Florida: One of rail's biggest critics gets millions to study and promote alternatives

[marmar]

from the St. Petersburg Times:



One of rail's biggest critics gets millions to study and promote alternatives
By Michael Van Sickler, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Saturday, November 28, 2009


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TAMPA — For two decades, the Center for Urban Transportation Research has advised Florida policymakers on how to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to improve the state's overwhelmed transportation system.

The University of South Florida think tank says every transportation option it examines undergoes a rigorous and objective analysis. It says it plays no favorites.

But a St. Petersburg Times analysis shows CUTR has often criticized one type of travel — passenger rail — while promoting alternatives it is paid millions to study.

An examination of the center's research and funding shows:

• CUTR (pronounced "cutter") has consistently championed highway expansion even as it gets most of its grant money from Florida's largest road building entity — the Department of Transportation. Since 2003, the DOT has paid CUTR $26 million to study and advise on everything from toll roads to road rangers to drug abuse — but not passenger rail.

• CUTR has received more than $6 million since 2006 to research bus rapid transit, which competes for much of the same money that rail does. It has consistently favored this transportation option over rail.

• Since CUTR opened in 1988, its experts have been quoted or cited on rail in at least 119 published accounts. Their statements were three times more likely to be negative than positive, according to a survey of the Nexis data base. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tampabay.com/news/one-of-rails-biggest-critics-gets-millions-to-study-and-promote/1054927

[imdjh]

1. As one in the path of danger, or apart from it depending upon the future.....

I want to point out that Rail is not as simple an issue as one might think. It's really not clear, and it needs to be CLEAR, what this rail would be for and whom it would SERVE.

Many rightfully fear the rail as it is now spoken of. It sounds like a disaster and boondoggle in the making, and I am a person who would really like to see something fantastic done in this regard.

Take for example the "discussion (it's barely mentioned)" of the St Petersburg terminus. If this were truly going to be a functional rail system, wouldn't you think it would terminate in downtown St Pete, or perhaps at the Gulf Of Mexico? No, they want to run it to an office park in north St Pete (the great swamp) called Carillon which has never been on most people's map.

Is this rail to serve those who live here? Is it to serve tourism? Is it to further open up the rest of the interior to development?

[icee2]

2. Are you surprised? I'm not. nt

[FarCenter]

3. An elevated monorail would be good for Florida

Otherwise it will be under water before its 100 year life is up, given sea level rises due to global warming.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Building more roads almost always INCREASES traffic.

It draws more businesses and residents to set up in the surrounding area, because "there's easy access to the roads", and before you know it ...

As long as the roads are given favored treatment, people will choose them as the easiest way to travel. If light passenger rail were given the same treatment, more people would choose it.