Pinellas looking to get even more dense

According to the Tampa Bay Times,

One of the key arguments for building a light rail system in Pinellas County is that it would kick start urban renewal. People could live closer together, walk to buy their morning coffee and take the train to work.

But for any of that to happen, the county's antiquated land use and zoning policies need to be rewritten, a process county officials have already begun. 

Of course, tied to light rail, and transit oriented development... although they never use those words.

Pinellas County

Pinellas is already the most densely populated county in Florida, with only about 6% open, undeveloped space.  But apparently its not dense enough.  Not dense enough to to make light rail feasible.  But they have a plan for that!

Developers would be encouraged to build commercial properties next door to or on the ground floor of residential buildings. New buildings could sit closer to the street instead of placing vast parking lots between their front doors and foot traffic. And, if commissioners approve, the county might increase the number of units allowed per acre.

Oh joy!  You too can have an $200/sq foot condo conveniently located above a tiki bar open until 3am, next to a train stop running until 3am.  Talk a about a premium location!

Some folks may want to live that way.  Many more will not.

So let's get this right.  They want to cram more people into the already densest populated county in the state, develop and redevelop more, to the benefit of developers, waste more money for ineffective transit that few will ride, and will be subsidized by the taxpayers forever, under the mission of transit oriented development and light rail.

Got it!

Bus toll lanes coming your way?

The Trib is reporting Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority hopes to test bus toll lanes.

The Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority is proposing a pilot project to create a bus toll lane on a segment of a local limited access highway.

"We'd like to make a proposal in Washington by the end of summer," Joe Waggoner, THEA's executive director, told the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization on Tuesday.

THEA would seek a partnership with the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority and the U.S. Department of Transportation to test the concept, whose location has not been determined.

It could take another 24 months for planning and design once pilot project funding is obtained from federal and possibly local sources.

Sounds like this is headed in the right direction to us here at the Eye. South Florida has been successful with something similar, with congestion pricing "Lexus lanes" on I-95, which has improved the traffic flow on I-95.

I-95 Bus tool lanes in Miami

Those who can pay the toll, get a faster ride.  Those cars are off the main I-95 traffic flow, so those who don't pay, also benefit with a better ride as well.  Win win.

The bus toll lane is a dedicated lane for transit that also allows other vehicles to use the restricted lane by paying a toll.

A price-management system adjusts toll costs for nontransit users to increase or decrease based on traffic flow to prevent traffic congestion.

We like the basic idea -- price management, or congestion pricing is fine with us.  We don't like the notion of dedicated transit only lanes, which will impede non-transit traffic so this seems to be in the right direction.  Hopefully they will implement the new bus toll lanes as net new capacity, and not cannibalize existing roads.

Bus toll lanes would be owned by the transit agency, which provides the agency with a revenue source.

Does the transit agency (HART), receive all the toll revenue?  With about a $3B backlog in road safety, maintenance and improvements in Hillsborough County, we think the drivers who pay the toll would rather their money go towards road improvements, that the buses, and 98% of use every day, not just transit.

Mark Sharpe goes after HART CEO

Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe unloaded on HART CEO Philip Hale after the last HART board meeting.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe says it's time for HART CEO Philip Hale to go.

 Sharpe accuses Hale of "uninspired, unimaginative leadership," and says that the board needs someone new at the helm in order for it to pursue a more ambitious direction.

When asked for reaction, Hale responded that the board just extended his contract last month for two more years, and that there was no opposition. (Sharpe was absent from the meeting.) "The direction I received from most of the other board members is that they are supportive of me," Hale says. He added that if the board did want him to step down, he'd do so.

So let's get this straight.  A powerful, sitting Hillsborough County Commissioner is publicly calling for the resignation of the HART CEO, two months after his contract was renewed, a meeting which Commissioner Sharpe was too busy to be concerned with, while not indicating any malfeasance or concrete non-performance issues, other than "uninspired, unimaginative leadership"?

Talk about some chutzpah.  Why does he not come out and say it, that he wants Philip Hale gone since Hale has not come out as pro light rail?  That's Sharpe's definition of "imaginative leadership"... spending someone else's money down a rat hole of light rail.

Sharpe's "imaginative leadership" imagines all sorts of economic magical thinking around the miracle of light rail, while ignoring the costs and the time it will take to deliver any rail oriented transit solution to our immediate transportation relief needs. Keep on dreaming... but it's not reality.

Sharpe is abusing his leadership position to publicly undermine the tough job that Hale has undertaken.  Hale had to rebuild HART after the 2010 transportation referendum disaster,  reinvigorate the staff, remediate HART finances, and improve services.  HART ridership is up, at record levels.  The new MetroRapid is off to a great start.   If it continues its success and is expanded further in Hillsborough County, MetroRapid will put a big dent in the hopes of the rail fanatics.  Is that another reason Sharpe has come of for Hale's head? 

There are sometimes discussion at HART meetings about adding a feature or a new service, but the conversation often gets stifled because of the lack of available funding. Sharpe says he's tired of hearing that line used all the time.

"That’s always the excuse," he says, agreeing that the agency has limited resources, but also saying that he believes there are "tremendous opportunities if we look at citizens as partners, and the businesses here as partners, and we are not afraid to fail or make a mistake." Sharpe says that he's particularly frustrated that attempts to get Wi-Fi on buses hasn't taken hold.

I thought Sharpe was an idea guy, not a complainer.  Here he is making excuses since he can't come with an idea to get wi-fi on busses.

Here's one from the Eye:  Get local businesses, such as those on HART routes, to underwrite the cost of wi-fi on the buses.  They can advertise on the "I accept" page and offer deals and electronic coupons. For extra credit, they can use GPS and location based services to drive the ad directly for business near the upcoming stop. [Credit EyeOnTampaBay].

The County Commissioner, who was one of the leading advocates for the transit tax for light rail three years ago, added that it's time to "throw out the playbook that has gotten us to where we are now and reconsider it all." Sharpe also said, "We need to do everything we’re doing, and reconsider it all, every stop, every bus, where it’s going, how it’s serving the citizens, are we committed 100 percent with all the passion we’ve got to get you where you want to go quickly? Are we going to provide you with the conveniences that you need, in order to make you really want to ride that bus again? Are we looking at you as a customer, not as a number, or a person who just rides the bus? I think that’s going to require inspirational leadership."

Ideas please.

Hale told CL that the board decided on its own to extend his original contract (it was due to expire in November). "I didn't ask for the extension," he says.

Good thing Hale got that extension.  He may have some political waters to navigate soon.

Making Ashley Drive a complete street?

There's an emerging movement towards "complete streets" in Tampa Bay.  Complete streets are beautiful, and more suitable for all modes of transportation -- walking, biking, transit, etc. And cars.

But, typically, there is only so much space for a road, so there's some trade offs.

Do you want lots of beautiful landscaping, or do you want it to be maintained for a affordable cost?

Do you the road to be most efficient for moving people where they want to go, or do you prefer having lots of "choices"?

If you add a lane for lightly used bicycling, and remove a lane for cars, have you helped the community?

These are just some of the trade offs one must be aware of... and eventually make, if we want complete streets.  It's not always worked out so well here Hillsboroough County.  Last year, the county wanted to cut down beautiful trees and landscaping in Lutz, on US-41, since it was getting too costly to maintain.  And that was just some median landscaping.  At least there's been some ongoing discussion to save the trees since the county wanted to cut them down.  [Disclosure... we live in Lutz].

Median trees in Lutz marked for destruction

The Trib weighed in today on the subject, since City of Tampa wants to make Ashley Drive more green, beautiful, etc.

There is much to like about Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. Its sloping expanse of grass and proximity to the river make it an appealing venue for organized events and casual strolls alike.

Getting to the park can be far less appealing. Visitors who don’t park in the garages west of Ashley Drive are left to negotiate four lanes of two-way traffic, risking life and limb. The same is true for workers and residents who leave their offices and homes for lunch or exercise.

Which is why we embrace Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s plan to slow traffic on Ashley Drive, with one proviso: It doesn’t worsen what is already an annoying backup for downtown commuters on most days of the week.

Are there any options to improve traffic flow for the 30,000 vehicles a day on Ashley?  Silence...

Under the plan the city is implementing, the Ashley Drive lanes leading into and out of downtown Tampa will be squeezed to make room for parking spaces and bicycle lanes. Altering the road’s design is expected to cause motorists to slow down, making it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

So let's acknowledge that vast vast majority of the 30,000 vehicles per day will not be converted to bicyclists any time soon.  The traffic will necessarily slow down.  How does this help commuters?

Buckhorn says the changes are not expected to worsen the commute. He points out that the changes are supported by the state Department of Transportation, which would not have signed off on a plan that impedes vehicular traffic.

We certainly hope so.

We'll need a little more than hope.   But the design its telling us something completely different.

We need to add better, safer options for transit, including bicycles.  We biked 31 miles yesterday, so consider us cycling fans.  We bike mostly on trails, so we don't have to deal with the cars. Its a safety issue for us, and the roads around here should be made better and safer... for bikers, and cars.  But reducing vehicle access, creating congestion only increases risks to bikers and cars, and makes the vast majority of car only drivers who never convert bikes more frustrated and angry at bikers.  That's not a good formula for long term success.

Tribune confuses model trains and light rail

Just when you think the Tribune can't get any more stupid on this ongoing light rail boondoggle, they go way way out of their way to consult with model train enthusiasts on their expertise regarding light rail.

Hobbyists and vendors at the Tampa Model Train Show & Sale bought and sold trinkets and artifacts and just about anything else related to the railroad.

Missing from the event was a real train; a passenger train that runs every day in and out of Tampa, stopping at malls, sports arenas and even the fairgrounds where the model train show was taking place.

Missing from the article was common sense.

Tribune's version of light rail.

Exactly what qualifies model train enthusiasts as experts in transportation solutions? Could it be that both are only of interest to those with great sense of nostalgia over practicality?  Or could it be that they have experience in spending money on a boondoogle  hobby?

So, let me get this straight.  The Trib covers a toy train conference (thanks for coming to Tampa!), spends about 3/4 of the article turning it into a referendum on light rail.

Gordon Hartranft traveled from his home in Ohio to attend the annual show in Tampa and was attuned to the rail travails in Florida and Tampa. He said commuter rail here is not a good idea.

“It’s the biggest money losing proposition going,” he said. Cities where commuter rail have emerged in recent years are struggling over the initial and operating costs.

“I try to take the pragmatic view,” he said. “It’s just so expensive.”

At least Keith Morelli found someone with some sense at the toy train conference.

This is just the latest effort from the Trib to spin their local coverage towards the impracticality of light rail.

Tampa IRS Protests

Guest post submitted by the Tampa Tea Party.

"When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson

 Thomas Jefferson defined tyranny as "Oppressive power exerted by government".

Our Founding Fathers were prescient in warning of tyranny by an over-reaching, too powerful government.  The Tea Party has been warning of this tyranny since it burst on the scene in 2009 opposing the exploding size, scope and intrusiveness of government.  Today we see the reality of tyranny played out by the most feared government agency gone rogue, the IRS.

Photos from Tampa IRS Protest on May 21

Tampa Tea Party thanks everyone who participated in the protest rally yesterday at our local IRS office.  Various news reports stated up to 300 liberty minded protesters participated.  We appreciate all who stood in unity opposing the tyrannical, and what also appears to be criminal activities, the IRS took against Tea Party, 912, Patriot and Conservative organizations and individuals.  We will continue to demand the truth and to hold accountable those who participated in the activities, those who facilitated and created the environment for this to occur and those who knew long ago and did nothing.  We will continue to demand that a special counsel, independent of the DOJ, be appointed to get to the bottom of this issue.

Here are more pictures from the rally. Photos courtesy of Arthur Paul.

Thank you again for your support.  Stay engaged, stay energized and we will prevail!

IRS Scandal highlights DC corruption

Joe Henderson's column today takes on the IRS scandal but is a lame description of the tactics we now know were being used since 2010 against Tea Party, 912, Patriot and other Conservative organizations and individuals.  Instead of lamenting "hyperbole" that he got 2^nd hand, out of context from another reporter,  perhaps Joe should be reporting that those in the Tea Party movement are vindicated in our opposition to the size, scope and power of our government and our advocacy for limited government and Constitutional governance.

The media knew about the IRS issue since 2010. If this scandal (or any of the other numerous scandals swirling around the Obama Administration) had been associated with a Republican Administration, Americans would have been subject to daily "hyperbole" about the scandals with Nixonian comparisons from the Mainstream media and the Democrats.  But the media refused to investigate and report on the IRS issues during the critical 2012 election cycle. We are all left wondering how this scandal would have impacted the 2012 election if it had been investigated and reported last year.

So much information has recently come out and we now know that Senate Democrat leaders Schumer, Baucus and Durbin (who has since scrubbed his website urging the IRS to investigate conservative organizations) and other prominent Dems were urging the IRS to take this action too as this WSJ column reports.  In addition, the dots are also being connected to higher ups in the Obama Administration as another WSJ column reports.  And Kimberly Strassel goes straight to the top with her WSJ column.

"The IRS is easy to demonize, but it doesn't exist in a vacuum. It got its heading from a president, and his party, who did in fact send it orders—openly, for the world to see.

It appears Joe never contacted or spoke directly to a person or an organization directly impacted by the tyrannical tactics.  Was Joe paying attention that this issue has gotten broader and broader each day and it's not about the IRS "requesting more forms." The IRS targeted individuals not just organizations.  Perhaps Joe should've contacted the Founder of True the Vote in Texas who was on the Hugh Hewitt radio show last evening. It was jaw dropping to hear her story of having to deal not only with the IRS but the FBI and the ATF.   The Thomas More Society reports on this from 2009:

 “Coalition for Life of Iowa found itself in the IRS’s crosshairs when the group applied for tax exempt status in October 2008. Nearly ten months of interrogation about the group’s opposition to Planned Parenthood included a demand by a Ms. Richards from the IRS’ Cincinnati office unlawfully insisted that all board members sign a sworn declaration promising not to picket/protest Planned Parenthood. Further questioning by the IRS requested detailed information about the content of the group’s prayer meetings, educational seminars, and signs their members hold outside Planned Parenthood.”  

We certainly do not hear these tactics being used against Liberal, Progressive groups or Unions or their members. And Progressive organizations were given their tax-exempt status in record times, sometimes within weeks. Conservative groups languished for years, some given their status right after the 2012 election and some still waiting.

Democrats have been coordinating with Unions and Progressive organizations during elections for decades:

"Thousands of Democratic campaigns, progressive organizations, labor unions, and non-profits use VAN voter contact tools to manage their voter contact and civic engagement programs. Whether branded as VoteBuilder, SmartVAN, the Labor Action Network, or just VAN, these are the tools Democratic and progressive activists rely on."

Any outrage about that?  Has the media ever reported about their collaboration or do they simply ignore it and look the other way?

The IRS which is the most feared government agency, has become a "rogue" organization in the Obama Administration committing illegal activities.  It will now be the enforcer of 25,000 pages of ObamaCare regulations. How will they do that?  This IRS scandal alone should warrant a call for immediate REPEAL of the tax bill called ObamaCare.

The tyrannical tactics were more than simply "asking for more forms" Joe. They were used to target conservatives and conservative organizations for audits and to inhibit their ability to fundraise during a critical election cycle. All these tactics were used for one reason - to SHUT DOWN OBAMA/DEM OPPOSITION for the 2012 election.  Joe, what do you call these tactics?