TOLD YOU SO

But What About Bus Shelters

The creation of Florida's Indoor Clean Air Act was challenged by a misguided and terrified Florida Restaurant Association who predicted restaurants would start going out of business once customers could no longer smoke there. In fact, the University of Florida found sales in restaurants, lunchrooms and catering services were up more than 7 percent since the ban went into effect.

But the Act did not affect outdoor bus shelters like those we have in Pinellas County. Of course, technically bus shelters are not "indoor" although they vary considerably. The simple "advertising shelter" is open to the weather on three sides but the better shelters which boast three walls and only one open side are vulnerable to smokers since in Florida's hot humid weather the carcinogenic smoke tends to hang in the air or circulate slowly from lung to lung among passengers waiting up to an hour for their bus.

And, make no mistake. Smoking is higher among the low income and many of PSTA'S passengers are poor or in the low income category. Smoking in the shelters is common. Of course, it is unlikely anyone wealthy enough to run successfully for the Florida legislature has been riding buses and waiting in bus shelters regularly anytime recently. So the law ignored bus shelters and most nonsmoking passengers are stuck when a smoker lights up.

Suggested Solution - Nothing is stopping PSTA from prominently posting a large "NO SMOKING" sign in each shelter. Sure, many smokers would ignore the signs with no enforcement just as many drivers ignore stop signs and speed limits but just one smoker who stepped outside would provide blessed relief.

Shortage of Bus Drivers Continues

Bus operators in southern Pinellas County are still being called after work and asked if they want to volunteer to go to north county and drive another shift. Question 1: Under federal regulations would the total number of hours not be illegal? Question 2: As with teachers in Florida, is the shortage not due to poor working conditions and morale? Question 3: PSTA Board members..are you asking management Questions 1 & 2 ?

LETTERS

May 24, 2004

Mr. Robert Trigaux/Times Business
St. Petersburg Times

Dear Mr. Trigaux,

Today's column seeking motorists' solutions for the problem of escalating fuel costs was notable in that none of those interviewed considered taking the bus as an option with the exception of one reference to an intrastate bus, which was rejected in the end. Why is it that 20 years after the establishment of the PSTA most drivers avoid it like the plague? Is it that after all that time the majority of routes still run only once an hour like a small country town? Or is that so many buses - like the 9600s and 9700s break down frequently - often with no replacements available - and are subject to electrical fires and a plethora of other equipment failures? Is it connection problems for transfers? Or maybe it's just a general lack of professionalism such as the mismanagement that resulted in a new bus depot with only a partial roof that leaves passengers soaked every time it rains.

In any case, the majority of passengers end up being those who cannot put a car on the road - the aged, the disabled and the poor - and we have to face the fact that no matter how high gas goes the elected officials just aren't interested in viable public transit for Pinellas County. (A proposed billion-dollar rapid transit system would still need a working system of feeder buses which the PSTA is nowhere near capable of providing.)

Sincerely,

John Royse