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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Thank you Sherrill!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> NFBF-Tampa [mailto:nfbf-tampa-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Sherrill O'Brien via NFBF-Tampa<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 26, 2017 4:39 PM<br><b>To:</b> nfbf-tampa@nfbnet.org<br><b>Cc:</b> Sherrill O'Brien<br><b>Subject:</b> [NFBF-Tampa] Tampa Bay Times aarticle to read or read again before tonight's hearing<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hello Tampa chapter members and friends,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I believe I sent out the following article a while back, but thought I’d resend it. The stark and unfortunate parts of the article which talk about our transit system being one of the worst in the country, and that it’s making all these dramatic changes on a shoestring budget are…dare I say it…disHARTening.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This article was published back in June, but is a good synopsis. One of the frustrations for all blind riders is HART’s online “interactive map” which is totally useless without a good amount of vision.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I regret I am not with you at the demonstration and hearing, but I’m there in our Federation spirit! I’ll certainly be attending the crucial HART board meeting on August 7 and hope lots of you can be there with me! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sherrill<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority officials explained during a workshop Monday at Hillsborough Community College's Ruskin campus that those<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>who live by popular routes can expect more frequent service following more direct paths.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But for those who live or work in less populated areas — say Ruskin, Apollo Beach, or Sun City Center — catching a bus is going to be more difficult starting<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>in October.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tampa Bay has one of the worst public transit systems in America. Here's why.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hillsborough transit agency braces for overhaul of bus network, route cuts<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The route changes are part of a HART overhaul culling the system's 41 routes to 34. HART officials said this should improve service for about 80-percent<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of riders.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"If they're on one of the major routes, chances are their service will get better or at least stay the same," said Marco Sandusky, HART's director of government<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and community relations.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But those who rely on routes with poor ridership might see their route disappear entirely.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>That's what's happening in South Hillsborough County, which will lose the 53X — a bus that runs from Kings Point in Sun City Center along U.S. 301 up to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Westfield Brandon Mall. Under the proposed 2018 route plan, anywhere south of Boyette Road will be served by a single route that runs along U.S. 41 once<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>every hour on weekdays.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"People living down here who don't have cars are literally trapped down here," said Constance McNair, a HART rider who lives in Brandon. She was one of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>four people who attended the workshop.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Monday's meeting focused on south Hillsborough, but the same will be true of other parts of the county facing cutbacks, such as East Tampa, Carrollwood<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and Westchase. Residents in those parts of the county will have the chance to weigh in on the new routes during a series of meetings over the next few<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>weeks.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>They'll also be able to click through an <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> interactive map<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>that shows them how far they can get on the new system within travel times of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes and 60 minutes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The network changes are financially driven, as HART struggles to offer frequent and reliable bus service on a shoe-string budget.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tampa Bay's transit network is one of the worst in the country, and a Tampa Bay Times analysis found that Hillsborough's bus network receives far less<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>funding than its peers nationwide.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As HART faced looming financial constraints, engineers at Tindale Oliver were tasked with designing a new system that would improve commutes for most riders<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>while cutting costs. Previous outreach focused on whether commuters wanted busses that ran more frequently or if they wanted routes that covered more parts<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of the county and included more stops.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"Instead of spreading thin and expanding coverage, they said, 'No, focus on the areas that have high ridership, high density and then have busses that<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>come more often,' " senior project manager Asela Silva said during Monday's presentation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The revamped 2018 network is the first step in a 10-year plan that aims to build a network centered around the urban core and other key destinations, such<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>as the University of South Florida and Tampa International Airport, Sandusky said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For instance, the new system combines routes that run close to each other and might be splitting ridership, such as the MetroRapid and Route 2, each which<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>operates along Nebraska Avenue. It also will integrate with other transportation options, like the new people mover that Tampa International is building<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and USF's Bull Runner bus, instead of duplicating services. Doing so allows HART to increase frequency on its remaining routes, with several increasing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to every 15 or 20 minutes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"Those are the types of savings we found that help us deal with the budget crises and also do a little bit more with less," said Tindale Oliver senior<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>planner Justin Willits.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The month-long outreach process<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>will culminate at a July 26 public hearing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Contact Caitlin Johnston at <a href="mailto:cjohnston@tampabay.com">cjohnston@tampabay.com</a> or (727) 893-8779. Follow @cljohnst.<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>