Dr. Ruth Steiner Weighs in on Dissolution of Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA)
Dr. Ruth Steiner, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and Director for Center for Health and the Built Environment
January 26, 2023
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, commonly known as TBARTA, is going away. The agency was established by Florida state legislature in 2007 and has played a primary role in shaping transportation options across the Tampa Bay region. Dr. Ruth Steiner, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and Director for the Center for Health and the Built Environment, recently weighed in on what happens after TBARTA’s dissolution.
In 2012, [Dr.] Ruth Steiner completed a study on regional cooperation in transportation planning. In the study, she recommended better coordination of transportation planning in the Tampa Bay Region.
TBARTA has often been faced with insurmountable obstacles in lifetime, including intergovernmental coordination between 5 counties and 2 rapidly-growing Florida cities (Tampa and St. Petersburg). TBARTA was often including in the conversation of redundancy; the cities and counties in Tampa Bay also have a number of transit agencies, projects, and funds.
Read more about TBARTA from WUSF and the Tampa Bay Times.