Please don't leave Lynx riders out in the cold

Dang. It’s a shame more Lynx bus riders didn’t participate in a recently completed survey of Orange County transportation needs.

Survey participants were asked to select their top 5 transportation priorities. The survey was conducted by Orange County to see where the public wants to spend money if voters in November approve a proposal to add 1-cent to the sales tax to pay for transportation improvements.

The good news is that “building a mass transit system (to include buses trains and other modes of transportation)” was ranked as the No. 1 priority.

That same priority list ranked improving Lynx service as No. 8.

Improving SunRail service ranked No. 4.

Priorities 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 focused on improving streets for vehicles.

County staff circulated the survey forms at a variety of meetings for months. The survey was widely publicized and could have been completed online.

Nearly 11,000 people completed the survey forms. Only 4 percent (about 440) of the survey participants ride Lynx daily. More than 70 percent said they never ride Lynx.

While it was gratifying to see that the overall idea of improving mass transportation ranked No. 1, much of the attention seemed to be focused on the shiny new thing – SunRail. The Lynx bus is not sexy, but necessary.

SunRail tends to carry more affluent Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 workers. There are few suits and ties on Lynx, which operates nearly 18 hours daily, 365 days of the year.

Lynx provides 60,000 rides daily, compared to SunRail which provides 6,000 rides every day during its 5-day operating schedule.

Lynx is the spark plug that drives the local economy relied on by low-income hourly workers in Central Florida’s lucrative tourism, hospitality service industry.

Many Lynx riders do not earn enough money to buy or maintain a car. They endure hours on the bus to and from work. They typically wait 30 minutes to an hour for buses – sometimes without any protection from the sun and rain. Most change buses more than once to reach their destination.

Improving that service to make it more convenient and reduce travel time requires doubling the bus fleet from a little more than 300 to 600 or more buses; more staff; better designed routes, and the construction of express buses-only lanes on main thoroughfares.

While it’s disappointing that more Lynx riders didn’t participate in the survey it’s also understandable. Many riders work more than one job and crazy hours.

They’ve also been ignored for so long that many may not think that their concerns count. Yet it’s important for riders to take every opportunity to make their voices heard.

We hope the county commissioners who will decide how money from a proposed transportation tax would be divided up understand that this survey is not a scientific poll.

We encourage commissioners to do their own research. Spend a few hours downtown at Lynx Central Station talking to riders and ride some buses (not for a photo opportunity, but for fact finding.)

Our community deserves a much better bus system than what we have today.

Osceola County has a plan to improve Lynx bus service

Great news! Osceola County is taking steps to create a dedicated source for funding that can help both the Lynx bus and SunRail. The rest of Central Florida should follow Osceola’s lead.

On May 21st Osceola County voters will have the opportunity to approve a one-cent sales tax for transportation. If voters support the referendum, money raised by that tax can be used for a variety of transportation improvements from road widening to helping Lynx and SunRail.

Kissimmee Intermodal Station

That’s outstanding. Please vote "for" this referendum.

Lynx is catastrophically underfunded. Right now, the Florida Department of Transportation is helping to fund SunRail. In 2 years that becomes the responsibility of local governments.

Public transit – Lynx and SunRail – don’t raise enough from the fare box to fully pay operating costs. If government didn’t subsidize public transit, people would have to pay up to $14 for a one-way ride on some Lynx routes.

No public transit system in the world can pay for operations solely from the fare box. Typically, a transit system can pay about 30 percent of the costs from fares. Beyond that, they need government support.

Remember, public transit is a service. The police and fire are also very expensive services paid for by the government. Unlike police and fire, transit raises some of the money needed to pay for its operating costs. Keep in mind that all transportation – from the street outside your house to the airlines – receive government subsidies.

Up to now, every year Lynx officials must go hat-in-hand to local governments to beg for money to keep the buses rolling. This creates a precarious situation, which makes it difficult to improve the bus service.

Osceola County Commissioners demonstrated enormous wisdom and courage in putting this issue up for voters to decide.

No elected official likes to raise the subject of increasing taxes, but "for"  this issue is an important investment in Osceola's future. One of the great things about this referendum is it includes a little something for everyone.

If approved, this tax would raise $67 million per year.

That money will go to:

·        Improve roads and bridges

·        Install sidewalks and bike lanes

·        Help Lynx and SunRail.

For more details on the tax and how the money will be used, click here.

Osceola County residents make great use of public transit. You can see that every day in the crowds at the Intermodal station in downtown Kissimmee that serves Lynx and SunRail. You can also see it on the SunRail trains. They’re packed leaving and returning to Osceola.

Granted adding a penny to the sales tax will put a squeeze on some residents. But the sacrifice is worth it because communities with a strong transportation system – both roads and public transit – are attractive to investors and that means more employers; more and better employment opportunities, and a better standard of living for everyone.

We encourage Osceola residents to vote “for” this sales-tax referendum on May 21st.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that on May 21st, Volusia County is also holding a vote to increase the sales tax by a half-cent. Sadly, that money is for infrastructure improvements, which includes roads. None of that money can be used for Votran or SunRail.

That’s a shame, and very shortsighted.

Meanwhile, we’ll rejoice that Osceola County is showing real leadership on public transit funding. We urge Orlando, Orange, and Seminole counties to get on board with dedicated funding sources for public transit.

We need it now, more than ever!