COLUMBUS, Ohio — “Extremely, cautiously, optimistic,” was Zachary Whitt’s response to the agreement between the city of Columbus and operators of a Greyhound bus terminal to reduce operations at the location.
Whitt lives across the street from the North Wilson Road terminal.
“Who in God’s name thought it was a good idea? I don’t know,” Whitt said.
Since it opened last summer, the terminal has been a hot spot for crime. In October, a man was shot and killed there.
Whitt said some issues have spilled into the neighborhood.
“People knocking on the doors late at night saying I just got dropped off here in the middle of nowhere, I am trying to get downtown, can you give me a ride or money for a ride? And sometimes it is after midnight when something like that happens,” he said. “So definitely a change from the quiet neighborhood we used to have here.”
The city is hoping a new agreement reached with terminal operators will help address some of the neighbors’ concerns.
“Most of the neighborhood is accepting but not exactly thrilled,” Whitt said.
Pick-up and drop-off will be moved to existing terminals at Ohio State and the airport. The North Wilson location will only be used for ticket sales and transfers. The city will only allow four buses on-site at a time and restrict layovers to two hours or less.
“I think this is a significant step in the right direction,” said City Attorney Zach Klein. “We said all along, how can we have a safe and secure operation that addresses the neighbors’ concerns at Greyhound? And by drastically limiting the number of the activities that will go on there, by limiting the number of buses that will be there, by requiring it to be transfers only instead of new bus rides, this is going to diminish the operations there significantly.”
Klein said efforts by the city to require security guards on site, cameras and trash pickup have already reduced the number of calls for service to the terminal.
“It is only going to hopefully get better because we are reducing the number of people that will physically be on that site,” Klein said.
Some neighbors would rather see the terminal move out of the neighborhood.
“Why not just demolish it?” asked John Fleshman.
He moved to the neighborhood as a child in 1977 and is now considering selling his home.
“I need to get somewhere where it is safe, where kids can be kids. They can't just go ride their bikes, you don’t know what is gonna happen,” Fleshman said.
With all the back and forth over the bus terminal, he is eager to see the city find a permanent solution.
“You can’t put a Band-Aid on something that needs a tourniquet,” he said.
Greyhound and Barons Bus have 120 days to transition to the agreed-upon changes as the city continues to seek out a permanent solution.
Klein says if terminal operators do not follow through, they can take them back to court.
The next hearing is set for July.