Well the first responders of the Miami Summer Transit Challenge are in…and, well, the results so far aren’t good…
We Present the story of Ryan Garofano, a loyal transit supporter and Miami Transit subscriber. Through his story, and numerous others, the flaws of our transportation infrastructure become very evident. Whats worse, as Ryan experiences, the situation has been compounded by decades of sprawl and decentralization of our city.
Here is his terrible experience:
I had a horrible experience with Miami transit today. Because my car has not been working, I was forced to find alternative means of transportation to get from Coconut Grove to FIU South Campus for 11:00am class this morning. I left my place at about 8:50am and walked 10 minutes to the Coconut Grove metrorail station. I picked up the Northbound train within minutes, and headed to Brickell station where I was going to transfer to the #8 bus westbound to FIU. Well, I waited at Brickell station from about 9:10am to 9:50am and no #8 bus westbound. In that time, three or four eastbound #8 buses passed, but no westbound. Figuring the bus wasn’t coming or had broken down, I hopped on the metromover to Government Center station where I could pick up the #11 bus to FIU. From Brickell to Government Center it makes Miami seem like more like Sao Paulo. At one of the stations, the metromover just sat there for a good five minutes. After the mover finally restarted, it came to a near stop again half way to the next station - then restarted so violently that nearly everyone on board was thrown to the floor. Yeah, so I finally arrived at Government center at about 10:07am, and decided to just turn around and go home because the damned bus ride to FIU takes an HOUR one-way (I’m not even going to vent on that issue) and I would’ve been too late for an hour long class for it to be worth the effort.Food for thought: How the hell is FIU, Miami-Dade’s major public university, not served by at least commuter rail? AND, perhaps more puzzling, why the hell are both FIU campuses located in total suburban sprawl country on opposite sides of the county (leaving the inner city gap empty)? When I moved to Miami for school, I expected to take advantage of a symbiotic relationship between FIU and the CITY of Miami. Not only was that a joke of an idea, but it’s not even possible because of where the campuses are set. Another squandered opportunity in Miami - what a surprise, right? Lastly, how would someone traveling westbound on 8th St. west of the 826 expressway even get to a destination on the other side of the street?? There aren’t any sidewalks on the right side of the street - just the guardrail and canal. God bless someone trying to cross that section of 8th street, anyway.
Check back later today for further Transit Issues and our comments on Ryan’s Personal expedition, the flaws of the transit system, and upcoming news on our new site…
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