CBUS helped kick-start city’s effort to ease our dependence on cars

The fifth birthday of the free CBUS circulator seems a good time to reflect on Columbus’ efforts to make moving people and vehicles around the city smoother and cleaner.

It’s also worth celebrating the success of an initiative that had plenty of naysayers.

“Rolling homeless shelter!” was what some predicted when COTA announced plans for a farefree shuttle to run through Downtown between the Brewery District and Short North.

Happily, these days the CBUS carries 2,000 to 3,000 riders per day — Downtown workers and residents and plenty of tourists getting lunch, running errands or checking out the city. It has remained free to riders thanks to contributions from Nationwide, Ohiohealth, Fifth Third Bank, Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District and others.

C-pass, another free COTA initiative, has further broadened bus ridership by offering passes to workers at participating employers within a defined Downtown area. Taking cars off the road and easing the pressure for parking helps make Downtown an easier place to work, live and have fun.

It also introduces lifetime car commuters to taking the bus, and that could help speed Columbus’ evolution into a city where walking,

biking and transit are easier and more common.

Not that central Ohio’s car-focused development is inherently bad; it was logical in a place with plentiful open space and modest traffic and in a time before many people recognized the costs — in environmental impact, community cohesion and lack of lifestyle choices — of an all-sprawl development model.

Now, as city development officials face increasing traffic congestion, climate concerns and smog, they’re working to change that culture. The fact that younger adults tend to like urban living more and enjoy driving less is helping.

The city deserves credit for investments in bike lanes and markings, nice bike shelters Downtown and other amenities that make bicycling easier. The Smart Columbus program, fueled by a $40 million federal Smart Cities grant won in 2016, is working on a smartphone app that will allow people to plan local trips using multiple transportation modes — say, a COTA route followed by a rideshare or a rental bike or scooter.

Progress has been modest; from 2007 to 2016, the percentage of people driving to work in Franklin County stayed about the same at just over 81%. But the trend toward greener, more efficient transportation is unmistakable, and we’re glad the city has made it a priority.