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Public's Comments Show Interest In Transit Options

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: May 28, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Relying solely on cars to meet transportation needs is a road to nowhere, many residents told Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority officials during recent town-hall meetings.

TBARTA, as the fledgling authority is known, has been given the mission to develop options such as commuter railways or express bus lanes for a seven-county area. So they got feedback first from the public, according to Pinellas County Commissioner Ronnie Duncan, TBARTA vice chairman.

The West Pasco open house took place March 18.

TBARTA staff recently summarized opinions. The full report is posted on the TBARTA website at http://www.tbarta.com/?q=plan>.

Snippets from some 850 comment forms include:

"I'm very interested in mass transit options. Building new roads is NOT the only answer."

"No new corridors into the rural area that will only attract more, expensive sprawl."

"I think an idea for rail is great but our bus services need to connect as well."

"Until this region improves (mass transit), it will not be able to achieve the kind of economic growth a wonderful place like this should enjoy."

"Where will the money come from?" TBARTA has the authority to raise money through bonds, tolls or other means.

Pasco residents weren't shy about sharing opinions in March.

"I've heard talk about express bus lanes," said Rich Balkcom, owner of the Trinity-area financial services firm Balkcom & Associates. "I've heard talk about light rail. I've heard talk about elevated rail."

Balkcom led Pasco Forum 2000, which discussed many of the same options, but on a smaller scale. He was appointed to serve on a TBARTA citizens advisory committee.

"We tried to pull the county together," Balkcom recalled about the forum in 2000. "Now we're talking about a region coming together and growing together. I for one would like to see us consider the Suncoast (Parkway) connected to I-75. I think that would be critical. That's where the land use is growing."

Richard Riley, from the Trilby area in northeastern Pasco, is a big booster of hike and bike trails.

"When you put in a new road, you should plan for much more than just a truck or a car driving on it," Riley said. "You should have room on it for people" as pedestrians and bicyclists.

A Holiday-area resident, Michael Mizok Jr., presented his hand-drawn diagram for an elevated, enclosed passageway with battery-powered carts recharged from solar panels on the roof.

Instead of trains, the passageway for the electric carts could go down the median of roads or run alongside roads, Mizok suggested.

He gave out copies of illustrations of a "city car" under development at MIT Media Lab. The MIT concept is for a stackable, two-seat electric car that can be checked out like a luggage cart at an airport. Go online to the Smart Cities page, http://cities.media.mit.edu.

Mizok would like to take the idea a step farther as a complete transit system in a public-private partnership with state and federal funds.

The first phase of public comments focused primarily on transportation corridors and connections, Duncan explained in a press release.

Other comments included the need in Tampa goes beyond Downtown Tampa - there are transportation needs in the Westshore area, Tampa International Airport, MacDill Air Force Base, Carrollwood, the University of South Florida and the hospitals as well.

Once the options for routes are narrowed, Duncan said more public comments will be taken.

In the meantime, TBARTA continues to make presentations to local agencies, organizations, and community groups. Comments can also be made though the TBARTA Web site, http://www.tbarta.com/index.php?q=node/add/comment...>.

TBARTA covers seven counties, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota. The mission is to expand options for passengers as well as freight throughout the seven-county region. The legislature has mandated that TBARTA must create a Regional Transportation Master Plan for the Tampa Bay region by July 2009.

Pasco routes

Three of 12 possible routes could crisscross Pasco. The pluses and minuses of each corridor are summarized below:

Connection 1 Citrus County to Central Pasco County - The Suncoast Parkway corridor was seen by many respondents as a good location for a regional transit "spine" to which connections could be made via local bus or park and ride.

Potential corridors included Lakeland to Spring Hill and continuing north to Crystal River via U.S. 19.

Other comments included support for preserving rural character, environmentally sensitive areas, and historic small towns

Connection 2 Pasco County East-West - S.R. 54 and the extension of State Road 56 were desirable.

The Ridge Road extension was discussed as a possible alternative corridor.

Other comments included the need for better connections to US 19 and I-75.

Connection 3 Central Pasco County to Tampa - The Veterans Expressway/Suncoast Parkway corridor was highly desirable.

Potential corridors included Dale Mabry Highway, I-75 and I-275.

Carl Orth can be reached at corth@suncoastnews.com or 727-815-1068.

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