BEXLEY, Ohio — The COTA levy passed in Tuesday’s election and now it’s time to wait for the changes promised in the plan.
The sales tax increase takes effect in January 2025. It brings Columbus’ sales tax to 8%, on par with Cuyahoga County. While a large focus of the project has been on Columbus, the LinkUS plan also affects surrounding communities such as Bexley, Whitehall and Reynoldsburg.
A major key point of the plan is bus rapid transit routes where dedicated bus lanes are created to speed up public transit routes along major corridors including East Main Street and West Broad Street.
In Bexley, there isn’t enough space along East Main Street to accommodate dedicated bus lanes.
Ben Kessler, Bexley mayor, said getting rid of the dedicated bus lane through the city had to happen. Cars and buses will share the road just as they do now.
“Main Street Bexley has a narrower right of way than many areas of Columbus, so it does have to pivot a bit. There’s some other areas along the route that are mixed transit,” Kessler said.
The plan calls for a bus stop in the middle of Main Street near the intersection of Pleasant Ridge and East Main Street. Doing this will create the loss of a few parking spots along the street.
“There would be a minor reduction in parking but for the most part, we would pick up parking somewhere else. We’re going to create an area for people who want to take LinkUS into the city to be able to park there right off of Main Street,” said Kessler.
Another focus of the plan is on bike lanes and trails to make the activity safer.
Paula Rabidoux recently retired from Ohio State and would regularly bike from her Bexley home to the university. She couldn’t do it without getting onto busy roads and sharing the lanes with drivers.
“I could pick up a bit of this trail and a little bit of the Olentangy trail, but I had to get off-road and go through downtown,” she said. “When the car lane crosses the bike lane, that’s always a concerning spot where I really slow down and make sure there’s nobody around me when I pass through that intersection.”
Hillel Skolnik and his family biked to lunch in Bexley on Monday. He is cautiously optimistic about the plan.
He is concerned that the road reconfigurations could cause traffic congestion but wants the streets to be better for his children.
“At the end of the day, when my children go out on their bikes or their scooters for them to have nothing but safety and security,” he said.
Bexley will see other changes come from the LinkUS plan, which includes a “calm corridor” on Cassingham and Remington roads. Intersections will be raised and bump outs installed to slow down traffic on these two roads that link the city’s three elementary schools.