COTA Pushed Out of Graceland

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COTA Pushed Out of Graceland

July 20, 2010 by John

COTA chief hears furor over turnaround
Thursday, July 15, 2010 11:33 PM
By Doug Caruso
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

COTA’s president went to Clintonville tonight to smooth over opposition to demolishing a strip center for a bus turnaround.

But if any of the more than 70 people were swayed by what Bill Lhota had to say, they weren’t saying so.

Neighbors questioned the site, the cost, the fumes and whether commuters would park in front of their homes to catch the bus at the turnaround.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority is in contract to purchase a small strip mall at the southeast corner of Kanawha and High streets for $1.1 million. It would replace Graceland Shopping Center as the place where most buses running along High Street turn south for Downtown.

Lhota said shopping-center owner Casto has told COTA that as Graceland redevelops, it eventually won’t be able to accommodate the buses. Turning them nearly 4 miles to the north at Crosswoods would cost an additional $2 million in operating costs each year, he said.

There are a couple of reasons I don’t particularly like this move, but if Graceland is really not going to be an option in the future, then I think COTA’s plans make sense for them. My first concern is losing a major park and ride option. Most of the existing park and riders will either have to find a different place to park along the route or not ride at all. Parking somewhere else could mean on a residential street, which might annoy a resident somewhere, but I’d be even more concerned that existing riders might just choose to drive to work if they do not have a convenient parking option.

UPDATE: I’m told that there is no official park and ride at Graceland, which surprised the hell out of me because I know my parents park there to go to OSU football games. So that’s not a concern, but I wonder if anyone is parking there on a daily basis?

My second concern is how service may change. Right now, many buses loop around Graceland, which helps get customers closer to the west end of the shopping center, including Kroger. With the new layover location, COTA will either travel straight up High Street or be forced to take a time-consuming detour into a destination that isn’t the route terminal. Some trips already head straight up High, so that’s not really a big problem, but it does mean longer walks for customers going to the west end of Graceland. The detour probably isn’t that big a deal either since it’s so close to the end of the line. It’s really only an annoyance if you are getting on or off north of Graceland.

All-in-all the Kanawha turnaround seems like a good option, although the community still seems upset about losing the strip mall. Of course, the best alternative would be to leave the bus terminal at Graceland, if that were an option.

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Posted in Bus X-ing | 9 Comments

9 Responses

on July 21, 2010 at 9:00 am | Reply Polis

John,

Not sure if you made that graphic or not, but there is no COTA Park and Ride in Graceland. The Delawanda Park and Ride is at High St. and Rathbone.

Polis
on July 21, 2010 at 10:23 am | Reply John

Hmmm. I thought there was a park and ride there, but it’s not shown on the COTA system map and the Park and Ride link on the COTA website is broken. Is Graceland only used as a park and ride for football games?
on July 21, 2010 at 1:51 pm | Reply Polis

No, Graceland is not an official park and ride.

People may use it as such during football games, but it is not an official park and ride. They are at the mercy of Casto.

Also http://www.cota.com/Park-and-Ride.aspx

That should be the working website for the P&R’s. The list is working now at least.
on July 21, 2010 at 2:33 pm | Reply John

Okay. Thanks for the info. I noticed that the Royal Forest Park & Ride is not on that list either. I’m positive that used to be a park and ride. Is it gone?
on July 24, 2010 at 9:56 am | Reply Bruce Rawson

What about spending some fraction of that million plus to improve a pavement loop at Graceland?
- on July 26, 2010 at 7:35 am | Reply John
  
  That would be fine, but it wouldn’t change the fact that Casto asked COTA to look at other long-term options.
on July 26, 2010 at 10:45 am | Reply Bruce Rawson

Across the street there’s also retail parking.
on January 23, 2011 at 8:44 am | Reply John

Public meeting on this issue Monday the 24th:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/01/22/panel-to-discuss-bus-turnaround.html?sid=101
- on January 25, 2011 at 1:57 pm | Reply John
  
  Sounds like the meeting was productive:
  
  Clintonville residents pick turnaround sites for COTA
  Rancor gives way at citizens meeting
  Tuesday, January 25, 2011 02:51 AM
  By Dean Narciso
  THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
  
  What began as a meeting with a skeptical crowd of more than 50 residents accusing COTA of mismanagement and missed opportunities ended with optimism and three viable locations for a bus turnaround.
  
  “Hello, welcome to the first annual COTA meeting,” mocked one man before last night’s gathering at North Community Evangelical Lutheran Church, near Morse Road and N. High Street.
  
  But within an hour, the residents and a citizens committee had narrowed sites to a former Taco Bell, a residence recently sold to a church and a car dealership whose owner is interested in selling.
  
  READ MORE