The possibility of a line-based transit system became greater recently when the Central Ohio Transit Authority “received a coveted recommendation from the Federal Transit Administration to move forward with a plan to bring a light rail to central Ohio,” according to The Lantern.

This recommendation also can help pay to build a light rail system, as it makes the project eligible to receive federal funding for about 50 percent of its estimated $501 million cost.

The one much-discussed line would run between Polaris and downtown Columbus. This would serve a dual purpose, allowing Columbus residents transit to jobs in the north, as well as helping to diminish traffic.

The emergence of light rail would appear to be a victory for Columbus, as this form of transit is almost always akin to large, modern cities. However, despite receiving the blessing of the FTA and appearing to have the money to fund this line, COTA’s dream of rapid transit seems to be riddled with flaws and devoid of most of the purposes for which light rail was created.

COTA’s proposed light rail system would be better named the “shopping bullet train,” linking a booming metropolis to Columbus’s newest beloved consumer hub. While it is being touted as transit for workers, a single line such as this would benefit very few workers, excluding every direction but north from Columbus. This goes against the most important purpose of light rail, which is to serve the lower classes in providing efficient, cheap transport to work throughout the metropolitan and suburban areas of a city – not further pamper the shopping classes by allievating their traffic woes, making a stop at the Gap easier.

Also, as of yet, the proposed ideas for stops and stations throughout the Columbus area could cause massive problems. A proposed station between 4th Street and Summit Street would be horrendous for traffic, and the even worse idea of having trolley-esque street line built in the middle of an already congested traffic area would make the light rail cause more problems than it would solve. There has also been a proposal for a station at Hudson Street and High Street – however, a station would require a large amount of land.

Last, before any line to Polaris should be built, perhaps Port Columbus International Airport should be addressed first. Travel to the airport is difficult from almost anywhere in the city, and since Interstate 670 is under construction, now would be the perfect opportunity to save COTA the trouble of building a line around the roads – they could build the roads around the line.

In theory, a light rail system would be very beneficial to the city, but it would only be so with better planning and with more focus on serving the workers, not the buyers. The system would not hinder automobile sales too drastically – many people still have places to go besides Columbus. Also, the environmental benefits of a light rail system are incalculable, taking a great many cars and their emissions off the road – especially downtown.

There are certainly better ways to go about this. Perhaps an above-ground system which utilizes raised tracks and existing railways (similar to those in Cleveland and Chicago) would be a good solution. Maybe realizing that any light rail downtown would have to be underground would solve planning problems. But until COTA realizes that it is building a light rail around an existing city and not the other way around, their efforts will be either fruitless or counterproductive.