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A LYNX bus picks up passengers at the UCF Transit Center on\u00a0Wednesday. The proposed STAR Plan seeks to expand Orange County\u2019s transit network, which could include using buses.<\/p>\n
Bryan Gonzalez<\/p>\n
A new transportation proposal could bring expanded public transit options to UCF and communities across Orange County.<\/p>\n
The Sunshine Transit Advancement Resolution, nicknamed the STAR Plan, is an initiative proposed by Sunrise Movement Orlando that seeks to establish rapid transit corridors across Orange County, according to the organization\u2019s website.<\/a><\/p>\n A map created by Sunrise Movement Orlando<\/a> identifies eight proposed transit corridors connecting communities across the county, including a proposed route serving UCF. The corridors would provide rapid transit, which the organization defines as service operating at least every 15 minutes.<\/p>\n The project would be funded through tax increment financing, which allows local governments to use future increases in property-tax revenue within a designated area to help pay for improvements in that area.<\/p>\n Dom Berardi, senior communications major, supports the plan and has been influenced by his experience growing up in the suburbs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI support the STAR plan because growing up in the suburbs as a kid was really isolating and just awful,\u201d Berardi said. \u201cI don’t think anyone should live the way they were designed.\u201d<\/p>\n Berardi, who creates social media content focused on urban transportation and car dependency, said he believes the STAR plan could strengthen connections between communities by making them less reliant on cars.<\/p>\n \u201cThe STAR plan can really help to bring back social cohesion and start that journey into a better future for everyone because it starts with transit,\u201d Berardi said. \u201cYou can’t build bigger things, or build more parks, if you have to provide parking for all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, whose district includes UCF, has publicly supported the plan.<\/p>\n \u201cCentral Florida has no transportation infrastructure,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt’s nicknamed ‘Car-lando’ for a reason because really, if you need to get anywhere, you have to get in your car.\u201d<\/p>\n