The major complaint that I have both heard and read about concerning these
packages is that they don't go far enough fast enough. Yes, it would be
great if we could get more than 50 miles of sidewalks and expand the area
farther than the city's ancient boundaries. Yes, it would be great if we
could do the entire bikeway plan by 2012 and not have to do it in phases.
And yes, it would be great if we could go beyond one 2.8 mile streetcar
demonstration and put together a complete light rail transportation system
moving out to the suburbs in all directions by 2012. But, that is just not
fiscally or physically possible.
I was truly fascinated when the streetcar plan was unveiled Thursday night
seeing Bill Lhota at the table. Then it dawned on me: Coleman, Lhota, Gee
and the others who participated in the process did an end run around COTA's
need to go to the voters for rail. They put together a plan financed
primarily by user fees. By 2012 we will have a demonstration short, short
line rail system in Central Ohio. And, people will see this for the
enlightened idea it is.
Times are changing and as the mayor said people can ill afford to pay for
gasoline and diesel. And, the cost of these fuels will only continue to go
up. We need to expand the walkability, bikability and mass transit options
in Columbus and Central Ohio. By 2012 we will have made substantial progress
in these areas, enough so that voters will hopefully be willing to support
ballot issues to expand these services further and in an accelerated time
frame.
In my crystal ball, I can picture how these modes would work together in a
comprehensive Central Ohio transportation system.
For most people, you can look at the modes as walking for shorter distances,
bicycling for intermediate to longer commuting distances, and coupling
walking and bicycling with mass transit for the furthest distances.
First, realize that every trip begins and ends on your own two feet. In an
ideal region for a longer-distance trip with much more mass transit and
better bicycle and pedestrian facilities than you see in Central Ohio today
it might look like:
1. Walk for the shortest trips
2. Get on your bike for shorter to intermediate distances
3. For longer trips just ride or walk to a bus stop (or train station
if it is nearby)
4. Get on a bus (and load your bike on rack if you use it) Buses act
as a feeder into a rail system or for cross-town routes.
5. Get off the bus and walk to a train (and put your bike on the rack
in the train - this is how they do it in Minneapolis). DC and suburban MD
and VA have a system in place with buses, walkers and bicycles feeding into
their Metro and this improves air quality as fewer buses have to venture
into the central city.
6. Get off the train (and remember to take you bike with you:-)) and
either get on another bus, or ride or walk to your destination
7. If you took a bus, get off the bus and walk or ride your bike to
your destination (lock your bike to ample bike racks if you did not walk)
I've said at more than one MORPC meeting that requiring you to specify which
mode you use to travel in a multi-modal world is a bogus process. In the
scenario above you walked, rode a bicycle, used a bus, used a train, etc.
You can't just pick one - it's not reality. We're here to facilitate
transportation, not bean counting.
This kind of multi-modal system is what we need in Central Ohio. We should
not be satisfied with anything less.
We need to move to a multi-modal energy-efficient transportation in Central
Ohio that emphasizes mass transit, bicycling and walking. Not tomorrow or
ten years from now, but now. This also has broad implications for future
land use and how we service people where they live and work now.
I'll save the issue of how we provide goods to people for a future mailing.
Ira S. Weiss
11735 Eddington Ave NW
Pickerington OH 43147-9194
<email obscured>
-----Original Message-----
From: Forum Manager [mailto:<email obscured>]
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2008 10:17 PM
To: <email obscured>
Subject: [CORIF] The Issues that Matter
Good Evening Everyone--
We would like to start off the discussion with a general topic. What do you
feel is the most pressing issue facing our region and what steps have or
could be taken to begin working toward solutions?
Because this is a very broad topic, the issue you identify could serve as a
'seed' to a new discussion topic. Remember, to start a new topic, you can
simply address an email to <email obscured> with a new heading
in the subject line.
Best,
Liz and Josh, your forum managers
Corif Forum Manager
Central Ohio, None
Info about CORIF Managers:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/morifmanager
This topic's messages may be viewed at:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/1H4LmkHQmrDRvFfVEz3XIJ
-----------------------------------------
To post, send your message to: <email obscured>
To leave or for daily digest, type "unsubscribe" or "digest on,"
in subject line and send to: <email obscured>
More info about Central Ohio Regional Issues Forum:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/corif
E-Democracy.Org rules: http://e-democracy.org/rules
-----------------------------------------
Technical assistance thanks to our friends at http://OnlineGroups.Net