City officials have confirmed that the planned bus stops at the corners of Fifth and Main streets have been deleted from Lawrence Transit’s route.
Other areas close to the intersection but not in the city’s historic district are being considered as alternatives by LTS director of Columbus operations Dorothy Dowdell, including a parking lot at Second Street and Main Street and at the Hitching Lot Farmer’s Market, city building official Kenny Weigel said.
Signs posted at Fifth and Main Streets reading “Need a ride?” with the company’s logo were removed last week.
The adjustments come after a Sept. 5 Columbus Historic Preservation Commission meeting that drew downtown business owners asking for the stops to be removed or relocated due to the already congested intersection. The commission moved to table a request to approve stops and shelters there, finding that the exterior appearance of the proposed shelters did not conform to the historic integrity of the district.
Main Street Columbus director Barbara Bigelow said she met last week with Dowdell and discussed alternative stops that would be convenient to downtown riders.
“We in no way wanted to put a stop to the bus system. That would be so good for our community. It was just the locations of the stops,” Bigelow said. “She has done a lot of work and we don’t want to halt any of her progress. I’m really glad she’s here.”
Calls to Dowdell were not returned, but she said during a city council meeting earlier this month that she hopes to have the four-route system in operation in October. Lawrence Transit System is based in Indiana and began operations there last year. When the public transportation service begins in Columbus, it will be the company’s second bus service.
The HPC will meet again on Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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