STREET CAR EXPANSION MEETING

[tampasteve]

On January 9th and February 19th at 5:30-7:00pm there will be a meeting at the Tampa Convention Center to get public feedback on the Whiting St. expansion of the Tampa Street car. Details can be found here. (link obatined from www.tamprail.org - a fantastic website devoted to development of fixed guideway transit in the greater Tampa area.) This is a great meeting that anyone intersted in expanding rail through our area should attend. Small steps eventually get things moving, and this is one step in the right direction.

Steve

[tampaguy03]

Hey Steve, was unable to attend the Jan 9th meeting, any updates?

[tampasteve]

I was also unable to attend... However, I will make every effort on this planet to attend the next one in February. I wish there were more to talk about with this extension; I really cannot see that it would not go, it is a small extension, but it integrates DT with the rest of the line; not to mention that it is a start of the larger expansion. Just think of the impact that the new condo towers (skypoint and element) would have on the street car if the line went near them! It boggles the mind really that they are not pushing harder for this to go forward.

Steve

[tampaguy03]

It would be nice if the builders would help chip in as well, and run the streetcar right up franklin ave to tampa heights, and then over to ybor to make a complete circle. It sad when the infratructure is not fully inplace prior to the residents. It will not be a good thing to have so many resident s downtown and channelside using their cars to get around the vicinity..in my opinion.

[tampasteve]

That is basically the plan for the street car. It is supposed to make a full circle with Ybor city.....eventually. It would be great for the builders to put some money in, but on the other hand, it would be better if the city would reward the people moving in, and the builders making it possible, by expanding the rail system.

I can understand why they are waiting. Nothing would be worse than to make the whole circle and have hardly anyone on it for several years...that would only fuel the fire that rail will (or has in this scenario) fail in Tampa.

We will get a full system eventually, but I would give it 1-2 years to get started in planninig, and another 5-10 for building and actual trains on the tracks. I wish it were sooner, but I will take what we get. I would think the possibility of a commuter rail system will happen first; most likely the line from Dade City to DT Tampa going though Lutz, New Tampa and the USF area. It would be great to have a DT distributer in place for that rail system to connect to, but the street car is a start. Most of the Channelside, Ybor and part of DT is accessible to stations that are already on the line, so that is a great start!

Steve