Brent Warren
Recent Posts
Columbus Set to Unveil Transportation Recommendations
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After a year and a half of public meetings, provocative ideas, and at least one significant delay, the City of Columbus is set to unveil the final recommendations of their Connect Columbus initiative.
Interview: “Gridlock Sam” Weighs in on Big Transportation Issues in Columbus
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The Center for Urban and Regional Analysis at OSU recently brought former New York City Transportation Commissioner Sam Schwartz to town. Schwartz, who actually coined the term “gridlock” in the 1970′s, writes a popular column for the New York Daily News under the moniker “Gridlock Sam.” He gave a lecture at OSU on Tuesday in […]
Columbus Phasing Out “Share the Road” Signs
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The City of Columbus is phasing out the use of yellow “Share the Road” signs in favor of white signs that say “Bikes May Use Full Lane.” The shift is meant to communicate more clearly the idea that, under city and state code, bikes are not required to hug the curb or stay to the […]
Transit Columbus to City: Don’t Skip Rail in Pursuit of Driverless Cars
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As recently as a year ago, it appeared that the stars were finally aligning (albeit slowly) for those hoping to see some sort of rail transit in Columbus. COTA’s NextGen initiative was laying out “premium transit corridors,” the city’s Connect Columbus plan was floating the idea of an underground light rail line through the Short North, and […]
Release of Transit Recommendations Delayed
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The release of the final recommendations from a pair of high-profile plans meant to set the agenda for Columbus’ transit future has been delayed. The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), which started holding public meetings in April of last year for its NextGen initiative, had indicated as recently as last fall that a final report was […]
Columbus Makes Its Pitch for $40 Million “Smart City” Grant
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US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was in town yesterday to talk about the “Smart City Challenge,” a national competition that will award up to $40 million to the city judged to have the best ideas for utilizing technology to improve its transportation network. Columbus was one of seven cities named as finalists for the award […]
Planning Underway for Downtown Bike Hub at Front and Long
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Planning is underway by the City of Columbus on a bike hub that would be located on the first floor of the new city parking garage being built at the northwest corner of Front and Long streets downtown. The facility would be open to the public and would offer cyclists a place to store their […]
COTA to Roll Out Real-time Tracking Next Week
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COTA plans to roll out real-time tracking at the end of next week, a feature that will allow riders to use a smart phone to see where their bus is for the first time. “On Friday, May 6, COTA will begin providing real-time information to customers through Transit App,” said COTA Public and Media Relations […]
Local Transit Start-up Working on Real-Time Tracking App, On-Board Payment Idea
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A local start-up has set its sites on two of the most vexing problems facing its local transit agency – real-time tracking and convenient on-board payment. Omnibus, a group of developers and entrepreneurs formed at this year’s Give Back Hack event, is bullish on the potential of their app to offer an easy, visually-friendly way […]
Yay Bikes Hoping to Continue Successful Ride Buddy Program
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Yay Bikes is looking for funding to continue a program that Executive Director Catherine Girves calls “the best thing we’ve ever done.” The program is called Ride Buddy, and during a brief trial run last summer, “people were having transformational experiences,” according to Girves. An extensive follow-up survey showed lasting success in getting people to […]
COTA Looking to Roll Out New Downtown-Airport Bus Line in May
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COTA is moving ahead with plans to provide regular bus service between downtown and Port Columbus. A proposed route will be presented at public meetings next week with the goal of rolling out the new service in May of this year. The route would make a loop through downtown, stopping at a number of hotels […]
COTA Looking for Help in Picking Best Corridors for Light Rail or Streetcars
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There is no shortage of opinions in Columbus about whether rail should be a part of our future transit network, and the Central Ohio Transit Authority, with it’s ongoing NextGen process, is very methodically working toward an official recommendation on that front. However, before any decisions are made about what type of “premium transit” is […]