Dayna Lazarus Credit: Photo c/o Dayna Lazarus

Tampa Bay needs multimodal transit. There are too many reasons to list, but I’ll try.

No matter what happens with late-stage capitalism, people will always need to move around where they live. Cities throughout history, like ancient Rome, were built around their mobility needs. It’s the most reliable investment a city can make.
Freedom of mobility is true freedom. To be trapped anywhere, to be immobilized, is to be restrained. It’s not typically listed as a “human need” like food and water, but movement is a human need for physical, mental, social, and financial health.
Tampa has one of the highest death and injury rate for bicyclists and pedestrians in the nation. Four people are injured on an airplane and there’s a public outcry and people too afraid to fly. Children, babies, mothers, and grandparents are killed and maimed every day and yet we do not take any steps to make our transportation system safer and more efficient.
The only way to reduce traffic, which is one of Tampa Bay citizen’s top concerns, is to take cars off the road by providing viable alternative options, like frequent public transit, protected connected bike lanes, and the ability to walk. There’s no question about it.
Finally, the economy. Amazon HQ2 laughed at our bid, stating that their top concern was viable public transit for their thousands of employees. Transportation options benefit every single human in the region, whether they’re age 8 or 80, and whether they make a $0 income or a $billion income.

Transit is the circulatory system of a city, and Tampa is suffering a heart attack because we only feed it burgers.

To commemorate the leap year, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay asked readers and local leaders to chime in on what Tampa Bay needs to be a better place in four years. These are some of the results of the “What Tampa Bay Needs” survey.

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