Until a serious, graft and corruption free regional transit entity can be created, things are unlikely to change.
The U. S. Department of Transportation's Smart City Challenge pledged
$40 million to a City that would integrate modern Technology into its
transportation system.
Tampa proposed a bunch of small projects while St. Pete proposed
Gondolas (think Ariel tram) connecting Gateway, Downtown and the beaches.
Neither City received a nod from U.S. DOT.
You can get some detail in the Tampa Bay Times editorial: Failure
to think Big on transit.
The state of public transportation, as pointed out in the Times
editorial is a mess. Way too many cooks and nobody can agree on a recipe.
Until a serious, graft and corruption free regional transit
entity can be created, things are unlikely to change.
TBARTA is useless, the various MPOs cannot get their act together
and the two big players Pinellas County and Hillsborough County seem to keep
each other at arm's length on transportation issues.
The issue here is the age-old problem greed.
Everyone in the decision process sees public transportation from his
or her economic benefit perspective not from the public's need. Transportation
redevelopment is usually the key issue with investors, developers and special
interests more concerned about the ability to make money from the opportunities
along the route and little concern for the actual user. GreenLight Pinellas
being a good example.
The Go Hillsborough Parsons Brinkerhoff/Beth Laythem debacle is a
classic case in point. As long as the connected have their hands either in the
pot or access to it, the public should not tax itself one dime for these programs.
The Hillsborough County Commission should quietly fold up Go Hillsborough, take
a deep breath and start all over.
In Pinellas County, the grand plan of light rail seems to be
languishing quietly below the surface while PSTA is a least trying to make
strides with the bus system.
Pinellas, I am sure, is watching Go Hillsborough but the problem
is Go Hillsborough has become so mired in typical Tampa/Hillsborough political
shenanigans it is hard to get a real read on how the public would react if
everyone was playing straight.
It is going to be a long, long, long time before the guy or gal
that drives his/her BMW to work opts to ride on a bus or a train for that
matter.
A lot is made that the millennials ride the bus. They may ride
the bus from one bar district to the next; but when they want to go shopping at
the International Mall or Countryside they do and will continue to drive their
electric cars.
The point is public transportation is a long and difficult
struggle in the Bay area. So far, we have seen the two poorly planned and
misdirected transit initiatives designed more to line pockets than move people
fail. If it makes it to the ballot, Go Hillsborough will be the third.
The politicians need to think carefully. They are actually
educating the people to vote against these transit issues with the lies,
misinformation and carryings on like Go Hillsborough.
It is time for the serious leaders in Pinellas and Hillsborough
Counties to jettison the likes of TBARTA, GreenLight, Go Hillsborough, Pasrsons
Brinkerhoff Beth, Laythem and their counterparts and begins to develop a long-range
comprehensive transit plan for the region that the people trust and believe.
Otherwise, in 2036 you will be setting on the Howard Franklin Bridge
at 9:00 AM in your electric powered whatever at dead stop.
E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com
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Disclosures:Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff
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