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New
North Employers
Successfully Implement Commute Alternatives!
These
employers are active participants with the New North
Transportation Alliance.
They support various different strategies to help solve the
transportation congestion we face throughout our New North
community. We’d like to
take a moment to share their successes!
City
of Tampa
Hillsborough
County VA
Hospital
Florida
Department of Transportation
University
Mall
USF
Busch Gardens
The
City of Tampa:
Just
as bicycle commuters need reliable parking facilities at the end of
their commute, the City of Tampa recognizes that bicyclists require
adequate on-road facilities, such as ample dedicated bicycle lanes and
off-road trails, to traverse the community safely.
The City recently co-hosted the Bruce B.
Downs Celebrity Bike Ride to celebrate the opening of the City’s
new multi-use trail along Bruce B. Downs
Boulevard, a major roadway running through the heart of the New North Service
Area. This community event
drew tremendous positive public attention to the new facility and to
bicycle commuting as a viable transportation choice.
More than 150 people participated, including FDOT Secretary Ken
Hartman, Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, and City Councilmen Bob Buckhorn, Shawn
Harrison, and Charlie Miranda.
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Hillsborough
County:
Our local government's backing of
commute alternatives goes a long way in promoting ridesharing!
Hillsborough County Commissioners recently decided to develop new
incentives for County employees who work in the downtown Tampa
area. Because parking shortages are inevitable in Tampa's growing
downtown, the County is offering 75% subsidies
for HARTline Transit Passes for County employees who commute via public
transportation. The County is also offering preferential
parking spaces for its employees who carpool, with three or more
per vehicle. Thank you, Hillsborough County, for your
commitment!
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The
Florida Department of Transportation:
Alternative
work hours refer to any variation in the typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday work schedule.
Employees who work alternative schedules are spared the
inconvenience and stress of driving during peak traffic periods.
Three types of alternative work hour arrangements include:
staggered work hours (set by employees, usually at 15-minute
increments); flextime (enabling employees to set their own hours within
an established range); and the compressed work week.
The Florida DOT has adopted the Compressed
Work Week transportation strategy, to help reduce the number of
days their employees must travel to get to work. Eligible employees may
choose to work 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday
through Thursday, with a half hour for lunch – and
enjoy every Friday off.
This approach reduces traffic congestion, minimizes trips, and
boosts employee morale!
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The
James A. Haley Veteran’s Administration Hospital:
Faced with major parking shortages
due to the much needed construction of a new Spinal Cord Injury Unit,
the hospital began a new Park & Ride shuttle
between the University Mall and the VA. This
shuttle operates throughout the day, transporting employees and from
their new parking at the mall to their jobs at the hospital.
This shuttle not only provides a multi-year solution to the
problems facing the hospital due to facility expansion and loss of
parking, but it also keeps these vehicles off the heavily congested
Bruce B. Downs Boulevard during primary peak travel times.
Patients are also eligible to ride the shuttle, giving them
door-to-door access to meet their health care needs.
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The
University Mall:
The University Mall strongly supports transportation choices for commuters throughout our community.
The following are some of the innovative programs the mall
continues to support:
 | Mall
Express Shuttle (in cooperation with USF):
This shuttle provides free transportation
between the University of South Florida and the University Mall.
Riders board the Bull Runner Route D at the USF Marshall
Center or along West Holly, and disembark
in the Dillard’s Parking Garage Entrance to the mall. This
shuttle transports people to the mall to eat at lunchtime, to
shop, and to attend classes now offered at the mall theater.
The shuttle operates Monday through Thursday from 7am to 9pm
and Friday from 7am to 5pm.
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| Bike
Lids Secured Parking:
In conjunction with Bike LIDS Systems, Inc.,
the University Mall, has made possible the installation of secured
bicycle parking facilities at this major regional employment site.
By helping to provide bicyclists with safe and effective bicycle
parking facilities, this effort has encouraged
bicycle commuting
as a viable alternative in the Northeast Tampa region. The close
proximity of the mall to a major university (USF) further enables
the many students and residents in the surrounding neighborhoods to
work and/or shop without having to rely upon the automobile or
public transit for transportation.
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| Bike Lids Donation:
The
University Mall recently donated three bike Bike Lids to the
University of South Florida. The Bike Lids have been installed
by the Electric Car Station on the north side of the CUTR building
and can be used by any bicyclist on the Tampa campus.
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| The
University North Commuter Center:
sells
bus transit passes for all of HARTline’s many local bus routes,
out of its centralized location in the atrium of the University
Mall. Trained staff of the Commuter
Center are readily available to answer your
questions, and help you make YOUR transportation connections.
Patrons can receive the latest information on bus routes, maps, and
schedule modifications. You can also receive the latest information
on transportation events or issues that affect you. Free
brochures and public information notices and free copies of the
Tampa Bay Commuter newspaper are also available. |
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The
University of South Florida:
The University of South Florida is the largest employer in the New North area.
The campus representatives on the New North Transportation
Alliance Advisory Board have been
active in supporting transportation choices for commuters throughout our
region. The following are
some of the innovative programs the University continues to support:
| Bike
Safety Week & Transportation Fairs: Once
a year, the New North Transportation Alliance has coordinated with other transportation groups to
host either a USF Bike Safety Week or
a Transportation Fair on the USF
campus. Collaborative partners have included the USF Police Special
Deployment Unit (Bicycle Squad), the USF Bike Club, rthe Hillsborough County Bicycle Pedestrian
Advisory Committee (B/PAC), Bay Area Commuter Services, HARTline,
the Hillsborough MPO, and the University Mall.
Efforts focus on disseminating information
on bicycle safety issues, transit routes, the UPASS program, and
ridesharing. Event participants are also able to register
for the bikes-on-buses and guaranteed ride home programs.
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| Advanced
Planning: As the University continues to grow and change,
the Campus Master Plan is regularly updated.
As part of this effort, a special subcommittee of the most
recent Campus Master Plan Update was
developed, to assess current bicycle and pedestrian routes around
campus, and plan for future needs and the provision of new
facilities.
The Office of Facilities Planning works to identify locations
for needed bicycle facilities and sidewalk connections, to provide
seamless travel for people who may choose to leave their cars at
home.
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| BullET
Shuttle:
The
Department of Parking & Transportation Services operates an off-campus
shuttle service from USF to the adjacent residential areas
for students, staff, and faculty.
The BullET
(Bull
Express Transport) shuttle service launched operations in
August, 2000. Ridership on this alternative transportation option
reached 438,654 for the 2000-2001 school year!
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| U-PASS
Program:
The
Department of Parking & Transportation Services has entered an
agreement with HARTline to allow current USF students, faculty,
and staff (with a valid USF ID) to ride all non-express HARTline
buses at no charge. |
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Busch
Gardens, Tampa Bay:
With
the New North Transportation Alliance, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
hosted a transportation forum
for employers in New North, to discuss the transportation
issues affecting
this rapidly growing region of Northeast Tampa and Hillsborough County. A panel discussion with several key speakers was held, to
focus on planned roadway improvements, public/private development
corporations, local initiatives, and alternative transportation options.
Through this and other employee activities, Busch Gardens continues to
strengthen its role in solving New North’s transportation
challenges.
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Learn
how YOU can become involved in solving our transportation challenges, by
contacting the New North Transportation
Alliance, at (813) 974-9799, or by emailing us at bond@cutr.usf.edu.
The
New North Transportation
Alliance receives funding support from the Florida Department of Transportation,
the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, and the University of South
Florida.
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