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Skip the grand plans and seek practical transit solutions

Re: Expressway is a monster - as kindly as Godzilla, by Howard Troxler, Aug. 15.

There are probably many good reasons not to build a hideously expensive beltway boondoggle around West Central Florida, but the proposal by Howard Troxler and others for the expansion of mass transportation is not the only solution to the traffic congestion created by growing populations.

Light rail along the I-4 and I-75 corridors may be a partial solution to Tampa's commuter congestion. But like it or not, the present homogeneous distribution of living and work space in Pinellas County was evolutionarily determined by the automobile, and this is unlikely to change in the immediate future.

We don't need to spend millions to get a family from Palm Harbor to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. What we do need is an efficient system that serves a typical middle class family with a home in a place like Seminole or north St. Petersburg. This system would efficiently get Dad to his job at a light manufacturing plant in Largo, Mom to hers as medical technician at Bayfront Medical Center and Sis to her classes at St. Petersburg College.

This will require some give and take and a little innovation. For example, on many routes several of the large PSTA diesel buses have become an underutilized, taxpayer-subsidized burden. PSTA may want to consider smaller vehicles with more flexible schedules. No one likes road construction, particularly the property owners displaced for new right-of-way. But we may want to consider limited access vehicle corridors with HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes between major county population centers.

Regardless, what we don't need is yet another one-size-fits-all grandiose "vision." We need practical, workable solutions to traffic congestion problems that address the specific needs of Pinellas County towns and neighborhoods.

Timothy S. "Mac" McDonnell, St. Petersburg

Look beyond the endless sprawl

Re: Expressway is a monster - as kindly as Godzilla.

My gratitude goes to Howard Troxler for drawing attention to the absurd ease with which the Hillsborough County Commission gave its approval to a proposed "beltway" around Tampa. Before we commit to this multibillion dollar "monster," shouldn't we spend a few bucks at least to explore the possibility of a mass transit system in Tampa Bay?

But we shouldn't have to collect signatures to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot. I agree with Troxler. We need forward-thinking leadership, with a vision for what will help the Tampa Bay area far into the future. Instead of voting to perpetuate endless suburban sprawl, why can't our elected officials imagine a city where people opt to leave their cars parked and hop on a train?

Doug Rhea, Tampa

Mass transit is the way to go

Re: Expressway is a monster - as kindly as Godzilla, by Howard Troxler.

Right on, Howard! I like the sound of this mass transit solution much more than strangling our beautiful Tampa Bay area in a ribbon of concrete. Any politician who supports mass transit will get my vote.

Dale Krumreich, Pinellas Park

Beltway beneficiaries

So, the Hillsborough County Commission has members who will benefit from the construction of the proposed Tampa Bay area beltway! And they're supporting the proposal without the input of area residents.

It looks as though Florida's congressional delegation will have to intercede and thwart the effort by preventing the federal tax dollar contribution. The boondoggle highway can't proceed without help from the feds. In the meantime, just how do the gubernatorial candidates stand on the issue?

Thank you for alerting us to yet another case of the "fox guarding the henhouse," which is what is happening with the Hillsborough County Commission.

Rand Moorhead, St. Petersburg

A trolley needs a destination

Re: Streetcar in Tampa an idea whose time has come - and gone, by Sandra Thompson, Aug. 12.

I disagree with Sandra Thompson's portrayal of Tampa's Ybor City trolley. She states she usually doesn't see more than four people on the trolley at one time. While I don't get over to ride the trolley a lot, in the three times I have done so, there were quite a few more than just four on board.

I believe the Tampa trolley's biggest drawback is that it doesn't really go anyplace. In San Francisco the historic trolley is having trouble accommodating all of those who want to ride. The Municipal Railway there has begun to run buses between the trolley cars, to alleviate the crowding. Guess what? When people see a bus approaching they let it pass, hoping to board the next trolley. Why? For one reason, the trolley goes where the people want to go, Fisherman's Wharf. For another, people get a kick out of riding the trolley.

Lastly, she states that we got rid of our streetcars. That's true, perhaps, with a little coaxing from the boys at GMC, Standard Oil, and Firestone Tire and Rubber. In the case of St. Petersburg, the system was owned by the city, paid for and running just fine. Along came someone who convinced the city fathers to borrow the money to purchase "modern diesel buses" and send the trolleys to the scrap heap. There was a fight, but alas a fruitless one, and by 1949 the trolleys were gone. There are those who wish we had them back, but as Thompson has correctly noted, the costs would be astronomical.

Mark Niceley, St. Petersburg

See what makes a city work

Before the city of St. Petersburg considers "revitalizing" the downtown area with a fisherman's wharf like San Francisco, I suggest city leaders visit the existing one and see what makes this a vibrant area. The surrounding communities are old and a combination of small bars, restaurants, apartments and shops with small streets that enable a walkable, lively community. Building a brand-new one in Disneyland style, which seems to be the trend these days, won't create a wharf similar to the one in San Francisco.

Second, I suggest that all involved in any decisionmaking about "revitalizing" communities read The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs (who died a few months ago). It should be required reading for all city planners, especially local elected officials who purport to understand what vitalizes a community.

Unfortunately, St. Petersburg already destroyed one major tenet of a lively community: two-way streets. With one-way streets downtown, St. Petersburg suffers from a lack of slow-moving, pedestrian-friendly streets. Go to the areas where slow moving traffic on two-way streets is the rule and you will see how they help keep a community lively. Perhaps a reading of Jacobs' book and a visit to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf will help decisionmakers see the light before they proceed.

Steve Morrell, Bradenton

Seafood market would be a winner

Re: Seattle, San Francisco and St. Petersburg? Aug. 13.

I have long wondered why this area does not have a great seafood market. The idea of putting one in the area of the Pier is wonderful and I urge the city leaders to pursue this with vigor. It has the potential to be a big part of the revitalization the city is doing.

I would go often and I am sure our tourists would also love it.

David Brown, St. Petersburg

[Last modified August 17, 2006, 01:45:18]