Going regional

Transit authority would promote master plan

Bradenton Herald
January 18, 2007

Remember back in November when we wrote about a prospective light rail commuter train connecting Parrish with Palmetto and, potentially, points south and north? It was the long-range vision of Joe McClash, then chairman of the Manatee County Commission, to incorporate an existing rail line owned by Florida Power & Light Co. into the transportation plan for north Manatee, before it becomes filled with subdivisions.

Now comes another long-range visionary with a proposal that would make such a transit system feasible even quicker. State Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, has proposed creation of a transportation authority linking the seven-county Tampa Bay region. That includes Manatee, Sarasota, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.

It's not the first time Galvano has pushed legislation creating such an authority. He filed a similar bill in the House last year but had to pull it because of major differences with the Senate version. But give him credit for trying again.

Why a regional transportation authority? Isn't that just another layer of bureaucracy for transportation planners to cut through in order to get a highway built or a mass transit line up and running?

No, just the opposite. It's purpose is to cut through the existing layers of bureaucracy that have some role in transportation policy around the region. And with seven counties involved, that's a lot of bureaucracy.

The Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority would be able to negotiate transit projects that cross multiple jurisdictions to benefit the entire region. Its value would be in developing a regional transportation master plan that coordinates all forms of transportation affecting the six counties. The authority would have until July 1, 2009, to develop such a master plan, including toll roads, light rail and bus lines, ferries, park-and-ride lots and stations - anything that promotes efficient movement of people and goods in the increasingly urbanized Tampa Bay region in the future.

There is, of course, a concern that such an authority would ride roughshod over local governments' individual transportation needs, draining scarce resources to build highways and rail lines that benefit Tampa or St. Petersburg. Galvano has anticipated such opposition by specifying that the authority would not usurp local autonomy or funding of transit projects. It would not have power to impose transportation plans that aren't on counties' own long-range agendas.

The benefit of this authority lies in its ability to coordinate all those plans and to suggest strategies that unify transit efforts regionally. Thus the potential east-west light-rail line from Parrish to Palmetto could be linked to a north-south commuter rail line from Sarasota to Tampa/St. Pete on the CSX tracks that parallel U.S. 41. That would enable residents of new subdivisions in north Manatee to head for jobs in downtown Bradenton or Tampa without touching a major highway.

Probably many people can't imagine such a scenario in this area. Of course, it won't happen soon. But in 50 years, the scenario will be entirely different. Last month, a growth projection done for 1000 Friends of Florida by the University of Florida's GeoPlan Center predicted the state's population will double to 36 million by 2060. It projected development of almost half of the state's existing rural acreage into urban settings, including a solid corridor of urbanity from St. Petersburg to Daytona Beach on the east coast.

That's hard to imagine. But doubtless those living in Florida in 1957 couldn't imagine 18 million people living in the state by 2007. They're here, and more will come. Mass transit will be a key factor in maintaining the quality of life those millions moved to Florida to enjoy. A regional transportation authority is a progressive tool to reach that goal.

Here's wishing Rep. Galvano success in achieving his vision.

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