After being voted one of the worst cities in the country for pedestrians and cyclists, officials in Tampa have a plan to solve the problem, but it comes with a steep price tag.
City officials and Mayor Jane Castor announced the Citywide Mobility Plan at a community center in West Tampa on July 18.
“The plan is going to be our roadmap into the future for redesigning our streets, making walking and biking a breeze throughout our city, and putting our staff and resources to work in ways that will create the biggest impact.”
The $2 billion plan is ambitious, with a goal of zero roadway deaths and half of commute trips to be made by walking, biking, and taking transit by 2050.
At the meeting on Tuesday, small, short-term goals were discussed.
“You’ll see that the short term, it’s not a lot, because guess what? We don’t have the money to do it right now. But it’s something that we have to invest, we have to find the money," said Alan Clendenin, a member of the Tampa City Council.
Castor says the city has already received $125 million in funding through national and state departments of transportation (DOTs). She says they will continue looking for grant funding.
According to the Citywide Mobility Plan, between 2018 and 2022, 54 people died on Tampa's roadways with 224 people suffering life-altering injuries.
You can read the full plan here.
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Source: WMNF.org, Tampa.gov
