The document provides information about COTA NextGen, a long-range planning effort by COTA to identify public transportation needs and opportunities over the next 35 years in central Ohio. It summarizes Phase I outreach activities, presents a draft vision that includes potential service enhancements to existing routes and high capacity transit corridors. It outlines next steps which include continued outreach, evaluation of corridors, and developing a draft plan for public input. The document encourages readers to provide their priorities by taking an online survey.

1. Net
Phase II - Online Public Forum
Comments Accepted Through October 30, 2015
Thank you for joining us online!
Use the arrow icons to move forward or backward through
the following slides.
Click on the pencil icon on each page to submit questions
and comments. After viewing the presentation, take our
survey at http://www.cota.com/nextgen. It’s your move!

2. What is COTA NextGen?
2
● Central Ohio's growth has been robust and thus,
expectations for public transportation are changing
● COTA NextGen is a long-range planning effort to identify
public transportation needs and opportunities in the next
35 years
● The plan aims to consider how growth trends will influence
public transportation and understand residents'
preferences and priorities for future transit services to
support and strengthen central Ohio

3. Goals and Overview
● Create a community vision for the future of public transportation in
central Ohio – consider all ideas, not restricted by funding
● Prepare for future growth - 13% more people, 31% more jobs – by
identifying transit investments that integrate with regional goals
● Support local and regional plans with transit investment options
(e.g. Connect ColumbUS and MORPC Metropolitan Transportation
Plan)
● Identify conventional and creative revenue options –outcome will be
the community’s plan with a list of projects and creative funding
options (spring, 2016)
3

4. NextGen Study Overview
Three Phases
4
We are here

5. Completed Project Work
● 2 NextGen Project Advisory Group meetings
● 18 community leader interviews
● 4 targeted stakeholder meetings
● 6 public meetings, online public meeting materials available 24/7
● 3 stakeholder workshops
● 3 neighborhood sessions
● 5 community organization presentations
● Presence at Connect Columbus meetings; online comments
Total = 42 events / 530+ attendees
5
March – July: Phase 1 Outreach

6. Completed Project Work
● Finalized Transit Needs Assessment
● Developed NextGen Vision: Holistic Transit Needs Summary
● Designed Evaluation Framework
● Coordination with MORPC and Connect ColumbUS
6
July – mid-September: Technical Work

7. Phase I Outreach & Results
7
7

8. What We Heard
● Strong level of support for public transportation
– Transit is essential part of a vibrant community
– See clear link between the success of Central Ohio and transit
development
● Others expressed ambivalence
– Recognize transit’s importance but view it as a social service
● Some perception that Central Ohio hasn’t fully invested in transit
– Lack of innovation on COTA’s part
– Lack of support from community overall
● Strong preferences for rail among many
8

9. Caption
9
Total Votes =
569
(Total number of votes, each
participant was able to vote
for three values)
What We Heard
When We Asked the Public to Rank Transit Values

10. Transit Needs Identified by the Public
Connections Votes
Downtown to CMH 46
High Street Corridor 30
Broad Street Corridor 14
CMH / Gahanna / Easton 13
Downtown to Dublin 12
Downtown to Grove City 9
Powell / Dublin / Hilliard 8
Downtown to Worthington 6
Bethel Rd / Morse Rd 5
Reynoldsburg / Pickerington /
Brice
5
Downtown to Polaris 4
Downtown to Easton 4
Downtown to Rickenbacker 3
Downtown to Westerville 3
10
Places Votes
Downtown 27
Port Columbus 25
Dublin 20
Grove City 14
Grandview 11
Hilliard 11
Groveport 11
North Columbus/Southern
Delaware County
10
Westerville 10
Rickenbacker Airport 9
OSU 9
Delaware County 7
New Albany 7
Easton 6
Places, Continued Votes
Gahanna 6
Worthington 6
Polaris 5
Obetz 5
Pickerington 5
South Columbus 5
Bexley 4
Whitehall 4
Canal Winchester 3
Upper Arlington 3

11. Transit Needs Assessment

12. Transit Needs Assessment
Developed Based on Analyzing These Inputs
● Public and stakeholder input
● Local and regional plans, including COTA’s TSR Plan
● Existing and projected population and employment patterns
● Existing and projected congestion levels
● Existing and projected regional and local travel patterns
● Demographic information
● Site and streetscape design
12

13. 13
2050
Projected Population and Jobs
28% more people
22% more jobs
Source: Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
2015

14. 14
Projected Population and Jobs
Source: Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
2015 2050

15. Projected Congestion
15Source: Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
2015 2050

16. Projected Travel Flows
16Source: Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
2015 2050

17. Based on this Assessment:
Phase II: NextGen Vision
17
17
The following section presents two components to the vision
that emerged during Phase 1. The first: potential service
enhancements. The second: potential high capacity
transit investments, like rail or bus rapid transit.

18. NextGen Vision: Potential Service Enhancements

19. NextGen Vision
● Enhance COTA system and other local transit to accommodate
future population and job growth
● Build a strong network of underlying service
● Use innovative service and capital improvements to target
specific markets
The following maps show existing service, followed by Transit
System Redesign (TSR) improvements, followed by TSR Plus
improvements envisioned by NextGen. The question for you:
what are your four highest priorities for future transit?
19
Potential Service Improvements

20. 20
Existing
Service

21. 21
2017
Transit
System
Redesign
(TSR)
Network

22. 22
● This map is not
exhaustive!
● The following
maps and
slides review
these
components in
more detail
Vision:
Service
Improvements
(TSR PLUS)

23. 23
● Improve the
Frequent Transit
Network
● More frequency
on more routes,
and longer
spans of service
Vision:
Service
Improvements

24. 24
● More local routes
and urban
circulators
Vision:
Service
Improvements

25. 25
● More commuter
routes
● Reverse
commute service
Vision:
Service
Improvements

26. 26
● Suburban bus
circulators and
flex routes
Vision:
Service
Improvements

27. Vision: Service Improvements
● Expand service for the elderly
and people with disabilities
with region-wide demand
response service
● Curb-to-curb service provided
using small transit vehicles
27
Transit for Seniors and People with Disabilities
Demand response service for seniors and people with
disabilities

28. ● Technology
– Transit Signal Priority
– On-vehicle information
– Real-time information
– Cashless fare technology
● Transit Centers
● Bus on Shoulder
● Dedicated Lane or Right of Way
● Stop Amenities
28
Supporting Capital Elements
Vision: Service Improvements

29. NextGen Vision: Potential High Capacity Transit Corridors

30. High Capacity Transit Corridor
● Moves more people than a typical bus, and typically has fewer
stops, higher speeds, and more frequent service than local bus
service
● Can be either rubber tired (bus) or steel wheeled (rail)
● Designed to be as congestion-proof as possible
● Includes major corridor infrastructure improvements
● Complements underlying service
30
Definition

31. Examples: High Capacity Transit Modes*
31
*The NextGen Vision is not yet mode specific.
Modes will be identified later in the process

32. 32
Corridor Enhancements

33. NextGen Vision
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Potential High Capacity Transit Corridors
● Twenty-six corridors identified based on existing or projected
strong market demand and public input
● Modes to be identified later in process
– Federal requirement to consider all modes when moving into
project development
The following map shows 26 potential high capacity transit
corridors. The question for you: where do you want to go first?
What are your top five priorities?

34. 34

35. Where Do You Want to Go?
35
After you have a chance to study the vision maps, fill out the
online survey at the end of this presentation

36. Evaluation Framework

37. Evaluation Process
How We Move from the Vision to an Action Plan
37
Tier 1 Screening
(4th Quarter 2015)
Prioritized List of Corridors, Modes,
Costs, and Performance for
Horizon Years 2025, 2040 & 2050
Tier 2 Screening
(1st Quarter 2016)
Screened based on five
categories, data analysis and
public input
Greater focus on quantitative
data; modal analysis included.
Draft results to public.
26 Potential Corridors
10-15 Corridors with
Greatest Potential

38. Five Screening Categories
To Identify Relative Strengths of Various Corridors
38

39. Where do YOU want to go?

40. Take the Survey
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http://www.cota.com/nextgen Sept. 28 – Oct. 30
Share this link!

41. Project Next Steps

42. 42
Next Steps
● Extensive community outreach – we’ll come to your meeting!
● Make adjustments to Vision based on public input
● Evaluate high capacity corridors
● Share results with the public and seek input in winter/spring 2016

43. Thank you!
Please let us know where YOU want to go
by 2050. Take the survey or email us your
comments at
NextGen@COTA.com