leftovers
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@InnerCore those are some really great transit ideas you have. The downtown to Short North limited free trolley bus is a very good idea and I think it would be great for business along the strip and a calling card for tourism.
I bet businesses along the route would pay decent money (more than typical bus rates) to plaster the inside of it with ads.
columbusdreamer
It Ville
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philly doesn't have free transit and the route isn't that extensive but it felt harder to learn than the new york MTA system. I don't think people shouldn't be overly sensitive about certain issues. We don't have a big tourism population so don't worry about the tourist. Focus on the under served market to tie it in with the current attractions and bam you got the makings of a real metro system. It isn't rocket science.
mrpoppinzs
Arena District
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I remember reading that only about 3% use public transportation for commuting between destinations in Franklin County, 97% use other methods. There are probably a lot of reasons for this, but those numbers are depressing. Personally, I think acclimating groups such as students and 'riders of choice' to bus travel will go a long way, even if it starts with better OSU campus routes and free rubber tire trolleys.
mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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I'd be interested in seeing figures for people that tried public transit once or twice and never again. When I first moved here I didn't have a drivers license or car so I had to take COTA, but the routes were so slow, and the timing so inconvenient I made learning to drive a priority.
OSU students come from all over, and I'm sure some of them are in similar situations, happy to have a "free" pass, but once its discovered it takes 30 minutes to get to the Lennox, not so keen on using the service.
mrpoppinzs
Arena District
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^ Or that the OSU student High St, Campus, Grandview circulator (#82) stops running at 9pm. It is harder to get riders of choice because...well, they have choices. Hopefully COTA can up its game and with attention to some areas will overcome the perception that the bus is a secondary form of transportation mostly for the poor.
susank
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mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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@mrpoppins exactly! When I was a daily bus rider, I worked until 10 p.m. meaning I missed the last "regularly" scheduled bus and needed to wait 45 minutes for the next bus to arrive, finally arriving home (4 miles from my job) at 11:30. That's not even third shift hours. It's hard to sustain a captive ridership whose willing to waste an hour and a half of their time to travel 4 miles.
More on topic, I haven't looked at how the buses label themselves on the travel marquee recently, but maybe the marquee could be updated more frequently as well. A #2 lists itself as "downtown/business district, from Main to Nationwide, and then update to Short North from Nationwide to fifth, giving potential riders a better idea of where the bus is headed. That seems like a simple and inexpensive change that could still go a long way.
peanutnozone
Baltimore MD
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I can only add to the chorus...here in Baltimore we have the Charm City Circulators...four routes...all free..and I have out of towners asking me all the time how to get around and people from ALL walks of life are on there and I think it's a way of getting people's feet wet with buses and this "bridging the gap" method sounds good to me. If you can get people used to thinking of getting around in a transit frame of mind and not driving everywhere, then I think you'd be more successful in getting people on board (pun intended) with trains in the future.
It need not look like a trolley, but if you brand it differently than COTA (which people might have negative opinions of...justified or not, they exist) and have a circular route around big distinations in and around downtown, make it 10 minute headways with convenient hours, people will see the light and start ditching their cars.
I don't remember this Link service...nineties you say? I remember just going to the city center parking lot and not leaving the mall...
mrmann
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Hypothetically speaking, how far would the rubber tire trolley run? I am assuming Fulton to 5th Ave on High St. Running to the SN Kroger might appeal to downtown residents though and might garner a little subsidy from Kroger and the developers downtown. Kroger could also act as a turnaround spot (though that parking lot is tough to navigate).
I can see it starting off as running popular weekend hours and then growing service hours from there.
I agree that a distinctive bus would be fine for this.
Graybeak
Hunky Town
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mrmann said:
Hypothetically speaking, how far would the rubber tire trolley run? I am assuming Fulton to 5th Ave on High St. Running to the SN Kroger might appeal to downtown residents though and might garner a little subsidy from Kroger and the developers downtown. Kroger could also act as a turnaround spot (though that parking lot is tough to navigate).I can see it starting off as running popular weekend hours and then growing service hours from there.
I agree that a distinctive bus would be fine for this.
You may be on to something. The Kroger Trolley. What a great way for them to build goodwill in the community. That way COTA and the city don't need to be bothered.
Perhaps they could get one of Easton's old trolleys.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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InnerCore said:
The trolley looks helps to differentiate it from the normal bus system.
Sure. I understand the reasoning behind it, and if COTA were actually proposing something right now, I'd probably be more likely to be in favor of it than against it.
I'm just saying in the bigger picture, if we're going to work to drum up a strong base of grassroots support, I'd rather we go for the real deal with rail-based transit than the stopgap.
mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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Best way for Kroger to build goodwill in the community, issue everyone their own shopping cart so they can stop stealing Kroger's. I find their carts all over the neighborhood, as a shopper its annoying and as an area resident it just looks ghetto.
rory
Weinland Park
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mrsgeedeck said:
Best way for Kroger to build goodwill in the community, issue everyone their own shopping cart so they can stop stealing Kroger's. I find their carts all over the neighborhood, as a shopper its annoying and as an area resident it just looks ghetto.
They have a guy that drives around and picks them up regularly. Taking your cart home is convenient and creates jobs in the neighborhood. It's a win-win. ;)
mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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@rory Ha! Good to know. What happened to all of the mini carts they started out with? I really liked those, but they were gone within the first month of opening.
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