The team creating the Regional
Transit Feasibility Plan is rolling out an online survey this week to obtain
additional public input on the draft plan while hearing more about how
residents would use transit.
The survey includes questions about respondents’ transit
preferences. It also asks for feedback on the team’s technical recommendations,
released earlier this year, regarding a proposed “catalyst project” and the regional vision.
The draft catalyst project is a 41-mile rubber tire transit
concept that would run from Wesley Chapel in Pasco County, to downtown St.
Petersburg in Pinellas County, while connecting the University of South Florida
area, downtown Tampa, Westshore, and the Greater Gateway/Carillon area along
Interstate 275. Urban passenger rail is also a high performing recommendation,
using an existing CSX rail line that runs between downtown Tampa and USF.
Feedback is being sought on both projects in the online survey.
Identifying the “catalyst project” is not an all-or-nothing
proposition - it’s the first of many steps in building the regional transit vision for Tampa Bay. The online survey is available now through the end of
summer. The draft plan will be modified after incorporating feedback from the
public with the final expected in the fall, allowing the region to move towards
engineering, design, and implementation.
By now, you have probably heard of the Flamingo Fares Tampa Bay app. For those that are unfamiliar, the app allows riders in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to pay their transit fare via smartphone and (with a Regional Fare) travel on multiple services between HART and PSTA. Ultimately, Flamingo Fares will morph into a smart card system.
It appears that the holidays have come early to HART, as we will be the first agency in the region to install the smart card readers. Installation is currently underway and is expected to be completed in June.
Installation will then bounce back-and-forth between HART and PSTA, culminating in August, with the entire TECO Line Streetcar System being outfitted with the Flamingo Fares smart card readers.
The Near
A new iteration of the Flamingo Fares app will be available in September. Meanwhile, testing of the smart card readers will be taking place on board HART buses (and later streetcars) around the same time.
This is where YOU come in! We will be reaching out to our riders to help test the smart card system! Stay tuned to the HART social channels for more information as we get closer to that time.
Why are the readers going up so soon if we are not expecting to roll them out until Summer 2018? We are planning on testing the system for a year to ensure that the system is ready for customers on both sides of the Bay!
The Future
Flamingo Fares smart card design
Soon Flamingo Fares will bring HART and PSTA into the future
by providing easier, faster, and more convenient ways for riders to pay their
fares.
No scrambling for change. Save time and prepay your fare online, while you wait for the bus!
No stressing about losing your 31-day pass. Check your balance online daily!
Leave the worries behind. Just tap and go!
Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota Counties are also
implementing the new technology in the coming years. HART and PSTA expect to have the complete system, which will include smart card technology, up and
running by summer 2018.
From Flamingo Fares to autonomous vehicles, this is another way HART is going Beyond The Bus!
The Regional Transit Feasibility Plan is not just another study!
The Regional Transit Feasibility Plan is underway! Headed by HART, the goal of the plan will identify:
Projects that have the greatest potential to be
funded (compete for federal grants) and implemented
Projects that are the most forward thinking and
make the best use of today’s technology
Projects that best serve our region today while
supporting tomorrow’s growth
The Florida Department of Transportation is funding the study, while Hillsborough (HART, Hillsborough County MPO), Pinellas (PSTA, Pinellas County MPO), Pasco (PCPT, Pasco MPO), and the Tampa Bay TMA Leadership Group are stakeholders on the project.
Step One was recently completed, identifying the top 5 "most attractive" corridors. An overview (with narration) of the identified corridors can be found here. The Technical Bulletin can be found here.
Step Two is now underway, focusing on a sensitivity
analysis of the five connections to assign transit modes that make the most
sense. This effort will continue into the coming months.
Once transit modes are assigned to the top performing
connections, the next steps will focus on evaluating the modes, developing high
level cost estimates, determining implementation feasibility, and estimating
ridership and mobility.
Want to be a part of the process? Please fill out this short online survey on your transit preferences!
For more information on the Regional Transit Feasibility Plan, visit the website: www.tbregionaltransit.com.
There has been no shortage of transit studies in the Tampa
Bay area in recent years. In fact, over the past 30 years, more than 55 plans
and studies for transit have been conducted by Tampa Bay area agencies.
But the question remains: How can we turn planning into
projects? Answering this question is the goal of the Regional Transit Feasibility
Plan.
Creation of the plan started in November 2016, with a review
of those 55 previous plans. After that work is complete, the process will move
into creating a plan for a regional transit network, culminating in
recommendations for improvements that address needs in the community and have a
solid chance of getting funding.
The ultimate goal: identify the top transit corridors in the
Tampa Bay region, while determining one “catalyst project” that would be
eligible for federal funding and could be implemented first.
The plan is being funded by the Florida Department of
Transportation (FDOT) and is being administered by the Hillsborough Area
Regional Transit Authority (HART).
“Our mission is to create a ‘route map’ to implementation,”
said Katharine Eagan, Chief Executive Officer of HART, the agency administering
the plan. “The result, we hope, will be a catalyst project that’s the first of
many projects that will be competitive for federal funding, forward thinking,
and makes the best use of today’s technology.”
The Tampa Bay region is defined for this plan as the
urbanized areas of Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.
The Regional Transit Feasibility Plan will be conducted in
two phases. The first phase consists of a year of technical analysis to identify
the most competitive projects. During the first year, the milestones will
include identifying the most promising corridors for transit, then identifying
what type of transit mode can best serve those corridors, and finally,
determining which projects could potentially be implemented first.
How did we get here?
The starting point for the Regional Transit Feasibility Plan
is the adopted county and regional Long Range Transportation Plans and the more
than 50 plans and studies completed by Tampa Bay area agencies over the past
30-plus years. The step-by-step process will then determine which projects are
the most competitive for implementation.
During phase one, public involvement will be heavily focused
on digital communication (website, online surveys, social media, and e-communication)
but will also offer many in-person opportunities to get engaged (community
workshops, small group meetings, and a stakeholder working group).
Phase two will involve vetting and refining plans for those
specific projects to make sure the catalyst project selected is the best
project for the region and is supported by the community. During phase two, a
wide range of communication tools will be utilized, including public meetings,
workshops, special events, the website, social media, town halls, and regional
transit forums.
“The simplest way to describe what it takes to build a
premium transit project is by answering the following three questions: What is
the project? How is it funded? And who is responsible for building and
maintaining it?” Eagan said. “During this plan, we will be addressing the first
question and identifying possible next steps so the region can move forward
with answering questions two and three.”
To learn more about the Regional Transit Feasibility Plan,
and to participate in our transit preference survey, visit the project website
at www.tbregionaltransit.com.
