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Transportation According to an article on Forbes.com, Tampa has reached 4th
among US cities for commuting costs as it relates to one's pay.
This articles indicates that 20.4% of one's pay is spent on commuting in Tampa.
This is primarily due to the rise in the cost of gasoline and that most commute
via automobile transportation.
Over the last 5 years the price of a gallon of gasoline has risen from $1.43 per
gallon to just under $4.00 per gallon, a 180% increase. With the median income
in the Tampa area for a full-time worker estimated at $30,000 per year, 20.4% of
that is $6,120.
Removing the 180% increase, the commuting cost per individual is estimated to
have been $2,186 5 years ago. People in other cities have combatted the rising
cost of commuting by leveraging public transportation; something nearly
impossible to do for most in the greater Tampa area.
While public transportation exists in the greater Tampa area, the infrastructure
and routes are too immature to handle a shift to public transportation for
commuting. The rise in costs for commuting is a direct consequence of the rise
in transporation costs. Indirect consequenes are also experienced.
These indirect consequences include higher costs of consumer goods and consumer
services. Groceries have gone up in price in the past year by as much as 38%.
While Tampa area residents' pay is being eaten up by increasing costs of
commuting and increasing costs of consumer goods and services, the increasing
amounts paid for property tax and homeowners or renters insurance has not
helped.
Tampa area residents' quality of life has suffered through all this and no REAL
help has come from government. What can government do? Government can work to
provide REAL relief by forcing reduction of property taxes and insurance.
Additionally, government can help to reduce commuting costs by building up
public transportation infrastructures.
The Tampa Bay area public transportation has come under budget issues that in
times where many commuters would switch to public transportation, routes cannot
be expnded to make public transportation a viable option for most. These budget
issues are reported to be a result of increasing costs of fuel and decreased
funding.
According to "Transportation facts" found on the Tampa Bay Area Regional
Transportation Authority website, "Every $10 million invested in public
transportation saves more than $15 million in transportation costs, for both
highway and transit users." Instead of investing in public transportation and,
as such, in our economy, we are decreasing funding; thereby adding to the
negative economic impact already experienced by Tampa Bay residents as a result
of higher costs of living.
Special interest has gotten into the "game" where competition in transportation
is being "sidelined" by public officials for no other reason than protection of
existing private transportation companies. In times like these, all measures
should be leveraged to help reduce costs to Tampa Bay residents.
One way to reduce cost is to increase competition. Unfortunately, officials
would rather protect private business profits and contributions from those
businesses to their own campaigns than the residents' quality of life. This
protection by public officials and decision makers has to stop.
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