Politics & Government

Road Planners Turn to Carrollwood Residents for Help

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority is planning for the future and it wants to hear from Carrollwood residents on where its priorities should lie.

Carrollwood residents who want to have their say about road construction and other future transportation projects are getting their chance.

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, or TBARTA for short, is in the process of putting together its 2013 Master Plan Update for the counties it serves. As that process moves forward, TBARTA is turning to residents via a new website, TellTBARTA.com, to get their input and ideas for the future of transportation in the Tampa Bay area.

TBARTA was formed by the state Legislature in 2007 to create and implement a master transportation plan for the seven counties it serves. Those counties include Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas. Transportation projects included in TBARTA’s master plan are those that typically get a high priority for funding from local, state and federal agencies.

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The agency’s planning efforts don’t just focus on roads either. It also studies and recommends potential improvements to local bus and rail lines. Its long-term regional plan, for example, includes a vision for a rail system that would connect St. Petersburg and Pinellas County to Westchase, Carrollwood, Temple Terrace and beyond.

How Carrollwood Can Get Involved

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Carrollwood residents who want a say in the updating of the 2013 Master Plan can speak their minds on TellTBARTA.com.

Created to function like a social media website, “TellTBARTA gives contributors a chance to share new ideas, second others' ideas, expand upon existing ideas and give feedback on initiatives, working with other citizens and community leaders on a variety of topics online anytime, anywhere,” a media release on the website’s launch states.

Questions up for discussion include:

How do we balance the needs of moving residents around a region with the
needs of moving freight in and out of an area?
How do you see our transportation future?

All residents need to do to start sharing their ideas is visit TellTBARTA.com, create an account and start talking.

To check it out, visit TellTBARTA online.


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