Today is not an ordinary day, its actually my Birthday; big celebrations are in line for the weekend, however, until then, the blog must go on…I have decided to answer some of the “fan” mail I have received recently. This particular piece comes from Coral Gables Resident Stephen E. McGaughey of Miami Watch:
What are your thoughts, or do you have any information, on the benefits and costs of pedestrian bridges. One is being planned for my neighborhood to cross Dixie Highway and I think that a lot of peoplewill not use the bridge because of the climbing required. Of course,keeping UM students from being run over by our unique Miami drivers is a laudable objective. I note that little or no consultation tookplace on this project.
To analyze the benefit of a pedestrian overpass in your neighborhood, I believe it is best if we take a look at the most recent and similarly completed bridge in the area; the Douglas Pedestrian Bridge. The Douglas Pedestrian Bridge is the most compact and visually appealing pedestrian bridge in the area. The actual Bridge serves a great purpose in safely moving pedestrians across US-1 to and from the metrorail.
Upon reviewing the surroundings of the bridge, however, I have come across several failures of the overpass enhancements. For example, the Eastern terminus of the bridge leaves people in a setting which is very uninviting for a pedestrian; a parking lot and the backside of a gas station (Red Dots on Diagram.) This is where I believe transportation planning is severely lacking in our community. The bridge (like rapid transit itself) should be connecting pedestrians to highly urbanized centers of activity where recreation, employment, or residences abound, rather than another reminder of the fact that using an automobile in South Florida is clearly the easier option.
The second major flaw in the Douglas overpass is its inherent failure to force pedestrians to use it when venturing across US-1. I’ve witness far too many times people darting below the overpass rather than through it. It’s the climbing factor you mentioned. I blame this on inadequate landscaping (Yellow Dot on Diagram) and fencing (Green Line on Diagram) on the part of Miami-Dade transit around the Douglas Station itself. A fence which encompasses the station complex is terminated at the point of entry for the bridge rather than being extended to keep pedestrians within. Public transportation is also an excellent opportunity to connect the public with green spaces and parks. The Douglas road station is severely lacking foliage which would enhance the appearance of the station while also providing a natural green barrier between the pedestrian space and US-1.
The overpass in your area is slated to begin construction in 2008, along with another overpass further South in South Miami. The South Miami overpass will seamlessly connect public transit with the mall and pedestrian friendly area of South Miami. The University of Miami overpass will lead students across to various shops and strip malls; generally areas that are already difficult to navigate as a pedestrian.
MDT and area development currently lack the vision to make Metrorail a vital part of our lives. Transit Oriented development could potentially impact the uses of area pedestrian bridges and rapid transit itself. I’m all for the bridge in your given area because it will make using alternative transportation (yeah, feet are considered an alternative nowadays) that much easier for area students and residents. With two major parts of the puzzle in place, I can only hope that development which takes pedestrians into account begins to revitalize and transform the commercial areas west of US-1…
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