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Light Rail in Central Ohio

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Started 10 months ago by stephentszuter
Latest reply from jbcmh81

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bman
New Albany
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stephentszuter said:
Unfortunately, no, because after the hour-long bus ride to New Albany, I would need to cab to my workplace. I would say I'm an exception, but I'm not entirely... I am considering asking facilities if they would send a shuttle to wait at the bus stop in NA. We have 10 or so shuttles that shuttle employees around the parking lot.

If I didn't cab, it would be another hour walk for the closest bus station.

I am sure your company will make special arrangements for you, demand it!

Posted 10 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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bman said:
Boy this is progress. Lets pattern ourselves after third world countries. I don't want to live like India, Europe or SE Asia.

Yes, because what you quoted says exactly that.

Posted 10 months ago #
pedex

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bman said:
Boy this is progress. Lets pattern ourselves after third world countries. I don't want to live like India, Europe or SE Asia.

Europe has third world countries?

Posted 10 months ago #
DTown
Discovery District South
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titleistcm said:
Norfolk's metro population is nearly the same as Columbus, not 1/3- just look at the wiki link that was posted earlier. It is a huge area, and there are quite a few large cities in the region. And their downtown still has a functioning mall with Nordstrom and whatnot (slightly off topic). They also have huge bodies of water, lots of bridges and tunnels, therefore their freeway network is much more expensive to expand. They also have the Navy pumping tons of cash into the area. These are all factors very different from Columbus.

Metro area, yes, very different geographically too. I get that.

But the rail system there is entirely within the city limits, it does not extend to the metro area (yet). And, city to city, Columbus is much larger.

So, at the moment, it's a reasonable comparison. There was no DoD money used to build their rail system, any more than OSU money would be used to fund one here.

Posted 10 months ago #
The Peoples Champion
The Legion of Doom
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bman said:
Ok .... Let's vote. I am all for a vote to lay rail to rest until we have budget surpluses.

Why lay it to rest, let's build now so all 30 people can ride from downtown to OSU. To get your money back, the fare can be about 2 1/2 million for a day pass. While we're at it, let's spend millions to see how much wood, could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood!!

Posted 10 months ago #
bman
New Albany
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pedex said:
Europe has third world countries?

Have you checked their economies out lately! We need to spend LESS not more.

Posted 10 months ago #
DTown
Discovery District South
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The Peoples Champion said:
Why lay it to rest, let's build now so all 30 people can ride from downtown to OSU. To get your money back, the fare can be about 2 1/2 million for a day pass. While we're at it, let's spend millions to see how much wood, could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood!!

Because the only people who favor alternative and/or progressive transportation options are here on CU? What happened to the guy who liked to get his info from people in the street, and not the internet?

Posted 10 months ago #
bman
New Albany
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The Peoples Champion said:
Why lay it to rest, let's build now so all 30 people can ride from downtown to OSU. To get your money back, the fare can be about 2 1/2 million for a day pass. While we're at it, let's spend millions to see how much wood, could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood!!

That is Walker's et al's approach. People on here would spend billions even if the vote was overwhelmingly a no!

Posted 10 months ago #
DTown
Discovery District South
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bman said:
Have you checked their economies out lately! We need to spend LESS not more.

I wonder how much their transportation systems cost them, in real dollars, when they were built? Bet more than what we could start building them today for.

Spending less doesn't always equate to having more.

Posted 10 months ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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I probably missed it...when did we take a vote to spend billions on the split fix?

Posted 10 months ago #
The Peoples Champion
The Legion of Doom
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DTown said:
Because the only people who favor alternative and/or progressive transportation options are here on CU? What happened to the guy who liked to get his info from people in the street, and not the internet?

This is where I'm getting the 30 people from the 20 on here. And a plus or minus of 10 people who want to throw money down the drain. I'm giving you guys 10 people.

Posted 10 months ago #
DTown
Discovery District South
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The Peoples Champion said:
This is where I'm getting the 30 people from the 20 on here. And a plus or minus of 10 people who want to throw money down the drain. I'm giving you guys 10 people.

Shoot. I could bribe 15 if I had to.

Posted 10 months ago #
The Peoples Champion
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jbcmh81 said:
Big changes in how cities function, including the proliferation of suburbia and auto-dependency, all came about by people who were "obsessed with this crap". You don't have to agree with it, but like it or not, big changes will take place to the transportation scene of Columbus, sooner or later.

Columbus has been growing for probably 40 years now. And even with this, ppl can't get light rail here. Columbus could have a population of 5 million and there would be 4 1/2 million driving cars a little under 1/2 million on the bus. And some nut bicycling from his job in Grove City to his home in Newark...

Posted 10 months ago #
The Peoples Champion
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DTown said:
Shoot. I could bribe 15 if I had to.

Politicians don't count.

Posted 10 months ago #
DTown
Discovery District South
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The Peoples Champion said:
Columbus has been growing for probably 40 years now. And even with this, ppl can't get light rail here. Columbus could have a population of 5 million and there would be 4 1/2 million driving cars a little under 1/2 million on the bus. And some nut bicycling from his job in Grove City to his home in Newark...

Los Angeles is probably the most car-centric city in the universe. It has light rail. People fought tooth and nail against it. They liked sitting in their cars for hours every day. They refused to give up their cars. Expand the freeways they said. People like it now. And use it. A lot.

To me, light rail is like a Walmart in your neighborhood. Everyone fights it, but once it's there, they use it.

I don't think there is a light rail system in the US that is under-utilized. Or not planning expansion. Why would Columbus be the lone exception?

Just because a city drives today, doesn't mean they wouldn't embrace change tomorrow. You seem to acknowledge that what the city has done in the past isn't working, why so against alternatives?

Posted 10 months ago #
jbcmh81

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bman said:
Ok .... Let's vote. I am all for a vote to lay rail to rest until we have budget surpluses.

I'm glad we only build roads when we have budget surpluses.

Posted 10 months ago #
jbcmh81

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The Peoples Champion said:
Columbus has been growing for probably 40 years now. And even with this, ppl can't get light rail here. Columbus could have a population of 5 million and there would be 4 1/2 million driving cars a little under 1/2 million on the bus. And some nut bicycling from his job in Grove City to his home in Newark...

Try to add a bit more hyperbole next time.

Posted 10 months ago #
uncleboo
Italian Village
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bman said:
People on here would spend billions even if the vote was overwhelmingly a no!

The epitome of the "non-negotiable way-of-life" mindset I'm afraid. If asked, I'm sure the readers of this increasingly useless thread would overwhelming vote in favor of guaranteed $0.99/gal gasoline for the next 40 years. But I'm guessing no matter how hard we ask or beg or negotiate, big oil isn't going to cooperate with popular opinion.

While popular opinion is also that we should be a happy motoring country for the foreseeable future, I'd argue that a back-up plan be formulated just in case, and rail transit should be a part of that plan. Just in case.

Posted 10 months ago #
The Peoples Champion
The Legion of Doom
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DTown said:
Los Angeles is probably the most car-centric city in the universe. It has light rail. People fought tooth and nail against it. They liked sitting in their cars for hours every day. They refused to give up their cars. Expand the freeways they said. People like it now. And use it. A lot.

To me, light rail is like a Walmart in your neighborhood. Everyone fights it, but once it's there, they use it.

I don't think there is a light rail system in the US that is under-utilized. Or not planning expansion. Why would Columbus be the lone exception?

Just because a city drives today, doesn't mean they wouldn't embrace change tomorrow. You seem to acknowledge that what the city has done in the past isn't working, why so against alternatives?

LA also has the Dodgers, Lakers, Clippers, and places to go, things to do. And, I still sat in traffic for a notoriously long time out there. Their traffic didn't get any better, it got worse. It's like Columbus, just without the fun things to do..

Posted 10 months ago #
The Peoples Champion
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jbcmh81 said:
Try to add a bit more hyperbole next time.

The on;y way you're going to get light rail is if the voters hop on board. And the routes going to the Airport or OSU aren't going to cut it. A route going to the Airport would be a failure, because COTA tried that with buses and it flopped.

I just can see how financially, you can justify light rail in this city.

We Spent 47 grand on a study that showed light rail couldn't get any funding

Posted 10 months ago #