On Jan. 28 and 29 Ohio State students will be asked to vote in a referendum for universal COTA bus service and a mandatory $9 per quarter fee. Despite the importance of this issue, many students are uninformed or misinformed. Allow me to share a few details on the COTA proposal and my reasons for supporting it. First, for $9 a quarter, the COTA bus pass is a great deal. For only $3 every month, OSU students, with just a flash of their student ID’s, will be able to go anywhere that COTA goes. Without this deal, Ohio State students will continue to pay $50 a month for the same service. While $47 a month sounds like significant savings, the value of the COTA bus pass is even more amazing when contrasted with the immense cost of owning, insuring, fueling, and fixing a car. And the fact that the COTA service would begin for students this spring quarter means that the students would reap the benefits of these savings immediately. Second, the COTA bus service will offer students new opportunities and greater convenience. COTA currently makes approximately 5,000 stops on and around campus each day, taking riders to all areas of Columbus. Access to COTA will mean cheaper transportation to shopping, restaurants, entertainment centers, educational areas and major employers that students might not otherwise be able to visit.For those students who may not choose to the ride the bus currently, the COTA proposal offers hundreds of reasons to reconsider.Third, in addition to COTA’s existing routes, several new routes will be created with OSU students in mind. A weekday express service to the Bethel/Sawmill residential area, a daily and late-night weekend service to the new Lennox Town Center and a weekend late-night service until 3 a.m. from the Brewery District (with security guards ON the actual buses) will all be added to better serve students. These new routes are designed to take students to popular areas that aren’t currently part of COTA service. And the Brewery District route, in particular, will offer students safe, reliable and sober transportation when it otherwise might not be available. Fourth, the COTA deal promises to improve the parking situation on campus. Because the COTA contract will offer a direct service to the popular Bethel/Sawmill living area as well as other commuter-friendly routes, fewer students will need to drive automobiles to campus. Similar arrangements at other large institutions, such as the University of Texas and the University of Minnesota (which were once plagued with traffic problems), have resulted in the significant reduction of chronic campus congestion. Here at OSU, eliminating some of the bottle-necking on campus will be a relief for everyone. So even if you don’t plan on riding the bus, pay the fee and expect to actually get a parking spot. Finally, besides the great benefits for individual students, the new COTA deal will benefit the entire OSU and Columbus community. Placing 50 people on a single bus is a lot more efficient and produces a lot less pollution than sending the same 50 people somewhere in a car. With all of the clear environmental and sociological benefits of mass transit, it is time that OSU develop a positive mentality about public transportation. The referendum presents all of the students of OSU a terrific opportunity to reduce transportation costs, explore Columbus, increase access to entertainment, find new jobs, alleviate campus traffic and parking problems and help the environment. The COTA referendum represents both a great bargain and a great opportunity for students. Whether for selfish or community reasons, vote yes on COTA.
Colin O’Brien is a junior majoring in Political Science and Sustainable Resource Management.
