I definately believe Tampa now needs an alternative mode of transportation. And light rail would be the perfect answer.
Why? Light rail would:
1.) ...help to relieve some of Tampa's traffic congestion without having to make the govt. build new roads we don't have room for in the first place.
2.) ...give seniors, disabled citizens, students and tourists another means of reliable and affordable transportation.
3.) ...probably cost less than building more roads (rail takes up less land because some existing rail ways could be used and rail is thinner than most roadways.
4.) ...increase the chances of Tampa gettiing the next Olympic games, Super Bowl, or other large event.
5.) ...when installed correctly, be very successful (look at cities like NYC, Chicago, Portland,Oregon, London, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo,etc...)
6.) ...not become part of the traffic problem like our city buses are.
7.) ...lower our consumption of gasoline.
Plus: What would NY city be like without it?

I knew the old streetcar system was killed but i never knew it was due to corp greed here is an intresting article on the real facts of the old street car system and how it was less expensive then bus but general moters pushed lt rail to buses and then due to the fact the cost of running buses and losses where much higher forced citys to cut times and frequecys of the buses thus forcing people to cars.

http://www.cas.usf.edu/philosophy/mass/Danielle.html

You know what I would love to see? A streetcar down Dale Mabry Hwy. I know that this idea would take years to plan and implement, but I cannot tell you how much it would benefit my and multiple thousands of people in that region.

Think about it: Park & Ride stations every mile or so down the length of Dale Mabry from Van Dyke Rd in the North to Kennedy Blvd in the South (where it could connect with the future light rail plan).

What are your thoughts?

Streetcars are great - for san francisco. What Tampa needs most urgently is a rapid, efficient, and effective means to convey 'thousands' of workers from the east and north living burbs into the city core and Tampa pennisula.

Street-cars are great; but regrettably, the result would be another Channelside to Ybor 'streetcar' that isn't even useful to visitors considering that you can (almost) walk the distance faster than the streetcar.

Streetcars down dale mabry, while a keen idea, does not equate to a true mass transit system. Think Washington DC Metro for moving massive ammounts of people from point a to point b.

An elevated light rail line, running on pylons down the center of Dale Mabry (and of other heavily traveled arterials like Hillsborough Avenue and Fowler Avenue) would make more sense than a streetcar. A streetcar would make more sense for, say, Bayshore Boulevard or MacDill or Westshore.

Is the map of the originally planned Hillsborough light-rail system still available on-line anywhere? The HARTline website doesn't have it any more, and neither does the original Tampa Rail site.

I maintain a version right here at Tampa Rail. I am not sure if this the one that you mention but it probably is.

Link to Tampa Light Rail (includes map).

Dave

One idea I haven't seen in any proposal: The old span of the Gandy Bridge (currently used only as a jogging trail and fishing pier) would be ideal for a light-rail link between Hillsborough and Pinellas. It's strong enough to support the trackbed and cars, I'm fairly certain, and it's already there -- no need to build a new bridge. (If the Howard Frankland were used as the route, a new bridge, possibly supported by buttresses or cantilevers sticking out from the existing span, would be necessary.)

Of course, using the Gandy would require rail routes on both sides of the bay linking to its terminal points.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

I think this would be a very effective way to eliminiate the congestion of traffic on the roads for one, two, it would provide extra transportation throughout not only through the city of tampa, but the Hillsborough County and surrounding areas itself. I know that money is a very big factor into getting this development started, but with the increase of taxes and gas prices, the money has to come from somewhere. I hope this plan get's approved, because i think it would help the transit system in tampa reach new heights and provide a wider variety of transportation to the tampa bay area. We've needed something like this for a long time coming, especially with the increase of people moving to the tampa bay area yearly. Once again i would like to reiterate my previous statement, hoping that the county and state will approve these proposals to better our travel as residents of the tampa bay area. Thank you for considering my opinion on this issue, and wish the best for the future.