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Columbia city council to vote on Providence Road improvement plan

The Columbia City Council voted to keep taxi stands on local streets.
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KBIA
The Columbia City Council voted to keep taxi stands on local streets.

On April 15th the Columbia City Council will vote to pass the Providence Road improvement plan.

The Council met Tuesday afternoon to discuss the plan and bring the new council members up to date. The primary controversy regarding the original plan proposed last November is that it involves leveling 8 houses on Providence Road near the Stadium Boulevard intersection. 5th Ward councilwoman Laura Nauser says the Council should figure out other means to improve traffic situation there.

The Council also discussed expanding the right turn lane at the crossroad with Stadium Boulevard and moving the pedestrian crossing traffic light one street closer to the intersection. 4th Ward councilman Ian Thomas agrees that some lanes at Providence are used inefficiently, but says there is a bigger issue.

"It’s not anything like the efficiency loss of comparing all of those large SUVs with one or may be two people in versus just a few of those people traveling on a good bus that runs frequently or carpooling program that uses our recourses more efficiently at much lower public cost," said Thomas.

Thomas says he doesn’t agree that the city should plan for the 2% growth in traffic forever. Instead, improvements should be made to the public transit system. The Council will vote on April 15th and May 5th. If the plan doesn’t pass the money would be spent to fund other programs.