Broad Support For Rail Transit Will Follow Smart, Statewide Plan

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On May 11th 2008 the Tampa Tribune had an in depth thesis
on the local impact of the defeat of the CSX deal in Orlando

Building support for the right plan is more important than getting the plan done quickly. The Tampa Bay authority is hurrying preparation of a regional transportation plan so it can meet its own artificial deadline of getting into the next big transportation bill. It's quite possible for projects to be added long after bills are written. The Central Florida Commuter Rail Transit Project was recently added to the old transportation bill in an amendment making "technical corrections." Where there's a will, there's a way.

Some bullets from the article:

  • All major urban area need apractical alternative to cars - especially for commuters.
  • The CSX liability issue was not a good deal for the state -- but it matches what they have in Miami
  • We need a statewide transit plan (duh...)
  • More roads is not the answer
  • Big new projects are a very political process
  • One areas mis-step can't gridlock the entire state...