I am in Tampa this week for a conference. I turned on Channel 8, WFLA (NBC) to catch the local news as I typically do when in another city. For a moment I thought I was watching an Orlando station, as the topic of discussion was commuter rail. I thought is was funny (ironic) that commuter rail is being debated in Tampa at the same time it is being debated in Orlando. Coincidence? Probably. I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist.

Specifically, the report was a test conducted by Channel 8 pitting mass transit against individual transportation. The test involved a reporter traveling the three miles from his home to work at the television station. What he found is what we would all expect. The trip by bus took 45 minutes.  The trip by car took 7 minutes. This is hardly an incitement to give up your vehicle and take a bus, possibly getting drenched in the process by our normal summer rain storms.

The other aspect that was not expanded on as much as it could have been was the cost comparison.  The reporter simply mentioned that the cost was cheaper by car. However, with a few assumptions we can see just how much cheaper. At a price of $2.65 per gallon, assuming 20 miles per gallon, the cost of a three-mile trip by car is about $0.40. The surface cost of a bus pass is between $0.75 and $1.50. For argument's sake we will accept the lower $0.75 figure. Thus, each trip is $0.35 cheaper by car. Over a year (5 days a week times 50 weeks to allow for 2 weeks of vacation) this comes to a $375 difference.

Unfortunately, the surface cost is not a true reflection of the true cost of mass transit. I would challenge anyone to show me a mass transit operation that is not subsidized to some extent by municipal, county, state or federal tax dollars. I don't know the true cost of mass transit in the Tampa area, but no matter what the non-surface costs come out to be, the reality is that mass transportation costs a great deal more than travel by individual vehicle and, as the Channel 8 study pointed out, is much more time consuming.

So, why are our leaders so hell-bent on making mass transportation a big part of our community in Orange County? Personal financial gain? There was some talk of this with the state-wide light rail initiative, but with with LYNX and the latest four county commuter rail project there does not appear to be any financial motive for the area's elected officials. So, what then? I would submit another form of personal gratification. Maybe one more powerful than money to some politicians - legacy. The idea that for decades to come people might think of them when they take a ride on a public bus or commuter rail car. The idea that, years after leaving their positions as county commissioners, mayors, city council members, planners and others, these people in positions of public trust and service can point to a commuter rail car and tell their grandchildren, "I made that happen."! The idea that somehow, maybe through a bronze statue or by having a park named after them, they will be immortalized in Orange County as a public servant who helped make Orange County what it is.

This is not to say that all supporters of commuter rail, the expansion of LYNX or other forms of mass transportation are out to set their legacy. Some truly believe that mass transportation is the future for traffic in Orange County. It is our job as citizens, as tax payers and as voters to let them know they are wrong. Mass transportation, at least in the form it is currently being proposed, is not the answer for Orange County.

If we were able to to take the almost $500 million proposed to build commuter rail and use it instead to improve our existing roads we could tremendously improve Orange County's existing roadway system. I realize, of course, this will never happen. The federal and state money has been set aside specifically for mass transportation and Congress will not allow themselves to be convinced to re-allocate the money for projects that cater to the vast majority of commuters.

So, what do we do? We start with the 2006 elections and challenge all candidates for public office to justify their positions with regard to mass transportation and don't allow them to give soft ball answers or speak in double talk, as politicians often do. Then, we vote for the candidates at all levels who are take an objective and fiscally responsible stance and replace those who don't. The only way to fight government waste is to fight government wasters.

Jim Duffy
Orlando, FL

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