses and the city will spend $250,000 to study whether a return to streetcars would be right for Columbus.

 

.........

Here is the link to a WBNS-TV story on the Streetcars.  It will, in turn, link you to the video story....

 

http://10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4546171

Columbus

Transportation a Big Ticket in State of City

Reported by Jennifer Steiner

 

In his State of the City address, Mayor Michael Coleman made some major announcements about the future of transportation in the capital city.  “We must look at new ways to help people move easily, safely and conveniently,” the mayor said.  Coleman announced plans to spend $250,000 to investigate the potential for a downtown rail system.  The idea is to use street cars to connect the city's center along High and Broad streets.

 

He's backed by the Downtown Development Corporation. President Larry Fisher says the street cars would be powered by overhead electric lines, allowing downtown visitors to move freely throughout the city. "What we must do in the downtown is provide connectivity and there is simply no better answer than street cars,” remarked Fisher. “The concept is extremely valuable.”

 

More at http://10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4546171

This has been a great year for a lot of new stuff in Columbus-- I've never been more excited to move back!

 

I think it would really do a lot to add more than just the 10,000 residents they want to have by 2012 with all the new housing this would spawn.

 

 

While this would probably make the project more expensive than would be feasible, it would be neat to see our streetcar system be different than other cities'.  We could run the system on arches like it used to and really live up to our arch-city nickname. 

 

I think it would be cool to see double-decker streetcars like some of the ones we used to have:

http://www.porterwright.com/history/images/p11.streetcar.gif

 

This would probably be more expensive (if any company currently make these).  It might be better for traffic flow though because of shorter trains which wouldnt clog up intersections when turning as much. 

 

 

This might actaully be good for COTA too.  They will be able to expand their service to underutilized areas, and it should free up more buses that won't have to be going down high street.  We'll see though. 

Good observation spenguin10.  I agree.  This can help COTA in a couple of ways:

 

1. By saving them the cost of running light rail through downtown, which is in their master plan and would have been at least as costly as what the city proposes.

2. The city's streetcar system will finally give the public a visible reference for what modern rail-based transit is all about.  People have always had doubts about light rail and streetcars, because this community has never seen LRT and the last streetcars plied these streets in the 1940's.

 

But my concern is that the Coleman Administration realizes that the rest of the city needs this kind of service as well.  The energy behind this effort should not end at the limits of downtown.

Other cities have found streetcars to be a popular option while boosting growth

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Jodi Andesand Tim Doulin

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

For years, Columbus has debated adding a light-rail system.  Now, attention is shifting to streetcars or trolleys after Mayor Michael B. Coleman announced in his State of the City speech this week that the transit option would be studied. Although streetcars might be less expensive than light rail, they are not cheap.

 

Tampa, Fla., built 2.3 miles of streetcar track for $63 million — $27.4 million per mile. A 2-mile track in Charlotte, N.C., which began operation in 2004, cost $40 million. Both cities paid for their trolleys without raising taxes, transit officials said. They said trolley use has exceeded expectations and didn’t decrease the number of bus riders.

 

Read more at http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/25/20060225-C1-04.html

 

And below are some photos of the Portland, orgeon streetcars and how they mesh with traffic, tight spaces, etc.

I'm impressed with this development coming out of Columbus.  And as I'm always looking for a way to apply the news to Cleveland, I'm wondering what this will do for our efforts.  Focusing on the positive side of things, I think that any rail development in Ohio, and especially in Columbus, will help to change the negative "we can't do that here" perception that politicians, transit authorities and citizens have about rail in Ohio. 

 

I, personally, don't understand why this is so difficult to manage here, but there's definitely a majority opinion that says we can do everything a streetcar or rail line can do with buses.  They're cheaper, but do they really have the same effect?  Only on high-volume routes can we really see the pressing NEED for rail, as far as congestion is concerned, but how about the economic development spinoff?  That's what is so impressive about Mayor Coleman's comments.  He's really buying into the rail as economy booster theory.  A notion that I, for one, agree with!  There are many experts that would support this theory as well, citing that the cost difference between light rail and BRT is more than made up for with private spinoff development.  These people seem to be speaking up in support of Mayor Coleman's proposal and are actually getting some press...good to see!