"Does Columbus desire streetcars?" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Does Columbus desire streetcars?
Tim Doulin
The Columbus Dispatch
July 17, 2008

While city officials retool their proposal for a Downtown streetcar line, the debate over whether the city needs one continued yesterday.

But the discussion at a Metropolitan Club luncheon at the Athletic Club of Columbus didn't come any closer to resolving the question...

...One man said he was quoting a survey that showed taxpayers don't want the streetcar system. But Jourdan said he thinks taxpayers do...

"Leaping into Light Rail" Governing

Link: Leaping into Light Rail
Zach Patton
Governing
July 2008

...The current spate of light-rail openings represents the culmination of a decade of both new and recycled ideas about urban planning, transportation choices and how to finance big infrastructure projects. Light rail is enjoying something of a national moment, akin to the subway boomlet 40 years ago that brought MARTA to Atlanta, BART to the Bay Area and Metro to Washington, D.C., and its suburbs. There are some key differences between that era and this one, though. For one thing, the light-rail systems being built today are expressly intended to catalyze transit-oriented development in ways that the last generation of rail investment hadn't envisioned. Plus, Americans seem more ready to ride the rails now than they were in the 1960s and '70s, when their love affair with driving and suburban-style living was still fresh.

That's thanks in no small part to the price of oil. As gas prices soar over $4 per gallon and commuters struggle with ever increasing traffic congestion, drivers are turning to public transit in record numbers. The American Public Transportation Association reports that Americans took 2.6 billion trips on public transportation in the first three months of 2008 — nearly 85 million more trips than last year for the same time period. In total, 10.3 billion trips were taken on public transportation last year — the highest number in more than 50 years. By far the biggest increase was in the number of trips on light rail, which saw more than a 10 percent jump in ridership. Several cities' light-rail and streetcar systems grew even faster. Baltimore, Minneapolis, St. Louis and San Francisco all experienced significant growth in passenger loads...

"City providing more parking options for bikes, scooters, motorcycles" Business First of Columbus

Link: City providing more parking options for bikes, scooters, motorcycles
Maria Gallucci
Business First of Columbus
July 16, 2008

With everyone looking to spend less on gas, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman said today the city will increase efforts to accommodate alternative transportation in the Downtown area.

The Motorized Two-Wheel Vehicle Parking plan will provide better parking options for motorcycles, mopeds and motor scooters in the Short North, Downtown and Brewery District. The first location opened today outside 61 E. Gay St.

The proposal has two phases. In the first year, parking in the 15 possible corrals will be free as the city experiments with the system. In the second phase, corrals will charge a nominal fee to park. Revenue from the second phase will help with corral upkeep as the city plans future initiatives...

"Streetcars Debated in Columbus" WOSU NewsRoom

Link: Streetcars Debated in Columbus
Sam Hendren
WOSU NewsRoom
July 16, 2008

Columbus Mayor Coleman's streetcar proposal was debated today at the Columbus Metropolitan Club. Coleman wants to build a 103-million-dollar line that would connect downtown with Ohio State University along North High Street.

Backers of the mayor's streetcar plan say it's essential to revitalizing downtown Columbus. Bob Weiler, chairman of a real estate brokerage firm was adamant in his opposition: he said a streetcar line connecting downtown with Ohio State was unnecessary because 15 COTA bus lines already provide service to the area...

"Scooter riders can park for free Downtown" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Scooter riders can park for free Downtown
Bobby Pierce
The Columbus Dispatch
July 16, 2008

...Mayor Michael B. Coleman announced the creation of 17 corrals for motorcycles and scooters Wednesday. Each can fit seven to nine vehicles, which can park there if they have a motor and two wheels.

Switching to more efficient vehicles is the wave of the future in America and Columbus, Coleman said. The mayor, who rode his bicycle to City Hall during Ride to Work Week in May, arrived at a news conference on Gay Street to introduce the parking areas in an eight-cylinder Mercury Grand Marquis.

“Great cities have great downtowns made up of little things that increase the quality of life,” Coleman said...

"Columbus Mayor's streetcar dream still alive" WOSU NewsRoom

Link: Columbus Mayor's streetcar dream still alive
Mandie Trimble
WOSU NewsRoom
July 11, 2008

The Columbus Dispatch reported Friday that Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman's streetcar proposal is "off-line." WOSU spoke with the mayor's Urban Ventures Coordinator, Mike Brown, who said Coleman's streetcar dream has not been derailed. The mayor's funding proposal hit a wall in March when City Council struck down the idea to use more than $25 million from the general-fund budget to pay for the $103 million project. Click on the listen icon to hear the interview.

[Article includes the audio from the interview]

"COTA Googles improved route maps" Business First of Columbus

Link: COTA Googles improved route maps
[account required]
Adrian Burns
Business First of Columbus
July 17, 2008

Demand for public transit is on the rise and the Central Ohio Transit Authority has taken a step to simplify the effort of getting from Point A to Point B.

COTA on July 4 put a trip-planning tool developed by Google Inc. on its Web site that allows users to punch in starting and ending addresses and - with clicks of a computer mouse - get step-by-step directions for taking the bus to their destination. The routes are displayed on the popular Google Maps platform.

Google Maps Transit, which is in use at 48 domestic bus systems and in 17 cities outside the United States, is easier to use than COTA's trip planning tool and is expected to help conquer a perennial hurdle to building ridership - confusing routes, said COTA chief Bill Lhota...

"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...

"National Gas Prices Still At Record High" WBNS-10TV

Link: National Gas Prices Still At Record High
WBNS-10TV
July 7, 2008

Gasoline prices have eased a little in Ohio, while fuel costs have risen to another new all-time high nationwide.

Monday's statewide average for regular is $4.03 per gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

While that's 2 cents more than Ohioans were paying a week ago, it's 2 cents below than record of $4.05 that was reached late last week...

"Study: Freight rail can reduce traffic congestion" Memphis Business Journal

Link: Study: Freight rail can reduce traffic congestion
Memphis Business Journal
July 1, 2008

Moving freight by rail has the potential to save Americans hundreds of dollars and time in the car, according to the Congestion Relief Index, a study of traffic congestion in 82 major urban areas.

"With gas prices at an all-time high, Americans can't afford to waste money and time sitting in traffic. Because one intermodal train can take nearly 300 trucks off our highways, shifting freight from trucks to trains reduces competition between commuters, drivers and freight traffic for space on the road," said Wendell Cox, author of the study and principal of Demographia, a market research and urban policy consultancy.

The study claims that if 25% of the volume moved by trucks was moved to rail transport by the year 2026, each American commuter could save, on average, $985 -- and 41 hours of time in their car -- a year. The survey also estimates that each year, a commuter could save 79 gallons of fuel and reduce air pollution by 920,000 tons...

"The cracks are showing" Economist.com

Link: The cracks are showing
Economist.com
June 26, 2008

...For the past few years it has been hard to ignore America’s crumbling infrastructure, from the devastating breach of New Orleans’s levees after Hurricane Katrina to the collapse of a big bridge in Minneapolis last summer. In 2005 the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated that $1.6 trillion was needed over five years to bring just the existing infrastructure into good repair. This does not account for future needs. By 2020 freight volumes are projected to be 70% greater than in 1998. By 2050 America’s population is expected to reach 420m, 50% more than in 2000. Much of this growth will take place in metropolitan areas, where the infrastructure is already run down.

If America
does not act, says Robert Yaro of the Regional Plan Association (RPA),
a body that plans for the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region, it
will have the infrastructure of a third-world country within a few
decades. Economic growth will be constricted, and the quality of life
will be diminished...

"Rickenbacker might face new rival in Wilmington" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Rickenbacker might face new rival in Wilmington
Marla Matzer Rose
The Columbus Dispatch
June 29, 2008

...At stake are 8,000 jobs in a state that's already reeling from thousands of layoffs this year. The move could also put Wilmington Air Park, a former Air Force base that's been a privately owned air-cargo hub for 30 years, in competition with other regional airports, including Rickenbacker in Columbus, for cargo and possibly even passenger service...

..."Dayton has an empty cargo facility. Cincinnati has empty cargo space. The last thing that region can support is another cargo operation," Boyd said.

Boyd cautioned that investing in such a facility can be expensive.

"Mid-America airport in St. Louis was an Air Force base, and that's been a disaster," Boyd said. "They tried for passenger service; now they're trying to be a big international cargo hub. They've spent $200 million supporting it. … Someone in Wilmington will probably come along with a $50,000 study, some clown study, and say this is a great idea. I'll tell you right now, for free: It's not going to work."...

"Group Pushes Rail For Columbus" WBNS-10TV

Link: Group Pushes Rail For Columbus
WBNS 10TV
June 26, 2008

...Research groups are looking for alternatives to paying for gas laid out a plan they think could work for anyone.

"Columbus, Ohio is the largest city in the United States without a passenger rail service," said Andrew Bremer of All Aboard Ohio. "Being the 15th largest city in the country I find that absolutely shameful."

Bremer and others are pushing alternative transportation in the capital city and throughout the state.

"Did you know (there are) more cars than people in Franklin County," said Maryellen O'Shaughnessy of Columbus City Council...

Councilmember O’Shaughnessy to convene public service and transportation committee meeting on bicycle law and COTA SERVICE PLANS

(COLUMBUS)—Columbus City Council member Maryellen O'Shaughnessy, chair of council's public service and transportation committee, will be joined by committee members Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 5:00 PM in City Council Chambers. 

At 5:00 PM the committee will hear from Public Service Director Mark Kelsey and City Engineer Randy Bowman regarding changes to Columbus bicycle laws proposed in the Bicentennial Bikeways Plan.   

At 5:30 PM O’Shaughnessy will moderate a public forum led by Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) president and CEO Bill Lhota.  Lhota will discuss proposed service improvements, long range transit plans, and how streetcars and light rail fit into COTA's future transit improvements.

Who:
Public Service and Transportation Committee Chair Maryellen O’Shaughnessy
Members of the Public Service and Transportation Committee

What:
Public Service and Transportation Committee Meeting

When:
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
5:00 PM

Where:
City Council Chambers
City Hall, 2nd Floor
90 West Broad Street
Parking is free on City Hall surface lots after 5:00 PM

"Fuel Costs Pinch Cities; Mayors Push Mass Transit" NYTimes.com

Link: Fuel Costs Pinch Cities; Mayors Push Mass Transit
Damien Cave
NYTimes.com
June 21, 2008

...Coinciding with a real estate meltdown, rising energy costs have wreaked havoc because many city budgets were passed months ago with the assumption that gasoline would cost $2 a gallon. Now mayors are finding themselves squeezed by rising costs, declining revenues and increased demands for public transportation.

In the survey, 88 percent of mayors said their cities had experienced growth in the use of public transit, with nearly half of those reporting that the increases were significant or very significant. Some studies have documented growth of 10 percent to 15 percent over the last year in parts of the South and West.

“Public transportation is the way everyone is going,” said Mufi Hannemann, mayor of Honolulu. “Right now in my city, it’s all about the public bus.”...

...“There is a strong argument that over the last 10 years there has been a trend of young professionals and empty nesters coming back to downtowns,” said Mayor John Hickenlooper of Denver. “We built 15,000 housing units in the past few years. If gas gets up to $8 or $10 a gallon, that will dramatically accelerate something that’s already going on. There is a silver lining.”...

"Honda cutting fuel costs, emissions with new fleet of railcars" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Honda cutting fuel costs, emissions with new fleet of railcars
Braden Lammers
The Columbus Dispatch
June 19, 2008

...The new railcars will save Honda 2,436 gallons of fuel and 54,432 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year...

..Honda is not alone in using trains to transport its vehicles from assembly plants.

“About 70 percent of all automakers ship from their plants by rail,” said Tom White, spokesman for the Association of American Railroads.

“Rail is three to four times cleaner than moving by truck (and) has extremely good fuel efficiency,” he said, noting that a railcar will go 436 miles on a gallon of diesel fuel...

"Travelers Shift to Rail as Cost of Fuel Rises" NYTimes.com

Link: Travelers Shift to Rail as Cost of Fuel Rises
Matthew L. Wald
NYTimes.com
June 21, 2008

...Amtrak set records in May, both for the number of passengers it carried and for ticket revenues — all the more remarkable because May is not usually a strong travel month.

But the railroad, and its suppliers, have shrunk so much, largely because of financial constraints, that they would have difficulty growing quickly to meet the demand.

Many of the long-distance trains are already sold out for some days this summer. Want to take Amtrak’s daily Crescent train from New York to New Orleans? It is sold out on July 5, 6, 7 and 8. Seattle to Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 5? The train is sold out, but Amtrak will sell you a bus ticket...

"Busier buses in Columbus pass up passengers" WSYX ABC 6

Link: Busier buses in Columbus pass up passengers
WSYX ABC 6
June 19, 2008

Taking public transportation has become so popular in Columbus that some packed buses are passing by people waiting at stops...

...Transit agency spokesman Marty Stutz says only so many people can get on the bus, so drivers have to leave some people standing at the curb in the interest of safety.

The system expects to receive about 40 new buses this summer, but some of those are needed to replace aging buses.

"Congress revives high-speed rail dream for Ohio" cleveland.com

Link: Congress revives high-speed rail dream for Ohio
Sarah Hollander
cleveland.com
June 17, 2008

...Legislation working its way through Congress - the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act - has local rail advocates almost giddy with excitement. The act proposes an up to 80 percent match to help states create or improve passenger rail service.

It also provides $350 million per year in competitive grants for states and Amtrak, specifically for high-speed rail projects.

"This is a huge step," said Stu Nicholson of the Ohio Rail Development Commission. "A bill like this could make the difference between a plan and a project."...

"Mayors ask Congress to help fix U.S. infrastructure" CNN.com

Link: Mayors ask Congress to help fix U.S. infrastructure
Associated Press
CNN.com
June 12, 2008

Big-city mayors told Congress on Thursday that they are overwhelmed by the infrastructure needs of their regions and cannot maintain well-functioning water systems, roads and rail networks without more federal help. On July 19, 2007, an underground steam pipe exploded in New York, sending residents running for cover.

"We're having a quiet collapse of prosperity," said Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Mark Funkhouser, one of four mayors to testify before the Senate Banking Committee about the state of the nation's infrastructure, which they agreed was poor and getting worse.

They blamed much of the decay on shortsighted thinking by local, state and federal officials...

"Lawmaker Pushes To Suspend State Gas Tax" nbc4i.com

Link: Lawmaker Pushes To Suspend State Gas Tax
Denise Yost
nbc4i.com
June 13, 2008

High gas prices have one Ohio lawmaker pushing to suspend the 28-cent-per-gallon state gas tax for 90 days...

...The fuel frustration has convinced Dayton-area Republican Diana Fessler that Ohio needs to suspend the 28-cent-per-gallon state gas tax.

The gas tax pays for road improvements, bridge safety projects and other highway upgrades.

Suspending it for 90 days would cost state, county and city transportation departments roughly $420 million...

"Columbus Leaders Want Change In Transportation" WOSU NewsRoom

Link: Columbus Leaders Want Change In Transportation'
Tom Borgerding
WOSU NewsRoom
June 16, 2008

...At the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Transportation Director Robert Lawler and others are working on blueprints for more bike trials, buses, and other forms of mass transit. Part of the plan is to build what he calls "transportation hubs" where commuters could easily change modes of transportation to get to different areas. But, Columbus is geographically large. While Cleveland and Cincinnati are each about 80 square miles in area. Columbus city limits take in 225 square miles.

"How do you make a city that's 225 square miles in area less 'car-centric'? (Lawler) Its going to take a lot of time and its going to involve money and its going to take a commitment, an on-going commitment from public officials as well as the community itself. If the community doesn't embrace it, its not going to happen. Says Lawler.

The bill for less automobile traffic in Columbus is unknown. City Council approved a $20,000,000 plan for an additional 100 miles of bike lanes and trails to be added before the city's bi-centennial in 2012. Plans call for more than 500 miles of bike lanes and trails to be built in the next 20 years at a cost of $167,000,000. Earlier this year, Mayor Michael Coleman proposed a streetcar line to run up and down High Street. Estimated cost $103,000,000...

"Busy U.S. rail network creaking under strain" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Busy U.S. rail network creaking under strain
Michael Tarm
The Columbus Dispatch
June 11, 2008

...While the nation's attention is focused on air-travel congestion and the high cost of fuel for highway driving, a crisis is developing under the radar for freight trains.

The nation's 140,000-mile network of rails devoted to carrying everything from cars to grain by freight is already groaning under the strain of congestion, with trains forced to stand aside for hours because of one-track rail lines.

And it's probably going to get worse, according to an analysis of government and industry projections by the Associated Press and interviews with experts on rail freight. A new U.S. Chamber of Commerce report warns demand for freight trains is expected to double in the next 25 years...

"Council OKs 100 miles of bike paths" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Council OKs 100 miles of bike paths
The Columbus Dispatch
June 10, 2008

The Columbus City Council approved a plan last night that will add miles of bike lanes along city streets, create dozens of new trails and add racks and a Downtown changing station for people riding on two wheels.

The Bicentennial Bikeways Plan calls for 100 miles of new bike lanes and trails to be built before the city's 200th birthday in 2012 and a total of 538 miles of lanes and trails over 20 years.

It will cost $20 million for the first goal and $167.6 million for the long-range plan...

"Council OKs city's bikeway plan" Business First of Columbus

Link: Council OKs city's bikeway plan
Matt Burns
Business First of Columbus
June 10, 2008

A long-term shift to make Columbus a more bike-friendly city is racing ahead after officially receiving city backing this week.

Columbus City Council on Monday night voted to adopt the Columbus Bicentennial Bikeways Plan as a guide for making policy decisions affecting zoning, planning and capital improvements. The plan, created by Portland, Ore.-based consultant Alta Planning & Design, envisions adding 31 miles of off-street trails and 58 miles of on-street bike lanes to Columbus' existing 87 miles of bike routes by its 2012 bicentennial.

The bikeway plan also envisions bringing Columbus' routes and trails past the 700-mile mark by 2028...

"Average gas price tops $4 a gallon for the first time-AAA" CNNMoney.com

Link: Average gas price tops $4 a gallon for the first time-AAA
Mark M. Meinero and Ben Rooney
CNNMoney.com
Jun. 8, 2008.

Gasoline rose to a milestone mark Sunday as the national average compiled by motorist group AAA reached $4 a gallon for the first time.

In a second survey, the average price came within 0.2 cent of $4 a gallon in the Lundberg Survey, which showed a 20-cent rise in the past three weeks to a new record.

The national average for regular unleaded rose 1.7 cents to $4.005, according the daily measure on the AAA's Web site. That surpassed the previous record of $3.989 set Thursday...

"Google Transit Maps now helps you plan COTA trips" The Walker Evans Effect

Link: Google Transit Maps now helps you plan COTA trips
June 2, 2008
The Walker Evans Effect
Walker Evans

Over on ColumbusUnderground, someone posted today about how google transit maps now features information on COTA routes in Columbus (even though we’re not a city listed on their main page). I’ve not officially tried this out yet, but it appears to work much better than the official COTA ride planner, which never seems to want to understand the addresses I try to enter into it...

"Benjamin J. Marrison commentary: Housing-crisis series merits close attention" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Benjamin J. Marrison commentary: Housing-crisis series merits close attention
Benjamin J. Marrison
The Columbus Dispatch
June 1, 2008

...In the "Borrowed Time" series, which begins today, we examine how things have progressed during the past three years and try to estimate when this crisis may subside.

What reporters Bill Bush, Mike Wagner, Dutton and Riepenhoff found was that the crisis has had far more impact than was imagined and will continue to rip through communities like a tornado.

The data used for part of today’s series is the same that we used in 2005, except it is far more robust. Instead of data for one year, this database spans three years. The richness of the new data allows us to take a much more comprehensive look at the fallout and to better understand how things have changed over time. It allows us to analyze and map mortgage information for every census tract in Ohio...

"COTA drops environmentally friendly - but expensive - biodiesel" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: COTA drops environmentally friendly - but expensive - biodiesel
Tim Doulin
The Columbus Dispatch
May 28, 2008

The high cost of soy biodiesel is prompting COTA to discontinue, at least for now, using the environmentally friendly fuel to run its buses.

Instead, the fleet will operate strictly on ultralow-sulfur diesel.

“It's an economic, as well as environmental, decision,” said William Lhota, Central Ohio Transit Authority president and chief executive officer.

COTA buses run on a fuel mixture of 90 percent ultralow-sulfur diesel and 10 percent soy biodiesel.

The bus agency has been purchasing soy biodiesel at a fixed price of $2.40 a gallon the past 12 months and ultralow-sulfur diesel at the locked-in price of $2.77 a gallon the past five months. The fuel contracts expire at the end of the month.

Last week, the cost of soy biodiesel was $4.44 a gallon while ultralow-sulfur diesel was at $3.81 a gallon, COTA officials said. That was up 43 cents and 36 cents, respectively, from the previous week...

"As gas goes up, driving goes down" CNN.com

Link: As gas goes up, driving goes down
CNN.com
May 27, 2008

...The Department of Transportation said figures from March show the steepest decrease in driving ever recorded.

Compared with March a year earlier, Americans drove an estimated 4.3 percent less -- that's 11 billion fewer miles, the DOT's Federal Highway Administration said Monday, calling it "the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history." Records have been kept since 1942...

"COTA Buses Get Crowded As Gas Prices Go Up" nbc4i.com

Link: COTA Buses Get Crowded As Gas Prices Go Up
Ashley Brown
nbc4i.com
May 20, 2008

...“It’s mostly during the rush hours,” Dan Liggett of COTA said. “Across our routes, ridership is up.”

Liggett said Noble’s observation was right on the money. “Gas prices definitely have a connection to increased ridership,” he said.

Compared to this time last year, COTA said ridership is up by nearly 18 percent. The average number of passengers every day is almost 56,000...

"Streetcar FAQ Columbus" DispatchPolitic.com

Link: Streetcar FAQ Columbus
Robert Vitale
DispatchPolitics.com
May 25, 2008

There are more questions than answers right now about the plan to bring streetcars back to Columbus, even among the people pitching the idea.

After the City Council balked earlier this month at approving $2 million to design a system its members haven't yet approved, Mayor Michael B. Coleman acknowledged "Our public needs more information."

A funding proposal, he has said, is " a financial scenario, not the financial scenario" -- meaning it's all subject to change.

After two years of study by consultants and community members, here's what we do know...

"Getting on board with Amtrak's needs" The Boston Globe

Link: Getting on board with Amtrak's needs
Derrick Z. Jackson
The Boston Globe
May 19, 2008

...High-speed rail could use some of this pampering and pandering. With regular gasoline approaching the $4 mark, and air travel becoming more frustrating than ever, more and more Americans are taking the train. According to news reports, Amtrak ridership — despite its chronic underfunding — is up 20 percent since October in North Carolina and up 19 percent between Chicago and St. Louis.

April ridership between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., was up 17.7 percent over April 2007. March ridership from Sacramento to San Francisco rose nearly 17 percent over 2007. The Heartland Flyer between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City is up 6.5 percent; the Chicago-to-Seattle Empire Builder is up 8.2 percent. Ridership in upstate New York at the end of 2007 was up 11 percent over the end of 2006.

And of course, there is the Boston-New York-Washington corridor where Acela ridership was up 20 percent in 2007, to 3.1 million passengers. Yet, at this moment, we have heard more about gimmicks like gas-tax holidays to make $4 gas seem a bit cheaper (Hillary Clinton and John McCain) and the auto industry being part of Obama’s $150 billion green economy investments and incentives (read: tax breaks). Yet, most of the developed world continues to laugh at us...

Ohio’s Transportation Conversation targets State’s Diverse Regional Needs

Opinions also reveal Ohio motorists and businesses changing moods and modes,
blaming record-high gas prices for switch to alternative transportation

(COLUMBUS) May 15, 2008 – As more Ohioans join the state’s “Transportation Conversation” by saying record-high gas prices have changed their moods about alternative modes of transportation, the conversation over Ohio’s future is set to grow even louder in the coming weeks at a series of regional meetings of the Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force.

Over the past several weeks, hundreds of Ohioans have submitted ideas and opinions to the task force online at TransportationForTomorrow.ohio.gov. A popular topic has been the impact of recent prices for gasoline and diesel fuel.

Adding to those public comments are reports into the Ohio Department of Transportation revealing more Ohio motorists are choosing to leave their cars at home. Transit agencies in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati have reported increases in ridership rates (the Central Ohio Transit Authority reported a 17.5 percent increase in April over the previous year). Businesses are also choosing alternative options for moving freight. According to the Association of American Railroads, freight traffic on U.S. railroads was the second highest on record last year.

ODOT traffic counts on Ohio’s urban and rural roadways also show a decline over the past year. Overall average daily traffic dropped 1.1 percent in 2007 compared to the previous year – the first time ODOT has recorded overall decreased traffic counts on interstate, freeway and arterial roadways across the state.

Launched last month, the Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force has been charged with envisioning Ohio’s future transportation system - determining how the state can best balance the movement of people and freight, create jobs and generate economic development, and link all modes of transportation by connecting highways to rail, aviation, water ports, transit, bike paths and walkways.

The task force, comprised of experts from both private and governmental sectors, is also examining the fairest ways to finance Ohio’s future transportation system.

To gather more public input and information about Ohio’s diverse regional needs, the task force will host a series of open meetings across the state. In additional to learning more about the task force, Ohioans will be able to share their vision of the type of transportation system they believe Ohio needs for the 21st Century.

Details about all meetings, including times, locations and directions, can be found at: TransportationForTomorrow.ohio.gov

Columbus Chamber's YP Exchange: Ohio Hub (passenger rail) Forum

Interested in a way to free up money for travel in your personal budget? Would you like an alternate mode of transportation to choose from to get you to Cincinnati, Cleveland, other Great Lakes cities or even Toronto?
 
Come to the Columbus Chamber’s YP Exchange, a free, issue-oriented forum for the young and talented, to learn about a transportation plan to move our city and state forward! The YP Exchange on May 20th will focus on the Ohio Hub Plan (passenger rail).

YP Exchange: Ohio Hub
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
 
Station 67, Columbus Fire Fighters Hall
379 W. Broad Street (next to Spaghetti Warehouse)
Columbus, OH 43215
Presentation by Stu Nicholson, Public Information Officer, Ohio Rail Development Commission
Free to attend!
Register here!

"Columbus has big plans for bikes" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Columbus has big plans for bikes
Tim Doulin
The Columbus Dispatch
May 18, 2008

Add 31 miles of off-street trails and 58 miles of on-street bike lanes and routes.

Make N. High Street friendlier to bicyclists.

Build a Downtown bike station where two-wheel commuters would be able to change clothes and park their bikes.

Those are some of the ideas in an ambitious 288-page plan issued last week by the city. But there is a lot of work to be done before Columbus becomes a biking utopia...

"Sign of the times: $3.61 gas is a bargain!" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Sign of the times: $3.61 gas is a bargain!
The Columbus Dispatch
May 14, 2008

...The central Ohio average of $3.83 was a record, said Brad Proctor, founder of GasPriceWatch.com. That's a direct result of the price of crude oil, experts said, which climbed to nearly $127 a barrel yesterday, also a record.

The coming weeks could see a national average around $4 for a gallon of regular unleaded, said Eric Wittenauer, energy futures analyst for Wachovia Securities in St. Louis.

Beyond that, he shied away from predictions.

"It's unbelievable," Proctor said. "As we march toward Memorial Day, there is still room to keep going up. There is the possibility of another 10- to 25-cent increase in the next week or so. We will just see the national average climb."...

"COTA ridership grows as gas prices rise" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: COTA ridership grows as gas prices rise
Time Doulin
The Columbus Dispatch
May 13, 2008

The more gas prices rise, so does bus ridership and carpooling.

From January through May 4, COTA recorded about 5.2 million rides, up 7.2 percent compared with the same period last year. Ridership in April alone was up 17.5 percent over the same month in 2007.

“That is big,” said Marty Stutz, Central Ohio Transit Authority spokesman. “We had 1.4 million rides in April.”...

"Bicycle Boulevards Part Of Path Plan" nbc4i.com

Link: Bicycle Boulevards Part Of Path Plan
nbc4i.com

...And if bikes are becoming more of a necessity, so goes the city's bike paths.

With that in mind, city announced new transportation plans Monday, which marked the start of Ride Your Bike To Work Week.

Within the next 20 years, the number of bike paths and trails in Columbus and the surrounding suburbs will increase to more than 700 miles, Coleman announced Monday.

That's 10 times the paths riders have now. Coleman planned for the number of paths and trails to double within the next few years...

"Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit" New York Times

Link: Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit
Clifford Krauss
New York Times
May 10, 2008

DENVER — With the price of gas approaching $4 a gallon, more commuters are abandoning their cars and taking the train or bus instead.

Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines where seats were once easy to come by. Parking lots at many bus and light rail stations are suddenly overflowing, with commuters in some towns risking a ticket or tow by parking on nearby grassy areas and in vacant lots.

“In almost every transit system I talk to, we’re seeing very high rates of growth the last few months,” said William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association...

"Streetcars line item is pulled from spending plan" Columbus Local News

Link: Streetcars line item is pulled from spending plan
Jennifer Wray
Columbus Local News
May 9, 2008

...Among the action steps suggested by Coleman in his letter is the creation of a City Council Rail Transit Development Committee to be created in partnership with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, the Central Ohio Transit Authority, Ohio State University, the Ohio Rail Development Commission and other local groups to "advance the vision of improved regional transportation, to encourage public engagement and to advocate for funding to assist in future research, planning, construction and operations for rail transit alternatives including streetcars.

Coleman has positioned the streetcar proposal as not just a means of bettering transit, but as the kickoff to a "transportation revolution" in Columbus and throughout Ohio, and as a catalyst for economic development.

Apart from the capital request, funding for the streetcar line's construction and operation includes redirecting $3.6 million from the city's general fund and tacking on a 4-percent surcharge to paid parking and event tickets in the route's "benefit zone."...

...For that reason, a meeting about COTA's plans has been tentatively scheduled for 5:30 p.m. June 24 at City Hall, 90 W. Broad St., she said....

"Symphony to go silent" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Symphony to go silent
Jeffrey Sheban
The Columbus Dispatch
May 9, 2008

After 57 years of music-making, including a triumphant concert in New York's Carnegie Hall, the Columbus Symphony says it will shut down June 1.

Out of money and unable to reach a new labor agreement with the musicians, the orchestra's board of trustees said yesterday that it is canceling the summer Picnic With the Pops and Popcorn Pops series and most likely its 2008-09 season, scheduled to begin in October.

Columbus would become one of the nation's largest cities without a full-time professional orchestra...

"Task Force To Examine Transportation System" WBNS-10TV

Link: Task Force To Examine Transportation System
ONN
WBNS 10TV
May 8, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland launched a statewide task force Wednesday to look at Ohio's transportation future.

At their first meeting in Columbus, the 60 members of the task force were told to explore all options, including unpopular steps such as calling for increases in gasoline taxes to fund improvements in roads, bridges and public transit, ONN's Dan Weist reported...

"Transportation-policy group sees trains, bikes, boats in Ohio's future" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Transportation-policy group sees trains, bikes, boats in Ohio's future
James Nash
The Columbus Dispatch
May 8, 2008

...Beasley, the director of the Ohio Department of Transportation since March 2007, outlined a vision of a less car-centric state at a summit yesterday to plan Ohio's transportation future.

Trains could carry more passengers and freight. Rivers aren't used to their potential as conduits of goods. Even bikes ought to be seen as a means to commute rather than simply as recreation.

Those points were raised during the first meeting of the Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force, a 62-member panel that's supposed to sketch the future of transportation in the state.

The buzzword was "multimodal" -- a seamless web of roads, airports, rail lines, bus and bike routes, and even boats...

"States Get In on Calls for a Gas Tax Holiday" New York Times

Link: States Get In on Calls for a Gas Tax Holiday
Damien Cave
New York Times
May 6, 2008

...Since 2000, four states have enacted gas tax holidays: Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Indiana. In general, retailers did not pass on all of the intended savings.

When Illinois and Indiana suspended about 7 cents of their state gas taxes in the summer of 2000, prices fell by an average of only 4 cents, according to a study by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, which opposed the plans. Drivers saved no more than $2.50 a month, while each state lost tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Previous gas tax holidays caused other problems, too. During the last gas tax suspension in Florida in 2004, people hoarded gasoline, driving up demand and prices...

"Streetcars are big success in Houston" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Streetcars are big success in Houston
Letter to the Editor
The Columbus Dispatch
May 7, 2008

In 2001, I moved from Houston to Columbus to attend Ohio State University. During that time, Houston was in the process of breaking ground on a light-rail project that was met with heavy criticism. As a homeowner in the University District, I can't help but feel that Columbus would be remiss if it didn't at least give the streetcar a chance.

Those who fail to see the need should stop and look at the big picture.

We need a green alternative to transportation in the city, an opportunity to bring economic development to Downtown and a chance to connect the 50,000-plus students and residents of the University District to the city's core...

"Newly approved city budget sets aside much debated streetcar cash" The Lantern

Link: Newly approved city budget sets aside much debated streetcar cash
Anna Gerber
The Lantern
May 7, 2008

City council members unanimously voted to pass a $1.1 billion Capital Improvements Budget Monday night, but the five-year financial plan does not include funds for Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman's proposed streetcar line.

The budget originally earmarked $2 million for the design of a streetcar that would run on High Street from Mound Street to the Ohio State campus. The line would be finished in time for the city's bicentennial celebration in 2012. The $2 million for the project is still included in the budget, but is included as part of the funding for "miscellaneous economic development."...

"City council debates streetcar network" KING5.com

Link: City council debates streetcar network
Charlotte Starck
KING5.com
May 6, 2008

SEATTLE - No planes, trains, or automobiles - streetcars are the transportation proposal of choice in front of a Seattle City Council committee Tuesday.

The Seattle City Council Transportation Committee are debating the feasibility of a citywide streetcar network.

About a thousand people a day ride the South Lake Union Line. Now it seems it may be possible to build streetcar lines connecting neighborhoods with downtown and stadiums to move people around Seattle...

"Council delays $2M for streetcar plan" Business First of Columbus

Link: Council delays $2M for streetcar plan
Matt Burns
Business First of Columbus
May 6, 2008

A $2 million appropriation for design and engineering work on the proposed downtown streetcar line is still on the table, but it might be harder to find in the $1.1 billion capital improvement budget approved by Columbus City Council Monday night.

Responding to criticism of the $103 million streetcar plan, Mayor Michael Coleman asked that the $2 million earmark be delayed.

"Frankly, we are not ready to spend these resources," Coleman wrote in a memo to Council President Michael Mentel. "We have an obligation to further educate the public on this proposal's connection to a more comprehensive rail and transit plan citywide."...

"Request for streetcar design is shelved" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Request for streetcar design is shelved
Robert Vitale
The Columbus Dispatch
May 6, 2008

In a public-works budget approved last night by Columbus City Council, streetcars are now known only as "miscellaneous economic development."

Bowing to criticism from council members who've complained about being left out of the debate and responding to concerns of residents and businesses, Mayor Michael B. Coleman removed a request to begin design of a High Street route and acknowledged he has more selling to do.

In a memo to Council President Michael C. Mentel pitching his $103 million idea as a catalyst for economic development, Coleman said, "While these issues are clear to me, our public needs more information."...

Beginning a new era of alternative transportation for Columbus

Memo from Mayor Michael B. Coleman to Council President Michael C. Mentel

As you consider the proposed 2008 Capital Improvements Budget (CIB) for May 5th's meeting, our team appreciates the opportunities Council members have provided for added individual and public briefings. To date, we have carried out four large public briefings, more than 30 small group briefings, nine working group meetings and we are currently booking many more. This outreach includes upcoming briefings for the Central Ohio Restaurant Association, Downtown SID, Downtown Residents Association, Harrison West, Italian Village, Short North Business Association, Short North SID, Short North Foundation, University Area Commission, Victorian Village, among others. If you have additional groups that you would like for our team to meet with, please advise Michael Reese, my Chief of Staff.

I am a strong believer in taking our time to get public input and commend Council of' the important questions it has asked recently as it has deliberated on the proposed CIB.

This memo is to follow up on the Streetcar Public Hearing hosted by City Council on April 28, to provide further background and answer some of the questions posed by members and residents.

After two years of research and debate, 10 years since COTA last put a rail option on the ballot, I believe we are facing a crossroads in Columbus on a critical decision of how we remain competitive. Cities of the future must move forward with new ideas, including innovative and green transportation alternatives that are safe and affordable for residents. This includes biking, with trails and routes, and rail transit, including streetcars, light rail and high-speed rail connecting cities. Columbus is already becoming a national leader in the distribution of freight by rail, but we are ranked dead last among our peers when it comes to moving people by rail. This cannot continue.

STARTING A TRANSIT REVOLUTION
Columbus is over-reliant on the automobile. As gas rises to $4 a gallon and our City continues to grow, I am convinced that the public will be demanding more transportation alternatives. This streetcar proposal should not be viewed in the narrow silo of downtown. Streetcars should be viewed as a first step in an overall vision of an integrated system of rail (streetcars and light rail) throughout the City of Columbus.

It is time to begin a transportation revolution in Columbus to jump start a broader rail system for all of Ohio. I believe "that revolution starts with a streetcar line along the city's spine, connecting our densest job corridor downtown to our densest residential neighborhood around the Ohio State University campus, and helping redevelop the 36 underused acres along Higli Street. This 2.8 mile streetcar line is a conservatively planned first step that will allow us to test rail in Columbus and show that such a system can work, and will allow us to engage in a broader public debate over the future system to add streetcars to other neighborhoods, light rail-to our airport and suburban job centers, as well as fast trains to Cleveland, Cincinnati and the rest of the nation.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
It is clear that in addition to serving as the catalyst for transit, streetcars also will help continue the momentum we've begun in downtown redevelopment, create local jobs, and help leverage economic development, especially in the benefit district. Streetcars are just one more tool in our strategy to increase density, create additional jobs, retail and housing opportunities in downtown, especially along 'The Mile on High." Through the 2012 Bicentennial Commission effort, the beginnings of a downtown master plan is being developed which includes rail transit alternatives, a key component to the economic vibrancy of downtown. This downtown master plan will require more public discussions as well.
Based on the successes in other cities, and research by the Danter Group, we estimate $300-$500 million in local economic impact from new jobs and businesses along the High Street Line, as well as a growth in residential development and tourism activity. Cities must be innovative in fighting for jobs and attracting the creative workforce of the 21st Century, and I've heard clearly that they want better transit.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
To achieve these missions, we must start today. The public is clearly interested in the dialogue, and many of the speakers at your recent hearing agree with me that a broader system beyond the High Street Line is important. Since I am asking Council and our entire City to make a significant commitment for our future, I urge the Council to join me in these action steps:

1. Do not earmark $2 million for Streetcars in the CIB, but instead set the funding aside for Council consideration later in 2008 when the Streetcar Financial Scenario has been refined and adjusted. Frankly, we are not ready to spend these resources. We have an obligation to further educate the public on this proposal's connection to a more comprehensive rail and transit plan citywide and its connection to the master plan for downtown. While these issues are clear to me, our public needs more information.
2. Pass legislation to continue our consulting teams for $200,000 to $250,000 from the City's existing Street Fund to allow us to continue to educate and listen to the public, engage stakeholders, make critical changes to the financial scenario, including the possibility of positioning the City for future Federal funding. After listening to the extensive public comment, it is clear that this additional planning and outreach is needed. COTA recently voted to allocate up to $50,000 to this effort. I am confident the result of our collaboration will be a sound financial plan that we will present in late 2008
3. Create a City Council Rail Transit Development Committee in partnership with MORPC, COTA, the Ohio State University, OROC and other local groups to advance the vision of improved regional transportation, to encourage public engagement and to advocate for 'funding to assist in future research, planning, construction and operations for rail transit alternatives including streetcars.
4. Consider a community visit to Portland or other cities to learn first-hand how streetcars and rail transit can bene