An ongoing transit study will be the focus of an upcoming open house that will provide the public an opportunity to offer input about ColumBUS transit.
The open house will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Columbus City Hall, 123 Washington St., in the first floor Cal Brand meeting room. A formal presentation is planned at 5:30 p.m.
The transit study will help determine whether any changes are needed within the ColumBUS transit system, said Bryan Burton, the city’s public works director.
The study, being performed by Indianapolis-based Lochmueller Group, is the city’s first in about five years. It is expected to be completed in February or March.
The $77,500 study is being paid 80 percent with federal money, while the remainder is being picked up using funds in the city’s CAMPO budget, said Laura Thayer, director of the Columbus Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and transportation planner with the city.
When the city developed its long-range CAMPO transportation plan in 2016, one of the suggestions made by a consultant was reducing transit times from its current one-hour interval, Thayer said.
Area trends, demographics, future transportation needs, transportation infrastructure, in addition to goals and objectives, are contained in the plan, which can be found on the city’s website.
ColumBUS is considering changing one or two of its five fixed routes from one hour to 30 minutes in duration, Burton said.
That would allow people to avoid waiting for a bus for an hour if they are at a certain location, he said.
If that were done, it would allow ColumBUS to attract more riders and result in buses running more frequently — although such a change is still being evaluated, Thayer said.
Lochmueller Group will also assist the city in determining whether a site being considered for relocation of the ColumBUS transit depot will be advantageous. Currently, the transit depot is located at Mill Race Station on Carl Miske Drive, an area of the city west of the railroad tracks — which could be cut off from the eastern part of the city when longer trains pass through.
Delays of up to 20 minutes for some or all of its five transit routes have occurred due to increased train traffic.
The safety of pedestrians crossing train tracks to get to the transit depot is also another reason that has led city officials to consider relocating the transit facility, he Brinegar said.
Many employees who work at Cummins Inc. downtown often cross the train tracks to catch a bus departing from the depot on a daily basis, said Cindy Setser, the city’s transit coordinator.
As a result of safety concerns, the city is looking at relocating the depot in the area of 13th Street and Cottage Avenue on land owned by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., Burton said.
City officials have had initial discussions with the school corporation about its interest in the property, but Superintendent Jim Roberts declined comment prior to the open house.
Columbus has $600,000 in Local Income Tax funding set aside for the possible transit depot relocation, said Jamie Brinegar, city finance director. That money would be used for construction of a new building and land, if necessary, Brinegar said.
ColumBUS serves 500 to 600 people per day and provided rides to 230,462 passengers last year, Setser said.
Individuals who attend the open house will get to meet with the transit staff and consultants with the Lochmueller Group and ask questions they might have, Burton said.
“This is a great opportunity for people to tell us what they’re looking for,” he said.
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What: Transit study open house
When: 5 to 7 p.m. Monday; formal presentation planned at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Cal Brand meeting room at Columbus City Hall, 123 Washington St.
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