Buying Transit Passes Is Cheaper Than Building Garages

Originally posted to streetsblog.net on March 24, 2016 by Angie Schmitt.

Downtown Columbus, Ohio, is facing a parking crunch. But parking prices aren’t high enough in this city to make garage construction a viable private investment. Faced with this situation, a lot of cities would pour a bunch of money into a big subsidized garage or two. But in Columbus, several officials have hit on a smarter idea: providing free transit passes to downtown workers.

The city is currently running a pilot transit pass program for a few hundred downtown workers. If it’s successful, the program could be expanded to cover the entire downtown and relieve the pressure to build garages.

Elissa Schneider at Streetsblog Network member Transit Columbus writes that the transit pass program just makes more financial sense:

“Let’s ask how we can encourage people who are looking to shed the baggage of their personal car. It’s the smart and open solution. To encourage and support public transit riders is far cheaper than investing in a parking space, which cost $30,000 – $60,000 a piece to build. Moving a small percentage of downtown drivers to transit riders frees up space for those with a personal car.”

For the full article, visit http://www.ibj.com/articles/57624-transit-provides-link-to-equal-opportunities.