Ever since the article came out about the insanely near tipping point for global warming, I've been thinking about ways to fight it. It may seem like a problem that's too huge for individuals to affect, but as residents of the largest city of one of the most polluting states of the most polluting country in the world, there's definitely an opportunity for us to take leadership.
We always bitch about the lousy state of public transit here in Cbus. But are there things we can do other than wait for streetcars to arrive in 20-whenever? Especially with gas prices skyrocketing, it seems like a good time to get creative.
The obvious choices have been covered here already:
1. Walk - Good for health, free, non-polluting. But not practical for many neighborhoods.
2. Bike - Same advantages as walking, but dangerous downtown, slower than cars, difficult for long distances
3. Bus - I think we all know the pros and cons here.
But what are some other options? One thing that comes to mind is car pooling and ride sharing. I did a quick websearch, and here's what I came up with that is currently available:
http://www.erideshare.com/carpool.php?city=Columbus&dstate=OH
http://columbus.craigslist.org/rid/
http://www.rideboard.com/search/advanced-search.php
I'm thinking about putting together my own local rideboard site, but I'm not sure if that involves liability, and if we need anything not being covered by the national sites.
Also, it might be worth thinking about ways to reach out more to people who might need rides but who may not be on the internet.
What are some other possibilities? When I lived in Kenya there were private vehicles (minivans) that would run the bus routes and pick up passengers. They tended to be faster and more frequent than the buses --it seems like there might be an opportunity for some enterprising person to fill that same niche here.
I've also thought a lot about the parking problem in the Short North. If I was the SNBA, instead of building parking garages (or spending millions on arches!), I would subsidize a private shuttle that would run up and down High Street during peak hours. That way people could park downtown or in the Campus Gateway and get a free ride to the Short North. That could also help revitalize downtown. You could probably get the Arena District and the Gateway to buy in as well --maybe even extend it to the Brewery District. Plus it's employment for someone.
Another possibility along the same lines would be to strike a deal with the taxi companies. Participating businesses would give out vouchers for free trips between downtown and the short north. It would be a win-win: free parking downtown for customers, guaranteed income for the taxi companies, and a solution to the parking issue for the Short North.
Is anyone familiar with Curitiba? They pioneered bus rapid transit. I'm not saying their system will work here, but the point is, they were creative, and came up with a practical solution to their transport problems... and that's what we need to do here.
