Tampa Streetcar Project to Break Ground

[thelakelander]

Perhaps if JTA could begin to get some transit elements for free (hint: bus shelters, etc.), maybe we could use other funds to finally get some rail plans implemented. However, its kind of hard to do anything worthwhile in a cheap city that doesn't want to pay for quality services or improve what they have for free with public/private partnerships.  Sometimes you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[heights unknown]

Tampa progresses, we regress.  What happened to the "Bold New City of the South?"

Heights Unknown

While the extension is a short one, if applied to Jax, it would be like extending the Skyway down Riverside Avenue to hit Fidelity or to Atlantic Blvd to serve Hendricks Av and San Marco Square.

Federal stimulus funds to add buses, vans and streetcar rails in Tampa

By Michael Van Sickler, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Tuesday, April 7, 2009

TAMPA — Federal stimulus money is on its way to boost Hillsborough County's transit system.

On Monday, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit's governing board approved spending more than $15.1 million in federal stimulus money, including about $7.8 million on 29 buses and two paratransit vans, which are used to shuttle elderly or disabled passengers too frail to travel by bus. Another $1.5 million will be spent to operate the fleet of 36 paratransit vans.

About $1 million was approved to extend downtown's streetcar system about a third of a mile from the Tampa Convention Center to the outer business and office district on Whiting Street. Overall, the extension will cost about $5.5 million; construction is to begin this summer and be completed by mid 2010, according to HART spokesman Ed Crawford.

The remainder of the money, about $3.8 million, will be spent on improvements to operations, equipment and security.

"This helps tremendously," Crawford said. "We were behind on bus purchases, so this gets us up to date."

http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/masstransit/article990149.ece

So Lakelander, do you think that extension, though short, is viable and needed in Tampa?  And...will it be workable and successful?

In my opinion if the same extension were put into Jax, it might not work.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

[[/quote]

Yeah, Tampa isn't the most progressive place.  Its funny that people would see a $52 million transit investment as a boondoggle when its helped spur over a billion dollars in development along that 3 mile corridor.  The Channel District was a real dump before all those mixed use projects and warehouse conversions came online.  One of these days I'm going to have to pull out my photo archives and post some images of what this area looked like a decade ago.

I agree.  That area was run down, blighted, and abandoned ten or more years ago.  I have had the pleasure of performing in that area with a couple of bands I was with and it seems to be humming, teeming and buzzing with people. Entertainment Venues are also beginning to pop up and grace that area.  I think it is slowly beginning to take over as the premier spot for entertainment from Ybor City.

Heights Unknown

[thelakelander]

So Lakelander, do you think that extension, though short, is viable and needed in Tampa?  And...will it be workable and successful?

Right now, Tampa's streetcar is nothing more than a tourist train that completely misses DT Tampa.  While this is short, it makes sense to extend the line into DT Tampa.  With this extension, you make the system accessible to thousands of DT visitors and office workers.  I already consider the TECO streetcar a success from the economic development standpoint.  Adding a decent walkable destination as a terminal point can only help with ridership and spread economic development opportunities to bridge the gap between DT and the Channel District.

In my opinion if the same extension were put into Jax, it might not work.

Heights Unknown

An example of a similar extension in Jax could be taking the skyway from Kings Avenue station, across the FEC, to Atlantic Blvd, establishing a direct high frequency transit connection between DT, Hendricks Avenue and San Marco Square.  Imo, its hard to prove that a reliable fixed transit connection between DT and one of Jax's most vibrant walkable neighborhoods, dining and entertainment districts would not attract higher ridership than what exists today.

[CS Foltz]

At least Tampa is doing something which is more than I can say for Jacksonville! We appear to be more concerned with "Advertising" than we do with adding shelters. Don't forget the historical districts will be exempt from what I have seen,but the ridership numbers are higher in terms of useage.....so I guess its OK to not have advertising there but all right for the rest of the City! I digress............Tampa is one up on us and Jacksonville is still lost!

[Dog Walker]

TUFSU, I do know a couple of planners in person and they have not been in a city with real working LRT.  They even self identify as "highway planners."  The only time they have ever been out of the country was to Cancun on spring break.

Jacksonville had the first expressway system in the South.  Yes, ahead of Atlanta.  It was very successful and lowered travel times even in a city that had bridges as choke points.  IMO, that early success has ingrained a culture of asphalt and concrete into our planners so that they have difficulty even conceiving of any alternatives.

[tufsu1]

then I would argue you don't know their planning staff at all..I can tell you that they have been to Denver and Charlotte just in the last year or so.