Pinellas County advances elevated rail. From the Monorail society (10/13/00)
Pinellas County, Florida. The Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPO) has approved transportation plans as put forth in a report by consultant firms Dames & Moore and Grimail Crawford. Several options to improve transportation in the County are outlined in the Mobility Major Investment Study report. Elevated rail is favored over rail at grade in several corridors and that opens up the possibility for monorail. In fact, some officials and community leaders have been openly supportive of monorail over other rail modes. The MPO authorized its staff to move forward with tasks outlined in the report. Michael Crawford, partner in Grimail Crawford, tells us that the MPO is "extremely interested in getting a demonstration project in the ground. One of the Board members used Seattle as an example - he said that the people there built demo from downtown to the Space Needle, and recently voted an initiative to expand it because they liked it so much." A demonstration project would consist of a starter line system along a high-traffic corridor that would prove the technology and open the door for expansion. The local Fox TV affiliate ran a story showing the Walt Disney World monorail and called it the future of transportation in Pinellas County. While there is still much to be done before we see a Pinellas Monorail, this is indeed a victory in that grade level light rail has been eliminated from the mix and officials are pushing for the quick development of a system. Our thanks to Michael Crawford for keeping us up to date on the progress.
Board plans to study elevated rail system
Published St. Petersburg Times 10/14/99
By Joe Newman
An elevated rail system connecting Clearwater, St. Petersburg and the beaches is one of the best ways to move commuters, shoppers and tourists through Pinellas County in the coming decade, the county's transportation board decided Wednesday.
In endorsing a " fixed guide way system", the county has also has, for the first time, settled on possible routes, through the specific path and location of stations has yet to be decided.
Generally, the system would run either along Alt U.S. 19 in the west or along Fourth Street N. to Roosevelt Boulevard to U.S. 19 in the east or in a loop connecting both corridors.
With almost no discussion the Metropolitan Planning Organization accepted a committee recommendation to begin preliminary engineering studies, cost estimates and environmental impacts studies.
The plan endorsed Wednesday also calls for improving bus service, upgrading bicycle and pedestrian paths and implementing "intelligent transportation systems," which call for better traffic signal systems and the use of electronic billboards and video cameras to communicate with drivers and monitor traffic.
In the coming months, county planners and their engineering consultant will try to further narrow the route of the rail system, as well as decide the type of technology the county should use. The choices include building connections to Tampa International Airport, extending the system to Tarpon Springs and crossing to the beaches in Clearwater, Madeira Beach and St. Pete Beach.
The MPO also must decide whether to go with light rail, a monorail or some other type of guided rail. Ultimately, the MPO has the final say on whether to go ahead with the plan, but it will likely seek county and state input.
Through spring 2000, the county will have spent about $2-million in federal grants to study its transportation options. Next year, it will receive another $2.5- million in federal transportation money to continue its engineering studies.
Constructing the system, which could begin in the next five years, would likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on the final plan.
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Wednesday's decision moves the county only slightly ahead of where it was more than 14 years ago when county officials first proposed a monorail system. That 1985 plan, however, got buried in bureaucracy and was never approved by state or federal officials.
Pinellas Park Mayor Bill Mischler, chairman of the MPO, said the county has studied its rail options to death. This is the last study he'll support on the issue, Mischler said.
" This has been going on for so many years now," Mischler said. "It's time to fish or cut bait."
County planning director Brian Smith said it is likely that Pinellas county will get federal money to build its system. That's because the county has done all the necessary federal studies so far, Smith said.
" By playing it their way, we're now in a good position to get some of those federal dollars," Smith said " But it took some patience to get there."
However, not everyone on the MPO supports a guide way system. St. Petersburg City Council member Kathleen Ford was the lone vote against the plan.
She said she was concerned about the impact the project would have on the neighborhoods it cuts through.
" No one in the city of St. Petersburg has really looked at all these issues," she said. " Very few people in St. Petersburg know about it."
· The county's transportation board will look at the costs and effects of an elevated rail system throughout Pinellas.
A Sky Train For Clearwater Beach?
by Anne McKay Garris
Watching the glut of traffic arriving daily at Clearwater Beach, it's only logical that someone would believe we need a better way of getting people here. The Clearwater Beach Association and the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce have been working together for over a year to gather information and convince the City that a people mover from the mainland to Clearwater Beach is a necessary part of improving conditions at the Beach.
Calling the idea of a Disney style people mover "exciting," Sheila Cole, past president of the Beach Chamber of Commerce reported this week that a joint committee of the Chamber, the Beach Association and the Beach division of the Greater Clearwater Chamber of Commerce had already made their report to Ralph Stone of the City's Planning Department and Rick Hedrick, former assistant city manager.
Expanding on this effort, the Clearwater Beach Association has invited Mr. Karl Guenther with an organization called Sky Train to attend the March meeting of the Association. Jay Keyes, president, has invited City Manager Mike Roberto to be present also on Tuesday, March 7, at the Clearwater Beach Recreation Center to hear the presentation. The meeting, open to the public, will begin at 5:30 P.M.
Money For A Monorail?
by Anne McKay Garris
Ever since the first tie up of
Memorial Causeway traffic, dozens
of years ago, sensible people looked
around our small island and said,
'We need good, usable public
transportation." One day last month
over 50,000 cars came to Clearwater,
Beach, most of them looking for
parking place. The promise to build
parking garages on Clearwater Beach
is mired down in excess expense.
Now, however, like the light at the
end of the tunnel, the State
Legislature has a bill which budgets
$150,000 for a preliminary study of a
route for the proposed monorail to
Clearwater Beach. This does not,
however, guarantee a monorail. It's
just the first step!
The study will be administered by
the City of Clearwater and will
include such items as what kind of
monorail. (Hanging from the top?
Riding on the rails? Along
Memorial Causeway Bridge? Or on
its own?) Optimal locations for
terminals will be researched and the
economic benefits versus the cost will
be considered. If the study is favorable, work can begin to find
funding, get designs and begin to
provide Clearwater Beach with fun,
easy transportation from at least
downtown Clearwater and, perhaps,
eventually, Clearwater/St. Pete and
Tampa airports.
Mr. Karl Guenther, representative for Sky Train Systems, has been -working on a public transportation system for Clearwater Beach for several years. He believes an automated people mover, not very different from the trams that transport people to and from "airside" at Tampa International, might be best for Clearwater Beach. He even believes that, if the study is favorable and work progresses smoothly, we could have a system up and running within three years.
Anyone wishing more information about Sky Train may see their booth at the Largo Enviro
- Fair on May 6,or at the Summit 2000 at Harborview Center on May 11.