The Create Columbus Commission is hosting a Bar Hop/Crawl this Friday night to raise awareness about the new COTA late-night #21 bus route that runs up and down High Street.

Join us for some drinks, and safely ride from stop to stop along the route. We’re starting at Barrio at 8pm and will be providing updates on our stops along the way (via twitter, facebook, CU, etc) so that folks can join us at any point along the trip.

Event info can be found on Facebook HERE.

More info about COTA’s #21 Route can be found HERE.

Anyone game for checking this out?

Google released city-by-city lists of the most popular Google searches of 2009.  COTA came in 5th!  More surprising to me was that charitable bike race Pelotonia came in 1st.  I’m also scared that everyone is planning to move to Pickerington (#2) and Canal Winchester (#9).  Lastly, congrats to Walker at CU for coming in 7th.  You can see the full list below:

What I would normally expect to be a low-profile community traffic study has turned into a divisive issue.

West Broad Street is 60 feet wide and currently has three ten-foot lanes in each direction.  Transportation consultant Transystems has proposed changing the lane configuration on Broad Street to one eastbound lane, two westbound lanes, a center turn lane, bike lanes in each direction, and parking on the south side of the street.

The center turn lane is a safety improvement that should also improve pedestrian accessibility.  Fewer traffic lanes should reduce travel speeds, which also improves safety for all roadway users.  The bike lanes would have been consistent with the Bicentennial Bikeways Master Plan and the City of Columbus’ complete streets policy.   Traffic simulation models showed that the lane reduction would still accommodate cars at an acceptable level of service (LOS).  I think the proposal is a pretty nice balance of all transportation modes’ needs.

Although residents appear to be mostly in favor of the proposal, it sounds like concerns from business owners about parking has killed the issue for now.  It doesn’t help that some bike advocates are also opposed to bike lanes based on principle.  I posted my opinion on the “vehicular cycling” philosophy here.  You can read more about the meeting below:

Hilltop Commission meeting recommends no new bike lanes
December 2, 10:16 AM
Columbus Alternative Transportation Examiner
James Fellrath

The hot topic at Columbus’s Hilltop Area Commission meeting last night was the possible installation of bike lanes and the removal of a parking lane on West Broad in the Hilltop neighborhood.  As discussed in the Columbus Dispatch on Monday, the suggestion was supported by a majority of residents but widely disliked by business owners.

The commission voted to recommend that no bike lanes be added and that street parking be retained on both sides of West Broad.

Many residents were supportive of the proposal to add bike lanes to add bike lanes along W. Broad east of Hague Avenue between Harris and Clarendon Avenues, and to remove car parking along the south side of Broad in that area.  But area business owners have negative impressions of anything that is going to remove parking, assuming that will also mean a loss of customers.

READ MORE

Based on the vote against bike lanes I expect that West Broad will instead look like this alternate proposal for parking on both sides.

I personally don’t think this will attract many new cyclists.  Going eastbound you’d be sharing a single 12-foot wide lane with a high volume of traffic.  Going westbound is a little better since cars can pass, but new cyclists are often uncomfortable taking the whole lane, which is what is required in order to avoid the door zone in a 12-foot wide lane next to on-street parking.

In this CU Discussion, I posted a comment about what is called a floating bike lane.  This concept has been successfully implemented in San Francisco on the Embarcadero.  I think it would work great on Broad, although the markings in SF are a little funky and I might prefer something like this:

My concept allows for parking on both sides of the street except during rush hours, which should satisfy the business owners.  It maintains two lanes of traffic in either direction during rush hours and one during off-peak periods, which should keep ODOT and motorists happy.  Lastly, it creates bike lanes or a space equivalent for bike lanes at all times, which should satisfy residents and some cycling advocates.

If the vehicular cycling advocates are adament that there not be bike markings (they will be, the question is really if we care), then the design below could be used.  It still provides space for the cyclists, but doesn’t mark the space with bike symbols and arrows.  Not marking the curb lane as a bike lane could also reduce confusion for parkers, but would probably not attract as many cyclists.

What do you think?  Who likes the floating bike lane?

As previously speculated, the USDOT has announced grants for streetcars.  It’s too bad Columbus never got that engineering study done.  They could probably be ready to go by now and be eligible for up to $25 Million.

Maybe COTA should look at getting some of the $150 Million in bus grants instead.  I’m thinking a BRT version of the #2 connecting downtown to OSU and beyond could be cool.  Maybe include the Main Street portion to go out to Capital University in Bexley as well.  New stations, pre-payment fare cards, signal priority, and articulated buses would make a nice project.

In New Orleans, LaHood Unveils $280M in Streetcar and Bus Grants
by Elana Schor on December 1, 2009

During a visit to New Orleans, where city planners are seeking nearly $100 million in federal stimulus money for three new streetcar lines, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced plans to award $280 million in grants for streetcar and bus networks.

…The money is set to be divided into two parts. The first would award $130 million to streetcars and “urban circulators,” with a focus on proposals that promote mixed-use development in local neighborhoods. No project can win more than $25 million from that pot, however, which would provide about 12 percent of the funding New Orleans needs for its ambitious streetcar expansion plan.

The second $150 million group of bus grants would go to proposals that “provide access to jobs, healthcare, and education, and/or contribute to the redevelopment of neighborhoods into pedestrian-friendly vibrant environments,” the U.S. DOT said in its announcement.

READ MORE

I think downtown Columbus would do well to take a cue from OSU and focus on buildings instead of parking:

Proposal aims to curb cars on campus
By Caitlin O’Neil
Share this article Published: Monday, November 30, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 30, 2009

Over the next few years, Ohio State will begin making its Columbus campus easier to get around for drivers and pedestrians.

Jeff Kaplan, senior vice president of Administration and Planning, has proposed a plan that will alleviate traffic and ultimately lead to fewer cars on campus.

In addition to less vehicle traffic at the core of campus, the change would “ease congestion, while still allowing emergency vehicles, and special access when needed,” Kaplan said.

To initiate the plan, the university would stop creating new parking on campus and use what is already available, said Sarah Blouch, director of Transportation and Parking.

“We have to try to take the core of campus and try to make it more friendly to get around,” Blouch said. “We’re looking for ways for people to get here — on buses, more partnerships with COTA, carpooling.”

Although the plan is in the early stages, changes are already in the works. Transportation and Parking officials hope to add another CABS route and a bus route from the South Campus Gateway to the campus area.

READ MORE

Roads money to rain in ‘10
Stimulus funds for area highway projects could triple next year
Monday, November 30, 2009 3:09 AM
By Bill Bush
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

…In Franklin County this year, the Ohio Department of Transportation awarded about $47.8 million in construction work. For 2010, the number will more than triple to $182.5 million — and it could hit $352.5 million if $170 million in stimulus funding is approved to begin work on the Downtown I-70/71 project, said Brian Hedge, spokesman for the ODOT district in charge of central Ohio.

READ MORE

LIST OF MAJOR PROJECTS

Oddly, contractors don’t seem so optimistic.

Delaware bus system is testing new hours
Friday nights, Saturdays added to routes for December
Sunday, November 29, 2009 3:36 AM
By Dana Wilson
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

DELAWARE, Ohio — The Delaware Area Transit Agency will test expanded bus hours on Friday nights and Saturdays starting this weekend.

The public-transit system for Delaware County typically offers rides by appointment between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. During the first three weeks of December, buses will run until 10 p.m. on Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays.

The change will give more access to riders who schedule individual pickups, but it won’t affect those who use the transit agency’s three fixed bus routes.

Officials want to permanently add night and weekend service in 2010, so they decided to conduct a pilot program to measure the need, said DATA Executive Director Denny Schooley. Riders will be asked to fill out a survey during their trips.

READ MORE

As a side note, the article also reported ridership numbers for COTA’s “Night Owl” Route 21 that runs from Clintonville to downtown on High Street.

The route operates until about 3 a.m. and has become popular with Ohio State University students, said Marty Stutz, spokesman for the Central Ohio Transit Authority. He said that the number of riders on the late-night route has increased since its debut in September.

An average of 427 riders took the route on Saturday nights during the first three weekends in November, compared with 384 in October and 232 in September.

According to COTA’s schedule for the #21, there are 14 trips in each direction on Saturday nights.  If an average of 427 riders took the #21 each Saturday night, then that’s an average of 15.25 passengers per trip.  Obviously, most passengers don’t ride end-to-end, but that doesn’t seem like all that bad a total for this late in the evening.  Let’s hope it continues to grow.

Columbus Underground reported yesterday that the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District (SID) has received a $490,000 US Department of Energy grant for various bicycle parking facilities in downtown parking garages.  This is great news since secure bike parking is often one of the major barriers to getting more people to commute to work by bicycle.

Capital Crossroads Announces New Biking Facilities
By Walker | November 18, 2009 4:30pm

Another big announcement coming out of the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District annual meeting this afternoon is that a $490,000 grant was received from the Department of Energy for the addition of new bike facilities throughout Downtown. The grant will fund the development of new bike shelters, bike lockers, and additional bike parking within existing parking garage structures. These new facilities will be spread out to around dozen locations where workers are likely to benefit for commuting purposes and residents are likely to benefit for recreational riding.

“The increases in bike commuters demands better facilities downtown, and better facilities will undoubtedly increase the number of bikers,” said said Cleve Ricksecker, Executive Director of Capital Crossroads, in a press release issued earlier today. “This is a needed and welcomed addition to our downtown fabric as we continue to maintain our role as one of the most sustainable districts in the region.”

More coverage from the Dispatch here.  Warning: Don’t read the Dispatch’s comments section unless you are prepared to be very disappointed by our populace.

I thought this was a fun video worth sharing.  Hopefully Columbus’ map isn’t still blank in 2020.

I don’t think I ever had a problem with congestion at the old intersection, but maybe I just wasn’t traveling at the right times. It must have been bad if they spent $41 Million to fix it. Enjoy the faster travel times.

New Airport Interchange Opens
Monday, November 16, 2009 6:33 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just in time for the busy holiday season, travelers at Port Columbus International Airport will have an easier time getting around, 10TV’s Jeff Hogan reported.

The Ohio Department of Transportation on Monday reopened an interchange at Stelzer Road, after two years of construction.

The $41 million project gives drivers different options for accessing the terminal.

Drivers can go directly from I-670, bypassing the traffic light on Stelzer, and going directly to parking lots and the terminals.

Or, drivers can exit as normal, and get to Stelzer Road and nearby businesses.

Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for the latest information.

You can read more about the project here: