The picture above was taken recently by Miami Photographer James Good. In case you can’t tell what it is; it’s the now defunct Omni Mall project in Downtown Miami. Aside from it depicting an otherwise beautiful south Florida sunset, James Good has also provided us with a rare view of the entire Omni complex and gigantic parking structure. I’ve never quite noticed the immensity of the Omni garage while driving by, but, this picture definitely puts it into perspective for us.
MiamiTransitMan:Read your post, and I disagree. While a commuter line has the *potential* to move 50,000/hour, most move far, far less - usually less than one car lane’s worth, at much higher cost. Your best bet are high-occupancy express toll lanes that can offer any commuter bus/van/carpool 65+ mph express point-to-point service from any suburb to any business/jobs center. Trying to concentrate jobs a la Chicago or NYC is a lost cause - employers will gravitate to cheaper office space more easily accessible by their employees with more affordable housing…
The word potential seems to scare away far too many people apparently. The “potential” of having 50,000 passengers/hour along a single rail line is far more efficient and effective than the guaranteed maximum of 2,200 vehicles per hour that can possibly flow on any highway. I guess it’s the fact that there is a guarantee that the lanes will be filled to capacity at all times that makes the highway method seem so appealing to some. However, the automobile enthusiasts need to understand that there is more to transportation planning than just highways and rail networks. The same cities which have experienced some of the worst sprawl are also facing the greatest difficulties in creating transit systems that work. The Urban center concept isn’t dead; it’s being used creatively now to create various smaller centers in an urbanized area. It’s about creating Urban Growth rather than urbanizing more land. Concentrating jobs is a great idea for everyone, including the corporations who choose to do so themselves. If you take a look at the most recent Fortune 500 list, I am willing to bet that most of the US’s biggest corporations are located in the center of major cities. Besides, we’ve only seen the exodus of major employment to the suburbs (not to mention other countries as well) because we have simply allowed it to happen without realizing the congestion issues that it would create…
0 Responses to “Highway Enthusiasts”