Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority
 | |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Connecting Our Region, Building Our Future |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | 3802 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 306 |
| Locale | Tampa, Florida |
| Service area | Citrus County, Hernando County, Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, Sarasota County |
| Website | http://www.tbarta.com |
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, or TBARTA, is a regional transportation agency of the U.S. state of Florida which was created on July 1, 2007. The purpose of the agency is "to plan, develop, finance, construct, own, purchase, operate, maintain, relocate, equip, repair, and manage multimodal systems in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota Counties."[1] The agency coordinates its efforts with the Florida Department of Transportation to improve transportation in the Tampa Bay Area.
Regional Transportation Master Plan
The TBARTA Regional Transportation Master Plan for the seven-county Tampa Bay Region was adopted in May 2009 and focused primarily on transit service and planning. It was updated in 2011 and added regional freight and roadway networks, and also addressed land use and air quality.
TBARTA is currently completing the 2013 Update of the Master Plan, which incorporates updates and progress made throughout the region since 2009, makes minor refinements to the existing regional networks, and revises the Master Plan Vision narrative.
Transit
TBARTA does not operate any transit system. However, the agency is discussing developing various modes of premium transit service, including express bus, bus rapid transit, light rail, and commuter rail.[2][3]
Corridor Studies
After the Regional Transportation Master Plan was adopted in 2009, several high-priority corridor studies were initiated by TBARTA, including:[4]
- St. Petersburg to Clearwater through Greater Gateway Area (Pinellas Alternatives Analysis)
- Howard Frankland Bridge PD&E Study and Regional Transit Corridor Evaluation
- SR 54/SR 56 Express Bus/Managed Lanes Project Concept Development Study
- USF to Wesley Chapel Transit Corridor Evaluation
- I-75 Regional Bus Sarasota/Bradenton to Downtown Tampa Conceptual Analysis Study
- Westshore Area to Crystal River/Inverness Transit Corridor Evaluation
- I-75 Regional Bus Wesley Chapel to Downtown Tampa Conceptual Analysis Study
- Short-Term Regional Premium Transportation Enhancements Study
- Extension of Premium Services from Sarasota to Bradenton and North Port Regional Transit Corridor Evaluation
Priority Projects
In cooperation with its regional partners, TBARTA identified five Regional Priority Projects for 2013, based on factors such as connectivity, regionalism, ability to implement, mobility, and support, among others. These projects are:[5]
- Roosevelt Connector in Pinellas County, connecting the Bayside Bridge, St. Pete-Clearwater Airport, Gateway, and I-275
- Extension of the Suncoast Parkway into Hernando and Citrus Counties
- Managed Lanes on SR 54/56 in Pasco County, between the Suncoast Parkway and I-75
- Managed Lanes on I-275 to allow drivers to bypass the SR 60/Memorial Highway interchange east of the Howard Frankland Bridge
- Port Manatee Connector in northern Manatee County to move freight between Port Manatee and I-75, taking trucks off of local roads
Managed Lanes
Managed lanes are an important part of step-by-step implementation of the regional transportation vision. Managed lanes are commonly referred to as "express lanes", where operational strategies such as pricing, vehicle eligibility, and/or access control are implemented to regulate demand and utilize available capacity. Examples of managed lanes include toll lanes, reversible lanes, value priced lanes, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes. The TBARTA Managed Lanes network includes the existing toll facilities in our region as well as a mid-term and long-term network of managed lanes identified by the TBARTA Master Plan and by FDOT.[5]
Commuter Services
On April 30, 2010, TBARTA merged with Bay Area Commuter Services, the state-funded provider of commuter options programs in five of the seven TBARTA members counties (Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas). In doing so, TBARTA became the official Tampa Bay Area regional provider of commuter options including: Carpool, Vanpool, Schoolpool, Bike Buddy, Emergency Ride Home (ERH), Telework, Compressed Work Schedule, and Commuter Tax Benefits.[6]
One Call One Click
The One Call, One Click program underscores transportation support needs and services for veterans, through a $1.1 million grant from the Federal Transit and Veterans Administrations. The aim of the grant is to better connect veterans, military families, the disabled, and regular citizens with the available transportation resources across the seven-county region, in one convenient online and call-center portal. Work continues on this program, with staff working to identify transportation service providers, contract services for call center activities, and develop a more robust online element. TBARTA was also successful in obtaining a secondary FTA grant to be used to promote and market the One Call/One Click program. The funds must be expended by October 2014.
Partners
Citrus County Transit, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), FDOT District One Commuter Services, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART), Hernando County MPO, Hillsborough County MPO, Manatee County Transit (MCAT), One Bay, Pasco County MPO, Pasco County Public Schools, Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT), Pinellas County MPO, Pinellas Realtor Organization, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), Polk County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), Sarasota-Manatee MPO, Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT), Tampa Bay Partnership (TBP), Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC), Tampa Downtown Partnership, The Hernando Express (THE Bus), West Central Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization Chairs Coordinating Committee (WCFCCC).
Governing Board
The governing Board of TBARTA has 16 members (15 voting members and one non-voting member). The voting members consist of the following:
- One elected official appointed by the respective County Commissions from Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties;
- One member is appointed by the West Central Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization Chairs Coordinating Committee (MPOCCC) who must be a chair of one of the five Metropolitan Planning Organizations in the region (Citrus County is a TPO);
- Two members are the Mayor or the Mayor’s designee of the respective largest municipality within the areas served by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART);
- One member is the Mayor, or designee, of the largest municipality within Manatee or Sarasota County, providing that the membership rotates every two years;
- Also on the Board are four business-community representatives appointed by the Governor, each of whom must reside in one of the seven counties of TBARTA; and,
- The one non-voting member shall be the District Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (Department) within the seven-county area of TBARTA.
The members appointed by the respective Commissions, MPOCCC, or Mayors serve two-year terms and may serve no more than three consecutive terms. The Governor-appointed members serve three-year terms and may serve only two consecutive terms.
Citizens Advisory Committee
The TBARTA Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) is made up of residents and business persons from around the region. Members are appointed by the TBARTA Board members and volunteer their time to advise the Board on a range of issues that affect TBARTA and the region.
Transit Management Committee
The TBARTA Transit Management Committee (TMC) is made up of the region’s transit agency directors, who advise the Board on implementation of the Regional Transportation Master Plan.
Public Engagement
TBARTA maintains an ongoing public conversation about regional transportation, via social media on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. During periods of work to update the Regional Master Plan, TBARTA also holds telephone-based town hall meetings, which garner thousands of participants. The public is always invited to TBARTA's regularly-scheduled Board and Committee meetings as well.
References
- ↑ Summary of SB 506 Legislation at the TBARTA website
- ↑ McClure, Bob (September 25, 2007). "TBARTA tosses around different ideas". Tampa Bay Newspapers. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ↑ Silva, Cristina. "Public transportation has new chief, new challenges". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ↑ TBARTA Corridor Studies at the TBARTA website
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 TBARTA 2013 Master Plan Update at the TBARTA website
- ↑ TBARTA Commuter Services at the TBARTA Commuter Services website