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Transportation
Information Service This newsletter was created to inform, update, and
educate members of the University North Transportation Initiative and the
public on local mobility issues, projects and developments. September
2001 Vol. 5 No. 12 "Survive the Ride" The
UNTI will be hosting a Commuter Choices Week event called
"Survive the Ride" on September 13th from 11am to 1pm,
in the MLK Plaza on the USF Tampa Campus.
Students, faculty, staff, and the general public are invited to
participate in activities focused on using commute options, other than
driving alone, to get to work or school.
Bay Area Commuter Services (BACS) will be
present to enter commuters into their carpool and vanpool database. HARTline will instruct people how to register for and
effectively utilize the "bikes-on-buses" program. Participants in the "Survive the Ride" event
will also become eligible to win valuable prizes by completing pledge cards,
committing to use an alternative form of transportation during Commuter Choices Week, September 10th-15th. Pledge cards can be obtained from any area
Eckerd store or on the USF BullET shuttle buses during the
first two weeks of school. Many
other events are being held during Commuter Choices Week throughout
the Tampa Bay area, including the Downtown Tampa Kick-Off September 10th
and Bike the Bay on September 15th. Please call the UNTI or visit the BACS website at www.TampaBayRideshare.org for a
complete listing of event dates and times. Did You Know? Vanpooling can be a
practical and effective way for commuters to get to and from work, while
reducing stress and the amount money spent on driving to work in their own
cars. ·
Employers: The UNTI will gladly help you evaluate the potential for and
the benefits of setting up a vanpool for your employees. ·
Commuters:
Call us at 974-9799 to
register with BACS and become eligible to participate in the Vanpool and
Guaranteed Ride Home programs. Safety
Matters Ø Public schools are back in session
throughout the Tampa Bay area. Please
be cautious of children walking and biking to school, especially around
school zones and buses. Remember that
you will pay double the regular fines for speeding tickets in school zones. A recent "Click It or Ticket" campaign was very successful in getting motorists to increase their seat belt use, with the usage rate increasing considerably throughout Florida, from 60.9 to 69.5 percent. Another enforcement wave will be held September 1-9 . Remember to always buckle up and drive safely. Results Are
In… The Hillsborough County MPO has
announced the results of its Visual Preference Survey, conducted between
April 15th and June 15th this year. Regular meetings involving over 60
community groups throughout the county brought in 1,519 responses. The visioning activity surveyed citizens
on future transportation needs by allowing them to rank existing and possible
future conditions on a scale ranging from "Very Appropriate" to
"Not Appropriate" for Hillsborough County's future. The final Results and Recommendations
Report showed that citizens preferred transportation improvements, such as
the addition of turn lanes and good bus service on urbanized two-lane through
roads, over road widening. On major
roads and interstates, rail and High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes were
preferred over extensive road widening. Improved bus stops, transit centers,
sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic calming devices, bicycle lanes and trails, and
landscaping also peaked respondents interests. The results of this survey will be used
to help create the Long-Range Transportation Plan's list of transportation
projects needed by 2025. The
public is encouraged to give input on the choice of projects to be funded,
and can do so by attending one of a series of community meetings, to be held
between August 23 and October 19. Call the UNTI or visit the Hillsborough
County MPO website for dates and times of meetings in your area. UNTI COMMUNITY NEWS Recreational
Trail Improved! Flatwoods Wilderness Park has completed
its trail improvements and is once again open to the public during regular
operating hours, from 7am to 8pm daily.
Take advantage of the seven-mile fitness loop that has been
resurfaced, given smooth and tapered edges, and widened to 13 feet, ensuring
less crowding and a more enjoyable bicycling, in-line skating, walking, or
jogging experience. In the future look for more changes
such as improvements to the Flatwoods' trail bridge over Trout Creek, an
extension of the Bruce B. Downs trail, and the expected connection of
Flatwoods' trails to land recently purchased by the Hillsborough County
Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP). This land is located on the southeast side
of the intersection of Bruce B. Downs and I-75. What is the
UNTI? The
University North Transportation Initiate (UNTI) is a public-private
partnership that provides a forum to address the transportation needs of the
University North Area. The
University North is the name given to a major destination area in
Hillsborough County. It contains a
high concentration of employment and commercial activity where traffic
congestion occurs. University North
is the area generally bounded by Busch Boulevard to the south, I-75 to the
east, 22nd Street to the west and Bruce B. Downs to the north. The UNTI's
main goals are to: Reduce
traffic congestion, Improve air quality, and Promote
alternative commute modes, such as carpooling, vanpooling, transit,
bicycling, or walking.
University
North Transportation Initiative A Public-Private Partnership Located at
the Center for Urban Transportation
Research (CUTR) University of
South Florida 4202 E.
Fowler Ave., CUT 100 Tampa,
FL 33620-5375 (813)
974-9799; 974-5168 (fax) |
