St Petersburg Times
Dreaming of public roads where cars take a back
seat
Marc Yacht, MD, MPH
Published July 13, 2007
A recent motor trip that included several cities made my
wife, Helen, and I appreciate the value of good public transportation.
Affordable and efficient trains and buses move one around the cities
effortlessly. Although we could have used the car, it proved best to leave it
parked at the hotel. By using buses, elevated trains, and trolleys we avoided
the stress of driving in an unfamiliar place, eliminated the risks of
accidents, and sidestepped the frustration of expensive or hard-to-find
parking.
In Chicago,
$5.30 got you 24 hours on any city transit. The 24 hours started with your
first use of the pass. We traveled from one end of the city to the other,
enjoying the ride. We quickly reached Chicago’s Loop on fast-moving trains and traveled to other parts of
the city connecting with buses. An added benefit of public transport is mixing
with locals who are always helpful to give tips on what to see in their city. I
found city transportation clean, friendly, and swift.
St. Louis
offered one-day passes for $4.50 and using them we saw the sights. Included was
a visit to the Gateway Arch, a visit to the magnificent Forest Park where we
enjoyed a free concert, walked to the renovation site of the 1904 St. Louis
World’s Fair Exposition, and then to the nearby zoo. A bus connection brought
us to the Missouri
Botanical Gardens and an
opportunity to visit the Climatron, a geodesic dome
housing orchids and tropical plants. Also on the grounds, an interactive
children’s garden proved enchanting.
The city was particularly impressive to walk, and again
when hopping on city transportation other commuters were friendly and helpful.
With my camera dangling from my neck and city map in hand, there was no
question as to our tourist status, but no Bermuda shorts!
Pondering the lack of efficient transportation in the Tampa Bay
area, I considered how unique it might be if several counties pooled their
resources and developed people-mover systems that would offer alternatives to
automobile commute. After all, cars are horribly expensive to run considering
fuel prices, insurance rates, parking problems, and accident risk. However,
public transportation has to be convenient to the population, affordable, and
get to destinations with minimal delays.
As things stand in Tampa Bay
currently, without a car, I am reminded of comedian Jonathan Winters’ quip, “I
know where it is, but you can’t get there from here!” Without a car,
motorcycle, or scooter, getting around Pasco,
Hernando, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties without significant delay is
improbable and in many cases impossible.
Imagine, commuter trains racing to Tampa,
St. Petersburg, Jacksonville,
Miami and Orlando
with a connecting system of outreach to local neighborhoods. An integrated
system that allows short drives to adequate parking with a steady stream of
buses acting as a connecting link to commuter trains.
Such a system might lessen the increasing carnage faced by
drivers on Florida
highways every year. In Pasco
County last year, there
were 9,558 crashes resulting in 7,106 injuries and 98 fatalities. These numbers
were up from the year before. I personally was indirectly connected to one
recent motorcycle fatality. I would suggest that most readers have some tie to
one of those killed and certainly a link to someone within the last year
injured in a vehicular accident.
Surprisingly, most accidents occur during daylight hours
with dry surface conditions. Automobiles were responsible for most fatalities
and careless driving was the number one culprit. U.S. 19 had the most
fatalities, a surprise to no one. Friday headed the list for the most crashes
during the week.
Recently I had the misfortune of negotiating traffic from Tampa to Hudson
on the Veterans Expressway at 5:30 p.m. The pace was fast and furious; the
highway was clogged with traffic. Toll booths proved the most interesting to
negotiate. Although I did not have an accident during this travel, the lack of contact
with another vehicle would have to be described as, “better lucky than good,” and should not suggest my driving with superior
skills.
Occasionally, I travel to Tampa on Interstate 275 in the morning and
find it stressful and dangerous. Along the way are motorists less fortunate
than I trading insurance cards and driver’s licenses. Again, getting to my Tampa destination
unscathed falls into the category of chance.
My recent vacation resulted in being rear-ended outside of
Atlanta while in gridlock, and front ended by a
red-light-jumping driver in Tallahassee.
I suspect my luck may have run out. Although I was not faulted in either case I’m
sure my auto insurance rate increase will be little affected by who was at
fault! Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, I could hear the cash
register ringing at Allstate.
Consider a manageable I-275 at peak hours and Veterans
Expressway a safe leisurely drive at 5 p.m. An efficient people-mover system of
commuter trains and buses could accomplish that. Affordable public
transportation would reduce accidents, fatalities, stress, gasoline at the
pump, and insurance rates could come down.
Yes, I have a dream. Next time I go to Tampa
it’s going to be on a commuter train like the one I took in St. Louis - clean, friendly, cheap, and fast.
Marc J. Yacht recently retired as director of the
Pasco Health Department. He lives in Hudson.