Conundrum: Mass transit

Conundrum:

Mass transit remains a key hurdle, in contrast to the region’s welloiled logistics and distribution machinery

Transportation and logistics go hand in hand, providing mobility across varied demographics and ensuring products and supplies reach people and businesses. In the case of Tampa Bay, there is divergence between the two, with a thriving logistics sector and an overburdened transportation system that is feeling the strain of the region’s growth.

With transportation, the fact is that the more people Tampa Bay attracts, the greater the weight on its already strained system, and the projections are worrying. The region’s population is expected to reach 4.65 million by 2045, a 34% increase from 2018 for the five-county area defined by the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA). This is in addition to the millions of visitors that come to the region each year.

One indicator of the hurdle facing transport authorities is that both Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg are rated among the worst cities for public transportation in terms of accessibility and convenience, safety and reliability and public transportation resources.

It comes as no surprise then that 78% of workers 16 years and over in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area drive alone to go to work. Still, public transportation plays a crucial role as an economic mobility equalizer, which partly explains why Tampa’s public transit authorities received $30.8 million of COVID-19 relief to avoid worker layoffs and maintain service operations across the different transportation modes available.

In stark contrast to the reality of its public transportation, Tampa Bay’s logistics sector, also reliant on transportation, is a thriving growth engine that capitalizes on two of its major assets: Port Tampa Bay and Tampa International Airport. The port alone employs 85,000 people in both direct and indirect jobs, generating $17.3 billion in overall economic impact. Tampa International Airport employs more than 7,500 people and generates a yearly economic impact of $7.1 billion.

Transportation To address its public transportation deficiencies as well as its traffic problems, Tampa is relying on two critical and comprehensive programs: TBARTA’s Envision 2030 and the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Tampa Bay Next.

With more of a regional focus, Envision 2030 is spearheading regional transit planning efforts for its ( )