Petricorp
I took a trip from the OSU Campus to a Hilliard Rome Rd shopping center using the COTA bus system, a trip that cut across Columbus from the inside out. The journey began at the bus stop at 13th Avenue and High Street, positioned on the OSU side of High Street at the Ohio Union. Across the street a retail area made up of mostly rundown historic buildings housing restaurants, bars, and clothing shops intended to appeal to college students. There was no seating at the stop, which would have been annoying if the bus didn’t arrive quickly.
Bus 2A arrived at 9:55 A.M. and carried me down the path of High Street to my transfer at 5th Avenue. The bus traveled through the transition zone between campus and the Short North with stops roughly every minute. This no-man’s-land featured an uneven mix of cheap apartments and retail with fairly large parking lots acting as edges by damaging continuity.[1] As the area got denser in the vicinity of the Short North, the bus filled up accordingly with six new passengers at the third stop and the bus becoming roughly half full by the fourth stop. It seemed like people lived in the area but worked downtown and were taking the 2 bus to get there. I arrived at my fifth stop (High and 5th Avenue) at 10:01 and departed the bus for the transfer. It was a very short walk to the transfer stop along 5th Avenue where I waited for a 5 bus to take me the rest of the way. This stop was located in the heart of the Short North, a historic area that has undergone gentrification to become a mixed-use arts and entertainment district. Buildings had businesses on the first floors and (generally expensive) apartments on the upper floors.
By 10:06, the 5 Bus arrived and began its westward trip. The landscape changed quickly from the mixed-use neighborhoods of the Short North to a series of strip malls, offices and residential-only apartment complexes. This lower-density development resembled the transition zone between OSU and the Short North but seemed generally wealthier, with Battelle at 5th and Perry acting as a major landmark. This uneven development gave way to the more organized and zoned region of Upper Arlington, which was marked by old suburban houses, separated from zones of retail. Architecturally, Arlington was very cohesive. We left Arlington when we crossed a railroad (another edge). We then crossed over a newly-completed bridge over the Scioto to a former quarry. I wondered how the bus finished its route before the new bridge was installed. The quarry area was cleverly redeveloped with condos surrounding the quarry itself, now a lake. There were at least two stops in this neighborhood but nobody got on or off. This may have been because the bus system is largely (although not entirely) used by poorer people who cannot afford cars.
The bus then turned right onto McKinley Avenue and left onto Trabue Road to continue the westward journey. Trabue was mostly surrounded by poorly kept single-family homes interspersed with industrial buildings. On my right at the corner of Trabue and Wilson was a golf course, which I found to be unusually located. West of Wilson, there were mostly suburban style neighborhoods on the left and warehouses, factories, and offices on the right.
The 5 Bus continued to arrive at stops roughly every minute, but unlike the 2 on High Street, the 5 almost never actually stopped unless requested. This is probably because the 5 bus traveled through a lower density area than did the 2 and thus passed fewer destinations. On Trabue Road at 10:26, a stop was requested and six people got off the bus at a call center called Teleperformance, leaving only four passengers. It is likely that the large group worked at Teleperformance or a neighboring business. I heard complaints that COTA didn’t stop at enough places of employment. This may be true overall but in traveling through a largely industrial area, the 5 Bus provided this opportunity.
Shortly after the Teleperformance stop, Trabue Road turned into Renner Road and I arrived at my destination at Renner and Rentra (near Hilliard Rome Road) at 10:29. At this stop all four remaining passengers left the bus and the empty 5 bus continued westward. From start to finish, the journey took just 34 minutes including five minutes of waiting for the transfer. Having traveled just under 9 miles, the buses averaged about 18.6 miles per hour. This was actually very fast as the website had suggested this journey would take almost an hour. Perhaps if every stop had been requested the bus would have taken an hour. I couldn’t help thinking that if I actually needed to get somewhere at a specific time, arriving almost half an hour early would be better than being late but would still be annoying. Also annoying was the fact that the Renner-Rentra stop lacked not only a bench (although there was one on the other side) but a sidewalk- forcing passengers to walk on the grass. This is not surprising as the Renner-Rentra stop is located at a car-oriented big-box shopping center but it was still a problem. If the weather was rainy, the walk to and from the stop would be very unpleasant. I would recommend that the city of Columbus and COTA work to improve the quality of these stops by extending sidewalks and adding benches. This would make riding the bus a more pleasant experience.
I would make even stronger recommendations about COTA’s website and maps. The website’s trip planner feature almost never worked and when it did, it provided no built-in way to print the map. COTA’s free printed maps don’t suffer from these technological problems but they are confusing. The full system map offers an impenetrable web of bus routes while the individual-route maps provided on the buses have equally complex time charts. I would suggest that COTA create a more user-friendly mapping system.
One thing that COTA did do very well, however, was provide for passengers with disabilities. During the journey, I saw how the bus driver helped a passenger in a wheelchair. The driver lowered a ramp at the man’s exit and then unbuckled the restraints on the wheelchair and re-lowered the seats. I doubt this procedure is unique to COTA but I was still happy how the system gave special care to those who needed it.
[1] http://themobilecity.nl/2009/05/08/review-kevin-lynch-the-image-of-the-city/
Plan B
Our group took a COTA bus to the Short North. We began at the bus stop located at 18th at High Street and embarked at 2:34 PM. One of the first things we noticed on the way there was that the driver would not move the bus at all until everyone had completely paid. Debora thought this was interesting because the bus system works differently in Brazil. We also noticed that the bus didn’t stop at every single stop. The bus only stopped if people were waiting at a stop or if someone requested a stop by pulling a yellow cord on the wall.
On the way to the Short North, we counted about twenty eight total riders, including ourselves. We also counted between twelve and fifteen stops. We noticed that there were approximately thirty seconds between stops if traffic was running smoothly and the bus didn’t get stopped at any traffic lights. Traffic seemed to be fairly light during the ride, but we did get stopped at a few red lights. We estimated that the average speed on the way there was approximately twenty five to thirty miles per hour. Another thing we noticed on the way to the Short North was that area was primarily commercial, with some apartments on the upper levels as we got closer to the Short North. This makes sense because the entire route was along North High Street, which is a primarily commercial area, while the Short North is more mixed use. We finally got off of the bus at 2:46 PM.
After walking a short distance to the next bus stop, we got back on at stop 1179 at 2:51 PM. The ride back was essentially the same as the ride there since it was the exact same route. We finally got back off the bus at 3:03 PM at the same location we began at. Overall, we found our ride to be efficient and relatively pleasant. It’s unclear whether other COTA routes would be as efficient as this one, seeing as we rode the 2, which is the most used line. It’s possible that other lines might have a much longer wait time and could run less smoothly.
Recommendations: The COTA bus system seems very effective, due to its accessibility and punctuality. However, some aspects must be improved to meet Columbus needs. The first aspect is the amount of routes; there aren’t many routes accessing the whole city, which turns transportation very difficult to people who don’t have a car. Other aspect is the time lapse between buses; usually, if a person needs to access a more distant region, he/she will have to wait a long time to get into the bus. Also, during the ride, we noticed that some people were fumbling around for exact change as they boarded the bus. This takes a lot more time compared to our group just having to swipe our BuckIDs. We would recommend expanding electronic payment options for everyone. Not only would this be more convenient, but it would also shorten boarding times, leading to a faster service.
CombOver Inc.
From Knowltown Hall to Giant Eagle Market District Grandview:
We started our trip at the stop at Woodruff and Fisher College, which is a nice bus stop with coverage right on campus. It was the standard campus bus stop with shelter a shelter and bench. It just tends to be overloaded with people because of the multi use of COTA and CABS. We waited here for the number 84 bus, which arrived 3 minutes late. The bus stopped often, almost at every stop on the route we took. At the time we took this bus (around 2:20) the bus was almost full with mostly younger riders, probably because of the specific time and the fact that a high school was right on the route. Overall, the bus was very efficient in the route and the amount of people on the bus. Almost every seat was full. We then got off at Northwest Blvd and Independence Rd. This stop was just on the edge of the road with no bench and barely even a sidewalk. In order to get to our next stop for the transfer, we had to cross the street without a crosswalk, which could be difficult for someone with a disability or unable to walk fast enough. At the bus stop, the setback of the sidewalk was very extreme. There was a wide curb almost like a sidewalk, but too narrow. In order to get to the stop, we had to walk through the grass. The stop had a bench that was falling apart and it just felt like we were standing in someone’s front yard because of the large amount of green space. Here we waited for the number 3 bus which came right on time at 2:51. When we first got on the bus, we were the only ones on it and in our almost 10 minute ride, only two other people got on the bus with us. We arrived at the stop in front of the Giant Eagle Market District about right on time at 2:59.
From Giant Eagle Market District Grandview to Knowlton Hall:
After arriving at the Giant Eagle Market District, we had to walk through the parking lot to get to the storefront. To get to the bus stop we needed to catch our bus back, we had to walk around the Giant Eagle and down a couple blocks, about a 10 minute walk to the stop at West 5th Ave and Edgehill Rd. This was the only other close bus stop to the Giant eagle and could be a problem for some people if they are buying groceries and have to carrry them all the way to the bus stop. Bus stops closer to the Giant Eagle itself would allow people to have better access to this resource. This bus stop was a very nice stop. There was a shelter and a nice bench and sidewalk. The number 5 came at 3;15 pm, which was right on time. There was no one else at the stop, but us at the time. When we got on the bus there were an average number of people, about 10. We then road this bus to the corner of West 5th Ave and Neil Ave. We exited the bus, then walked to the southeast corner to wait for a number 18 bus. The stop had a nice bench, however coverage would have been nice for protecting people from the elements. It was snowy and windy this day, so shelter would have been beneficial. The bus was supposed to come at 3:25 pm, however, it did not come until 3:30 pm. The bus had about 8 people already on it. According to trip planner we were supposed to arrive back at Woodruff Ave and Fisher College at 3:35 pm, but we did not arrive until 3:50 pm. If passengers on this bus were depending on it keeping close to these time, they might have been late to wherever they were going. More accurate estimates of times would be helpful.
Blog 6
Collegiate Rebel Penguins
On Thursday March 3rd, 2016, the collegiate rebel penguins set out on a journey North of Columbus riding various COTA busses. The plan was to get on a bus at Fisher Hall and after some transfers finally arrive back on High Street near the Ohio Union.
COTA 7, Neil to Riverside, was scheduled to arrive at Fisher Hall at 2:15 PM, the bus arrived at 2:19 PM and roughly 15 people got on the bus. When we first got on the bus was pretty crowded, nearly 30 people in total. Most of the riders appeared to be older college students, although there were a few people who were not students on the bus. The bus traveled north on Neil Avenue until it reached Dodridge where it connected to Olentangy River Road. On Neil Ave, the bus traveled near the speed limit and traveled well with traffic. Neil Ave is a residential road where most housing appears to be student housing. The bus stopped every two blocks and people got off at every stop. Within 15 minutes of first getting on COTA 7, and after 13 total stops, we arrived at Riverside Hospital at 2:34 PM. Being a mostly residential route, we feel like it is important to note that after we left Ohio State campus, no passengers got on the bus at the various stops, people only got off the bus.
The bus stop at Riverside had a bus shelter and an additional bench for seating. COTA 83 arrived at 2:46 PM, three minutes after the scheduled arrival time. We were the only people that got on this bus. Its important to note that this bus is a “green” route while COTA 7 is a “blue” route; the bus for COTA 83 was much smaller and older than the COTA 7 bus. There were a few stops between where we got on and our destination. The bus did sit in traffic for a little while due to construction however. For the most part COTA 83 traveled through residential areas, with the exception of crossing 315 where the bus took a variety of ramps to pass the highway. Within 7 minutes we arrived at our destination (2:53 PM), which was N. High Street and North Broadway. The bus dropped us off on North Broadway by Kroger about 300 feet from High Street. One thing that caught our eye was that there was no cross walk to get across N Broadway to Kroger until you got to High Street. There also was no bus shelter or benches at this stop, only a trash can and bus sign.
At 2:59 PM we got on COTA 2A, which travels south on High Street, a highly commercial area. The closer we got to Ohio State campus the more people got on the bus, this is probably due to students traveling to campus who live a little further away. Although the bus did not stop at every stop, the automated voice indicated that there is a bus stop every two blocks. The stops are mostly in front of shopping centers that have greater traffic such as Giant Eagle and Kroger. All the stops along High Street had a bus shelter as well. This bus in particular was a little more stop-and-go than the other busses due to the high frequency of stoplights on High Street; we noticed that the closer we got to campus, the slower the bus traveled. This was due to a higher density of people and longer crosswalk signals closer to campus. From what we noticed, most of the people getting on the bus were students however there were some general passengers who got on the bus, possibly to go to downtown Columbus. The bus arrived at the Ohio Union at 3:14 PM, and thus concluded our trip.
Riding the COTA bus was a good experience. First off, figuring out connections and bus times was much easier than originally anticipated. The COTA website has a pretty precise schedule with arrivals and departures; the busses were no more than 5 minutes off at the worst parts. Riding the bus made our group feel good about ourselves since we already pay for access to the busses through our tuition. The bus stops and the busses themselves felt safe to us as most of the stops had bus shelters and were in highly populated areas. As a group, we all agreed that we should try to ride the bus more often as from what we noticed it was very convenient and efficient. Although our trip was overall very successful, there are a few recommendations we could make to better improve the COTA system. The first recommendation we would make is to have all bus stops on or much closer to crosswalks. We figured that some people who ride COTA 83 would be going to Kroger, but the bus stop was at least 300 feet from the nearest crosswalk. Another policy recommendation we would make would be to put maps of each connecting route at each bus stop. This would make travel more efficient, as it would allow riders to plan their route on-the-fly rather than having to predetermine where he or she would go.
The Lucky 7
The Route We Took
The route our group chose was from the corner of Maynard and 4th St, out to Easton Town Center. While not originating directly on campus, our starting point is on the East Residential campus bus route (extra buses!), and as one of the group members lives here, it made for a convenient meeting point. The optimal way to take this journey is to catch Route 004 Indianola, which travels up 4th Street, cuts west on Hudson, and proceeds up Indianola Avenue. Eleven minutes and twenty-one stops later puts you near the intersection of Indianola and Morse; departing here allows you to transfer to Route 095 Morse Road, which will take you straight down Morse to Easton, after twenty-three minutes and twenty-one stops.
If you include the twelve-minute wait on the transfer, the entire trip takes 49 minutes to cover 8.4 miles of road, for an average speed of 10.3 miles per hour. According to Google Maps, covering this route by car would take 23 minutes, for an average speed of 21.9 miles per hour. This means that taking the bus for this route is a fair bit slower, but still tolerable. The Indianola trip featured many more stops and interruptions, becoming the weak link in the chain, though since it covers a more densely developed part of town (residential and light commercial), this is to be expected. The Morse Road leg of the journey traverses larger-scale commercial developments, has fewer intersections with small streets, and is a road with more lanes and a higher speed limit, so the efficiency here is no surprise.
The Ride Up Indianola
User experience was pretty pleasant, all things considered. The Indianola leg had more or less a half-dozen other passengers (not including our group), with 10-15 other passengers on the Morse Road leg. The bus comes through once every half-an-hour, and was right on time, so planning a shopping excursion for the day is pretty convenient. The walk to make the transfer was minimal, just a rounding of a corner, and you wouldn’t feel rushed even if the bus were running behind. The buses were clean, the drivers were friendly (and helpful, in the case of another passenger who wasn’t sure when they needed to stop for their destination), and the automated announcements were clear and of an appropriate volume. Either way, it’s nice to know that such a simple route from the campus area to such a major, yet distant, destination exists.
The Ride Down Morse
As far as recommendations for improvement, there isn’t many to be made. While the Indianola leg of the journey could be made faster with fewer stops, this would reduce ease of access for customers and the numerous intersections and street size would still bog things down. The best thing we can suggest would be if there was better coordination between routes that provide common transfer points, such that the wait time would be lessened. Cutting the wait from twelve minutes to four would cut nearly 20% of the advantage using a car has on this route versus a bus.
Digital displays providing real-time estimates of bus arrivals would be handy, too, especially since the intersection of Morse and Indianola is also home to a COTA park-and-ride lot; giving multi-modal travelers an idea of how much longer they need to wait to catch the bus would make using the park-and-ride a less nerve-wracking experience for those in a hurry.
The City Seekers
For the COTA bus trip, our group took the COTA line 7 from the stop along Woodruff Ave. outside of Knowlton Hall down to High St., where we boarded the COTA line 2, and took it down to the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The trip from Knowlton down to the Convention Center took about 20 minutes, meaning in total it took roughly 40 minutes to get there and back. During our ride on the 7, there were around 30 people on the bus, including us, which dropped to about 15 when we were on the 2. The bus traveled roughly around 25-30 mph during the entire duration of the ride.
The good things we noticed about the bus ride was that it was fairly quick, especially after we got off campus and boarded the 2. Additionally, very little walking was required of us. The busses were also not so full that it was uncomfortable, and we were able to take seats, which made the ride more enjoyable.
Some complaints we had, or things we saw that had room for improvement, were that some of the bus stops were not conveniently located. Many stops were saw or stopped at were on small side streets, which is inconvenient for both bus riders, as well as other cars on the street. The stops may be hard to get to for potential riders, and have little standing area to wait for busses. The stopped bus would block almost the entire road, causing traffic to get backed up. The bus routes, and stops, online were also confusing, and very hard to read and understand. The biggest thing we noticed was that the COTA line 7 was extremely slow. The line 7 travels through campus, which causes it to stop very often, and be slowed down by pedestrians, as well as frequent traffic lights and stop signs. The bus appeared to be taking the same route as the CABS bus service also. It is ineffective to have a COTA bus running the route another bussing system specific to that area also runs.
Overall, we have mixed feelings and reactions to our experience with COTA. We appreciate the service it provides to the community, and would deem it an effective form of transportation. It is relatively easy to use once you figure out how, and is mostly time efficient. The facilities are large enough to fit the population they serve, and I would deem them reasonably clean. However, the busses that run on campus seem to be ineffective and slow, due to the alternate options available. We believe the busses would be more efficient if they only ran in areas where they are most greatly utilized.
Additionally, some amenity ideas we have for COTA to make the services more appealing are:
- Heated shelters for the winter time
- Electronic displays showing arrival times for busses
- Wifi on the busses
The Ushers
The Ushers began in front of Knowlton Hall at the W Woodruff Ave & Fischer College bus stop. We took COTA 18 and rode to the bus stop Northwest Blvd & Independence Rd. It took about 20-25 minutes to travel between the stops. The bus only stopped 4 times with an average of 5 seconds each time the bus stopped (passengers mainly exit the bus). There was a trend of residential land use right outside of the OSU campus. However, as the bus turned into Chambers Rd. There were mostly commercial land use until the Northwest Blvd &Independence Rd. Bus stop. We then transferred to COTA 5 where we took the bus towards the Giant Eagle Market District. The land use around the bus’s path was mainly commercial however, there were small groups of residential land use. The ride was 10 minutes long with the bus stopping only 2 times at bus stops.
Overall, COTA 18 had many passengers, but as the bus left OSU campus many passengers left leaving the bus almost empty. The same can be said about COTA 5, upon entering the bus we were the only passengers throughout the whole ride. The bus stops varied in quality, some were sheltered with benches for people to wait comfortably, while others only had a bench on the end of a lawn with no sidewalks for a pedestrian to walk. Understandably, the area we went was less populated then compared to High St. or Neal Ave, but to see the buses empty most of the ride seemed like a waste.
One policy in mind, just from the observation, create more efficient bus lines. Create paths for buses to optimize the amount of passengers. It will optimize the money and time spent in COTA and not waste money having buses riding, but empty majority of the time. However, it will take more time to observe to see if that is the case in other buses, or just in the buses we took.