July 3, 201212 yr I believe in unions and the right to strike, and that in these days of growing inequality, unions are more necessary than they've been in decades. But I also believe unions need to be reasonable and realistic and to promote high standards among their own ranks. And I believe that being realistic in 2012 is to realize that this is not the time for COTA workers to ask so much. They're not doing themselves or other unions any favors right now. Words from Dispatch columnist Joe Blundo, a regular COTA rider, great writer and all-around good guy: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2012/07/03/timing-makes-it-hard-to-identify-with-strikers.html
July 4, 201212 yr Well, at least the strike was brief. :| COTA Strike Ends, Service Resumes Tomorrow By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground Published on July 4, 2012 - 5:45 pm The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) bus strike officially ended today after just three days of service disruption. The Transport Workers Union Local 208 gathered this morning to revote on the same contract that was rejected Monday night, causing yesterday’s continued disruption. Today’s revote approved the contract the second time around, 353 to 158 votes. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-bus-drivers-approve-contract-during-revote COTA union, management agree to end strike By Laura Arenschield, The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday, July 4, 2012 - 5:36 PM Central Ohio Transit Authority bus drivers, mechanics and maintenance workers who have been on strike since Monday voted 353 to 158 to accept a deal that will put them back to work - and return buses to the streets. COTA's board of trustees then voted to ratify the agreement, which will send buses out Thursday morning. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/07/04/union-will-vote-again-on-deal.html
July 9, 201212 yr An interesting look from the Dispatch about what might have led up to the three-day COTA strike: Dispatch: COTA strike had been brewing since 2005
November 2, 201212 yr COTA Launches Late Night Bus Service on West Broad Street By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground Published on October 12, 2012 - 3:25 pm The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) continues to add new service late into the weekend hours with the introduction of a new late night route on West Broad Street. Route number #222 is a new bus line launching tonight that connects Downtown Columbus with the Columbus Hollywood Casino from 7pm to 3am on Friday and Saturday nights. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-launches-late-night-bus-service-on-west-broad-street
December 29, 201212 yr Transit Authority Plans Elimination Of Diesel-Powered Buses By Tom Borgerding, 89.7FM NPR News Managing Editor WOSU 89.7FM NPR News The Central Ohio Transit Authority is making a long term bet on stable prices for natural gas. In 2013, COTA will begin replacing its diesel-powered bus fleet with new coaches powered by compressed natural gas. Behind COTA’s McKinley Avenue bus garage, workers are installing new pipelines and pumps. Not diesel, not gasoline, but compressed natural gas or CNG fueling stations. COTA President and Chief executive, Curtis Stitt, says the $21 million project is part of a bus fleet transition. READ MORE: http://wosu.org/2012/news/2012/12/19/transit-authority-plans-elimination-of-diesel-powered-buses/
December 29, 201212 yr More about COTA's transition of its bus fleet from diesel to CNG: COTA citing another benefit to CNG buses – they’re far quieter Business First by Rick Rouan, Staff reporter Date: Friday, November 16, 2012, 2:21pm EST The Central Ohio Transit Authority expects its conversion to a compressed natural gas fleet to be easier on the environment and its budget. It’s also expecting those new buses to be easier on the ears. COTA officials told me that it would take 10 CNG buses to create the same noise level a single diesel-powered bus generates. As I wrote about in this week’s paper, COTA will take delivery on about 30 new CNG vehicles in late April, the first wave of a total fleet changeover it expects to take place over more than a decade. READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/11/cota-citing-another-benefit-to-cng.html
January 3, 201312 yr ^ Is that what "it would take 10 CNG buses to create the same noise level a single diesel-powered bus" means? It sounds much more impressive the way COTA says it. :-D Even though it is still an improvement. I'd also imagine the tailpipe emissions are greatly reduced with the CNG buses too.
January 26, 201312 yr COTA’s CEO recruits bus buddies He rides with other community leaders By Jeb Phillips The Columbus Dispatch Saturday January 26, 2013 6:39 AM Two men stepped on the No. 2 bus at E. Main Street and S. Roosevelt Avenue early yesterday. To the apparent surprise of other passengers riding at 7:27 a.m., one of the men made an announcement. “Good morning, everybody. My name is Curtis Stitt, and I am the president and CEO of COTA. I am riding this morning with Mike. Mike is the president and CEO of PNC Bank Downtown.” They were on board to gauge the experience of riders, Stitt said. He invited anyone to ask questions along the route and said he would have some questions for them, too. Read more at: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/01/26/cotas-ceo-recruits-bus-buddies.html
January 26, 201312 yr ^ Good to see the current COTA President continuing what his predecessor, Bill Lhota, started. It's not good PR if the head of COTA doesn't actually use the COTA buses (like in the 90's when one COTA President drove around the city in a COTA-subsidized SUV). But I think my favorite part of the feel-good story was this: They were on board to gauge the experience of riders, Stitt said. He invited anyone to ask questions along the route and said he would have some questions for them, too. A man in the back piped up: “I want to know if PNC Bank is giving out any loans to poor people.” Though not quite the kind of question Stitt had sought, Mike Gonsiorowski answered that, yes, PNC does do that. The man said he’d be in later in the day to get one. You stay classy COTA riders. Stay classy. :wink:
February 8, 201312 yr Remarks by COTA President and CEO Curtis Stitt at the TransitColubus annual meeting today.... http://vimeo.com/m/59178138 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 12, 201312 yr Kasich declares war on Ohio transit? The proposal also will impact county and transit authority sales tax rates. To ensure those taxes do not generate an additional 30-percent revenue increase as the tax base expands, Kasich is proposing to reduce those rates and guarantee a 10-percent growth rate. Locals would not be allowed to change their sales tax rates for three years. The change means counties and transit authorities would get a $120 million increase over two years, instead of the $700 million if rates were left alone. More Here: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/02/12/Income-tax-cut-sales-tax-expansion-debated.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 17, 201311 yr Said today at Columbus Metropolitan Club forum on alternative transportation.... "@morpc: @COTABus is looking at abandoned railways and other new opportunities for transit routes #cmcforum" "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 21, 201311 yr COTA announced they are adding Thursday to their late night #21 Night Owl weekend service starting tomorrow. More about this at http://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-launches-late-night-high-street-bus-service-on-thursdays
August 26, 201311 yr COTA is considering adding a downtown circulator route that would run from the Short North to German Village/Brewery District. The proposed route would run through downtown on the loop using High Street and Front Street. Below is an excerpt of the COTA proposal from the Dispatch (there's also a conceptual map of the route). Columbus Underground also had a report about it at http://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-considers-adding-a-downtown-circulator-loop COTA considers special buses to link Columbus’ hot spots By Rick Rouan, The Columbus Dispatch Saturday, August 24, 2013 - 11:04 AM Jumping from a Short North Gallery Hop to dinner in German Village could become a lot easier under a new COTA plan. The bus agency is developing a Downtown circulator that would carry riders among the city’s hot spots, including the Short North, German Village and Arena District and the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Specially branded buses would run between those areas on a faster schedule than most COTA lines, possibly as quickly as 10 minutes between buses, said Marty Stutz, spokesman for the Central Ohio Transit Authority. Fares could be reduced or even free. The circulator is in the planning stages, but COTA is targeting its service change in May 2014 as a potential launching point. (. . .) Dedicated buses would jump between special circulator stops in those commercial areas. The number of stops and where they would go has not been determined. Some stops could coincide with existing COTA stops, Stutz said. Others could be added, with new shelters carrying the circulator flag. If COTA enacts its plans, it would buy circulator buses that look different from its fixed-route coaches as part of its normal bus order next year. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/08/24/cota-considers-special-buses-to-link-columbus-hot-spots.html
October 3, 201311 yr CNG switch drives COTA upgrades By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Business First - Sept. 20, 2013, 6:00am EDT The Central Ohio Transit Authority is poised to upgrade its downtown Columbus terminals as part of a switch to running its buses on compressed natural gas. COTA plans to demolish and rebuild its open-air express-passenger terminal at 33 W. Spring Street and make extensive renovations to its terminal at 25 E. Rich Street (in the Columbus Commons parking garage). The $1 million West Spring Street project calls for replacing a terminal that is nearly 30 years old. The $1.9 million in upgrades to the other terminal, which opened with the Columbus Commons parking garage in 1989, include a new HVAC system and detectors necessary to allow compressed natural gas, or CNG, vehicles into the enclosed building. COTA took delivery of its first 30 CNG-powered buses this year as part of a 12-year program to convert its fleet of more than 300 buses to the cleaner fuel. (. . .) Filings with the Downtown Commission indicate other changes to the Rich Street terminal include new finishes and lighting. The terminal also will get a revised exterior sign package and new vestibule at its East Main and East Rich street entrances. Both terminals are expected to remain in operation during construction. The refreshed terminals should be completed next summer. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2013/09/20/cng-switch-drives-cota-upgrades.html
October 11, 201311 yr From the Dispatch: "This fall, the Central Ohio Transit Authority will begin testing a GPS-enabled, real-time system that riders can access to see where their bus is. The system will launch in early 2014 along with a retooled website." From Columbus Underground: "COTA has set March 2014 as the target date to debut a long-awaited and highly-requested service for its users — the ability to track buses in real time from smart phones or from digital signs installed at select stations." Full reports about this at the links below: Columbus Dispatch: COTA users will get GPS updates on buses Columbus Underground: COTA Launching Real-Time Bus Tracking System in 2014
December 12, 201311 yr COTA might reduce fares for Downtown circulator By Rick Rouan, The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, November 21, 2013 - 6:58 AM A COTA route that would loop between the Short North and German Village could be the first in the system to offer free or reduced fares. The agency is investigating whether it can make up the difference by selling advertising on video boards on buses it plans to purchase for the route. The Central Ohio Transit Authority wants to launch the Downtown circulator in May. (. . .) Special fares will be used throughout COTA’s bus network on several occasions next year as the agency celebrates its 40th anniversary, said CEO Curtis Stitt. The agency began operating on Jan. 1, 1974, Stitt said, and it plans to celebrate the anniversary throughout the year. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/11/21/cota-might-reduce-fares-for-downtown-circulator.html
December 12, 201311 yr Here's a map of the proposed downtown circulator route from the previous post. According to COTA: Circulator buses would make 20 stops on the loop that will run north on Front and Park streets and south on High Street between Sycamore Street and Buttles Avenue. Service would run daily every 10 to 15 minutes between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. on six compressed-natural-gas buses.
December 12, 201311 yr So sad that that route could have been a friggin' AWESOME streetcar/LRT line...oh well, I'll just have to see what happens in KC...and maybe Cincinnati :)
December 13, 201311 yr Will these buses look different than other buses so that new people don't have to worry about hopping on the bus and being dragged to Westerville?
December 16, 201311 yr Will these buses look different than other buses so that new people don't have to worry about hopping on the bus and being dragged to Westerville? It doesn't say so in the media reports I've seen. But you would think the downtown circulator buses would have a different color scheme or something - since they're using the same new CNG buses that is the new fleet standard for COTA. One thing's for sure, they apparently won't be repeating the replica trolley cars used during the last downtown circulator route from the early 2000's.
December 16, 201311 yr So sad that that route could have been a friggin' AWESOME streetcar/LRT line...oh well, I'll just have to see what happens in KC...and maybe Cincinnati. Now, I'll admit that I'm not the "transportation expert moderator" here at Urban Ohio. (paging KJP) But I'm reasonably certain that adding a bus route (or even having an existing bus route) where a streetcar line has been proposed, does not stop the future ability to add that streetcar line.
December 17, 201311 yr Now, I'll admit that I'm not the "transportation expert moderator" here at Urban Ohio. (paging KJP) But I'm reasonably certain that adding a bus route (or even having an existing bus route) where a streetcar line has been proposed, does not stop the future ability to add that streetcar line. That's correct. In fact, sometimes it allows a transit agency or other bus service sponsor to test a route to see if something more than a streetcar might be justified. So just as a ferry can lead to a bridge, or a conventional passenger rail line can lead to high speed rail, sometimes a bus route can lead to a streetcar or other rail transit. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 31, 201311 yr Some COTA park-and-ride news from a recent Transportation Insider column in the Dispatch at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/11/25/car2go-parkers-now-have-spots-at-osu.html A park-and-ride facility that COTA plans to build at the New Albany Business Park is being looked at as a model that the agency could use in other Outerbelt suburbs. At the board of trustees meeting last week, COTA officials praised the project as unique to its bus system. Commuters will park at the facility and ride the bus to Downtown, and those who live Downtown can commute to work at the New Albany Business Park. New Albany will provide shuttle service from the 2.5-acre park-and-ride to businesses throughout the business park. Service is expected to begin in September 2014. COTA’s board approved the $798,000 purchase of the land to build the park-and-ride lot last week. Initially, there will be 87 spaces, but that could expand to as many as 176. The one-way commute is estimated to take about 30 minutes.
December 31, 201311 yr News about COTA's 2014 budget: COTA will spend more, but it won’t raise fares By Rick Rouan, The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, December 19, 2013 - 6:35 AM The Central Ohio Transit Authority plans to add more than 60,000 service hours next year, partly through the creation of a Downtown Circulator line that would run along High and Front streets between the Short North and German Village. Additional service hours is the biggest reason for a $9.2 million expected increase in operating expenses in 2014, said Marion White, COTA’s chief financial officer. COTA trustees approved a $182.8 million budget for 2014, an 8 percent increase over the $168.2 million the authority was projected to spend this year. COTA officials have said fares will not increase next year. The 2014 budget includes $54.3 million for new buses, building renovations and other capital expenses. An additional $4.4 million will be earmarked for the increase in service hours, from 918,000 to 981,000 next year, White said. About one-third of the new service will be on the Downtown Circulator, which is scheduled to launch in May. COTA also plans to subtract more of its old diesel-powered coaches in 2014, as the agency replaces them with buses fueled by compressed natural gas. An additional 36 compressed-natural-gas buses will be added in 2014 as COTA continues with a 13-year plan to switch from diesel fuel. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/12/19/cota-isnt-raising-fares.html
December 31, 201311 yr Not sure how many riders will be out on New Year's Day to take advantage of this - but COTA buses will be fare-free between 12 a.m. on Jan. 1 and 12 a.m. on Jan. 2. More about this at http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/cota-free-fares-on-january-1-2014-to-celebrate-40-year-anniversary
January 1, 201411 yr We citizens should demand the inclusion of public transportation in this measure.... http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,4500.msg690520.html#msg690520 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 7, 201411 yr Editorial: Mapping COTA’s future Transit agency should make user-friendliness its top goal Friday January 3, 2014 5:35 AM As the Central Ohio Transit Authority turns 40, it’s good to see that CEO Curtis Stitt is looking ahead and asking important questions, such as the one he posed to Dispatch reporter Rick Rouan: “Is this the best way we can provide transportation service?" After four decades of ups and downs, COTA has plenty to ponder. Its challenge is the same as always: providing adequate and efficient bus service in a part of the country where transit isn’t ingrained in the culture, because driving is relatively easy. Transit remains necessary in central Ohio, to serve the thousands of people who don’t have cars to get to jobs in a geographically far-flung community. COTA also has new opportunities, in the growth of Downtown living and an increasing number of young adults who would like to live an urban lifestyle without depending on cars. READ MORE AT: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2014/01/03/mapping-cotas-future.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 18, 201411 yr COTA is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. In 1973, Franklin County, the City of Columbus and 10 of its suburbs bought the privately run Columbus Transit Company and began operating as the Central Ohio Transit Authority on January 1, 1974. Below are links to two articles about COTA's 40 year history: Columbus Dispatch: COTA has traveled far in four decades Columbus Underground: COTA Celebrating 40 Years of Service in 2014
January 18, 201411 yr The Columbus Dispatch also had an interview with the current CEO of COTA, Curtis Stitt, to talk about the transit authority's future at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/12/29/cota-has-its-future-in-mind.html
January 18, 201411 yr Pretty good that COTA had the nation's fastest growing bus system in the third quarter of 2013! http://www.apta.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/2014/Pages/140108_Ridership.aspx "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 24, 201411 yr COTA might charge 50 cents for Downtown loop By Rick Rouan, The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, January 23, 2014 - 6:53 AM COTA’s proposed Downtown circulator route might not be free after all. The Central Ohio Transit Authority has budgeted for an expected 50-cent fare to ride the bus that would loop between the Short North and German Village, beginning in May. Original plans called for free rides along the route on High and Front streets between Sycamore Street and Buttles Avenue. The fare doesn’t have to be finalized until COTA’s February board meeting, but it will remain at 50 cents unless businesses subsidize the line, said Mike Bradley, interim vice president for planning. Business support could help reduce the fare or eliminate it altogether, he said. COTA’s local fare for other lines is set at $2. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/22/COTA_might_charge_50_cents_for_downtown_circulator.html
February 19, 201411 yr http://www.cota.com/News-Releases.aspx?id=304 Cleveland Avenue Bus Rapid Transit Public Meeting and Open House Scheduled for February 27 The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) is conducting preliminary design, engineering and environmental clearance for the Cleveland Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project. The Cleveland Avenue BRT/Enhanced Bus Service will transport riders between downtown Columbus and Polaris Parkway/Africa Road. All interested persons are invited to a Public Meeting and Open House about the Cleveland Avenue BRT Project. Please join COTA to learn more and provide valuable input into the proposed project. Participants will have the opportunity to review displays, hear a brief presentation, and speak with project team members. Thursday, February 27, 2014 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (A formal presentation will begin at 6 p.m.) Columbus Baptist Temple Church 5075 Cleveland Ave. Columbus, OH 43231 COTA Line 1 Cleveland Local serves this facility. For more information please visit cota.com or contact COTA at (614) 228-1776. Learn more about the project here: http://www.cota.com/Cleveland_Ave_BRT.aspx "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 20, 201411 yr COTA Seeks Input on the Future of Transit in Columbus By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground Published on February 18, 2014 - 12:25 pm What should the future of public transit look like in Columbus? The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) wants your input as it conducts its Transit System Review. The organization hosted a focus group meeting in January and is soliciting additional public feedback through an online survey. ... COTA will continue their outreach through a series of public meetings the week of March 17th that will showcase the alternate bus network concepts. Project managers hope to further refine the concepts based on public input at those meetings and have a more finalized concept to share with a focus group in May. You can fill out the public input survey online by CLICKING HERE. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-seeks-input-on-the-future-of-transit-in-columbus
February 21, 201411 yr After 2015, Columbus and other Ohio cities can take advantage of this revolutionary FRA rule change.... The Cheaper, Brighter Future of American Passenger Rail http://seattletransitblog.com/2014/01/03/the-cheaper-brighter-future-of-american-passenger-rail/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 27, 201411 yr COTA’s Downtown bus loop to be free for now ‘Cbus’ to take you from Short North to German Village By Rick Rouan, The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, February 27, 2014 - 6:29 AM COTA riders can leave their wallets in their pocket when they board the new Downtown circulator. The new bus line that the agency has dubbed “Cbus” will be free to ride during a demonstration period that runs from its launch on May 5 until the end of the year. If it’s successful, additional circulator routes could be added, officials said yesterday. The Central Ohio Transit Authority is trying to find a long-term revenue source to help pay for the route, which will run from the German Village area to the Short North. COTA CEO Curtis Stitt said the agency will continue looking for a revenue source and determine by the end of the year whether it can sustain free fares. If additional funding cannot be secured, the fare could become 50 cents. COTA trustees approved the free fares at a monthly board meeting yesterday. (. . .) COTA ordered six 30-foot buses for the circulator; five will run during peak times. The buses are shorter than other COTA buses, which are 35 feet to 40 feet, said Mike Bradley, vice president for planning. The buses will be sky blue and gray with circulator logos, including a Cbus decal above its side windows, and will be powered by compressed natural gas. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/02/26/COTA-approves-Downtown-circulator.html
February 27, 201411 yr Below is the downtown circulator route approved by COTA. It is slightly different than an earlier proposed version - posted here in this thread. The earlier version of the circulator route ran on both High Street and Front Street from Sycamore Street in the Brewery District/German Village to Buttles Avenue in the Short North. The approved version runs on High Street and Front Street from Sycamore to Nationwide Boulevard. North of Nationwide Boulevard the route is on High Street only. It continues past Buttles into the Short North until it turns around at 2nd & 3rd Avenues. Columbus Underground has a larger and more detailed version of the circulator map at http://www.columbusunderground.com/cotas-downtown-circulator-set-to-begin-service-may-5th-bw1
February 28, 201411 yr I am surprised how far north it extends. I will not have to buy a bus pass anymore.
March 1, 201411 yr Columbus Underground has some photos of COTA's new downtown circulator buses - go to the link below for exterior and interior photos at CU. What's interesting is that they look "different" but "not that different" from the standard COTA bus. Most assumed that the circulator buses would look dramatically different than the standard. http://www.columbusunderground.com/first-look-at-the-new-downtown-circulator-buses
March 3, 201411 yr Eric Davies commentary: Transportation needs a boost in Columbus Monday March 3, 2014 5:57 AM In the past six to eight months, transportation demand and behavior has made a remarkable shift: New bike- and car-sharing options have sprung up through CoGo and Car2Go respectively; more than 5,400 people of have signed a petition in support of the return of passenger rail to Columbus; and, more than 100 voluntarily have become involved in activities related to “designing” the transportation system of the future for central Ohio. And now Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman has raised the critical issue of the need to treat Port Columbus as a center for ground as well as air transportation, potentially even serviced via passenger rail. In part, these shifts respond to an obvious deficiency of public transit and mobility options for this metropolitan area of nearly 2 million people, an area that continues to lag the rest of the nation in terms of options. Read more at: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2014/03/03/transportation-needs-a-boost-in-columbus.html
March 18, 201411 yr WILL CONGESTED ROADS SLOW DOWN BUSINESS GROWTH? By Kitty McConnell Photos by Tim Johnson From the April 2014 issue of Columbus CEO After decades of big ideas and public studies, Columbus remains the largest city in the nation without passenger rail in its transit portfolio. As he has in every other annual address since at least 2006, Mayor Michael Coleman again called for more transportation options in his 2014 State of the City speech. His latest pitch calls for a study on a passenger rail line which would run from Downtown to Port Columbus. Like his call for streetcars and intercity rail in 2006 and 2008, the mayor’s latest announcement generated buzz among Downtown advocates and young professionals. But after years of declaring the city “far too dependent on the automobile,” passenger rail remains an unrealized element in the otherwise successful private/public redevelopment charge led by Coleman since he took office in 2000. “The mayor alone does not have the resources to make passenger rail a reality,” says Dan Williamson, the mayor’s spokesman. “While there is support for rail in many corners of the city, this alignment has not yet happened.” READ MORE AT: http://www.columbusceo.com/content/stories/2014/04/will-congested-roads-slow-down-business-growth.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 5, 201411 yr Car Free in Columbus – Part 3: The Challenges May 1, 2014 1:45 pm Walker Evans Being car free in Columbus isn’t easy. We’ve heard that fact acknowledged in part one and part two of our series featuring local residents who get around the city exclusively by bike and bus and foot and other forms of alternative transportation. Today we talk again with those residents about the details of their specific challenges that they’ve faced and what they’ve done to overcome those hurdles. Their ideas are shared below. Ten years ago, you couldn’t catch a COTA bus beyond 9pm on weeknights, and on Sundays the service stopped at 6pm. Chase McCants of Clintonville remembers that scenario well. READ MORE AT: http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-3-the-challenges "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 7, 201411 yr ^ That was an elightening and in-depth four-part transportation series from Columbus Underground. Here are the links to all four parts of that series: http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-1-getting-started http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-2-getting-around http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-3-the-challenges http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-4-the-long-haul
June 3, 201411 yr It's been nearly one month since COTA's CBUS Downtown Circulator started. And the initial ridership numbers are looking good. From the Dispatch's Transportation Insider column at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/06/02/police-powers-sought-for-taxi-licensers.html: If trends hold up for the rest of the year, the Central Ohio Transit Authority is going to be very happy with its new Downtown circulator. The Cbus started rolling between the Short North and the Brewery District on May 5, and CEO Curtis Stitt said the agency was hoping to attract 10 to 15 passengers an hour on each of the five buses that circulate along the route. Through its first three weeks, the Cbus has had an average of 17.3 trips an hour, he said. During Memorial Day weekend, the lowest level was nearly 23 trips an hour. “We’re not out here saying ‘mission accomplished.’ It’s good ridership, a great start,” Stitt said. “Hopefully, those numbers will grow.” The circulator runs on High and Front streets between 3rd Avenue on the north end and Sycamore Street on the south end. The buses run more frequently than most others, arriving every 10 minutes during the day and every 15 minutes in the evening and at night. Fares on the Cbus are free at least through this year.
June 5, 201411 yr COTA Considering Complete Redesign of Bus Network By Brent Warren, Columbus Underground June 3, 2014 - 10:03 am A new proposed network from COTA – a plan that grew out of their ongoing Transit System Review and is being presented for feedback at public meetings and online – will do more than just tweak a few bus routes here or there. If approved and implemented, it would redraw routes, reduce express service to the suburbs, and greatly expand the number of high-frequency bus lines. Under the plan, more than twice as many residents would be within a quarter-mile of a high-frequency bus line (meaning a bus arrives every fifteen minutes, seven days a week). More job centers would also be within a quarter-mile of frequent service – an increase of over 60% compared to the present network. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-considering-complete-redesign-of-bus-network-bw1
June 5, 201411 yr The consultant working with COTA on this network redesign has posted much more about this on his blog: http://www.humantransit.org/2014/05/columbus-a-new-transit-network-plan.html That link contains larger and different versions of this network redesign map shown below:
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