tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5528590763366072816.post3858846350400745966..comments2023-10-04T02:08:18.091-07:00Comments on Riding The Rail: Don't get tricked by SunRail naysayersSunRailRidershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12425314325154525870noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5528590763366072816.post-28420328601687500892014-11-16T09:00:11.809-08:002014-11-16T09:00:11.809-08:00Unfortunately, Greenlight Pinellas failed at the b...Unfortunately, Greenlight Pinellas failed at the ballot box thanks to a group in Pinellas County called "No Tax For Tracks". Apparently those No Tax For Tracks naysayers do not understand is that Greenlight Pinellas would have introduced better transit operations not only in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County but would have provided a light rail or commuter rail connection to Tampa and Hillsborough County via a dedicated Howard Frankland Bridge (Interstate 275) center span.<br /><br />SunRail is not a failure at all! I recently rode SunRail towards the afternoon when the afternoon commute started and I have seen plenty of ridership. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of anti-SunRail sentiment from the Orlando area news media, particularly WFTV Channel 9 Eyewitness News.<br /><br />In fact, SunRail needs to expand service into the weekends and holidays. This holds true especially when the mega-reconstruction work on Interstate 4 begins in the Orlando area soon from what I understand.<br /><br />With Greenlight Pinellas defeated, something needs to be done to bring expanded mass transit including rail based mass transit such as SunRail into the Tampa Bay region. It is a matter of time because high profile companies do not want to relocate their operations to the Tampa Bay region due to the mass transit options we have now and the employers in the Tampa Bay region are losing plenty of valuable talent because of long commutes to and from work.<br /><br />Granted, a commuter rail system in the Tampa Bay region similar to Orlando's SunRail is needed - not 10 years, not 5 years, not even 2 years but now.Edward Ringwaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com