will it go round in circles
tommyOne of the items on last Thursday’s BOCC agenda was a vote on joining in on a dialogue about regional transit. You did not know that, because the two dailies buried the story, if they reported it at all. The Tribune did reference the vote in an editorial aimed at HARTline boss Ray Miller, but I could not find a news story on the vote.
Here’s the deal: The Pinellas County BOCC wants to begin a dialogue with Pasco County, Hillsborough County, all Metropolitan Planning Organizations and all transit agencies. Since many Pasco and Pinellas residents commute to Hillsborough (and vice versa), it makes sense to consider transportation needs for the region as a whole.
The proposed summit is just a dialogue – no decisions are ready to be made – to get each entity’s perspective. With the outstanding growth rates within the region, it just makes sense to get the conversation started.
Last Monday, HARTline hopped on board. Tuesday, the Hillsborough MPO voted to join the panel. On Wednesday, the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners voted 4-3 not to participate. BOCC Chair Jim Norman wants to wait for Brian Blair to finish ripping HARTline apart er… studying the Hillsborough agency. Blair, Ronda Storms, and Ken Hagan joined Normy in voting to let this important issue bypass the county.
I know transportation is important to some of you. Other local bloggers have been asking questions, suggesting alternatives, begging for real options, cheerleading rail, and taking notes of mass transit (and technology) in other communities. But even as far back as February, BloGax commented that the biggest obstacle would be getting the various public agencies on board. Nailed it, didn’t he?
Listen, if it’s significant to the people that live (and drive) here, shouldn’t this be important to our county commission?
If you agree, let them know. A quick email to give them your thoughts will confirm to them that it is important to you. If they still fail to act, REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER.
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December 13th, 2005 at 12:29 pm
I don’t live in Hillsborough County and when I see how idiotic Storms, Blair & the rest of them are, I’m glad I don’t!
December 13th, 2005 at 3:17 pm
I routinely want to commute between Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties - and yet of course there is no true transit option between the two counties besides some hard-to-figure-out buses.
I’ve emailed members of the city of Tampa commissioners in the past along with members of the Pinellas county BOCC. I’ve talked with Jim Sebesta and (as you note from Gax) the obstacle is local cooperation.
While some people see the need — such as Kathy Castor, who replied to my letter years ago — there are others who would much rather spend money on redundant sports complexes and such, and help keep Tampa Bay the unconnected, backwater burg that the region has been oft criticized for in the past. The status quo is more important than thinking forward to certain bird brains….
December 13th, 2005 at 7:48 pm
I would love reliable mass transit from Pinellas to Hillsborough. If there was I’d comtinue my education at USF in a heartbeat. As it stands now I cannot afford to move to Tampa or the time it would take me to commute there on the current bus system (4 hours each way if I catch all the busses on time.)
I’m interested in math and science programs which are not offered at Eckerd or the St. Pete USF campus. I am happy to see the PSTA working on so many great new things, including express routes and increased service on some routes- sometimes the busses are crowded! Often all the bike racks are full on the bus as well. I will email the other counties to get onboard already!
December 13th, 2005 at 7:57 pm
Orlando already has a successful tri-county bus service. Why should they be more progressive than Tampa Bay? I never understood why there is such rivalry between the counties.
December 13th, 2005 at 8:23 pm
Well, the Rivalry was due to inferiority complexes or just ego.
But right now, with Ronda and Brian, it’s neo-con rule and mass anything or anything progressive is strictly a no-no.
December 26th, 2005 at 5:45 pm
[...] Hillsborough County, who refused to join a conversation about regional transit, is falling further and further behind Pinellas on a pretty consistent basis these days. [...]
December 29th, 2005 at 9:03 am
[...] Another idea for local commuting. It sounds like a non starter to me because it depends at least partially on cooperation between the county transit systems and a Hillsborough county commision willing to push it through. Neither seems likely given past history. Also I hate to agree with Turnachik, he of of Civitas, InTown homes, and the Tampa 2012 Olympic bid but unless a whole lot of people choose to ride these buses it won’t affect rush hour traffic. Why would most people choose the bus? I have ridden from St Pete to Tampa a bit on the PSTA 300x but truth be told it takes a lot longer than driving. [...]
April 26th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
[...] You may recall the Hillsborough County BOCC refused to discuss joining a partnership for regional transportation. Jim Sebesta has introduced a bill that will force them to join in. [...]
May 10th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
[...] A lot of people see Tampa Bay as a whole comprised of many parts. That’s a nice thought, but it doesn’t necessarily indicate that all the parts have any affection for each other. There’s plenty of dysfunction between the general public, the media and especially our local governments. So as the area quickly grows into an uber-suburb, how do we get each distinct piece thinking together as one? [...]