You know I was recently trying to find a fair, encompassing look on the option of light rail as a solution to transportation issues here in Tampa Bay. I finally found the right place, but am still left wildly unimpressed.
WFLA’s Keith Cate has been on assignment to look at other cities’ solutions. They have run the stories a few times on TV, and then send you to Keyword: Light Rail on the TBO website.
From there you can watch the three stories Cate has done, and there is also links to a forum where you can give your two cents about the issue. But that’s all that is on the page.
I don’t have to tell you that three TV bits and a discussion board are not even close to the entire story. It’s not even everything the triumvirate has done.
Rich Shopes has a weekly column in the Tribune, Behind The Wheel. He addresses local traffic concerns and news. He also wrote a bigger story on February 13 about the overall picture of light rail in Tampa Bay, which includes a list of other cities’ latest efforts. That story story prompted enough email that Shopes mentioned it in his column. He writes often about transportation issues (streetcar losing riders), but there is no link to Shopes’s stories from Keyword: Light Rail.
Tribune business reporter Dave Simanoff watches development, and the number one topic at a recent downtown Tampa forum? Regional Transit.
The TBO family has other related keywords that could all be put on one single page, too. Keyword: Transportation leads to a comment form. Keyword: HARTline leads to a special report on the transit agency’s recent troubles.
Unfortunately even all those stories don’t give us a complete look at all the issues surrounding transportation. But it is a decent start.
Plus, at least you now have one web page with much of the Trib, ‘FLA, and TBO mass transit information. Just google “Sticks of Fire” Keyword Light Rail.
Pam
3 years ago
The Trolley lost riders???!! Wow suprise me!! Let me start off by saying I LOVE THE TROLLEY however……make it more user friendly!!!!! The head knuckleheads who chose to raise the rates shot the “trolley in the foot”—um I mean wheel. $4.00 for a round trip/day pass killed alot of ridership. Too expensive. Say four of us want to go from Ybor to Hooter’s or Bennigan’s in Channelside. Short two block walk from home to the trolley stop–no big deal unless it’s raining!! but with the “inflated” $4.00 per person ticket, we are looking at $16.00 for all of us to ride the trolley as opposed to approx. $2.50 roundtrip (parking fee and gas)to go in the car. Cheaper to drive to Channelside from Ybor, park in the garage and get your ticket stamped at the resturant/bar you patronize. Parking then costs you like a buck or so. Even if you paid $4 or to park in the garage it’s still cheaper than to ride the trolley. It pains me to feel this way ’cause I really am a fan of the trolley and feel we are lucky to have such a unique mode of transportation here in Tampa.
Another reason for loss of trolley riders is you have to have EXACT CHANGE!!!!! The conductors DON’T have or give change. The reason given to me by a trolley board member is because they are concerned about the conductors being robbed. I have suggested to Hartline that they have ticket machines at each trolley stop that you can purchase a ticket with a debit/credit card or cash. The machine will dispense a ticket, and if need be, give you change back. One recent Friday nite trip on the trolley roundtrip from Ybor to Channelside, I saw a conductor turn away 14 potential riders because they didn’t have exact change. Not the conductors fault he can’t make change….it’s the rules. At one point he lamely pointed out to a group of 4 that the web site says exact change only. HELLO?????! These potential riders have just become lost revenue for the trolley and guess what?? They were tourists from one of the cruise ships!!! Did they run look at a computer to read about the trolley before they showed up to ride?? Of course not!! They saw the trolley, thought it was fascinating and wanted to ride it.