USF & Tampa Light Rail

[RickUSF]

I wanted to know what everyone thought of all this, especially with it coming up for vote this week.  Not sure there was a thread for this.  I like the idea of having a stop at USF, but if its gonna be along 30th/BBD, it might be a little far of a walk for most of the students to go across campus for.

Also, I don't like the proposed stops it has after USF.  I wish it would serve RJS more, because i honestly think that is how it would get a ton of its ridership.  Most of the proposed stops from Downtown to the Airport show routes along 275 or Cypress Avenue, both of which are a LONG walk to RJS.  and if there is a connection to the stadium via bus, what the hell is the point?  Might as well hop if your car and drive, because a bus is fighting road traffic anyways.  But I do like the stops to Downtown, I think students/professors could live downtown and take the train to school  ;D

What do you guys think?

[Paisa el Toro]

I actually dig the idea of light rail, but I don't like that a majority of the proposed sales tax funds will actually go to fund the HART bus system. If the entirety of the tax went to light rail, I'd be more inclined to vote in its favor. Since that's not the way the current proposal is set up, I'll be voting against it.

[RickUSF]

what do they expect to do with the HART bus lines?  as they are set up, i don't like the bus routes.  They need to be running in a continuous loop in a timely fashion in order to be effective.  Seems like they are just running "from" and "to" places at certain times.

[Paisa el Toro]

Trying to find something directly from Hillsborough County, but this article explains how only 43% of the money generated until 2035 will be used for light rail:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/kyc/article1126343.ece

In addition to a lengthy slate of proposed state constitutional amendments, Hillsborough County voters will see a handful of other issues on the Nov. 2 ballot.

The most significant one asks voters if they support imposing a 1 percent additional sales tax to pay for new commuter rail, expanded bus service and road work. The rail proposal, in particular, has been debated for nearly a generation in Hillsborough, though this is the first time residents will get to vote on it.

If approved, the overall sales tax rate in Hillsborough would climb to 8 cents on the dollar — the highest of any Florida county. It is expected to bring in roughly $180 million annually at the outset.

Advocates say the investment in rail and buses will give commuters options to avoid a future of road gridlock, while money for roads will help address a backlog of needed lane expansions throughout the county. They hope it also will spur redevelopment of areas along rail lines, sparking the economy and curbing sprawl.

"To get us back on track, we need a good plan. This is a very good plan," said former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, a Democrat who serves on the executive committee of Moving Hillsborough Forward, a group promoting the initiative. "The immediate improvement on roads, significant improvement in bus service and the construction of a light rail will dramatically help with our economy and create jobs."

Opponents say the weak economy makes this the worst time to be proposing a tax increase they say will largely benefit the city of Tampa. They argue that this is first and foremost a rail tax, that it represents a huge expense to move few commuters and that it will do little to ease road congestion.

"When is the last time you entered a contract with government and they upheld their end of the bargain?" said Al Higginbotham, who was one two county commissioners who voted against putting the question on the ballot. "My greatest concern is we have too many loose ends to be asking the public to fork over billions of dollars."

Planners estimate about 43 percent of the tax proceeds through 2035 would go toward building and operating a rail system. They hope to qualify for additional money from the state and federal government, largely for capital costs.

Initial plans call for building two rail lines, one connecting downtown Tampa to the area north of the University of South Florida and the other connecting to the West Shore business district by 2018. Planners are still conducting studies to determine whether rail lines would attract ridership and which routes would work best.

Future plans call for expansion to other areas, including South Tampa, Westchase and Brandon.

At the insistence of county commissioners, 25 percent of the money would go toward road building, primarily in unincorporated areas in initial years in an effort to ensure residents who don't live near rail lines get some traffic relief.

The rest would be used to more than double the county's existing bus fleet, and significantly increase express bus service and the frequency of buses on existing routes and regional circulars.

There are four other referenda for county voters:

• One asks voters whether or not language giving a prospective elected county mayor veto power should be removed from the county's charter. Advocates tried to ask voters in 2008 if they supported creating a county mayor position, but the question was challenged in court and removed.

A companion question giving the mayor veto power remained on the ballot, passed and got written into the county charter. The county's Charter Review Board voted this summer to give voters an opportunity to remove the language in an effort to "clean up" the charter.

• Another ballot question asks voters if they support redefining the responsibilities of the county's Internal Performance Auditor, changing the title to Internal Auditor. If approved, the job holder would no longer have budget analyst duties and would have his or her work supervised by an advisory committee.

• Another issue deals with redistricting of the four County Commission seats that represent specific regions of Hillsborough. Commissioners draw the boundaries every 10 years after the census after taking public comment.

The last time this happened, a new redistricting proposal emerged after public hearings had taken place and commissioners approved it. If voters answer yes to this ballot question, an additional public hearing would be required.

• Finally, a proposal by County Commissioner Ken Hagan asks voters if they support waiving county property tax assessments on new or expanding businesses for up to 10 years. The breaks would vary based on the number of jobs created and the wages that are offered.

Plant City voters will consider a similar ballot question for waiving their city's property tax assessments.

[Paisa el Toro]

Like I said previously, I like the idea of light rail, but the bus system is terribly inefficient and providing it 32% of the revenue generated from this tax seems like throwing money down a hole.

http://www.83degreesmedia.com/features/transit102610.aspx

For Brian Seel, the vote "for" or "against"  an increase in sales taxes to fund the new transit plan in Hillsborough County all comes down to this:  What kind of place do you want to live in 10, 20 or 30 years from now?

Seel, a 26-year-old construction manager at a Tampa-based construction firm, isn't just talking about Tampa Bay's traffic -- increased congestion, gridlock, unexpected delays.  He's looking at the bigger picture of quality of life and lifestyle.  That includes thinking about the kind of community that might attract bright, new talent.

"It's about embracing the long-term vision," says Seel, who grew up in Clearwater, went to the University of Florida and then graduate school at Georgia Tech.  After college, he stayed on in Atlanta to experience the big city and the opportunities.

Now he's back in Tampa, and among young, college-educated professionals who see the upcoming Hillsborough County referendum as critical to their future.

"Not only will we be paying for this, but ultimately we will be the ones benefitting from it," says Seel. 

The Hillsborough transit plan, he says, is an opportunity to set the stage for a different kind of growth. 

"What we are trying to do is create healthier, more livable neighborhoods," says Seel.  "Atlanta, Portland, Phoenix, all these cities have really cool places to live where you don't need a car to get to work, go out to eat or see a sports game.  We have a few places like that; Hyde Park, South Tampa, downtown St. Pete.  But to really pursue that type of lifestyle requires mass transit." 

After years of debate about how to move people and goods in an area that is already congested and expected to get worse, lawmakers approved a plan earlier this year. Soon, Hillsborough voters will have their say.

On November 2, a vote in favor of the referendum will increase the county sales tax by one percent, taking it from seven to eight percent.  According to the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization, the cost to a typical household would be approximately $12 a month.

The tax would not apply to groceries or medicine.  For large purchases, it would be levied on only the first $5,000.  And because it's a sales tax, not a property tax, everyone, including visitors and tourists, will do their share to chip in every time they make a purchase. 

Proponents like Moving Hillsborough Forward, a grass roots advocacy group of businesses and community leaders, say the plan tackles a number of critical issues, making Tampa more competitive when it comes to jobs and  preventing the nightmare of even worse traffic jams in the future as the population continues to swell.  Opponents point to the negative effect of more taxes in a down economy.

But what exactly does the plan call for and who will benefit?  In other words, what's at stake here?   

For Better Roads, More Buses And Light Rail

Monies generated from the sales tax increase will be divided among three key areas:  roads, buses and light rail. According to HART (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit), federal and state grants will provide matching dollars for the transit portion of the plan. 

Here's how it all breaks out. 

Twenty-five percent of the funds will pay for road improvements, bike lanes and pedestrian crosswalks. Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, U.S. 301 and Van Dyke Road are among 31 roads to receive funding.

Thirty-two percent will go toward buses, helping HART dramatically boost service. That means putting more buses on the road, introducing new express buses and flex service "circulators," as well as increasing the number of bus routes. The goal is to make bus transportation a viable option by giving riders faster travel time, more frequent pick-ups and reduced wait times. Expect to see ramped up service connecting the county east to west and north to south. 

Forty-three percent of the revenue will fund light rail. The plan calls for street-level electric trains that will travel along major corridors connecting the University of South Florida and New Tampa to downtown, downtown to Westshore and Tampa International Airport, and eventually downtown to Brandon, South Tampa and northwest Hillsborough. The projected 46 miles of light rail would be built in phases. 

Connecting To High-Speed Rail

What's the difference between light rail on the Hillsborough referendum and the Florida High Speed Rail? 

Federal government stimulus dollars will fund a high-speed train that starts in downtown Tampa and goes east to Orlando, with a stop in Lakeland. At some point, the high-speed train may connect to local transit stops, but that's in the future. So is the idea of a regional rail line connecting Hillsborough with the entire Tampa Bay region.

Ashleigh Keelean, a sophomore at USF majoring in environmental science and policy, is a student spokesperson for the transit project.

Keelean lives in New Tampa and commutes daily to school, a frequent scenario for many USF students eager to see the transit referendum pass, she says.  Students are encouraged to find off-campus housing because dormitory space is limited. That makes transportation a big issue. 

"Right now students are restricted to certain modes of transportation," says Keelean. "Riding a bike in this area is dangerous and even pedestrian safety is a problem because of traffic. It's impossible to get around if you don't have a car."

Helping reduce congestion on the roads, adding safety enhancements for cyclists and pedestrians, and improving bus service will be a big benefit to USF students, faculty and staff, she says.

Both Keelean and Seel, who works at Ajax Building Corp., are also enthusiastic about the concept of mass transit being a catalyst for channeling future growth around light rail stops, which would create small mixed-use developments with higher density throughout the county. 

The new Encore project is a good example. Development of Encore is being led by a public-private partnership that is helping revitalize a 26-acre parcel between downtown Tampa and Ybor City.  It's within walking distance of the planned high-speed rail station and a light rail stop at the north end of downtown Tampa.  At build-out, Encore plans call for some 1,500 affordable rental apartments, offices, retail, a grocery store, a hotel and a school.  Groundbreaking took place earlier in 2010.

"No one wants to turn Tampa into New York City or Boston," says Seel.  "The transit plan is not meant to facilitate that.  It's simply a way to help us grow in a better pattern suited to the future of our region – a great tool to change the way we build new communities."

[SattyBull]

That's not the majority going to the bus system then...

43 %to Light Rail

25 % to Roads

32 % buses

Plus you complain about the bus system...this will improve that.

YES.

[Paisa el Toro]

That's not the majority going to the bus system then...

43 %to Light Rail

25 % to Roads

32 % buses

Plus you complain about the bus system...this will improve that.

YES.

You're right, it's not a majority of the funds. I still think, however, that 32% is too much for what I perceive as an outdated mode of public transportation.

[Don Toro]

  I w

[Don Toro]

  I w

  I was hoping this would pass. I relied heavily on public transportation in September while traveling to around 15 cities w/ the Jetblue pass. I found that Tampa had the worst system, while Portland,OR had the most reliable, with a mix of buses and light rail. We complain about the bullet train from TPA-ORL not having reliable public transportation connections but here we had a chance to kick start a good reliable system and we rejected it.

[Jihme]

Tampa, and Florida in general, will never get a good public transportation system because the people there don't understand one.  For example, I've never ridden on a bus or even in a cab, let alone a train, until i moved here to Chicago.

Sad to know it didn't get passed, though.