Tampa Bay Light Rail (Part 1)

It’s been a hot button topic in Tampa Bay for many years: Light Rail – to build or not to build?

As early as the 1970’s, it’s been talked about over and over in the area. Advocates say that it’s years overdue, will better the economy of the area, and is a much more practical solution than continually building and expanding roads. Opponents say that the small number of transit passengers in the area doesn’t warrant the costly expenditures and maintenance and are vehemently opposed to any increase in taxes to pay for the system.

This is a pro-transit blog, and as such, I am on the side of the advocates. Having spent several months living in Tampa earlier this year, I got a first-hand look at just how badly the Tampa Bay area needs light rail. Transit ridership has been continually growing month after month (so many months in a row that I’ve lost track) on HART, and PSTA has been setting their own record ridership numbers. Keeping in mind that these ridership increases have happened in the midst of service cuts, fare hikes, and the recession, it’s fairly obvious that transit is proving itself.

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Snow Detour

Over the course of the last few days, the Spokane area saw the first real snowfall of the season. So I figured now would be a good time to talk about an important snow-related topic: The Snow Detour. The fact of the matter is that the Spokane area gets snow. There’s no avoiding that. Sometimes, that snow accumulates enough to start making roads impassable. For people that ride transit, particularly those who are absolutely dependant on it, this can have serious implications.

The good news is that Spokane Transit has designated snow detours for 17 routes (more than half the routes in the system). On each route with a snow detour, the route map has the following info:

Pre-planned Snow Detours: Many bus route have sements that become blocked during snow-ice storms. Hills and narrow streets are the most common problem areas. Pre-planned detours (such as the one shown on this map) have been created so customers can plan accordingly. Detours will only be in effect as needed and for the minimum time possible. The STA wesbsite will always have the most up-to-date information on snow detours. You can also sign up for detour notices via Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds, or SMS text messaging at www.spokanetransit.com.

On that same route map/schedule, the specific snow detour(s) for each route are shown, with a short explanation of what street(s) the bus will drive on during the snow detour, and in select cases a more detailed explanation of what street(s) will not be served during the detour. A special notation is also seen on the maps for Routes 60 and 61, which bypass the Browne’s Addition neighborhood during snow detours, but retain service through a snow shuttle.

As noted earlier, snow detours only stay in effect for as long as needed. STA and the City of Spokane have worked together to make sure that the roads travelled by STA buses are on the priority list of roads that need clearing. From what I’ve been told by operators and riders, this plan usually works out okay, but it’s not always guaranteed. During a record-setting 17 inches of snow in 24hrs back in 2008, nearly all bus service was brought to a halt, but so was the rest of the region.

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A 1% Tax Equals How Much Transit?

Back in February, I wrote a post called “What Might Have Been.” In it, I talked about the aftermath of the repeal of the MVET (motor vehicle excise tax) in Washington State, and how it affected nearly every agency in the state. I was still living in the Tri-Cities at the time, so I focused especially on the effect it had on Ben Franklin Transit, and the amount of service that would’ve been lost had voters not approved an increase of the sales tax rate in 2002. After I wrote that, I ended up moving to Tampa for several months. While I was living there, I spent a lot of time riding the bus with Jason Eames (author of “Yo Bus Driver!”). Many times the subject of the abysmally low service frequency and hours of the local transit agency, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, was discussed, and we both agreed that HART’s service was “small city transit in a big city.” As it turns out though, things might not have turned out this way had voters in Hillsborough County approved a 1% sales tax measure that was placed on the ballot in November 2010.

If the 1% sales tax measure was passed, 75% of the funds would have gone towards transit while the other 25% would have gone to road projects. This also included matching state grants and FTA funds for transit. According to the Hillsborough MPO, the old (and still current) property tax costs the average homeowner $45 per year to support transit service (in comparison with the average $720 in fares that each HART rider pays each year). The 1% would have cost the average household just $12 per month. Obviously, as an author of a blog with the word “Transit” in it, I’m very pro-transit and would have easily supported this measure. I’m fairly certain that the majority of my readers, especially my Tampa Bay area readers, would have as well. As part of the process to make the case for this new tax, officials at HART made a plan for the public to show how a 1% tax would benefit the community. The list is quite long, but yet impressive for a major metro that is behind the times on public transportation but doesn’t want to be.

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Route 225

BFT’s original logo

The odd child of Ben Franklin Transit.

To explain its origins, we have to go way back to the 1980’s. (Ok, so it’s not that far back…)

At this time, the Interstate Highway System hadn’t quite made its way to the Tri-Cities (as I-82 had completely bypassed the area by looping around and continuing south). In order to travel between Pasco and Richland, one would have to take Highway 14 across the Blue Bridge into Kennewick and then from there drive west towards Richland. However, once I-182 was opened, it presented a brand new option for residents of the region to drastically reduce their driving time, particularly Hanford workers.

When Ben Franklin Transit was first established, it utilized a rather simple numbering system. Numbers between 20 and 29 were reserved for routes serving Richland, 40-49 were for Kennewick, 60-69 were for Pasco, and 100-199 was for Intercity service. (There was also Route 10 which ran in West Richland, and Route 39 running as local service in an area split between Kennewick and Richland.) So, when BFT started running express buses to major employment destinations in the area, it was decided to reserve 200-299 to identify those routes. Examples include Routes 240 and 246 running to the Hanford Site. There were also buses to the Boise wood mill in Wallula (though short-lived) and other areas.

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Is The Bus Too Big?

Every now and then, I like to go on Ebay.com and take a look at the different buses being auctioned. Sometimes I might find a subtle difference on one bus compared to another, sometimes I find some pretty old buses, and sometimes I find buses that are just plain weird. Weird is probably the best word to describe one of the buses I found for sale: An Orion II.

Auctioned by the City of Owensboro Kentucky

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