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Citizen-Driven Decisions Turning Toward Transit

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 23, 2008

Every level of local government finally is planning seriously for better transit because, after many years of uncertainty, most elected officials now sense it's what taxpayers want.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio expects to get voter approval to start a rail line and very likely will get majority support on the Hillsborough County Commission next year to put the question of a 1-cent sales tax on the 2010 ballot.

The first rail line could be from the USF area to downtown Tampa, where right of way is available and passengers would be going in both directions in both the morning and afternoon. Taxpayers in areas not near the first line would be offered improved bus service.

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority is on schedule to get a regional transportation plan finished by February of next year, and the plan is sure to include Tampa's rail line.

Hillsborough's Metropolitan Planning Organization, the panel in charge of setting countywide transportation priorities, will adopt a transportation plan next November that MOP Executive Director Ray Chiaramonte promises will be totally consistent with the transit and highway visions of both the city and the seven-county region.

HART, the county bus agency, tells us it is close to getting initial federal approvals for the current version of its 2002 Tampa Rail Project that when first proposed, never went to a local vote.

"For the first time, it's apparent everyone is moving in the same direction," says Bob Clifford, TBARTA's new executive director. But, he points out, "Not necessarily on the same path."

It's a democratic process, so anyone has a right to disagree, even to dig in heels. There are many different opinions about what to do and where to do it.

One dispute is whether to start a rail system with a bridge over Tampa Bay to link Hillsborough and Pinellas. We believe that HART and Tampa officials are right that a bridge would be too expensive for the first leg.

Some transit advocates want to pour all the transit dollars into buses, which can serve a broader area. The bus system will need expanding, but only rail can provide the fast and congestion-proof ride that will spark redevelopment and identify Tampa as a city on the move. But that issue isn't settled.

Another idea is for Hillsborough to wait until a regional transportation plan can be presented to voters in multiple counties. But the wait might be very long. TBARTA doesn't have taxing authority and isn't likely to get it soon.

Some highway advocates believe trains are impractical and prefer to build bypasses and add toll lanes to existing highways, such as I-75. Toll lanes could also be used by express buses, and both TBARTA and the Hillsborough County Expressway Authority are investigating the concept. Because the lanes could be built with revenue bonds at little or no cost to taxpayers, this idea is worth study no matter what happens with rail.

Building new bypasses through suburban and rural areas is much more controversial and costly, and the public should be skeptical of any plans to add highway capacity in rural areas where few people travel. What local residents need to keep in mind is that they are in charge of the entire process through their elected officials.

No one can be sure how the plans will change as public meetings continue and more ordinary citizens begin to weigh in. Our guess is that support for good transit is growing. In the recent elections nationwide, 23 transit questions were on the ballot. Even with unemployment rising and the economy faltering, voters approved 70 percent of them.

The public in most cities understands that good transit helps commuters save money. It is encouraging that the idea is finally gaining momentum here.

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