Is Light Rail Really the Answer?
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What we are now calling Light Rail has a rich history in the United States dating back to 1832.
The basic form is a small gauge railway, placed in public right of way and on private property often by easement. The Light Rail system runs from point A to point B often with branches and numerous stops along the way.
The question coming to the table is simply "is Light Rail a viable mass transit alternative for Pinellas County"?
Let's look at some issues. First, Light rail is big business. What is big about it is its design, procurement, right of way deals and construction. Looking around, you find that the only people who ever got rich from Light Rail were the realtors who cut the land deals, the politicians who helped them, the company who sold the train and track and the construction company that installed the system.
Notice who is missing here? The government or authority that is stuck running the system. That government by the way is you.
Politicians love Light Rail. It is a one stop simple answer to all of those complaints about roads and traffic. It provides a lot of places for plaques with their names on them, and a good source of campaign contributions while the thing is being approved and built. And if they or someone close to them just happens to have property along the right of way, then that's just gravy.
Pinellas County is the most densely populated County in Florida. We are built low, dense and spread out with multiple concentrations of commerce, retail, tourism and entertainment.
Light Rail cannot directly serve all of those centers of interest, so by default the system becomes intermodal. That means we must use busses or some form of ground transportation to feed the Light Rail system.
So ask yourself this question. Will you go somewhere to get on buss, to ride to a train, to take you to some station, where you will in all likelihood have to get on another buss to get where you want to go? Then repeat that process to get back home?
People do it every day in New York, Atlanta and Chicago, but the real question is will they do it in Pinellas County? It will take some serious retraining, and the reason a lot of people retire here is to get away from just that kind of hassle.
Once built there will be never ending pressure to acquire more property, build more miles expanding cost and operating expenses.
The politicians and Light Rail supporters say commerce will redevelop around the Light Rail routes and stations. That will take decades to happen in this County, and if your business is not located on or near the rail line how does that work for you?
The proponents say we are building for the future, the problem is we have to pay for Light Rail in the present, and it is a long shot at best. Before we start a tax that will never end and spend a lot of time and money studying, analyzing and trying to sell Light Rail to the public, we should look at some alternatives.
Hillsboro County got it right.
e-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net
Lynda
5:24 am on Monday, April 23, 2012
In Minneapolis/St. Paul, light rail has been a surprisingly big success in creating opportunities for development all along the routes from neighborhood shops to new restaurants. Special stops connect entertainment areas such as the new Twins stadium which really improves "Game Day" traffic. People love riding it instead of sitting in traffic burning up gas. It is currently being extended to some far suburbs to reduce the commute time to jobs closer to the center cities. And, yes, it is an advantage that light rail connects to existing public transportation. Try taking (as some people must) two or three buses from your home to work if you think light rail is difficult to use! It is a real shame that recently light rail has become politicized with "conservatives" demanding more and more roads be built and subsidized by government.instead of investing in transportation that can conveniently serve more people, especially those unable to drive cars, like so many who can't afford cars or are too young or too old to drive safely. I am not sure what alternatives, Mr. Webb is referring to, but I assume it includes lots of privately run toll roads. Please keep an open mind about where light rail systems have been a success before Pinellas County decides. And thanks to Mr. Webb for bringing this subject up for discussion. Many people who have lived or traveled where light rail has been built should have some opinions about building light rail in Pinellas County
Gene "Doc" Webb
7:58 am on Monday, April 23, 2012
Lynda
Thanks for the comment. I think it is important for Pinellas Citizens to hear about Light Rail in other cities. Phoenix for example has a Light Rail system where the cars actually have bicycle racks so people can ride their bikes to get to the Light Rail system easily take them along and ride them to their destination.
In Pinellas County with 25 separate cities, multiple centers of interest, the light rail system seems an expensive way to solve the problem. It will chew up a lot of real-estate in an already built out County, and like all public transportation will be heavily subsidized by some form of tax.
Alternatives: express bus service with automated traffic control systems, hybrid busses, as major roads are rebuilt dedicated express bus lanes, and a firm commitment to the electric car.
SwissPinoy
5:17 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
A light rail system connecting the 25 separate cities in Pinellas County would make Pinellas county one of the greatest places to live in the US. Why not rely more on rails instead of chewing up so much real estate with roads? I enjoy riding to work or to the airport with the knowledge that I won't get stuck in traffic and will arrive on time. Rails add to express bus services, automated traffic control systems, hybrid buses and roads to improve living standards, giving one more options and more reliable transportation choices.
Paul Ray
7:59 am on Monday, April 23, 2012
I would not mind seeing light rail in pinellas county. As someone who lived in Boston and SF, I got rid of my car and used the rail system (BART, MUNI, etc). However, is the mind set in Pinellas the same as Boston or SF? I dare say not, this is a far cry from a pedestrian city. Those have neighborhoods with markets, restaraunts, etc, not a massive out of control sprawl as we have here. I have not seen a smaller city implement a rail system in the last few decades that has succeeded, so I am still on the fence over a tax to generate money for this.
DJH
12:08 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
I only oppose Light Rail for one reason: Our local bus system is poorly run and poorly used because it's poorly designed.
I have lived in San Francisco which I consider to have the best and most usable public transportation system in the country. NYC might be better, but frankly one experience on it was enough for me.
Pinellas uses an outdated Destination and Scheduled Stop bus system.
San Francisco uses a Redundant and Interval Stop bus system.
Here is the difference. In Pinellas, you get on a bus which takes you to the terminal where you get on another bus to another terminal where you get on another bus which takes you to your destination. Using this system makes the 20 minute trip from Park Blvd to Gulfport Blvd on 49th street go all over Hell and Creation and take 2 hours. In San Francisco, there would be buses which do nothing but run up and down 49Th Street all day long at 15 minute intervals. The longest it would take to make the trip would be 45 minutes.
Fix the bus system so it's good for something besides getting poor people to the hotels to work, and other people might start using it. Then Light Rail will seem a natural and cost effective addition.
I would love to take a street car to Tarpon Springs, or Clearwater, or any number of places that I simply don't go to anymore because of the time, cost, and parking.