Commissioner Murman on this ABC Action News report on Go Hillsborough meetings:
Traffic congestion complaints? Hillsborough County wants to hear from you
County hosting 36 transportation workshops
5:03 PM, Mar 2, 2015
5 hours ago
Congestion and bus service are among the biggest complaints Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman hears about public transit at Go Hillsborough workshops.
“Why isn’t there more? Why isn’t it faster?” Murman said.
The meetings will help transit officials plan for the future.
“They will synthesize it into the priorities, and then they can work on the actual engineering analysis of it. What is feasible? What can be done given land use restrictions?” she said.
The open house style county workshops are also resurrecting a hot topic—light rail.
Right now, Murman said Hillsborough’s transit ridership would have to double to support a light-rail conversation.
“We have to build that case, and we aren’t there yet,” she said.
Ken Roberts, part of a group focusing on other transportation solutions, said light rail shouldn’t even be on the table.
Citizens Organized for Sound Transportation said modern traffic signals, a Pinellas to Hillsborough ferry and other solutions get more bang for the taxpayer buck.
“We need to open up the market to ride sharing services – that really doesn’t cost anything. The way we are now, we charge a ride sharing entrepreneur with a crime when he picks somebody up and takes them where they want to go for a price they want to pay. I don’t think that’s right,” he said.
Roberts hopes the Go Hillsborough meetings end with real data and real opinion for real solutions.
“It’s really time for everybody to come out of their corners and do something because if we don’t do something the county’s going to start seizing up like an engine without oil,” he said.
To find a meeting near you, visit the Go Hillsborough meetings page.
