The short answer: because COTA doesn’t want it to.
The long answer comes from a Columbus Underground discussion back in March. I wrote up a pretty long post detailing my thoughts after attending one of the Columbus Re-Wired Charettes. I’ve heard some people bringing this issue back up, so I thought it might be time to bring it up for discussion again here.
Below is part of my original post where I mentioned my reason for blaming COTA for the Streetcar plan not running to OSU during the first phase of the project:
I raised the question directed at the rep from the Streetcar Committee that’s been brought up on here several times but never given a real answer… why doesn’t Phase One of the streetcar plan include OSU?
I got a pretty long winded response, but the gist of it was that COTA already does a pretty good job servicing OSU and they’d like to see how things go first, and then would consider extending the streetcar line further north if it made sense.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t really rebut this, but I wanted to say… “Well if COTA’s good ol’ #2 is doing such a good job on High Street at OSU, why bother building the streetcar through the Short North or Arena District or down High at all? It’s the same busses running through there, right?”
Anne’s take on this was that COTA makes a lot of money from OSU from their student imposed fees that all students pay whether they ride the bus or not. So basically, OSU pays COTA for a lot of students who don’t even ride the bus. And we’re coming to the conclusion that COTA doesn’t want that money to disappear. Because where the streetcar tracks lie, COTA won’t be running busses anymore.
Sure, it would free up busses and drivers so that COTA could service other outer-lying areas that they currently don’t have the resources for, but ultimately it would hurt them because they wouldn’t be raking in the same free dough from OSU if they don’t get to provide as much service there. And the number two is probably the most frequently used COTA line by students.
So again, this is us coming to our own conclusions, but I totally agree with Anne that this is exactly what was said between the lines with the response that COTA “does a good enough job” with High Street transit near OSU.
What do you think? Is COTA directly to blame for OSU students not getting a Streetcar to connect them with the Short North, Downtown, The Arena District, German Village, the Brewery District, and every other neighborhood along the line? Are COTA’s monetary interests more important than the city’s interest in this project? Would it not benefit both students wanting to visit other neighborhoods and other locals wanting to visit OSU if they were to be included with a streetcar stop?
They should go to OSU, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from connecting to one of the largest universities in the country (If not the largest on some given years). Portland’s streetcar gets a lot of student ridership and they are key to providing off peak trips. If it serves an important function they might even want to pick up on some of the capital costs. No brainer.
[...] there a COTA veto on extending the proposed Columbus streetcar to OSU? Permalink | Bookmark | Trackback URI Posted by Brian | Aug 10, 2007 2:05 pm | Categories: [...]
[...] For the past seven months I’ve been complaining that the Columbus Streetcar Plan Doesn’t Go to OSU. [...]
[...] Oct 6th, 2007 by walkerevans For the past seven months I’ve been complaining that the Columbus Streetcar Plan Doesn’t Go to OSU. [...]
[...] from the mayor’s mouth at a special blogger press event earlier that day. See also: – Why the Columbus Streetcar Plan Doesn’t Go to OSU – Would You Ride a Streetcar? Downtowners say Yes! – Streetcar Update [...]
Interesting take, however, I think I would have to disagree with you (and probably the comittee as well). I think bringing a trolley to campus doesn’t get at the problem that a trolley could really help us with. If we sent phase 1 up and down broad street and then created some sort of neighborhood tax to help pay for it it would do a lot to revitalize (Although maybe gentrify) the franklinton and olde town east areas. Something they need FAR MORE then SN and Campus. Also it would allow for the people who REALLY need to use the train the ability to use it.
If we put it in campus, people may ride it at first, but like the gateway people will lose interest quick.