ITS A FAMILY AFFAIR

One of our clients from Lowrider came thru to get his kids names tattooed on his hands.

Narrowing the Alternatives

HART's look at a proposed new transit plan for Hillsborough County is nearing the final stages. But while our team has been at work on the Alternatives Analysis for just over a year, this is really a story several years in the making.

In 2002, HART completed a study on transit improvements in Hillsborough County, including a new light rail system. Before that, a 1993 Commuter Rail Feasibility Study considered creating a regional system serving the Tampa Bay area's largest counties. Back then, the necessary local funding couldn't be identified and the plans had to be put on the shelf for another time.

Fast-forward to 2010. HART's team of staff and consultants will present its findings in the current AA study to the agency's Board of Directors at a special meeting to be held Monday, August 16 at 8:30 a.m. in the HART administrative offices in Ybor City. The next step in the process will be public input leading to the selection of a final "Locally Preferred Alternative."

So What's an AA, Again?
Here's a refresher. Before applying for any federal assistance in building a new transit system, the Federal Transit Adminstration requires local authorities to make an in-depth assessment of the proposed area. The study must consider which alternatives would best meet the transit needs of that area, whether it's rail, bus rapid transit, regular bus service, or no improvement at all. Hence the name "Alternatives Analysis."

Routes Still on the Drawing Board
The planners and engineers at work on the study have been looking at routing alternatives in the Northeast (Downtown Tampa to University of South Florida) and West Corridors (Downtown Tampa to Westshore). Alignments still under consideration to date are:

Northeast Corridor
• 30th Street and CSX, with option to connect to High Speed Rail Station and south into the
downtown peninsula
• Interstate 275 (east side of interstate)
• 30th Street, Busch Boulevard, 22nd Street, and CSX (with High Speed Rail and downtown connection)

West Corridor
• Cypress Street and Cass Street
• Interstate 275

At Monday's Board meeting, the study team will present detailed information on the findings of the evaluation of these alternatives, including ridership projections, travel time, impact, constructability, cost and land use considerations.

Public Comment Vital
From there, the next step is all about you. If the Board approves on Monday, HART will be scheduling a public communication and outreach program for September that will let residents of the community have their say in the study's final recommendation.

The outreach effort will entail stakeholder group meetings, including neighborhood and community associations and business groups; distribution of a project newsletter and posting updated information on the project website, http://www.gohartaa.org/; six public information sessions at locations throughout the study area; and two public hearings to provide formal opportunities for members of the public to present comments on the alternatives.

Feedback received through these various channels will be presented to the Board and used to help develop the final recommendations.

Keep checking here, and at HART's website, http://www.gohart.org/ for dates, times, locations and other information about the upcoming public outreach effort. For more information on the background and progress of the AA, you can visit the project website, http://www.gohartaa.org/.

For details on this meeting, and all upcoming HART Board meetings, click here.

REMEMBER THE RAIN

This is one on a client who came in from Australia to get a memorial piece.

PROGRESS

Here is a piece from Last night. We have one more session to go.

Web Wednesday - We've Got Plans

Last month, the American Public Transportation Association named HART its Outstanding System of the Year. As someone pointed out, in the transit industry, that's like winning the Super Bowl or the Oscar for Best Picture. In other words - a pretty big deal. Of course, bringing home an award like that takes a lot of hard work, determination, and a pretty big vision.

Turning that vision into reality is all about having a plan. And you can get a first-hand look at some of HART's plans for the future right on our website.

Rapid Transit Investment Plan
This is the big enchilada, the major plan for adding hundreds of miles of new service and introducing new types of transit systems to Hillsborough County. The Rapid Transit Investment Plan lays out exactly what you can expect if the November referendum to fund additional transit service is approved. For example:

• More service on existing bus routes, including 10-minute frequency on our busiest routes during peak travel times
• Longer operating hours, with selected routes operating 24 hours
• Expanded service for people with disabilities
• New local and express routes
• Expanded HART Flex neighborhood transit service
• Introduction of new rapid service like bus rapid transit and light rail

There's a whole lot more - like a frequently asked questions section, implementation timeline, financial plan, and "what's in it for me" page. You can view the plan and all the other details on the "Why Transit?" page on HART's website by clicking here.

To download an information-packed brochure on the plan in PDF version, click here.

Planning and Projects Page
There are other projects in the works at HART that you can learn about on the website. The Planning and Projects page gives you an overview of MetroRapid (HART's bus rapid transit system), a link to the TECO Line Streetcar System extension project, and the results of our bus stop evaluation study.

With all the information you can access on HART's website, you could say the future of HART is just a point and click away.

The Case for Transit in 6 Minutes

Most of us understand that transit matters, and that having a viable transit system is good for our community. But do we really know why - or how to make the case for transit?

HART has a great new video you can check out that explains just how a strong transit system helps to make a community great.

Community leaders like Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe and Pastor James Favorite of Beulah Baptist Institutional Church take turns with everyday bus passengers, drivers and others to talk about what public transit means to our community and the individuals who use it - and to those will use it in the future.

HART CEO David Armijo points out that the Rapid Transit Investment Plan, HART's long-range vision of what Hillsborough County's transit system could look like, adds up to 500 miles of new bus and rail service to today's foundation.

"HART is really going through a fantastic transformation," Commissioner Sharpe tells us.

"Thirty years of success got us to this point - a lot of effort, a lot of evolution, a lot of people working together," Mr. Armijo says. "This is a great community and it is a great time to be here."

Check the new video out on HART's YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/harttransit. It's called "We're Going Your Way."

And for all you e-book fans out there, don't miss the on-board reading choice of a HART customer at about the 3:23 mark in the video.

Just another way transit adds to your quality of life!

ANGELS AND DEMONS

Here is a piece on one of our clients from N.Y. who came thru to get blessed with a religious piece of St. Michael..