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Editorial
Building trust
Article published on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 |
Advocates of mass transit are taking another important step by encouraging public involvement in developing long-range plans to serve the seven-county area.
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority is coordinating several workshops to allow the public to share its ideas and concerns regarding a master plan the agency is developing for its area.
With a legislative mandate to develop a regional transportation master plan for the region by July 2009, the agency recognizes the importance of keeping the public involved in the project.
Since the magnitude of mass transit affects many people, the agency has to be open and aggressive in discussing its mission to ensure that it builds consensus for its plans.
Misconceptions about costs involved, financing, designation of transportation corridors or other facets of the process could lead to opposition that might interfere with efforts to meet the deadline.
The authority appears to have more support for its mission than any effort undertaken to date to provide regional solutions to traffic congestion, from business consortiums to political bodies.
But selling mass transit to the public – especially because of misguided concerns that “people won’t give up their cars” – will be a major undertaking. Many attempts to establish mass transit in other areas have failed because of such issues.
Besides providing much needed relief to traffic congestion, mass transit is credited for creating jobs and stimulating desired development, such as near commuter rail stations.
At the workshops, participants will be asked to consider possible locations for transportation improvements. Residents and business operators living in these areas and familiar with the demographics could provide valuable information for the authority in the planning process.
The next local workshop will be Thursday, March 13, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Holiday Inn Select, 3535 Ulmerton Road.
Since its creation in July, the authority has shown enthusiasm and commitment to providing long-term solutions to traffic problems in the seven counties it serves.
Making sure the public is educated and involved in planning for mass transit will help the authority build trust in its mission.
And trust is an important element for the agency if it expects to get anywhere in making a difference for the Tampa Bay area.
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Article published on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
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