Brandon/Valrico Area Gets Railroaded By Transit Plan
The headline of today's METRO section of the Tampa Tribune reads: "Getting Bay Area's Transit Act Together". Perhaps it should have been: "Regional Transit Workgroup Missed Their Train". The Bay Area has long needed a viable mass transit system not only to ease current congestion, but to be in position to handle future growth. Numerous plans in the past for a true transit system lacked support and never really developed further than "planners" taking a red felt-tip pen to a $3.99 folding map.
This time things seem to be a little different with Governor Crist signing into law the "Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority" (BARTA), as well as Florida's Department of Transportation seeking local plans for routes. A group from 6 counties, formed by Pinellas County Commission Chair Ronnie Duncan, provided the Tampa Tribune with a map, outlining proposed regional rail, bus and ferry routes. If you don't have a subscription to the Tampa Tribune, pick up today's edition on your way home or go to their website and take a look at it.
Alright, so why the title, "Brandon/Valrico Area Gets Railroaded By Transit Plan" you ask? Only 2 options on this map even come close to the Brandon/Valrico/Riverview area. One is an "enhanced" bus line running up Interstate 75, but diverting West towards Tampa before Adamo Drive/Brandon Boulevard. The other is a rail transit line connecting Tampa to Plant City and Lakeland. However, this path really only touches North Brandon/South Seffner on it's way.
The Tribune quotes Duncan as saying, "This is about offering options, we're sitting in traffic more and more, and every year that goes by it gets worse.". Well excuse me, but has he or anyone on his panel ever even heard of Brandon? As a Realtor®, I can't tell you how many times I have been showing a home to a prospective buyer and heard them say, "Oh, gee I don't know. It seems awfully close to the train tracks.", only to hear them say that at the next 4 homes in different communities. I'm sure many others in my profession locally can relate. My point? Brandon, Valrico and Riverview (BranRicoView - catchy, don't you think?) are riddled with existing tracks in use by CSX. How did the planning group overlook that area?
For those of you who aren't aware of just how busy this area has become, let me throw some numbers at you. Below are the DAILY automobile traffic counts for the 3 main roadways leading into/out of the BranRicoView area. (Source: Hillsborough County Transportation website)
Brandon Blvd:
Falkenburg Rd to Lakewood Dr..........99,000
Lakewood Dr to Lithia Pinecrest Rd.....76,200
Bloomingdale Ave:
US HWY 301 to Kings Ave......43,600
Kings Ave to Bell Shoals Rd.....49,800
Lumsden Rd/Causeway Blvd:
Providence Rd to Kings Ave.............47,500
Falkenburg Rd to Providence Rd........68,600
Again, those are DAILY counts...and just for those 3 roads. Keep in mind, these roads bring commuters to the Crosstown Expressway (cough, too little too late, cough) and Interstate 75 (cough, parking lot, cough), where you can now BEGIN your commute. Anyone who has driven in BranRicoView more than once can attest to the number of trail tracks. So the options are there, why not ease congestion and turn the railways into a double positive? Instead of new residents not wanting to be close to noisy tracks, perhaps they would WANT to be close to commuter rail stations.
Let's see...plenty of existing CSX tracks to choose from, the opportunity to reduce traffic in a high volume (growing) area, and offer positive options to tens of thousands of commuters and voters. It makes perfect sense to completely avoid BranRicoView, Tampa's most populated neighbor to the East.
Don't misunderstand me, I am completely in support of an efficient, effective transit system in the Bay Area. I believe it's necessary for the area to become a major player in attracting large companies (and the jobs they would create) and hosting significant national and international events. But a transit plan that doesn't adequately address this densely populated area is flawed, in my opinion.
If you feel strongly enough about future tax dollars being spent on a transit system that ignores the (arguably) most congested part of Eastern Hillsborough County, please contact the Regional Transit Workgroup's founding member, Ronnie Duncan, and politely point out the oversight.
This time things seem to be a little different with Governor Crist signing into law the "Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority" (BARTA), as well as Florida's Department of Transportation seeking local plans for routes. A group from 6 counties, formed by Pinellas County Commission Chair Ronnie Duncan, provided the Tampa Tribune with a map, outlining proposed regional rail, bus and ferry routes. If you don't have a subscription to the Tampa Tribune, pick up today's edition on your way home or go to their website and take a look at it.
Alright, so why the title, "Brandon/Valrico Area Gets Railroaded By Transit Plan" you ask? Only 2 options on this map even come close to the Brandon/Valrico/Riverview area. One is an "enhanced" bus line running up Interstate 75, but diverting West towards Tampa before Adamo Drive/Brandon Boulevard. The other is a rail transit line connecting Tampa to Plant City and Lakeland. However, this path really only touches North Brandon/South Seffner on it's way.
The Tribune quotes Duncan as saying, "This is about offering options, we're sitting in traffic more and more, and every year that goes by it gets worse.". Well excuse me, but has he or anyone on his panel ever even heard of Brandon? As a Realtor®, I can't tell you how many times I have been showing a home to a prospective buyer and heard them say, "Oh, gee I don't know. It seems awfully close to the train tracks.", only to hear them say that at the next 4 homes in different communities. I'm sure many others in my profession locally can relate. My point? Brandon, Valrico and Riverview (BranRicoView - catchy, don't you think?) are riddled with existing tracks in use by CSX. How did the planning group overlook that area?
For those of you who aren't aware of just how busy this area has become, let me throw some numbers at you. Below are the DAILY automobile traffic counts for the 3 main roadways leading into/out of the BranRicoView area. (Source: Hillsborough County Transportation website)
Brandon Blvd:
Falkenburg Rd to Lakewood Dr..........99,000
Lakewood Dr to Lithia Pinecrest Rd.....76,200
Bloomingdale Ave:
US HWY 301 to Kings Ave......43,600
Kings Ave to Bell Shoals Rd.....49,800
Lumsden Rd/Causeway Blvd:
Providence Rd to Kings Ave.............47,500
Falkenburg Rd to Providence Rd........68,600
Again, those are DAILY counts...and just for those 3 roads. Keep in mind, these roads bring commuters to the Crosstown Expressway (cough, too little too late, cough) and Interstate 75 (cough, parking lot, cough), where you can now BEGIN your commute. Anyone who has driven in BranRicoView more than once can attest to the number of trail tracks. So the options are there, why not ease congestion and turn the railways into a double positive? Instead of new residents not wanting to be close to noisy tracks, perhaps they would WANT to be close to commuter rail stations.
Let's see...plenty of existing CSX tracks to choose from, the opportunity to reduce traffic in a high volume (growing) area, and offer positive options to tens of thousands of commuters and voters. It makes perfect sense to completely avoid BranRicoView, Tampa's most populated neighbor to the East.
Don't misunderstand me, I am completely in support of an efficient, effective transit system in the Bay Area. I believe it's necessary for the area to become a major player in attracting large companies (and the jobs they would create) and hosting significant national and international events. But a transit plan that doesn't adequately address this densely populated area is flawed, in my opinion.
If you feel strongly enough about future tax dollars being spent on a transit system that ignores the (arguably) most congested part of Eastern Hillsborough County, please contact the Regional Transit Workgroup's founding member, Ronnie Duncan, and politely point out the oversight.
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