Columbus City Council just approved a plan this week to spend $167 million on new bike paths throughout Columbus. I’ve heard nothing about any sort of public outcry on this spending. Bike paths are traditionally used for recreational purposes. Most bike commuters use existing streets to get where they need to go. Meanwhile, the $100 [...]
Posts under ‘Transportation’
Columbus Streetcar Project Featured in The Alive
Rail road The Alive By John Ross May 22, 2008 Modern streetcars are similar in spirit — though not in appearance or functionality — to the trolleys that lined Columbus streets before being ripped up starting in 1933. Of the 15 largest metropolitan areas in the United States, only Columbus, San Antonio and Indianapolis lack [...]
What’s the cost of your daily work commute?
Eric posted an update on Cap City Savvy that details how much money you can put towards buying a home (or other things) by axing your commute and living within walking distance of where you work. Of course, this isn’t an easily doable option for everyone, but moving closer to work (or biking/busing distance) can [...]
I’m Glad I’m Not “Stranded in Suburbia”
A friend posted this article on ColumbusUnderground today. It’s such a common sense op-ed piece, but it’s amazing how many people refuse to admit that change is upon many of us, and just around the corner for the rest of us. Stranded in Suburbia By PAUL KRUGMAN Published: May 19, 2008 I have seen the [...]
What exactly is a Streetcar?
John Wirtz has posted a great writeup over on XING Columbus about the differences in different types of rail transit. If you’re confused about the differences between heavy commuter rail, light rail, Streetcars, and monorail, then this is definitely something you should read. All too often I hear people dismiss the idea of a modern [...]
Gas Price Thread on ColumbusUnderground Coming Full Circle
One of the more interesting ongoing discussions on Columbus Underground lately was started with a link to a Dispatch article back on December 30th which predicted the cost of gasoline surging up to $4 per gallon by Memorial Day 2008. When the article was published, gas was averaging $3 per gallon, so that was a [...]
Streetcar Video – The Portland System
Q: What exactly does a modern Streetcar system look like: A: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL7QEQuRqq0]
The Columbus Streetcar Construction Impact Memo
Memo from HDR Engineering, Inc.: Project: Columbus Streetcar Date: April 26, 2008 Re: Streetcar construction impacts You asked about the impact of streetcar construction on businesses along the alignment and on maintaining traffic flow during construction. This is a serious concern: major construction projects in a busy downtown environment can have large impacts on “life [...]
The COTA Challenge: Into the second month
Although we didn’t pick up our bus pass until April 10th, I’m considering the start of May as our second month with bus riding and wanted to run through a quick list of pros and cons I’ve encountered along the way so far. Pros: The routes near home (6, 11, 16) have been on-time about [...]
Unofficial Citizen Support Site for Streetcars Launches
Related Stories: – COTA gets aboard streetcar planning with $50,000 – Streetcars to get public hearing next week – Council brakes on streetcar and traffic cameras – Streetcar Financing Plan – How it all works