The Central Ohio Transit Authority is starting to consider what public transit will look like in the future. It probably won't include flying buses or teleportation, but it was pretty clear last week what Mayor Michael B. Coleman wants to see: trains built with federal money.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority is starting to consider what public transit will look like in the future.

It probably won't include flying buses or teleportation, but it was pretty clear last week what Mayor Michael B. Coleman wants to see: trains built with federal money.

During a luncheon celebration that COTA hosted on Wednesday, Therese McMillan, acting administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, mentioned the possibility of rail in Columbus' future.

That comment drew the first round of applause from Coleman, who pitched Port Columbus as a regional transit hub during remarks earlier in the event. When McMillan mentioned federal money for expansion that would be available through President Barack Obama's transportation funding proposal, Coleman started another round of clapping.

McMillan was in town to pitch Obama's plan as the keynote speaker for COTA's "Driving the Future" luncheon. The authority used the event as the kickoff for gathering input on its next-generation plan.

Obama's plan would provide an additional $8.5 million in federal formula-based funds for Columbus and Cleveland in fiscal 2015, McMillan said.

About 500 community leaders and elected officials attended the event at the Hyatt Regency.

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Police and cabdrivers are looking for a cease-fire in their long-running feud over where taxis should stop to pick up and drop off passengers.

Deputy Chief Tom Quinlan appeared before the city's Vehicle for Hire board last week to communicate with taxi drivers about where they are allowed to stop.

A cadre of taxi drivers turned out to air their own grievances about what they have called police harassment.

Taxi drivers say police sometimes are unreasonable and ticket them when they are just doing their job. Police, though, think drivers need to do more to avoid stopping traffic.

"Our concern is a lot of stopping that occurs is happening in really bad spots," Quinlan said.

He vowed to ask for more leeway from officers, noting that they can issue warnings or write cheaper parking tickets - instead of costly low-speed citations - when taxis linger too long in no-stopping zones.

But Quinlan wants taxi drivers to play smarter in busy areas such as the Short North and Arena District. For example, taxis often are stopped and disrupt traffic when a fare opens a door but then waits for others to pile out of a bar. Drivers can avoid that by locking doors and rolling down windows to ask if the whole party is ready and moving on if it isn't.

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Columbus parking meters are free today for Labor Day.

The city still will enforce rush-hour parking restrictions, residential parking and valet, taxi and loading zones in some areas, but drivers generally can park without charge.

Normal parking-meter enforcement will resume at 6 a.m. on Tuesday for 12-hour meters and at 8 a.m. on Tuesday for all other meters.

Meters still accept payment on holidays, but they don't have to be fed.

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan

@Crawlumbus