Local transportation agencies have been holding joint public outreach meetings in an effort to inform and involve the public on transportation issues. These agencies, which are the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA), and Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART), have coordinated efforts forming a transportation task force which has held public meetings throughout the city.

The need for public transportation is growing, especially in Tampa, which makes these meetings rather important. Wednesday, I attended a meeting at the Community Center on 22nd Street. Thursday, I was able to chat with the MPO Executive Director Ray Chiaramonte.

Why is developing public transportation in Tampa important? Here is what we talked about:

The need for public transportation could not be overstated.  A city that enjoys an effective public transit has greater economic opportunities, a higher environmental quality, and added safety and security.  People benefit from the increased mobility offering them more entertainment and employment options.  This is not a hard idea to sell.  In fact, Chiaramonte says that public support for an effective transportation system has been on the rise.  “People are thinking practically now,” says Chiaramonte, “especially now that oil prices are rising”.

So then, let’s talk about what it takes to develop an effective transportation system and how we’re going about it.

First, it is important to realize that the plans and projects of MPO, TBARTA, and HART are coordinated to form a coherent whole of transportation services. This is important because their cooperation avoids typical pitfalls of competing agencies, such as fighting over land, funding, etc.

Second, our transportation needs go beyond our county lines and are interconnected with the greater metropolitan area. Thinking about improving public transportation in our area, then, requires incorporating other neighboring areas, such as Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Manatee and others, into a regional plan. Click here for other regional maps.

The obvious reason for this is that we are a traveling community. We commute to work and to school, we visit our family and friends. What is most important to understanding our regional dynamics is the role that Hillsborough plays for other counties. According to Chiaramonte, Hillsborough could be seen as the center of Tampa because it provides a number of services and employs a tremendous amount of people; “It really is the heart of employment.”

When asked how Chiaramonte would describe Hillsborough’s transportation system compared to other competing cities, he said “We’re somewhat behind other cities such as Charlotte, Dallas, Atlanta, all of these cities have some form of rail”. This is not to suggest that we haven’t made any improvements but more are still needed, especially since Tampa is growing. “The past five years Tampa has gone up a tier I would say.”

This is why it is so important to move forward with plans for developing a regional and multimodal transportation system.  Between the traffic congestion, population, carbon emissions, and price of gasoline, developing public transit just makes sense. However, it is up to the community to get involved and communicate with the MPO and other agencies.  Designing the system requires the publics input and consent.

On a closing note, Chiaramonte said that it is important to “understand that we are living in a different world.” We can no longer rely on “old thinking” when it comes to designing our cities. I couldn’t agree more and urge the rest of Tampa to get involved with improving our public transportation.

Here is how you can get involved with the MPO:

On its website on the left is a “get involved” sidebar. I suggest you sign up for their mailing list. You can also email them your suggestions and take a survey letting them know your transportation priorities.

Here is a calendar you can view for their events and attend a public meeting.

Here is how to contact the transportation planning agency.

Again, TBARTA’s website is www.tbarta.com and HART’s website is www.gohart.org.