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By Melody Jameson
melody@observernews.net
Before taking it to a public hearing, transit officials early this week gave local residents the chance to weigh in on the proposed South County flexible bus service concept involving call-ins.
And, about a dozen retirees took advantage of the opportunity. They made it clear that creating a FLEX service zone in the heart of South Hillsborough - which would be the first in the county – cannot trump the current scheduled service that includes a fairly direct route to Brandon’s shopping centers from inside their community.
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| Melody Jameson Photo
Hillsborough County commuters have elected to leave the driving to HART, Steve Feigenbaum (right) emphasizes as Kings Pointers Sara Maguire (left) and Barbara DelCastillo (center) discuss proposed elimination of an underutilized bus that has been taking retirees to Brandon shopping centers. Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) transportation planners such as Feigenbaum have suggested creating the county’s first FLEX zone in which bus patrons can call for service in South Hillsborough County. |
Two Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) officials, Steve Feigenbaum, planning manager, and Robert Trout, public information coordinator, brought charts and diagrams to the SouthShore Regional Services Center Monday afternoon for a public meeting about proposed bus service modifications.
The residents, predominately Kings Point retirees, attended the session to question how the flexible service area could replace Route 35LX, a limited express bus operating between the Sun City Center and Brandon areas. The 35LX picks up Kings Pointers, for example, at their north clubhouse and makes a few other stops along S.R. 674 before turning north on Cypress Creek Boulevard to stop at the SouthShore Regional Library and then continue north along U.S. 301 to Brandon.
Feigenbaum explained that 35LX has proved to be poorly utilized, sometimes carrying no more than two passengers to Brandon. For this reason, the planning manager added, it was targeted for elimination. Another proposed change is elimination of the Ruskin Park –n- Ride site adjacent the Ruskin post office which also is underutilized, Feigenbaum said.
None of the proposed changes, however, are being driven by financial concerns, he said. And, ridership on other routes, particularly those connecting with downtown Tampa, has been surging with every dollar increase in gasoline, the planner stated. Additionally, the current bus schedule in South Hillsborough and the FLEX concept being proposed for the area are cost neutral, Feigenbaum asserted, with neither representing a savings over the other.
If 35LX were out of the picture, South Hillsborough would be served essentially by two busses – Route 47LX, another limited express, and Route 87, the SouthShore connector, Feigenbaum said. The two would operate on a daily basis – from 8 AM to 7:15 PM, Monday through Friday – within the FLEX zone. The two units routinely would “float,” moving in opposite directions throughout the day, one eastbound, the other westbound, each making appointed stops in addition to stops dictated by customer calls for service. The 47LX route also includes runs along U.S. 41.
The SouthShore FLEX zone, as currently outlined, would extend from 14th Street NW in Ruskin to the east side of Wimauma, and from 19th Avenue on the north to 21st Street on the south. The zone would include most of central Ruskin, a large part of the Villages of Cypress Creek, Sun City Center as well as Kings Point, and all of Wimauma. It would be bisected by S.R. 674 and encompass portions of U.S. 41 as well as U.S. 301.
The advantage of a FLEX district, Feigenbaum noted, is the option it gives bus passengers to customize service within certain parameters. Under the FLEX concept, the customer would be able to telephone central dispatch, scheduling pick-up within and transport to one or more sites in the zone. The planner could not provide any specific dollar figures for such service but indicated that whatever the rate, it would be considerably less than gasoline purchased for the private vehicle.
All of the local stops currently accessed by bus customers would continue to be accessible by bus under the FLEX concept, Feigenbaum said, but many of them by request rather than as fixed points on a route.
And, for those riders interested in getting to Brandon, he indicated arrangement would be made to transport those customers to a pick-up point for Route 31 which operates on a north-south alignment connecting the north side of Ruskin with other areas in the Central County.
The Sun City Center seniors, though, remained unimpressed. Forrest Davis, president of the Kings Point Condominium Owners Association (KPCOA), called for maintaining Route 35 LX and suggested that HART planners pursue stops in the new communities along the U.S. 301 corridor. Establishing connections in Valencia Lakes, Ayersworth, Belmont, Shady Creek and South Fork, he said, could boost ridership on 35LX. Eliminating the express aspect of the route would be acceptable, he indicated. The KPCOA would help with such an endeavor, Davis promised.
Ultimately, Feigenbaum allowed that “it’s the squeaky wheel that gets greased. If all we hear is ‘I hate this,’ then …we won’t proceed with it.”
The planner also noted that the proposed changes would be made part of the record during the public hearing July 16. Eventually, public hearing results go to the HART board of directors which makes the final decisions. Two South County commissioners sit on the HART board – Al Higginbotham and Rose Ferlita. The board also includes Commissioner Mark Sharpe who holds a county wide at-large seat.
If the FLEX zone were to be instituted in South Hillsborough, Feigenbaum summed up, it probably would be effective in early November.
©2008 Melody Jameson
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