Mass-transit referendum in Hillsborough County (Tampa), Florida

[BrainGlutton]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

It’s not clear yet whether anything that was actually illegal occurred, but there was plenty of shady stuff going on.

But, is this Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority the same agency as would be responsible for building SunRail?

[NetTrekker]

@BrainGlutton

@NetTrekker

Building and expanding more roadways is not a good solution to continued growth.

N.B.: 25% of the penny-tax revenue is to go for road repairs, improvements and upgrades. My understanding, however, is that this (mostly) does not mean building more roads, but improving existing ones. See here for a list.

I’d still vote for it, since it gets local rail started. It will take time to build out and in the meantime you still have to have adequate roads. I think the idea is to avoid having to build massive new elevated expressways and/or keep adding lanes to I-275, Dale Mabry, etc.

[BrainGlutton]

@NetTrekker

@BrainGlutton

N.B.: 25% of the penny-tax revenue is to go for road repairs, improvements and upgrades. My understanding, however, is that this (mostly) does not mean building more roads, but improving existing ones. See here for a list.

I’d still vote for it, since it gets local rail started. It will take time to build out and in the meantime you still have to have adequate roads. I think the idea is to avoid having to build massive new elevated expressways and/or keep adding lanes to I-275, Dale Mabry, etc.

I can certainly think of a lot of existing streets that badly need resurfacing, at the very least. Ever try to drive on Swann east of MacDill? Or Bayshore north of Rome?

[BrainGlutton]

Update: Latest poll shows Hillsborough voters favoring the transportation tax – but the margin is very slim: 51% in favor, 39% opposed, 10&% undecided.

The Chamber of Commerce and all the local newspapers have endorsed the tax. No prominent organizations are opposing it, AFAIK.

[BrainGlutton]

@BrainGlutton

Well, this is interesting . . . This evening I went to a TBARTA presentation on mass transit in the Tampa Bay Area. And at the end of the presenter’s engaging talk, as an oh-by-the-way, he offered everyone a “No On 4” leaflet, saying that the proposed Amendment 4 “would be a killer for mass transit.” Amendment 4 will be on the state ballot this November; it would require any change to a local comprehensive land-use plan to be approved by the community’s voters. (See this thread. I don’t see the connection . . . except that he had been touting mass transit as a boost to local property development – i.e., developers will locate their projects near a light-rail line or BRT (bus rapid transit) route if they have a choice. Thing is, though, he made it sound like Amendment 4 would mean requiring a public vote on every single building permit, which I’m pretty sure is not the case.

The leaflet says at the bottom: “NAIOP” – the acronym is not explained – “COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION - TAMPA BAY CHAPTER”; and below that, “Paid political advertisement. Paid for by the Tampa Bay Regional Coalition.” Whatever that is; googling turns up nothing.

As eday draws nearer I’m increasingly curious: What’s the thinking here? Why would Amendment 4 be a killer for mass transit?

[Peremensoe]

@Beware_of_Doug

I would argue that getting any great number of people excited about taking the train will be the most impossible PR move of the century.

What do people want most in transport? Freedom. And freedom, for almost everyone, equals car. I would think it would take at least a generation without gasoline, or workable alternate fuels, to change thinking on that score.

Oh, I think a year or so without affordable gasoline will be plenty of time to convince people that a transport system that does not require them to own, maintain and fuel their own personal vehicle gives them vastly more freedom than one that does.

Of course, if we don’t have that system largely built by then, a lot of us are going to be fucked.

[Amp]

Well, it’s early but it is not looking good for the Transit Tax here. As of right now, with 22% of precints reporting in, we are looking at a 60% against, 40 % for.

Something I thought was funny was an exit poll on www.tbo.com:

Vanderlyn Jones, 58, voted Democrat.

“I want all the Democrats to win,” she said outside the College Hill Public Library. “Get the Republicans out of office.”

She also voted against the transportation tax. She feels that roads and schools need to be improved more than anything else and that people already pay too much in taxes.

Ummm… a percantage of the Transit Tax was going to go towards road improvements.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

Well, nobody said the Republicans had a monopoly on cognitive dissonance.

[NetTrekker]

Charlotte is looking better…

Or maybe Canada.