STORY by STEVE TRAIMAN
After the May 28 St. Pete Beach Commission workshop dedicated to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) Bus Rapid Transportation (BRT) project, just before the regular Commission meeting, the Commission decided:
The Commission will let the PSTA have 15 minutes at the June 11 meeting for its updated BRT presentation; however, no decision will be made at that time. The presentation will be posted online at stpetebeach.org for all residents’ access.
The May 28 workshop gave many residents the opportunity to give their views on the BRT with some positive and many more negative. The Commission then decided that the best option was to have any BRT and CAT buses terminate service to the City at either the mini-bus terminal at 75th Street just west of Gulf Blvd. or at the County Beach Access Park across from the Dolphin Village. The City would take over all local transport service south on Gulf Blvd. to Pass-a-Grille, using an up to 9-passenger electric shuttle service, backstopped by the local free beach ride services.
A decision as to whether to pass the resolution opposing the BRT project or negotiate an Inter local agreement with PSTA would be on the July 9 Commission meeting agenda.
Brief BRT History
For years, St. Pete Beach officials have told transit officials they don’t support paying for a bus rapid transit system connecting their beaches to downtown St. Petersburg. The forceful message stretches back until at least October 2016, when residents and commissioners declined to grant the PSTA’S request to support its 11-mile bus route proposal. (Tampa Bay Times, March 29, 2019).
But in 2017 when the county transit authority began seeking a $20 million federal grant for the $41-million project that would include 60-ft-long, articulated buses, the proposed financial plan included St. Pete Beach contributing $1.5 million.
St. Pete Beach’s proposed share, combined with $5 million from the county bus agency and $4 million from St. Petersburg, helped the Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit proposal reach a key threshold: All applicants for federal money must have 25% of the project covered by local funds. “We told them well over a year now that we haven’t committed to any money and I doubt that we ever would,” Mayor Alan Johnson said this past March 28. “They’re misrepresenting our financial involvement, and they have been for a long time.”
On March 12 the City Commission directed staff to draft a resolution opposing the project and declaring the city has repeatedly requested the transit authority stop misrepresenting its financial commitment. But officials tabled a vote on the resolution after PSTA director of project management, Abhishek Dayal, emailed asking to address the commission and agreeing to “immediately adjust all grant documents and other assumptions to show no financial funding from the city.” Working with new SPB City Manager Alex Rey, the PSTA’s Dayal provided key changes and the resulting Inter local Agreement was to come up for discussion and possible approval at the May 14 SPB Commission meeting.
Commission Meeting & Workshop
At the May 14 Commission meeting, after many audience comments against the entire project, the Commission agreed that many residents had little knowledge about the program and tabled any decision until after a key Workshop set for Tuesday. May 28, starting at 4pm before the 6 pm Commission meeting. SPB Mayor Al Johnson told Paradise News, “The feedback not only from the audience, but from residents subsequent to the meeting, has been universally negative. Some of it is based on misinformation, some not.
Generally, folks are against the 60-foot buses and losing lanes on Gulf Blvd. to bus-only use – both of which won’t happen and the latter issue was never proposed by PSTA. “I share the primary question I’m being asked by residents…
‘What is the purpose of the project?’
I would like to see what the current ridership numbers are, what is the current ridership capacity and what will be the capacity of ridership once the BRT is put in place? Since the capacity is going to be increased (I assume), what is the expected ridership? Where is the increase in ridership supposed to come from?
“These are all questions that I would like answered, and I suspect the rest of the Commission would too. City Manager Rey added, “The earlier issue of the Cabrillo Street easement for a bus turnaround/layover and shuttle facility is off the table now, and PSTA is looking at turning the buses around at the Beach Access County Park or the 75th Street mini-bus terminal. This will remove the two most controversial issues”
PSTA Response to Key Questions
Prior to the May 28 Workshop, PSTA spokesman Dayal offered these clarifications to many of the prior Commissioners’ and residents’ comments:
The BRT project addresses the growing mobility needs in the corridor. Year after year, more residents, workers and tourists are coming to our region and specifically Pinellas County to visit, live and work. The project provides for a cost-effective and reliable way to move more people from one end of the county to another while helping to mitigate congestion growth.
Ridership numbers developed as part of the analysis indicate more than 4,700 average daily riders on the project. That’s more than 32,000 riders a week.
Currently, the Central Avenue Trolley (CAT) ridership averages approximately 2,500 daily riders per day. We used the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recommended ridership forecasting model to develop these estimates back in 2017. The model factors in ridership on existing bus service, population and employment around the proposed stations to generate expected ridership, with the BRT service.
As to the proposed level of service, the existing CAT service will be reduced from operating every 20 minutes (3 buses an hour) to every 30 minutes (2 buses an hour) during the day when BRT begins service. BRT service will operate every 15 minutes (4 buses an hour) during the day (from 6 am to 8 pm). From 8 pm to midnight, the proposed service will operate every 30 minutes (2 buses an hour).
With the increased service on the corridor, the total ridership (the sum total of BRT and CAT service) is expected to be 6,500 per day, which is an increase of about 4,000 daily riders from the current 2,500 per day on CAT. 2,000 of these riders are expected to be “choice” riders, which means they choose to ride the bus rather than driving. Again, this helps reduce traffic congestion and makes our streets safer. The additional ridership would be a combination of residents, workers and tourists (depending on the location of the station).
The proposed agreement with the city of St Pete Beach affirms: the use of a regular 40-foot bus for a period of no less than 3 years. No dedicated or semi-dedicated lanes proposed along Gulf Boulevard for this project – and that was never considered but rather misinformation about the project.
While Gulf Blvd is owned and maintained by FDOT, we don’t believe it is necessary for the three years to convert any of the lanes for buses only. PSTA will be responsible for all operation and maintenance of the proposed bus turnaround and shuttle facility at the Beach Access County Park. Additionally, the agreement also includes provisions for further design coordination with St Pete Beach staff so that any other concerns could be satisfactorily addressed by our project team.
Interlocal Agreement Highlights Key points of the proposed Interlocal Agreement between PSTA and the city of St. Pete Beach for the Central Avenue BRT Project – revised between the May 14 and May 28 meetings — include: No city funding toward capital or operational cost for any future Federal Transit Administration (FTA) New Starts application or other materials to support the application for the BRT Project
prepared, authorized or submitted by PSTA … No city financial contributions towards the operations and maintenance of the BRT Project … Also, the BRT Project will utilize vehicles with a maximum length of 40 feet (current trolleys) for at least three years from the Project’s launch … After that period, if PSTA determines that ridership requires vehicles larger than 40 feet within the city limits, this must be approved by the city prior to PSTA’s operation.
An earlier item for the city to provide a bus turnaround and new Pass-A-Grille shuttle location was modified to likely use of the Beach Access County Park across from Dolphin Village or the 75th Street mini-bus terminal … PSTA agrees to terminate all existing bus and trolley service south of the new transfer/layover facility to Pass-a-Grille within 14 days of completion, no sooner than July 1, 2019 but no later than October 15, 2019 … The City will provide contracted service through on-demand shuttles along Pass-a-Grille at no cost or other obligation to PSTA … And the PSTA will recalculate the cost allocation of PSTA’s transit services to the city pursuant to the elimination of trolley service in Pass-A-Grille.
In the event funds to finance the BRT Project are not available or PSTA abandons the BRT for any reason, a party may terminate their participation in this agreement, by providing written notification to the other party.
This Agreement shall remain in place so long as PSTA is operating the BRT Project within the city limits or is operating the facility. Neither party may terminate this agreement either for convenience or cause. This agreement can only be terminated prior to PSTA’s abandonment of the BRT Project upon mutual agreement of both parties.
[Editor’s Note: Special thanks to SPB Mayor Al Johnson, City Manager Alex Rey, PSTA director of project management Abhishek Dayal, and Doug Izzo, TBBC Government Affairs Director, for their excellent comments and information.]
[Feature Writer Steve Traiman is President of Creative Copy by Steve Traiman in St. Pete Beach, offering freelance business writing services. He can be reached traimancreativecopy@gmail.com]
Publisher’s Comment
PSTA is trying to get some federal money to try to make bus riding faster and more appealing. Since parking is a growing issue at both ends, St. Petersburg and the Beaches chamber supports it. St. Pete Beach really has little say, as Gulf Blvd is a state road, so BRT could happen no matter what they say. For that reason, they feel they are better off to agree to something they can live with, in case it gets funded.
There are other federal programs that have surfaced recently that could provide funding for eco-friendly, solar-powered, beach friendly smaller trams or buses”. Paradise NEWS says “Just say no to buying more buses that burn fossil fuels. We do not want or need a train from downtown to the beaches.” PN