Bayshore Boulevard is one of the heaviest-traveled highways in Tampa, and it has been the site of more than a few crashes involving automobiles and pedestrians. The city #transportation authorities have long been discussing changes to the road which could make it safer for pedestrians and cars alike.

Vik Bhide, Director of Mobility for the City of Tampa, says that "one of the reasons the cost of #transportation is so high in Tampa is because transit investment is at a historical low… and that means we are increasingly car-centric and car-dependent." How do they plan to raise the money they will need to make the roads safer? 

Hillsborough County's Board of Commissioners has approved including a proposed tax increase on the ballot in November 2022. If passed, it would mean a one-cent addition to Hillsborough County's sales tax, 45 percent of which would be used to improve the area's transit infrastructure. Residents are divided in their assessments of the measure.

Proponents of the tax increase say that Tampa desperately needs improvements to its main roads. Bayshore Boulevard in particular, has a long history of devastating pedestrian-involved crashes, many of which have been deadly. They believe that a one-cent increase in sales tax is a small price to pay for making the community safer. 

Opponents say that they are already paying too much in #taxes. They suggest that this is just the latest tactic to take the money they work so hard to earn. They believe that transportation costs are already high enough, and they also question why only 45% of the revenue generated by a tax increase would be used to improve traffic safety.

The question up for debate: What should Tampa do to make Bayshore Boulevard and other roads more pedestrian-friendly?