Health & Fitness
Is Your Commute On Track?
Pretty soon the hottest ticket in town may be your way to take a quick trip without spending any time in the driver's seat.
Recently, Clearwater Link, the podcast group of the Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition, got the chance to speak with Nick Fritsch about some changes coming to downtown Clearwater. Fritsch is the former chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (Pinellas MPO). In this podcast he talked about what is being envisioned for the future of transportation in Pinellas County and what kinds of changes could take place.
In October of last year, the City of Clearwater purchased the former “Clearwater Sun” parcel from the Times Publishing Company. The parcel, located at 710 Court Street is planned to be an enhanced transit hub. It will replace the current one located at 525 Park Street in downtown Clearwater.
Future plans call for this site to serve as a Light Rail Transit (LRT) station. This station will be one of several in Pinellas County that will provide access to LRT. The LRT will provide public transportation service to the north and south parts of Pinellas County. Buses and other modes of transportation will operate from LRT stations too. Eventually, more LRT stations will be added to serve more areas in Pinellas County and other parts of the Tampa Bay area.
Find out what's happening in Clearwaterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
This is a long range plan and it will be completed in various stages over several decades. The Pinellas MPO has been studying ways to solve the county’s transportation problems and this is one solution.
Through eTown Hall meetings and by providing speakers for public meetings, the Pinellas MPO is seeking to educate and at the same time asking for citizen input. This is your chance to get involved and help shape the future of our community.
Find out what's happening in Clearwaterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
You can learn more about what is planned by visiting the websites www.PinellasOnTrack, or www.Facebook.com/PinellasOnTrack or www.Twitter.com/PinellasOnTrack. There is even a YouTube Channel you can visit www.youtube.com/user/PinellasOnTrack that will show you ideas and conceptual models about what is being discussed and planned for the future.
So the next time you are at the intersection of Court Street and Myrtle Avenue waiting for the traffic light to turn green, close your eyes for a second and imagine what the future could hold at that intersection. Will you still be there in the future waiting for a green light, or will you be somewhere else? Whether we’re ready or not, the future comes at us pretty fast, sometimes just in the blink of an eye.
Contact us to find out more about the Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition. You can comment about this blog below or you can take this to our forum.
