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Don't build underground bus hub

Re: Will novel bus depot idea sink or swim? July 12.

I feel that the idea of building an underground bus terminal at Williams Park in St. Petersburg is poor thinking, for several reasons.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority recently completed a major bus transfer terminal between First Avenue N and Central near 34th Street. I don't believe that an underground terminal can be built that will not collect water. The traffic conditions with buses trying to turn in and out of a limited-view area will be deplorable. A large hump in the center of Williams Park will greatly reduce the flexibility of this venue. We do not need another construction project downtown at this time; we have enough lane narrowings, noise, dust and other side effects of the current building craze.

Perhaps the city should work with PSTA and try to change routes so that Williams Park is no longer a bus hub. This would alleviate the traffic and smell from the buses in the downtown area. It would also eliminate or reduce those undesirable elements who congregate there. It would free up more area for street parking because the buses would not sit there idling for long periods of time while waiting to start routes.

The amount of money needed to put just two lanes underground would be enormous. The money could be better spent on other city projects.

Walt Peifer, St. Petersburg

Bus riders are always last priority

Re: Williams Park bus depot.

There's no denying that the concept of an underground bus depot at Williams Park is intriguing, even though this is the third time you have written about this.

What is even more intriguing - or perhaps depressing - is that there was no mention of a single advantage to the BUS RIDER! It would make pedestrians happy ... parkgoers happy ... Progress Energy happy. Aesthetics, expensive land and convenience are mentioned. But like most projects and stories involving the PSTA, nothing about the bus rider in Pinellas County. The bus rider is always last, not the very reason for having a bus system.

John Royse, St. Petersburg

Wouldn't heavy rain flood bus depot?

Re: Will novel bus depot idea sink or swim?

The idea about having an 8-foot underground bus terminal sounds interesting, but the article didn't address two important concerns: storm drainage and flooding. The idea may look good on paper, but what will happen to that underground area during hurricane season?

James Lade, South Pasadena

A cargo plane is destined to fall

It was interesting to read your editorial on the lack of FAA inspections of cargo planes (Safety alert for cargo planes, July 14). I live in Feather Sound, and the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport sits directly behind my home. Although the airport officials have tried to deny it, they are striving to become a major cargo airport. This fact is clearly outlined in their master plan. I have talked with several neighbors, and we all realize that with the cargo planes that will use the extended runway, it is only a matter of time before one of the planes goes down.

Now I realize how easily that could happen, since the FAA does little to ensure the safety of the planes, and consequently the areas around the airports. I wonder how the county will view its master plan for the airport after a plane crashes into Ulmerton Road at rush hour or into a neighborhood surrounding the airport.

Heather Dixon, Clearwater

Fill police positions now

Re: Enough police for city?

I am responding to the story written by Ahbi Raghunathan on June 18. Congratulations to St. Petersburg police Chief Chuck Harmon on keeping his numbers down (budget and violent crimes). Thanks to his philosophy, the men and women who are protecting us and our fine city have been stressed and overworked.

I wonder how the morale at our department is. Are these fine men and women benefiting from this underbudget force? Where are our tax dollars going? I read that there are 27 vacancies. I talked to two police officers who told me that there are 250 positions that could be filled.

As a taxpayer and small-business owner in downtown St. Petersburg, I feel that we deserve to have these jobs filled. Our police officers deserve the right to work in an environment that is at a standard dictated by our budget, not by one man who feels he doesn't need more officers.

Where are the officers that are a part of the downtown deployment team? They are working BayWalk on Friday and Saturday nights. In 2004 our downtown deployment officer, Jack Soule, made his rounds every day. We (at Sequins and Denim) would see Officer Soule at least every other day. He knew what was going on downtown. We were his eyes and ears, and he was our officer. We do need community policing. And our officers need our help.

I hope Chief Harmon doesn't scare away all the new residents from moving downtown when they find out that our Police Department is understaffed and overworked. What's more important? What about morale? Who's got your back?

Shannon West, St. Petersburg

Bicyclists almost ran us over

Re: Share the Road Ride

Quoted from the July 5 St. Petersburg Times: "The Share the Road Ride is not a race. It is a mass-start ride designed to bring awareness that bicycles share the road with other vehicles."

I think this a good thing, and they have my full support. So then why did my two dogs, my husband and I almost get run over by about 50 cyclists on the sidewalk on Coffee Pot Boulevard that morning by the participants in this ride? Not to mention the high speed they were cycling on the sidewalk. We are people, not vehicles, so why do we have to share the sidewalk with them? Actually we could not use the sidewalk - we had to move out of the way to avoid getting hit.

Sandra Gerber, St. Petersburg

Code enforcers, where are you?

I would like to know from the city of St. Petersburg why people are continually allowed to park their cars, trucks, SUVs, motor homes and boats on their lawns. I see this occurring all over St. Petersburg every day. And it seems the city is doing nothing to end this violation of City Code Chapter 29, Sec. 29-209. The people who are ignoring the city ordinance are doing it week after week, month after month, and year after year.

The good citizens of St. Petersburg who care how their neighborhood looks should not have to put up with the citizens of St. Petersburg who continually break the law and don't care how their neighborhood looks.

If the city is short on code-enforcement personnel, I would be happy to discuss with them my willingness to fill this shortage in their employment ranks and put an end to this blatant disregard for the law, while helping to add revenue to the city's bottom line.

Mike Heidemann, St. Petersburg

[Last modified July 22, 2006, 20:37:34]