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I commend Mayor Coleman and the Streetcar Workgroup for their efforts to bring a Streetcar to downtown Columbus. Through this initiative, they are doing a fantastic job of ensuring that our city prospers fiscally and responsibly. Naysayers to this project debate over the cost, funding, and the prioritizing. My concern is that some of this debate is taking the focus off the true intent for this project.
As a not-so-recent transplant and downtown resident, I am excited to see first-hand how much the city is growing right before my eyes. Whether residents or not, most of us share some common goals for downtown Columbus, which includes making it attractive and affordable for businesses, improving its accessibility to residents and visitors, and ultimately revitalizing it as a “destination” place for shopping, dining, and entertainment.
Bottom line: anything the city can do to ensure its continual development and net a positive return is surely worth the investment. Fortunately, we have the advantage of public and private resources to offset the short term financial burden. Like any worthwhile investment, this project will ultimately pay off long term in additional tax revenues, and increased foot traffic for downtown attractions and businesses.
I look forward to hopping on the Streetcar just outside my door and taking it to my place of employment or any one of the fantastic downtown treasures this city has to offer!
It’s really important that we keep emailing city council and the mayor’s office to show residents’ continued interest in this project. If you’ve sent a letter…send another!
Coucilwoman O’Shaughnessy: LECady@columbus.gov
Mayor Coleman: mac@columbus.gov
I’m sure they’re getting sick of me.
I believe that it is more than vitual for “us” as a community to continue to in the positive direction on supporting the “Streetcar” concept for Columbus! This is a venture that definately benefit both urbanites, as well as suburnites!
I believe that with the continued growth and development of Downtown Columbus – that this “Streetcar” concept would bring vibrancy, excitement, and life back into the streets of Downtown!
I find it to be most vitual for everyone to continue to support the efforts of “reestablishing” and developing “our” Downtown Columbus, and supporting the plans that have been speaheaded Mayor Coleman and other Downtown Development & Planning Organizations!
Two new people posting in one thread! Just wanted to say “Welcome” to both of you! 8) Thanks for posting your thoughts!
How about another new person posting to this forum?
In my opinion, we would already be seeing construction of the streetcar and many other lines from it if the question of funding was solved. ODOT should kick in some money as well as the federal government. After all, those entities put the policies in place that put our privately owned and profit making rail lines out of business.
As well as city council, we must contact the county, state and federal government. Perhaps organizing this effort will occur on a local level…
I’d also like to welcome all the new people here and if you’re interested, get in contact with 1000 Friends of Central Ohio http://1kco.org/ a pro mass-transit org. Also check out All Aboard Ohio http://www.allaboardohio.org/cms/index.php a pro rail org. As far as ODOT I’m hoping the new democratic director of ODOT will make it do a 180. If you look at the Project Information & Transportation Studies of Interest everything is highway related.
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Projects+Studies.asp
We also need to put pressure on COTA and push for an amendment that allows the gas tax to be spent on non-highway transportation projects. Without a sizeable source of money allotted for mass-transit not much can be built. Hopefully the democratic leadership will take on this issue.
Just curious as to the opinions people have about the idea of a streetcar.
Would you ride it?
What are your thoughts on COTA running this type of transportation?
Would this get us closer to getting light rail in Columbus?
What benefits can you imagine as a result of having a streetcar?
What problems can you anticipate as a result of having a streetcar?
Overall impressions…?
:?:
Yes. I live in German Village, so I’d use it probably several times a week for business and pleasure to get me downtown and up to the Short North. Would come in very handy for bar hopping without hailing cabs or having a DD for the night to get home.
As an end user, the company running the transportation really doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s ran well. As far as I’ve read, COTA won’t be running the streetcars though, so that’s sort of a moot question, isn’t it?
I like to think so. I think if people are given a small dose of what differnt types of mass transit can offer they may be more inclined to seek out a larger project next to serve a larger region of riders.
For starters, the development that would occur along the streetcar line would be a great benefit for the city. Economic development downtown is a good thing for all of central Ohio, whether or not you plan on riding the streetcars personally.
It will kill some street parking along the lines, but that shouldn’t be a huge loss since it should mean that fewer people are driving and therefore parking.
I’d like to see more lines that service other areas. Not just the High Street line. High Street is already a fairly strongly developed area. We need streetcars running up Cleveland, down Parsons, up Neil, and to the near-east and near-west sides as well. I want to see lines to Grandview, Bexley, OSU, CSCC, Merion Village, Clintonville, and everywhere in between.
What are your thoughts on COTA running this type of transportation?
Would this get us closer to getting light rail in Columbus?
What benefits can you imagine as a result of having a streetcar?
What problems can you anticipate as a result of having a streetcar?
Overall impressions…?
I’d ride it on occasion, but if the High St. line ran to OSU campus (even as far as the South Campus Gateway), I’d ride it a LOT more often – that way it’d be a really convenient way to get to places downtown or in the Short North for lunch, or after work, etc.
I also don’t really care who runs it as long as it’s run well. Though if it’s a private company that ends up running it, I’d imagine it might need some city funds & subsidies to get them through the startup & early buy-in phase without going under.
Plenty of benefits to streetcars, most have already been mentioned here and elsewhere. For problems… depending on how the lines end up being laid out and how frequent cars & stops are, it could back up car traffic in places. High Street into the Short North & northside of Downtown already has a tendency to clog & backup as it is. Maybe passengers on the streetcar not driving would reduce some of that.