« "In Depth: Best Cities For Young Professionals" Forbes.com | Main | "The final countdown begins for walkway" The Columbus Dispatch »
Monday, July 14, 2008
"For now, Columbus streetcar proposal is off-line" The Columbus Dispatch
Link: For now, Columbus streetcar proposal is off-line
Robert Vitale
The Columbus Dispatch
July 11, 2008
Faced with a City Council that's nervous about the cost, Mayor Michael B. Coleman's administration is retooling its plan for streetcars in Columbus.
He's not giving up on the idea, though. Spokesman Dan Williamson said changes in the works are "not in terms of whether, but how."
Money is the issue. A financing plan offered in March relies on the city's general fund for more than a quarter of its $103 million total. That makes council members skittish because Columbus already faces a $75 million general-fund deficit projected for 2009.
A revised funding plan will take another six to eight months, said Mike Brown, Coleman's urban ventures coordinator. The delay means streetcars likely wouldn't make their debut during the city's bicentennial in 2012...
Posted by Paul Bonneville on July 14, 2008 | Permalink
Comments
I think the real question now is, are the people of this city really going to want to wait 5+ years for a one line streetcar? There seems to be more and more evidence that Columbus hasn't nearly done enough to keep up with the other big cities in the country. We are slipping in rank on a lot of key things while other cities are getting better. Is the city council being way too conservative, or are they helping to pave the way for a more inclusive and extensive light rail future? Either way, if Columbus doesn't actually start doing things instead of continuing to have these long, drawn out studies, I think we might sink even further.
Posted by: Jermaine | Jul 14, 2008 9:50:34 AM
get it together, columbus. the rest of the country is going to soon be leaving you in the car-dependent dust.
Posted by: rs | Jul 14, 2008 6:19:09 PM
Don't worry rs, you can still take the #2 bus to all the places the streetcar would go.
Posted by: TJ | Jul 15, 2008 8:12:51 AM
I agree with TJ. We should axe the buses because you can already walk anywhere the bus lines will take you. After all, this is just about going from point A to point B, right?
Posted by: Walker Evans | Jul 15, 2008 8:21:42 AM
I agree with TJ and Walker. The streetcar won't solving any car dependency problems, but it is about more than transportation.
Posted by: John | Jul 15, 2008 6:22:44 PM
continuing to provide the #2 service alongside a streetcar would be redundant, yes. but i think the streetcar is an extremely important catalyst for showing people in central ohio that public transit can work, and be clean, efficient and modern. these are the same people who voted against light rail previously. they need all the convincing we can give them.
and rail is always sexier than buses, especially for those who are skeptical of public transit.
Posted by: rs | Jul 16, 2008 1:50:44 PM
I just wonder if it's time for the city to go after light rail now instead of the street car. I think anything that this city does to better itself (including a streetcar) would be fantastic, but would legislation for light rail be more successful now that everyone is suffering from $4/gallon syndrome? Or will Columbus always and forever be a car city?
Posted by: Jermaine | Jul 16, 2008 4:43:34 PM
It's silly to think that the #2 line would continue to run un-altered after the Streetcar is installed. Most likely it would stop less frequently through the Streetcar zone and become more of a shuttle to get people to further-out destinations.
Posted by: Walker Evans | Jul 17, 2008 9:29:51 AM
