RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTubeHey CU. First time poster long time lurker. I decided to create my own map of where I would like streetcar routes to run. My personal opinion is that we should link all of the inner ring suburbs together via streetcar. These places include:grandview, clintonville, bexley, etc. I also added, in black lines, where i think future lightrails should go based on where we already have track today, as well as rail lines on existing rail that would go in between cities in the midwest. Franklinton would be a very important area in this plan. I imagine a train station for lightrail and city to city travel, as well as an abundance of parking garages for those that wish to drive downtown, but use the streetcar when they arrive. Tell me what you think, you might have to zoom on columbus.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion
Streetcar Maps?
[9 posts] [5 contributors]
Rate this topic:
-
johnwirtz
Evanston, IL
Login to Send PM
Nice map Mark. I like everything you said except the abundance of parking garages downtown. I think some parking garages are necessary downtown, but too many creates a lot of dead space on our most valuable land. Downtown land should be devoted to people; living, working, shopping, entertainment. We've been having some map-related discussions on XingColumbus that you may like.
Posted 4 years ago # -
CDS sherman
East Franklinton
Login to Send PM
what was the reason for avoiding west broad st after the scioto pen? but yet it goes out east? alot of people live out west ya know....
Posted 4 years ago # -
Ashland
In Ice Cube voice: WESTSIIIIIIIIDE
Login to Send PM
JohnWirtz wrote Nice map Mark. I like everything you said except the abundance of parking garages downtown. I think some parking garages are necessary downtown, but too many creates a lot of dead space on our most valuable land. Downtown land should be devoted to people; living, working, shopping, entertainment. We've been having some map-related discussions on XingColumbus that you may like.
Thanks for the compliment. I specifically wanted parking garages in Franklinton because I consider Franklinton being a "staging" area for all forms of transit. I would like lightrail to connect franklinton to the burbs, heavy rail to connect us to other cities, and parking garages for those who still wish to drive into the city to be located there. Then every person would be able to hop on the streetcar from franklinton to downtown or where ever. We would fill parking lots of downtown with development. People are still going to need a place to park, so lets get them out of downtown proper and have some sort of staging area like I said.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Ashland
In Ice Cube voice: WESTSIIIIIIIIDE
Login to Send PM
CDS sherman wrote what was the reason for avoiding west broad st after the scioto pen? but yet it goes out east? alot of people live out west ya know....
I knew someone would bring that up, and it seems like my plan is a plan for the "rich" if you will and leaves out some poorer areas, but this is why. I feel that connecting Bexley to downtown is important, because they are 2 areas that are already developed, and the streetcar will spur development along E. main or E. broad, I do not think if you put a street car from downtown to lets say Broad and Clarendon that you will spur development at Broad and Clarendon. If broad and clarendon were already developed, and there was a thriving economy there, then the route would spur growth in the area between the hilltop and downtown, but putting a line to an area with a poor economy, really would not be a great thing at this early point. I would be for running a line out there in the future if the area becomes developed, but even then, that might be too far (the cost to lay out a route from downtown to bexley would be costly, I think downtown to the hilltop is a longer drive).
Posted 4 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
Login to Send PM
Line 1: This is what I'd prefer the Starter line to look like personally. Lane Ave (North OSU) down to German Village. Hopefully we'll get some extensions fairly quickly that will fill in both of those ends.
Line 2: A 2-mile OSU loop through campus nice. I'd almost say to make it bigger, but I guess CABS would fill in the blanks.
Line 3: Is this an extension of Line 1? If so, I like it. If you have to transfer at Lane Ave, I don't like it. I think you should be able to ride from Clintonville to German Village without a transfer.
Line 4: I like 3rd Ave as a rail corridor. I think 5th would work well too, and could potentially run on 5th out east to the Airport instead of snaking the line into downtown.
Line 5: Franklinton Loop into Downtown. I'd actually like to see the second Streetcar line running East-West, but I'd probably make it less of a loop and more of a straight path between Mt. Carmel and Franklin Park Conservatory using Town, Grant, and Oak to stay off Broad St.
Line 6: I don't like that it stops at High. A Broad St. line should run out Broad on both ways if anything at all. Also, I think Bexley would be better served on Main St.
Line 8: I think this CSCC loop to High is too short. It's less than a mile to walk from Cleveland to High, and the walk to Broad is even shorter.
The Light Rail lines all look pretty solid, although I'd probably place my "Grand Central Station" at the block at Front/High/Nationwide for a more central location with perhaps a secondary station in Franklinton.
The regional rail looks good too. Bring it on! :D
Posted 4 years ago # -
Ashland
In Ice Cube voice: WESTSIIIIIIIIDE
Login to Send PM
line 3: It is an extension of line 1. I made it so you had to transfer because everything I have read says streetcars are for moving people shorter distances. If it was a feasible to make line 1 run from GV to clintonville, and still maintain a tight schedule, I would be all for that instead of 2 different lines.
line 4: I put it down third, because it is not as busy as 5th and I think it would handle a streetcar better. If they find 5th works too, fine by me. I tried to keep it off grandview ave. as much as possible to try and maintain the quaintness of the street while still allowing passengers to arrive to the district.
line 5: I basically put it there to connect my "hub" in franklinton to various areas downtown.
line 6: Truthfully you are probably right Bexley would be better served by main street. The reason I chose Broad is because I feel Broad St. going to Bexley is a gem of our community, with gorgeous buildings. I felt like it would be a "wow" factor for visitors traveling here to see how i envision Broad st. looking in 10 years. Main street, would work better though, so I do agree, probably move that line over to Main.
Line 8: I agree it is too short too. I sort of just threw it in there because I felt people would say I was ignoring CSCC. I guess not though, so let's get rid of it.
The reason i put the hub in franklinton is because it seems all existing rails lead to Franklinton. Plus the land is cheaper, and there is more room for expansion. My view is that one area will have all the transportation items we need. Franklinton would house a large light rail hub, the heavy rail station, street car station, as well as a large bus station (both local, and greyhound), and we would finally have many parking garages there for those that still wish to drive into our city.
Posted 4 years ago # -
cmhcow
shhh... i am right behind you!
Login to Send PM
Ashland wrote If broad and clarendon were already developed, and there was a thriving economy there, then the route would spur growth in the area between the hilltop and downtown, but putting a line to an area with a poor economy, really would not be a great thing at this early point. I would be for running a line out there in the future if the area becomes developed.
yeah, but limited access transit (streetcars, light rail even freeway interchanges) spurs economic development. it would be wise to extend a line to a less developed area and plan a dense, transit oriented development around a fixed stop. its proactive instead of reactive and is very common in other transportation systems. transportation planning can drive population migration and economics. MORPC actually did some cool modeling on how land use would change with a regional rail system in place. it was very telling.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Ashland
In Ice Cube voice: WESTSIIIIIIIIDE
Login to Send PM
cmhcow wrote
Ashland wrote If broad and clarendon were already developed, and there was a thriving economy there, then the route would spur growth in the area between the hilltop and downtown, but putting a line to an area with a poor economy, really would not be a great thing at this early point. I would be for running a line out there in the future if the area becomes developed.
yeah, but limited access transit (streetcars, light rail even freeway interchanges) spurs economic development. it would be wise to extend a line to a less developed area and plan a dense, transit oriented development around a fixed stop. its proactive instead of reactive and is very common in other transportation systems. transportation planning can drive population migration and economics. MORPC actually did some cool modeling on how land use would change with a regional rail system in place. it was very telling.
I actually agree with you, but I believe the key part is having a transit oriented development at the end of this line. I believe the only way It would really spur development along that line is if a developer came in at the same time as the city was building the line, and built a huge mixed use development, maybe 100 million dollars or so somewhere in the hilltop area. To me it would have to be a mixed use development like the campus gateway. I just do not see this happening in the next 10 years.
At this point I believe the city is more focused on the economic impact than actually providing transportation. Using this model I think we should focus on development in the inner city first then focus on areas further out. After we focus on the area that stretches from bexley to grandview and franklinton, and then from german village to clintonville we can focus on other areas like: linden, hilltop, far eastside. etc. We should focus getting the inner city alive and really jumping, then we can focus on other areas.
Posted 4 years ago #
You must log in to post.
Launched in August 2010, TheMetropreneur.com is a local online resource devoted to small business development and entrepreneurship. Its aim is to tell the stories of Central Ohio's business community, foster regional economic development and assist entrepreneurs with its resource-heavy focus.