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Panelists at Columbus forum press for faster LinkUs transit expansion and warn of harms from car dependence
Summary
At a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum, authors Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon and COTA mobility director Devayani Puranic urged faster delivery of LinkUs transit improvements, described the public‑health and equity harms of car dependence and encouraged residents to support demonstration projects and attend COTA public meetings.
Columbus — At a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, authors Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon joined Devayani Puranic, mobility development program director for the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), to argue that stronger transit and street redesigns are needed to reduce the harms of a car‑centered city and to press for timely delivery of LinkUs projects funded by a 2024 sales‑tax levy.
The panelists said the consequences of planning that assumes universal car ownership are wide‑ranging. Devayani Puranic noted that COTA’s 2014–2017 system redesign set the stage for a 2019 ridership high and that the 2024 levy has created an opportunity to expand service and infrastructure: “Our levy passed, and that's when LinkUs vision became a reality for us,” she said, describing three proposed bus‑rapid‑transit corridors, a short‑range plan that recommends roughly 14 higher‑frequency lines and proposals to boost service 20–30 percent over five years.
Why it matters: Panelists…
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