BlogWood: MT Archives

Ronda gets one right

Ronda Storms is right. Well, she’s still wrong about most things, and she seems to be right about this one for the wrong reasons, and she managed a stupid utterance before the night was over...

Anyway, Hillsborough’s Metropolitan Planning Organization met yesterday and axed a plan by Tampa leaders to pursue funding for an expensive extension of the tourist trolley that runs Marriott and cruise ship guests up to Mel Sembler’s Ybor City joint.

The trolley essentially goes nowhere, and backers want to extend the line a few blocks past the Marriott to somewhere near Whiting Street, but they fail to put forth a persuasive argument as to why this .8 mile extension would be worth $7 million.

Now, I would be the first to argue in favor of a light rail project that would attract lots of riders and relieve traffic congestion and pollution, but this is not that. The trolley doesn’t even begin daily runs until 11AM. It’s designed for and ridden by tourists. It’s a Disneyesque air conditioned fun little jaunt that allows visitors to easily take in a safe day trip to Ybor City without having to cab or rent a car.

As my new buddy Ronda said, “Don't pretend this is congestion mitigation and you're doing great environmental work here,” which pretty much sums things up, though backers of the extension continue to use those exact arguments, preposterously claiming that a trolley that locals don’t ride will take commuters off of the roads.

``It gets people out of their cars, and that is the purpose of the program,'' said Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor, who supported the move.

The proposed extension would jut a little into downtown, and might actually attract some downtown workers looking for a ride to Hooter’s at Channelside around lunchtime, but $7 million hardly seems a worthwhile expense for that.

Now, back to Ronda: she’s against this project because she’s against almost anything to do with the city. She’d rather see tax dollars go to county areas south of Tampa.

And her strange utterance? Ronda wants (presumably HARTLine) to buy a new bus to transport MacDill personnel who currently ride from Brandon with standing room only. Two observations: to be profitable, busses need to be full. Also, Ronda sits on the HARTLine Board, which just implemented route changes, so, uh, if there’s a pressing need for more busses for Route 25X, why didn’t they make the changes?

More on the streetcar

A group of city, county and transportation officials refused Tuesday to pursue a divisive proposal: securing $3 million in federal transportation dollars to extend Tampa's streetcar.

The Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization voted against the plan, leaving streetcar supporters wondering where else to turn for money.

``I don't see the streetcar as a top priority item to spend $3 million,'' Temple Terrace Mayor Joe Affronti said after voting against the plan. ``It just seems like an awful amount of money. I don't know what it's going to do to increase the quality of life.''

Streetcar officials want to extend the line to Whiting Street. The project, which would expand the route about three-eighths of a mile, would cost more than $7 million.

The Tampa City Council last week voted to pursue $3 million in federal funding for the expansion. The federal dollars are intended for projects that ease air pollution and alleviate traffic congestion.

The Metropolitan Planning Organization voted 6-5 against signing off on the plan.

Tampa supports the streetcar extension but won't agree to pay for it, Mayor Pam Iorio said. The city could pursue other federal money to complete the extension, she said.

``This seemed like a fairly straightforward, short extension that benefited everyone,'' Iorio said. ``I am sure there are alternative funding sources.''

Streetcar officials are considering expanding hours to lure downtown office workers. Service now starts at 11 a.m., after the morning rush.

Line expansion proponents said a longer route would help revitalize downtown Tampa and reduce traffic.

``It gets people out of their cars, and that is the purpose of the program,'' said Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor, who supported the move.

Supporters also argued that if they failed to immediately decide how to spend the money, it could be reallocated to other counties.

``This has the potential for being a real transportation project,'' said David Mechanik, chairman of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority. ``The vote precludes it from offering more services, from bringing it into downtown.''

Opponents said they felt rushed into making a decision and suggested that other areas of the county are worthy of transportation money.

``Don't pretend this is congestion mitigation and you're doing great environmental work here,'' Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms said before voting against the proposal. ``There's no money for the city of Plant City. There's no money for the city of Temple Terrace. That smacks of political decisions, not environmental decisions.''

Storms suggested buying a bus to transport MacDill Air Force Base personnel from Valrico to the base because the bus running now is standing- room only.