The Readers: Here's Why It Won't Work

You can read all the comments below on this morning's post about mass transit in the Tampa Bay area, but I thought I'd put up a few here too. My column tomorrow will be influenced by the point that it's useless unless people have to want to ride it -- in fact, Mr. Gibson, I threw in the dry-cleaner reference just for you. Also, 20/20, take note that I allow the possibility of a non-rail system and agree w/ you about how the bus system ought to work...

Our problem is our sprawl and zoning. It's not a quick hop & jump to anywhere. We're a region of ten thousand little islands. Our homes aren't near our jobs or schools or where we shop. Light rail cant possibly get many of us to work or school because of the sprawl. The other thing is, chains will fight light rail. If light rail could solve the proximity problem (and it cant), it would ruin business for a lot of folks who depend on road traffic. -- Jim Johnson

The answer is an improved, effective, and efficient mass transit busing system that combines 20-minute to ½ hour routing goals, usable bus stop positioning and venues, high school and college (pre&post) peek usage, and an honest and mature public awareness campaign. -- 20/20

The only way to justify a rail system having anything to do with Pinellas, is to prove that there are at least 250,000 people a day trying to get into any of it’s 24 municipalities’ “downtowns” to get to work.  This isn’t New York.  Urban sprawl and the days of Rainey prevented any logical consideration, a long time ago. -- Edger

A good place to start may not be in the mass transportation arena at all. Start by reducing the need for transportation. How about proposing redesignation of neighborhood communities that would allow residential side by side with businesses needed by the community such as the grocery stores, dry cleaners, doctors and other businesses that support the local community. -- John Gibson

Comments

[20/20]

Howard, you’ve never given me any cause to doubt your intellect, or integrity for that matter.

Thank you for the consideration.

[Susan S]

If the citizens of Hillsborough care about transportation and other issues which impact their communities, they need to be present at the April 19th BOCC meeting. The commissioners caved to developers at a workshop meeting last month and have royally screwed the residents of the county. Thank goodness Rose Ferlita and Mark Sharpe had better sense than the rest of the fools serving on the county commission. If the voters of Hillsborough don't start paying attention, public transportation will never be feasible, nor will amenities like sidewalks, bike paths, etc., that make communities liveable.

[Anand Mehta]

I enjoy reading your column and mostly agree with you. Having been to London, England five times in as many years, I've realised that my relatives there who rely on "The Tube"/underground and on bus and rail transport tend to live in proximity to such services. Relatives and friends who rely on the car as their main form of transport live further away from public transport links. But then, as other readers have responded, Tampa Bay is not like NYC or a European city. Our geography is different, we're more spread out. To pick one location for a rail station over another can't be based on population density in this area. Yes, Pinellas county is densely populated but quite evenly. How do you pick where to locate a station?

I'm a fan of public transport and love going to places where they have such systems. But what irks me is that my local bus systems can't work for me. I live close to the Kennedy Blvd/Lois Ave intersection near Westshore. PSTA has route 300X passing my home daily. But to take it, I would have to drive 10-15 minutes to downtown Tampa, pay to park the car, board the bus that goes past my house, past Westshore Mall, onto I-275/Howard Frankland Bridge and hop off at the intersection of US-19 and Ulmerton Rd. Since our lawmakers want to compare us Europe and NYC, let's do apples to apples. Buses in Europe stop at malls, shopping centers and such local dense public spots. If PSTA can't stop at Westhore Mall in Tampa, well, you're losing out on people living in the area who commute to Clearwater (and I know of quite a few), and those living in Clearwater working in the Westshore Business District. Or does PSTA not care about these potential riders/customers?

[Martine]

I'm French and I have always felt the lack of public transportation here. I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area before (Berkeley) and had access to a metro system (BART), buses, and bike paths (see the different systems implemented by UC Berkeley: http://pt.berkeley.edu/transportation_alternatives/index.html), plus inter-universities shuttles. I'd like to see shuttles between USF campuses, bikepaths and bike parkings everywhere downtown St Pete, excellent bus transportation (like in Paris), a train to go to Tampa, and a TGV (fast trains) to go to Miami on weekend or Gainesville without driving 4 hours. With the TGV, people can live in the South of France and work in Paris. The drive should be nicer and cheaper than by airplane and it would allow weekly commuting. I also agree with one reader who says that the city's design has to improve. Why do I have to drive 20 minutes to get to a toy store or to buy clothes (downtown St Pete-Tyrone square mall area)? In France, it would take me between 2 and 5 minutes ("industrial zones" are right outside downtowns). Why can't we have big stores (Target, Ross, Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc.) on Central or near the Tropicana Field or near the Home Depot on 22nd Avenue N instead of construction stores? Why do people downtown need to drive to 34th Street or 66th St? What a waste of time and energy. Life could be more simple. And maybe one day we could see more people actually walking in the streets, instead of behind a wheel (including myself). That would be a nice change.

[Walter Kozak]

Hillsborough Commissioners threw a fit when Senator Sebesta proposed a multi-county regulatory agency for nonpublic forms of transportation (privately owned & operated limousines, buses & shuttles). How in the hell are all these clowns going to come together in a much more complexed scheme of public transportation? We'll have Hillsborough expecting all its step children to dance to their tune. Another big waste of taxpayers dollars named Fasano's Foley!