Tampa Bay’s Transportation

Crisis Report

JUNE 17, 2021

Prepared By:
Jasmine Maliska
Aldo Jimenez Valdez
Johana Rolles
 Table of contents
Background Information 1

Problem 2

Causes 2

Impacted Population 3

Reflective Analysis 3

References 4

Course: ENC3250.7021U21
Letter of Transmittal:

Team AJJ
Transportation Division
123 River Driver, Fl 33290
Tampa Transportation Counsel
1234 County drive,
Fl 33829

Dear Counsel,
Within the attached Tampa Bay’s Transportation Crisis Report, you will find
information on the issue regarding our current standing of roadway, walkways, and
public transport as well as our recommendations for a specific plan of action.
Our analysis included researching the impacts of lacking transport on lower income
communities and individuals who rely on these public facilities. We have gathered
insight on the major effects these issues could also have on our local economy.
Based on our research, we concluded … is the best course of action to resolve
these issues.
Thank you for allowing us to be a part of the solution for the Tampa Fl
Transportation crisis. ...
If there are any additional questions, feel free to contact our team anytime at
TeamAJJ@email.com or (123) 239-3929. We look forward to any future
discussions.
Sincerely,
Team AJJ
Background Information
It is customary for the people of mankind to adapt to their immediate surroundings and overcome
any struggles that come their way. During our earliest history, we discovered new techniques to
hunt and gather, and charted new lands to roam on. To travel freely to areas that were known to
us, we needed roads, or trails, to get us from point A to point B. The first known roads were not
created by humans, they were created by animals as paths, and then later adapted by humans to
become roads. Roads helped travelers roam from the Persian Gulf all the way to the
Mediterranean Sea, and the great pioneer Roman road builders were able to construct over
53,000 miles of roads that connected from their capital to the rest of their empire by 334 BC. The
further we moved into uncharted lands, the faster we wished to get there. The greatest feat that
humans acquired through evolution, is our bipedal mobility, and yet, through time even that has
proven itself to not be enough. We have used horse drawn wagons to get us across land faster,
and boats to get us through the ocean. During the year 2021, we now have motor vehicles to help
us travel. Using both roads and highways we can get across the country in only a few days.
However, with the vertical expansion of cities and the influx of new citizens, the roads simply
cannot keep up with the traffic. It is also not just the highway and road traffic that is significantly
behind when it comes to functionality, pedestrian walkways and bike lanes are also lacking.
Tampa Bay sees an annual population growth of about 2% each year, which is 0.5% higher than
the national average, but Tampa has done little to fix the infrastructure problem that has been
growing for years. It is no coincidence that the interchange at I-4 and I-275 is called a
malfunction junction. The most anticipated project of 2021 is the road expansion of I-275, from
I-4 to Bearrs Avenue.

TanpaBayNext.com has estimated this project to cost an estimated 80 million dollars. The area
highlighted in purple has already been funded. The area highlighted in red has not yet been
funded for future construction. The goal of Team AJJ is to bring about change to the roads so
that people can spend less time in traffic and more time doing the things they want to do.
 List of alternative Ttransport
Problem providers
Coordination Transport Services
Contractors provided
Gracepoint Wellness Transport the disabled mainly to
medical appointments.

Agency for community Provides transport to VA treatment,

job interviews, schooling, and
medical appointments.

Metropolitan Ministries Transport in-patients, residential,

and homeless to medical and any
other necessary services.

Quest Inc Transportation for employment

training and community outings.
Page 1 of 4
Brandon Sports & After school, summer camp, and
Aquatics Center special needs swim programs
transportation.

McClain Inc Transportation for grocery trips,

employment, medical, and
educational needs.

The Tampa Bay area has seen growing waits in traffic alongside a boom in population. As more
people move to Florida the issues in our Transportation whether it be by public bus, car, or
walking continue to arise. The U.S Census Bureau related data stated that Florida traffic wait was
an average of 28.3 minute which nearly doubled the national average. Not only is Tampa lacking
fast transport but reliable mass public transportation such as lack of bus routes. These issues pose
great risk for individuals who could be considered low income, Elderly, and communities. As
those who are low income may not have reliable or any transport to jobs. In other American
cities transportation helps the working poor and plays a huge role in the economy of the city.
Alongside helping the elderly who many no longer wish to operate a vehicle due to safety
concerns. Transportation plays a huge role in how communities’ function efficiently and
unfortunately Tampa lacks it.

Causes

Tampa Florida's form of public transportation

is the HART busses and according to their
website they transport 35,000 to 39,000 riders
a day. HART transportation has been around
since 1979 operating and maintaining mass transit facilities though it still has many
shortcomings. Bus operators are being forced to work when they are fatigued and work 68 to 72
hours a week According to the Tampa Bay Time article Redlined Tampa bus routes. There is a
shortage of drive so operators are expected to cover stops while still taking on their required
ones. Also, most public bus users remain unaware of alternative transportation providers. When
it comes to roadways there is a lack of construction to accommodate the increase of residents.
Making it more difficult for people to reach their destination as the average Tampa driver spends
about 27 hours in heavy traffic and congestion according to the Tampa Bay business Journal.
When it comes to pedestrian services there is a lack of safe road crossings signage as well as lit
crosswalks during the night.
Impacted Population
Page 2 of 4
Good transportation systems, or in this case, lack thereof, impacts all individuals living in the
area. Pre-pandemic data shows that 86.5% of Tampa residents commute using a personal vehicle
(data includes 8.4% of individuals who carpool). This in conjunction with Tampas rapidly
increasing population puts significant stress on motorways throughout the city. This affects
drivers by significantly increasing commute times and by making driving more stressful and
makes drivers more frustrated. Stressed and frustrated drivers, especially those who are running
late, may be more inclined to make risky maneuvers which may put other motorists and
pedestrians at risk of injury. Congested roads will also wear out faster, increasing maintenance
and operation cost, thus spending resources that could be better utilized elsewhere such as school
or libraries.

The lack of public transportation hinders mobility for individuals in poorer areas who
may not be able to afford a personal vehicle. This can make it more difficult for them to get
basic necessities such as groceries, visiting health clinics, and even from getting a better job.
Furthermore, weak transportation systems may hinder economic growth. Many commercial areas
in Tampa, such as Northdale, Carrollwood, and Citrus Park have very little access to public
transportation. As a result, many businesses might miss out on potential customers and clients
who simply don't have a way to get to them.

Poor public transportation services also lead to more greenhouse gas emissions which
leads to increased toxins in the area and worse air quality. Long term this can have negative side
effects on residents regardless of how they choose to move around. While some vehicles are
going all electric, this will simply not be enough to mitigate this issue. Mass transit through
busses and even street cars can allow individuals to move more efficiently which can help
remove vehicles from roads and reduce emissions. Especially if new systems are developed
using electric rather than gasoline/diesel drivetrains. This over time will be more sustainable,
improve air quality in the area, and be less costly.
Reflective Analysis

In order to select our data set we all sat down, figuratively speaking, and brainstormed ideas
about which statistical, geographical and recommended data would best fit for the Tampa Bay
Area, and for our report. We selected the map of I-275 to visually explain the funding and scope
of the highway project. It can be difficult to understand a location if you have not driven to it,
and being able to see it from a birds eye view helps the audience better understand the range of
the product. We created a chart that highlights the possible traffic alternatives so that we would
be able to both name their contractors, and give a short description of their function and the
services that they provide. We chose to use the chart and incorporate it into the problem section
so that there could be a breakdown of each individual alternative, and then we decided to begin
speaking about the problem after the chart. We chose to insert a chart that showed the fatality
rates for traffic, motorcycle and pedestrians from 2013-2016. We chose to use this graph to show
the importance of better traffic infrastructure, to not only improve the wellbeing of motor vehicle
users but also pedestrians as well. Our targeted audience would include civilians who drive on
the road in personal vehicles, public transportation users, and bike/walking pedestrians. We
obtained our data from local Tampa bay websites, peer reviewed journals, and widely used
encyclopedias.

Chart

http://www.planhillsborough.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019-tdsp-final.docx-1.pdf

Graph

https://flhsmv.gov/pdf/crashreports/crash_facts_2016.pdf
Map

http://www.tampabaynext.com/projects/i-275-north-of-downtown-tampa/
References/ Work Cited

Benson, Fred J. “Roads and Highways.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,

Inc., 1999, www.britannica.com/technology/road

“Commuting in Tampa, Florida.” Best Places, 2021,

www.bestplaces.net/transportation/city/florida/tampa

Erickson, Chris. “Here's How Much Traffic Congestion Costs Tampa Drivers.” The Business
Journals, Tampa Bay Business Journal, 23 Feb. 2017, 14:58,
www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2017/02/23/heres-how-much-traffic-
congestion-costs-tampa.html

Hillsborough MPO. “Hillsborough County Transportation Disadvantage Service Plan.”

Hillsborough MPO Metropolitan Planning For Transportation , Hillsborough County
Florida, June 2019, www.planhillsborough.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019-
tdsp-final.docx-1.pdf

Johnston, Caitlin, and Eli Zhang. “Tampa Bay Has One of America's Worst Transit Systems.
Here's Why.” Times Analysis: Tampa Bay Has One of the Worst Public Transit Systems in
America. Here's Why. | Data | Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay Times, 16 Feb. 2017,
projects.tampabay.com/projects/2017/data/public-transportation-worst/

Miller, Les. “The Pandemic Has Not Solved Tampa Bay's Transportation Crisis: Column.”
Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay Times, 15 Sept. 2020,
www.tampabay.com/opinion/2020/09/15/the-pandemic-has-not-solved-tampa-bays-
transportation-crisis-column/

Sunderland, Kelsey. “Tampa Bay Transportation Named Worst in Area, New 'Envision 2030'
Plan Hopes to Change That.” News Channel 8, WFLA, 12 Sept. 2019,
www.wfla.com/news/local-news/tampa-bay-transportation-named-worst-in-area-new-
envision-2030-plan-hopes-to-change-that/

“Tampa, Florida Population 2021.” Tampa, Florida Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps,
Graphs), Work Population Review, 2021, worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/tampa-
fl-population

“Traffic Crash Facts.” FLHSMV, Florida Department of Motor Vehicles, 2017,

flhsmv.gov/pdf/crashreports/crash_facts_2016.pdf
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