Here’s hoping the HART–commissioned study on downtown transit doesn’t find its way to that familiar, dust-collecting black hole in the county archives. Too much literally rides on HDR Engineering’s study of streetcar extension and upgrades–including the ultimate upgrade: light rail.
It’s no secret that the status quo is status stagnant.
While the “No Tax for Tracks–or Anything Else” crowd will never get it, the urban marketplace continues to demand more transit options. A mass transit-challenged, modern metro area is an oxymoronic non-competitor.
It’s hardly irrelevant to recall the agenda of many of those in the forefront of the streetcar’s return in 2002. It was a cool amenity for pitching conventions. It was a synergistic, economic-development tool for Channelside. And, yes, it was a starter-set for light rail.
It still is–unless you think there’s no need to connect, say, Vinikville with Tampa Heights development and TIA/West Shore.