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Last July, COTA floated the idea of adding several articulated (bendy) hybrid buses to their fleet in order to support several of their busiest routes. They applied for federal grant money to purchase six buses, but it was not approved. One hurdle for implementing these buses may disappear at City Hall tonight as Councilmember Hearcel Craig is sponsoring an ordinance that will allow COTA to operate these longer buses within city limits.
Currently the standard 40-foot COTA buses are the largest that are allowed to be operated in the city of Columbus. With this bit of City Code amendend, it could mean COTA may be looking to fast-track the addition of new articulated buses, or may be re-applying for grants. Do you think we could see these new buses on the streets by the end of 2009?
Press Release / Columbus City Council Highlights Feb 9, 2009 –
COUNCIL SUPPORTING EFFICIENT MASS TRANSIT: Public Serve & Transportation Committee Chair Hearcel F. Craig is sponsoring ordinance 1883-2008 to amend the Columbus City Code to allow the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) to operate articulated buses within Columbus. COTA has begun increasing service by approximately 10% per year to meet regional transit service needs. COTA’s current Short Range Transit Plan includes increasing service frequency on local routes, operating service longer in the day, and extending service into currently unserved areas. Overcrowding on main local routes has required that most service expansion focus upon providing relief to these routes, which limited COTA’s ability to expand service to new areas. The acquisition of articulated buses will provide relief to overcrowded buses and facilitate assignment of other buses to service expansion. The Transportation & Pedestrian Commission previously voted to recommend adoption of the ordinance.
I’d hope so. I’m still waiting for maps and timetables at each stop, along with removing stops that are a block or less from other stops.
I think the city of Columbus could definitely handle having a few of these. I ride the 10 and 2 almost everyday and most of times the buses are over crowded. It is time for the city to move forwards and get these on the streets of Columbus.
I hope COTA is looking beyond just dealing with capacity issues and really looking at using these to their fullest potential. These would be great for BRT and suburban express.
I can’t think of a road that needs BRT more than Broad St.
Yeah. I hope we don’t waste the opportunity with these.
A quick search of my post history will give anyone a good idea of where I stand with transit-especially our rail projects. I wouldn’t be completely opposed to putting the idea on hold and concentrating on our bus system. By concentrate I mean wipe the slate clean and redo the system. Too many good examples of how to work a bus system-Bogata and other South American cities and Paris both easily come to mind.
BRT that would run along the #1, #2, #10 and other high density routes stopping at every 10th stop or more to provide quicker service to those going from point A-E without stopping at B,C,D etc.
Contral flow lanes along the one ways, especially 4th and Summit/3rd and Spring/Long.
Real bus lanes along the routes and expansion of buses on freeways for the express routes.
I don’t know how realistic this is, but cutting the routes in half. Instead of the #1 going from Polaris to Reynoldsberg, via downtown, have a #1A Polaris-Downtown local and #1B Downtown-Reynoldsberg local with a BRT covering Polaris-Reyonldsberg. Same treatment on other lines.
If public opinion wants bus over rail, let’s give it to them.
Wasn’t there a proposal for articulated buses back in the 1980′s or early 1990′s and Council rejected them back then, citing safety or some BS concern?
The only way to really make BRT work is to have boarding platforms with fare vending machines so that the fares are already taken care of when you board. The reason why buses suck is the time it takes for everyone to pay their fare, one at a time. For god sakes, even Cleveland has BRT.
LO2W, You must be reading my web site?
Yeah, I love your ideas and the others I have seen. So much of it is common sense and would be great for COTA.
It would be great when I’m trying to get from work to class on COTA to have a BRT/express that would cut the time.
Extra-long buses that bend might be around bend for COTA
By Debbie Gebolys
Before streetcars, trolleys or trains, central Ohioans might see those funky two-part buses on our streets.
Articulated buses, which have two cabins connected by a flexible, accordion-like hinge, are on COTA’s list for the future. The Central Ohio Transit Authority asked the Columbus and Upper Arlington city councils to allow the buses on their streets. The Columbus council voted tonight to allow the longer buses: 66 feet, compared with the former limit of 48feet.
“It’s not a matter of if we are going to have them; it’s a matter of when we are,” said Bill Lhota, president of the transit authority. “And I just don’t have a good idea of when that is.”
Folks mentioning BRT– this idea needs a lot more publicity. I was talking with the husband of a local US House member about this a few weeks ago–he’d never heard of the concept. I can’t really blame him; I’d only heard of it a few months before.
Oh, and by “publicity”, I don’t mean posting “yeah, me too!” to websites full of same-thinking people; I mean calling/emailing/faxing your local government officials. Heck, go visit ‘em!
http://www.cota.com/contact_cota.asp
Susan Ashbrook, Columbus Environmental Steward, 645-0807
https://forms.house.gov/kilroy/meeting-request-form.shtml
http://brown.senate.gov/contact/
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I support demoocracy!
I believe COTA has BRT as part of their consideration for their long range transit plan.
Depending on who you were talking to, I am not really all that surprised. Especially if they have that little R after their name on CSPAN.
I wouldn’t expect Joe [insert occupation here] off the street to know what BRT is. But in age when environmentalism and alternative transportation are fast becoming major talking points I would expect our elected leadership to at least read around and see whats going on. But that’s why some are leaders and some aren’t.
(That’s not to say we shouldn’t contact them)
Thinking more I’ll add this:
It’s pretty common practice in legislative offices (worked in my Congressman’s district office one summer) to do daily “clips”-basically reading the paper, marking and archiving stories of interest to the district and passing them up the chain. Given the rise of social media and the influence blogging and message boards now have, I don’t think it would be too much to ask that our officials spend 15-20 (realistically I know this will be an interns job) minutes a day browsing through local blogs and message boards to get that alternative view.
Might be an interesting piece to see which local leaders actively read through online sources. I know we have a handful of at least staff reading and posting from some of the local offices.
Sounds like a win-win for everybody. Nice to have one of those for a change. :-)