Hearing on the Local Option Sales Tax for Transportation

Just a reminder, hearing tomorrow on the penny tax that is expected to build funds for improved transit. I realize the class is over, but I'd imagine you're at least interested in how this progresses. This is a very important event for transit in Tampa, and I'll be there (i.e. so it's even more important). Event details below, taken from the Hillsborough County Government Website. Hope to see you there!

County Commissioners Holding Transportation Tax Referendum Public Hearing

DATE: Thursday, May 13 TIME: 6-10 p.m.; doors open, speaker sign up and displays start at 5 p.m., hearing starts at 6 p.m. PLACE: All People's Life Center, 6105 E. Sligh Ave., Tampa (one block east of 56th Street, beside King High School) The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive final public comment and vote on placing a proposed one-cent transportation sales tax referendum on the ballot in November 2010 for voter consideration. The proposed transportation tax would be used to pay for transit and non-transit projects, such as light rail, bus service expansion, roadways, intersections and supporting projects throughout Hillsborough County. The one percent sales tax will be split 75 percent for transit and 25 percent for non-transit. Hillsborough County Public Works and Planning & Growth Management departments, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) and the Metropolitan Planning Organization will provide displays and staff starting at 5 p.m. to provide information about the proposed transportation sales tax and the projects that it would fund. The hearing will start at 6 p.m. with a brief presentation from Hillsborough County and HART to explain how the proposed tax would work and the projects that it would fund. Public comments will be accepted afterwards by attendees that sign up. Written comments also will be accepted at the meeting from those that do not wish to speak. Parking will be available on-site at All People's Life Center, including disabled parking, and off-site to the west of the Center in the King High School parking lot and to the east of the Center in the large grassy lot. A map is available on the Transportation Referendum Web site listed below. This hearing will be broadcast live on Hillsborough Television on Bright House channel 622 and on channel 22 on Verizon and Comcast. It also can be viewed through live online streaming at: www.htv22.org. For more information, visit the Transportation Referendum Web site at: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/transportref/. The site includes the proposed list of projects that the tax would fund; the draft ballot language and Ordinance that would govern the use of the proposed tax; and the interlocal agreement that sets out how the money will be divided among the County, the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City, and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority

Subway Systems Which Will Remain Nameless

Pros and cons of the referendum

These two articles show a little of both sides of the referendum issue with Iorio and Sharpe on one side and Norman on the other side.

Tough politics of transit

Tampa Tribune March 2, 2010

Rail will change how Florida, Tampa Bay move, think

St Petersburg Times August 23, 2009

Taken together, the articles do a fairly good job of trying to present both sides of the issue. The St. Petersburg times article describes Iorio's and Sharpe's position that Tampa needs light rail in order to remain economically competitive with other similar cities such as Charlotte. They state that Tampa's lack of rail is being noticed by businesses considering moving into the area and that a rail system coordinated with a stronger bus system would help make Tampa competitive for these corporate relocations and new offices. The St. Petersburg Times article also describes the relationship between the proposed high-speed rail and light rail in that the high-speed rail cannnot succeed without light rail for the obvious reason that high-speed rail needs a local system to connect to.

The Tampa Tribune article presents Commissioner Jim Norman's opposition position to light rail. He claims that voters will be confused about what they are voting for since in order for the referendum to succeed, it needs to be flexible however this flexibility can be confusing to voters. Norman also states that a rail line will primarily serve residents in the City of Tampa although residents of unincorporated Hillsborough county will also have to pay for it. The article does help to refute Norman's claim that the referendum is only or primarily about a train by stating that it can also help make progress on the county's road construction backlog. Finally, the article states that other cities have experienced the same issues and have been able to push through them and progress with their light rail systems.

New Bradenton Bus Station + Transit Options for Tropicana Field

Hey everyone,

Here is an article I found earlier this morning about a new bus station in Bradenton; interestingly, several of Bradenton's City Council members have expressed concern that this new station will be too far away from TBARTA's proposed high speed rail route (along existing rail lines and the I-75 corridor).

Unfortunately I could not copy and paste the entire article, but it can be located at:
www.bradenton.com/2010/04/15/2207076/bradenton-approves-downtown-bus.html

Also, a recently-published letter to the St. Pete Times by George Steffener of Gulfport. In his letter, Mr. Steffener proposes several ideas for integrating public transportation to and from Tropicana field in St. Petersburg, including revamped bus schedules and routes, as well as a system of ferries and water buses as an alternative for those who live across the bay. It's brief and doesn't necessarily take into account the difficulties in making such drastic changes, but was an interesting read.
www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/transit-options-could-make-tropicana-field-viable/1087071

Analysts: Rail project would provide spark for transit system

“Analysts: Rail project would provide spark for transit system”
By Margaret Cashill
Tampa Bay Business Journal
August 24, 2009
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/08/24/story4.html

Transportation advocates say that with the construction of a high-speed rail line in Florida, jobs would be created and it would have a positive impact on the environment by removing cars from the roads. The rail is also predicted to have significant impacts on businesses around Tampa Bay. Edward Mierzejewski, director of the Center for Urban Transportation at the University of South Florida, said that the cluster of population surrounding a rail hub could attract retail and would also introduce the need for a well-integrated public transportation system. Tampa Bay does not have the density or the public transit system that makes it easy coming off a train and getting to a destination like other cities such as New York and Washington. An investment in bus systems could help integrate rail stops with bus routes to take travelers along the edge of Tampa’s downtown to the Westshore Business District, and also to tourist beach destinations or Tampa Bay Rays’ games. Well-integrated transit at each major station is an important part of the success or failure of the rail system. The high-speed rail link between Tampa and Orlando is not nearly as important as the link connecting to Miami, which will offer major time savings. If the initial Tampa to Orlando link is not implemented correctly with proper transit planning in both cities, the Miami link may never hit the construction phase.

Stimulus Plan for Rail Line Shows System of Weak Links

“Stimulus Plan for Rail Line Shows System of Weak Links”

By Michael Cooper

NY Times

March 22, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/us/23train.html

Recently, the Obama administration awarded Florida $1.25 billion in stimulus money to link Orlando to Tampa with a fast train to encourage high-speed rail service in the United States. The train would reach speeds of 168 miles per hour and make five stops along the 84-mile route. It is expected to make the trip in 54 to 58 minutes, while test drives along the same route took 82 minutes; shaving off only 30 minutes of the trip. Travelers may also be disappointed with their transit options upon arrival in either city; Tampa, in particular was noted in Frommer’s travel guide as being nearly impossible to navigate to major sights and restaurants without a car. Light rail is planned in both cities, but no connections to the high speed rail are planned. Also, the rail would go to downtown Tampa, but not the airport, and it would go to the Orlando airport, but not downtown Orlando. America 2050, a planning group, found that to capture riders, cities must be at least 100 miles apart; an estimate that is nearly 20 miles longer than the proposed route. Studies have estimated that the train would draw 11 percent of the 4.5 million people who drive between the Tampa and Orlando each year, but this would not be sufficient numbers to improve traffic flow on Interstate 4. The Obama administration saw the route as the fastest and cheapest way to get a high-speed line up and running because most of the right of way has been acquired and plans have been in place for decades. If the project is built and not successful, it may be harder for other high-speed rail projects to get money in the future.

on the wording of the Hillsborough tax referenda

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/local/hillsborough-transit-tax-issue-bogs-down-again/1078886

This article details on how the Hillsborough County commissioners have come into a deadlocked in a 3 on 3 vote on how the proposed transit sales tax referendum is worded. which is how the money is going to be used and if it isn’t, for the tax referenda to be repeal. The detail is that 75% is to go for the new rail system and expanded bus service while the remaining 25% would go for other road and transportation needs. The article goes on to specify how and why Commissioner objected to how the wording of the propose tax referendum. Commissioner Ferlita wants two things. 1, that no more that 25% would go for road needs and 2, if the county cannot obtain the needed state and federal funding for the rail system that the tax would be repeal. In that last part the commissioners decided to create an oversight committee. the committee would be 9 people in size, each with some form of education that can be related to the transportation issue.

I change my mind, 5% of it

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2010/03/22/story4.html?b=1269230400%5E3052891

Intro:
As many of my fellow classmates know I use the bus system. It was a conscious choice that not many people do. I did it for the environment and my wallet. I remind you of this fact so I can tell you that from my own personal experience I disagree with some of the conclusions that I have learned over this past semester, not just this class. I now go back to the article that I summarize in class a week or so ago and the question that I brought out for the class. That question was “how can you get more people to ride the buses?” As some of you may remember, I stated that it was a trick question because the market was not going to grow any larger, percentage wise. I now have changed my mind, about 5% and not much more. This leads to reason that I picked this article. I will state that reason at the very end. That means that if you don’t read my summary of this article, you’ll at least have to scroll down if you’re curious enough to learn why.

The article summary:
Now that the Stimulus funding has finally been disbursed this article is a list of how public transportation system agencies in the bay area are now spending their stimulus funding. Some agencies are increasing their fleet while others are retooling their fleet. This article states that Kimmins Contracting Corp. won a 4.9 million dollars contract to extend the Tampa’s streetcar system. what I learned in this article is that most of Florida’s major transit agencies belong to the Florida Public Transit Association, a nonprofit consortium. The article protrades this association main function is to buy heavy duty transit buses in bulk in order to get the lowest price possible.

I choice this article for only one reason:
The reason I choice this article is when read on how one of the ways the Recovery Act funding is being used. That is the how to bring the bus schedules to handheld devices. The article doesn’t state how the system is going to be implemented but if it has a real-time GPS, Global Position System, information online fort the riding public this new system would address one of the major reasons people do not use the public bus system, the wait time. Throughout the semester we have all seen the top 10 list of why people do not used the public transit system. The “wait time” is in the top 3 in the list. This new information system that makes available to the public the bus schedule with a GPS it just might increase the ridership market size by . . . 5%.

Tampa mayor: Mass transit 'the big issue of our time'

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/mar/10/tampa-mayor-mass-transit-big-issue-our-time/

TAMPA - Mayor Pam Iorio, in her annual state of the city address today, urged support for a mass transportation system she said will allow Tampa to retain a competitive edge in attracting companies and jobs. Mass transit development is one of the major topics talked about in out community. It has gotten great attention. Most people support mass transit because they are sick of being car dependent. Tampa is highly bases on cars and people do not have the option anymore to travel around in any other modes.

Efficient, economical mass transit "will define how we grow and prosper and bring jobs to this community in the future," she told an overflow crowd of government officials.

Urban planning errors of the 20th century, if repeated, will continue to encourage sprawl and keep people dependent on cars, Iorio said. "I see a lot different view of how we can grow and prosper. We are not defined by our problems; we are defined by how we solve our problems."

Looking down the road

http://northwest2.tbo.com/content/2010/apr/14/nw-looking-down-the-road/

This article is addressing the community efforts to be involved with the light rail that will be built in Tampa. Carollwood and Northdale residents have developed a plan to make Dale Mabry Hwy more pedestrian friendly and more character identified. Their plan includes signage standards and walk ability safety. although the community have been working and meeting on developing such a plan, commissioners are emphasizing that Dale Mabry is not in the primary plan for the light rail. Such a plan for Dale Mabry Highway will serve as a future saved plan for extension and expansion of the light rail that would be built.

It is very important for communities to get involved and have a say in what they want and what they don't want in regards to community improvements and transit development.

American Planning Association - Suncoast Chapter

Last Thursday, I had an opportunity to attend my first APA - Suncoast Chapter meeting downtown. The Chapter meets on the first Thursday of each month and they are looking for participation from USF students interested in getting involved. Specifically, they have several events coming up, including a large conference in September. They will be looking for volunteers to get involved. The conference will be held in Tampa this year.

Additionally, the Chapter head, Laura Everitt would like students interested in getting involved to contact her at leveritt@tindaleoliver.com to get on the weekly email list. Student fees to be a part of the Suncoast Chapter are only $5 annually. I would encourage all of you to get involved, there is definitely a lot to be gained by getting involved.

chris

Public Meeting To Discuss Bruce B. Downs Boulevard Widening

Here's the press release for the public meeting I mentioned last week. It's on Thursday, April 1st at 6:30PM

Public Meeting To Discuss Bruce B. Downs Boulevard Widening

Hillsborough County and the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization will hold a public meeting to provide information and discuss Segment A of the Bruce B. Downs Boulevard widening project from Bearss Avenue to Palm Springs Boulevard in the New Tampa area. The purpose of the meeting is to receive input from citizens as to whether this segment should be reconstructed as a six-lane roadway, per the recently adopted Long Range Transportation Plan, in order to preserve right-of-way for future rapid transit, or as an eight-lane roadway as currently designed. Construction is estimated to start on the designed eight lanes in the summer of 2011 and should be completed by spring of 2014. The projected cost of the project is approximately $55 million. County and MPO staff, local agencies and consultants will be at the meeting to discuss the details of the project and future transit plans and to answer any questions residents may have. Please attend; we welcome your input. Date: Thursday, April 1 Time: 6:30 p.m. Place: Tampa Palms Elementary School , 6100 Tampa Palms Blvd. All meeting facilities are ADA compliant. For additional assistance, or for more information, please call Steve Valdez, Public Works Department at 272-5275 (TTY: 301-7173) or visit the MPO website at: www.hillsboroughmpo.org Para información, llamar al 272-5275.

Hey, I think we're being dissed!!

Check out this NY Times article questioning why the first US high speed rail line is being built to serve the Tampa-Orlando route. Do you think the writer (and many of those who've posted comments) have a point, or do you think this is just typical northeastern "ethnocentrism" with a dose of northeastern scorn for we backward Floridians?
I still can't figure out the hyperlink thing but here's the url, and the article is pasted below: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/us/23train.html?scp=7&sq=Tampa&st=nyt

TAMPA — The drive from Orlando to Tampa takes only 90 minutes or so. Despite the short distance, the Obama administration awarded Florida $1.25 billion in stimulus money to link the cities with a fast train to help kick off its efforts to bring high-speed rail service to the United States.
Chip Litherland for The New York Times



The Florida train would indeed be high speed — as fast as 168 miles per hour. But because the trains would make five stops along the 84-mile route, the new service would shave only about half an hour off the trip.

Time-pressed passengers may also find themselves frustrated at the end of their trip. Neither city is known for great public transportation, so travelers may discover that they have taken a fast train to a slow bus.

Proponents of high-speed rail worry that the new line, which is scheduled to be up and running in 2015, might hurt rather than help their cause, if it comes to be seen as little more than an expensive way to whisk tourists from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World, which is slated to get its own stop.

Even Representative John L. Mica, a Republican whose district in northeast Florida stops about 20 miles short of the proposed line, has questioned whether his state was the best choice to receive some of the $8 billion that was set aside in the stimulus act for high-speed rail.

Mr. Mica wondered if the notoriously congested Northeast corridor from Boston to New York to Washington, which was largely shut out of the pool of money, might have been a better choice.

“That would have the most dramatic impact, as far as a positive result for the country,” said Mr. Mica, who added that he was grateful for the investment in his home state.

State officials say they have been planning the route for decades and own most of the right of way needed for the tracks — a big selling point to the Obama administration, which saw it as the fastest and cheapest way to get a line up and running.

And Florida hopes that it would be only the first leg of a high-speed line that would eventually stretch south to Miami, linking several of the state’s tourism and business centers.

But it is unclear where the state will get the money to extend the train line. As it is, officials are uncertain where they would get the rest of the $2.6 billion that they believe is needed to build the Orlando to Tampa route.

Supporters of high-speed rail often argue that it can be a way to lure passengers off airplanes. Orlando and Tampa are so close, however, that no airlines fly between them.

The drive took less than 82 minutes on a couple of recent test runs by a reporter; the train is expected to cover the same ground in 54 to 58 minutes.

Even the Florida project’s planners have acknowledged it would have a limited impact on traffic. An environmental impact statement issued in 2005 estimated that the train would draw 11 percent of the 4.5 million people who drive between Tampa and Orlando each year.

It also said the drivers who opted instead to ride the train “would not be sufficient to significantly improve” traffic flow on Interstate 4.

Tourists who try to use public transportation, rather than renting a car, may find themselves seeing sights they would rather avoid and missing some they would like to see. As the Frommer’s travel guide to Tampa advises, “Like most other Florida destinations, it’s virtually impossible to see Tampa’s major sights and enjoy its best restaurants without a car.”

A couple of tourists from Chilliwack, British Columbia — Allana Strickland and her teenage daughter, Sarah McKenzie — learned this firsthand recently. When they took the public bus from Tampa to the Salvador Dali Museum in nearby St. Petersburg, a major draw in the region, they found themselves on a journey that lasted more than two and half hours to go less than 20 miles.

“It’s not as easy to get around here as it could be, for sure,” Ms. Strickland said.

The Florida route was one of only two true high-speed rail projects — with trains capable of going more than 150 miles per hour, as is common in Europe and China — to win some of the $8 billion in high-speed rail money in the Stimulus Act that was awarded in January. (The Acela trains on the Northeast Corridor are capable of going 150 m.p.h., but average only around half that because they operate on crowded, curvy tracks.)

The other high-speed route is in California, which was awarded $2.25 billion, a small fraction of what it will need to build a rail line for trains that could travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco at speeds of up to 220 m.p.h.

The rest of the stimulus money was divided among 31 states, mostly to speed up existing train service by improving track and signal systems. Supporters see the Florida line as a hedge against future population growth and congestion.

“We believe it’s a mode for the future, and we have to start today,” said Nazih Haddad, the chief operating officer for the Florida Rail Enterprise, a division of the state’s Department of Transportation. He said ridership studies projected that the route would attract enough passengers to cover its operating costs.

But when America 2050, a planning group, ranked potential routes last year in a report called “Where High Speed Rail Works Best,” the Tampa to Orlando route did not even make the cut, because the group found that cities should be at least 100 miles apart to capture riders.

The planned route from Tampa through Orlando to Miami did make the list, though: it was ranked 100th among potential routes in the United States.

If the project is built but is not successful, it could make it harder for other high-speed rail projects to get money in the future. Florida knows about that possibility firsthand: its voters once passed a constitutional amendment requiring the state to build a high-speed rail system, only to repeal it later over cost concerns.

As it stands, the proposed route does not have the easiest connections. It would go to downtown Tampa, but not to Tampa’s airport. It would go to Orlando’s airport, but not to downtown Orlando.

Orlando is planning to build a commuter rail system, but the current plans do not connect it to the proposed high-speed rail line. Tampa is debating a new light rail system, but construction could be years off.

In the short term, experts predict that up to a third of the train’s ridership would be for the 19-mile trip between the Orlando airport and Walt Disney World, which has agreed to donate land for a stop.

A recent visit to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, a retro-futuristic people mover in the Magic Kingdom, shows the enduring pull of car culture in Florida: a sign at the station announces that it is presented by Alamo, the car rental company.

Here's an article about light rail costs and the cost/technical factors that will influence decisions about the route.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/mar/15/151524/potential-light-rail-routes-tampa-have-challenges/

Urban Planning Game

Hello everyone,

there is a facebook application social city where you plan your own city and get points by how much your city residents are happy with their city and facilities. It is called Social City and it is very interesting. you can practice planning the city you want with walakability and hotels and business areas and factories.

USF Employs Automatic Vehicle Location System

USF recently unveiled their new bus tracking system. I knew that there was research going on, but I never imagined the USF Bullrunner having live tracking feeds. I wonder what this will do to ridership. I'll definitely be more likely to ride transit if I know exactly where the vehicle is at any given moment. The system removes the apprehension associated with uncertain reliability of the system. I suppose the real question is: How much will it impact ridership, and what are the marginal benefits of the system? Research will definitely be easier to conduct!

In any case, the technology is exciting and really fun to play with.

Go to http://www.usfbullrunner.com/ and check out the system. Future improvements of the system will include ridership count per vehicle.

The Official Press Release Reads:

USF introduces new bus tracking system - TAMPA, Fla. (Mar. 2, 2010)

The University of South Florida Department of Parking & Transportation Services is unveiling a new program Mar. 2 that will provide riders of the USF Bull Runner, the USF Tampa campus shuttle, with enhanced convenience and security. The program is an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system which is available on the web and can be downloaded on mobile hand-held devices.

The AVL offers several services including the ability to see arrival predictions for all buses at all stops, the ability to track buses along the routes so riders can plan their day accordingly, the ability to set up alerts for recurring use via text message and bus viewing in real-time. In April, USF will also implement automatic passenger counting on buses so riders will be able to know how full a bus is before it arrives.

The new system can be viewed at www.usfbullrunner.com. To see the application working, click on the "Live Map" and choose a route. As always, a valid USF ID is required to ride the USF Bull Runner. USF is the only university in the State University System that owns its own buses and offers the AVL program.

Those road projects....

Ray Chiaramonte mentioned some south county road projects that are the sticking point in approving the transportation ballot initiative. Here's more about that(sorry that I just can't seem to make this work as a hyperlink!)


http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/local/road-projects-become-a-sticking-point-in-transit-tax-plan/1077264

Transportation Network Efficiency Expert, Slime Mold

I found a very interesting experiment that places a slime mold specimen in a situation that encouraged it to grow in a way that lent insight into Tokyo's rail system efficiency.

Some organisms have the ability to create efficient networks that allow them to access resources with minimum energy output. A team led by Atsushi Tero of Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan set up an environment that mimicked the Tokyo metropolitan area with food crumbs representing destinations. Researchers placed the slime mold Physarum polycephalum into the environment and allowed it grow and establish its own feeding network. The final result was a remarkably efficient network eerily similar to Tokyo's existing rail network.

Researches critically compared the organism's design with Tokyo's design and used what they learned to create biologically inspired algorithms for more efficient transportation network design. Innovation is definitely interdisciplinary.

Here are links to the published research in Science Magazine, a good supporting article by Wolfgang Marwan of Otto van Guericke University (Germany), and a concise overview from MSNBC.

• Rules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design
• Marwan Article
• MSNBC's "Better Transit Design through...Slime Mold?"

If the links don't work, try searching "Network Design" on sciencemag.org. USF's online database subscriptions include this journal, so you should be able to access it through the USF library.

"Mobility Market" downtown

I hope some of you will be able to visit the downtown Tampa "Mobility Market" on Friday, Feb. 19:

http://www.madduxpress.com/economic-development/2010/02/16/tampa-downtown-market-hosts-mobility-market-3696

http://www.shelterforce.org/article/1856/getting_from_here_to_there/

Here's an interesting look at how transit, land use and community development goals can be made compatible.

The politics of high speed rail

When Florida was awarded high speed rail, I sort of cynically said "it helps to be a swing state"! Well, according to this article, which quotes US Sec. of Transportation LaHood, there was more to it: apparently Florida's congressional delegation and its state legislature all did their part to ensure that the state got a big share of the available funds:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/10/how-florida-cashed-in-on_n_454467.html

I attended the public meeting held jointly by the County government and HART last night at Gaither High School. For those of you thinking of attending one of these meetings next week: the first hour is a chance to look over maps and other materials they've provided. Then they have a brief video about transporation issues, that explains why they are asking for a 1% sales tax increase, and how that money will be spent (75% bus and rail; 25% road and trail improvements). After the video they broke us into two groups to learn more about either transit or non-transit issues. I confess I did not stay until the very end! But I did hear about 30 minutes of the discussion group about transit.

Some of the comments from the public were of the predictable "Don't tax me!" variety. And there were the usual attendees who simply want to gripe about a bad intersection near their home, as well as one fellow who announced he was running for county commissioner and then held the floor with a mini-lecture for a very long time.

But one interesting concern, esp. of interest to planners, did come up in the transit discussion. Many of those in attendance live in the new developments off Dale Mabry highway in the north part of Hillsborough County, close to the border with Pasco. The HART planners explained that they made recommendations for transit improvements based on the Hillsborough county Future Land Use Map (FLUM). But much of the volume on the major roads in that area comes from the many new subdivisions built in across the county line in Pasco County-- and yet the Hillsborough County planning doesn't process doesn't fully consider how much new development Pasco County anticipates in the coming years. This strikes me as a structural problem in much of the planning process: although there is some cooperation between municipalities and counties, much of planning still fails to work at a regional level.

Identifying routes, stops

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2010/2/3/578647.html?title=Five%20sites%20approved%20for%20high-speed%20rail%20stop%20in%20Polk&cid=rss

Both proposed light rail and high-speed rail systems are still under study, so we don't know exactly where routes will be located or stations built. The link above raises these issues in the case of Lakeland.

These decisions will have a huge impact on all kinds of land use, development, and environmental concerns. Real estate values will be affected as well. You can think about the many planning issues that will emerge around any proposed rail routes.

Lots written after high speed rail announcement!

From Orlando newspapers, questions about whether that city will be ready to link the new line to other transportation:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-cfb-kassab-high-speed-rail-20100129,0,7422852.column">href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-cfb-kassab-high-speed-rail-20100129,0,7422852.column">

I've found similar concerns from the Tampa end:

What have you heard/read about the proposed high-speed line?

The Suburbanization of Poverty

http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2010/0120_poverty_kneebone.aspx

This is a study by the Brookings Institute from 2000 to 2008 found that the suburbs of metro areas saw the largest and fastest growing proportion of poverty in America.

High-Speed-Rail Funding: Obama Should See Fla. Future

Hey guys, this is an article I found about the President's upcoming visit to the Tampa Bay area to talk about the Tampa-Orlando high speed rail line. Check it out at http://www.theledger.com/article/20100124/EDIT01/1245032/1398?p=all&tc=pgall

rail: pros and cons

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/24/na-dontjudgerailreport-by-its-partisan-cover/



An anti-rail group has published a report trying to discourage investment in Florida rail projects. The Tampa Tribune reviews their main arguments and shows how they are relevant to local concerns. It's a good review of debating points on both sides.

Dangerous By Design

http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign/

This is a report by Transportation for America which ranked U.S. metro areas based on pedestrian safety between 2007 and 2008. The top four most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians were Orlando-Kissimmee, Tampa-St.Pete-Clearwater, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, and Jacksonville, respectively.

Tampa landscaper offers cut-rate lawn care for foreclosed homes

http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/tampa-landscaper-offers-cut-rate-lawn-care-for-foreclosed-homes/1067728

I read this article today about how Lawn Mowing companies use Cattle and Goats to mow the lawns of Foreclosed houses and apartments. It is very environmentally friendly and it only costs $10 dollars. It provided food for the cattle and the waste of that procedure is turned into compost that acts as a fertilizer for better crops for Tampa. I really loved the idea of using natural things and saving money. Green Businesses do not have to be Expensive Businesses.

I also realized that Tampa area does not have the much recycling and compost bins for residents to use and help around. I know that being green is not just about recycling but at least we have the responsibility for our own trash.

EPA Says Breathing Is Deadly, But Radioactive Drinking Water Is Good For Us

http://www.infowars.com/epa-says-breathing-is-deadly-but-radioactive-drinking-water-is-good-for-us/

This article is pretty disturbing because it says that The EPA only reports and punishes air pollution cases however, water pollution cases are no profitable and they take less to no headlines and hence they do not punish it.

It says :" records show that fewer than 6 percent of the water systems that broke the law were ever punished or fined by the EPA." so actually the EPA recieve a lot of water violations and they ignore and do not even consider telling people about it.

I do not have water filter in the house and reading this article made me feel that It is not safe to drink or cook with this water from the tap. If water is not an important expensive headline topic anymore, do we not deserve to even know.

We hear a lot on the news about the panda who had a baby and the tortoises who were cold and had to be taken care of till they can go back into the water and I am sure all that news is very important to the ecology balance. However, the EPA fail to inform us the our water has a higher radioactivity than the "Allowed" level.

I worked with the Department of Environmental Protection with the State of Florida with the Phosphate Management and we always went around for insepction and we mostly inspected the water. A low radioactive low dilution number will be a good water. if we have a high number then a report is made but I am not sure if anyone ever heard about high radioactive drinking water in Tampa.. Have you?

Tampa is a City that Sleeps

We have been discussing in class how living in cities like Manhattan will be the almost perfect choice. I thought about living downtown Tampa. However, when I had a job interview two weeks ago at 6 pm downtown on Twiggs Ave, I realized that most stores were closed by 4pm or 5 pm. If Tampa wants to be a better cities, it should act like a city, which means it should be designed with the resident in mind not just the employees and employer schedule.

No wonder why the Channel Side district has all those condos but no one is living. Why would I live in a city that sleeps at 5pm. I want to go grocery shopping on foot and go sit in a cafe in the evening with friends. I also want to see more life in the city in the weekends. I also like cities because it has family owned businesses like diners and flower shops and gas stations.

Discussion Tomorrow

Just a heads up for everyone that for class this week I will be discussing Chapter 10 of Down the Asphalt Path.

is mass transit a waste of energy?

http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/is_mass_transit_a_waste_of_energy_/Content?oid=961254

test out the link and it takes you to the right place.

I got this article from creative Loafing, a local small time newspaper that I sometimes I read. the article is mainly about 2 opposite points of view about whether or not mass transit actually saving energy or not. It ends with the main idea that it all depends on how one plays with the numbers.

the article pointed out something about California or Los Angles. Either way I ran into a female person that was in Los Angles and she told me that the public transit there was great. She compared it to Atlanta bus system, which she described it as horrible. oh, background on her. She spend some time traveling around the country by foot and hiking.

Anyway, I decided to check one of her claims and it turn out to be true. She claimed that the buses go there about every 5 minutes. I went on line and found that it was true. There was even one route that went every 3 minutes. Compare to the bus system here in Pinellas and Hillbure County which runs on the hour and half-hour. oh yeah, I'm the long hair Indian that uses public buses to get about.

One last point, this article reminded me on a show that I saw many, many moons ago that relates to this article on how people can play with numbers. The article was about electric cars and how they don't pollute the air. that is right but the Power Plant that produces the electrics to power up the electric cars produces "more" pollution than a gas power car. Don't know if that's true but it is something to think about.

How walkable is your neighborhood?

This application calculates and "walkability" score for any address you put in. Essentially, it calculates distances from the address to a list of possible services and amenities. Of course, the scores are only as good as the quality of the data. When I put in my address, for example, it claimed that the nearest park was 2.4 miles away, and it is "Citrus Park Drive" -- which of course is not a park at all, but a busy road leading to a shopping mall. But it's still fun to do. Here's the url:

www.walkscore.com

www.walkscore.com

Help make this blog useful

No doubt many of you are more technologically adept than I, and have better graphic design skills. I invite you to suggest ways to improve this blog! We'll be using it to share articles, post reactions to meetings and discuss speakers, events, etc. Let me know which features we should add.