The City of Miami has made the official Bike Miami Promo and Route posters available for download.
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Archive for October, 2008
Starting today, Tri-Rail is now using biodiesel fuel in all their conventional trains. The Diesel Multiple Units (DMU’s) will continue to use regular diesel because of their warranty, but the rest of the trains will now be reducing their impact to the environment. Of course, I’m sure cost was the main issue here, with biodiesel costing enough less than regular diesel to offset the reduction in efficiency. Read Tri-Rail’s press release here.
I, for one, can’t wait until next week when I get to ride a train that smells like french fries. It’s got to be better than the diesel fumes that assaulted ones nose every time a train pulled in to a station before.
Transmit Miami is throwing a Bike Miami after party on Sunday, November 9th.
Please help us celebrate livable cities, alternative transportation, activism and this momentous event.
Where: Dolores, But You Can Call Me Lolita at Mary Brickell Village.
When: 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Who: Transit Miami, You and your non-motorized from of transport/recreation.
If the cool people weren’t enough to entice you, we’ve arranged a $3 beer special and free valet bike parking nearby. After all, what’s better than bikes? Beer and bikes!
We hope to see you there.
In what could only be judged as an effort to stymie opposition on the most contested land use issue in the region, the Miami-Dade Planning and Zoning department has scheduled a public hearing for November 3, regarding an application to amend the County’s Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP). The hearing, of course, entails the expansion of the Urban Development Boundary for the development of a “new mixed-use community” on 961.15 acres, also known as the Parkland Development. The likely horizontally mixed-use development (sprawl) would incorporate residential (cookie cutter houses), commercial (strip shopping centers), institutional (schools deemed necessary by county code requirements), and civic uses (streets?).
Besides the obvious detrimental ecological concerns posed by opening up further land outside the urban development boundary, I am troubled by the timing of this public hearing – only one day before the most hotly contested presidential race to date. The timing is uncanny for such a hot buttoned issue within Miami-Dade’s local politics. Moreover, amid the deepest economic recession in recent history, the precipitous decline of the local housing industry, and the tumultuous wake of the sub-prime lending mortgage crisis i must wonder why anyone would push for a public hearing. Looks like its politics as usual in Miami-Dade…
Remember that vote by Broward County Commissioners to remove funding for Tri-Rail feeder buses in Broward County? Well, the Sun-Sentinel reports that on Tuesday the commission will consider replacing the funding for shuttle buses for at least the coming year.
These shuttle buses are a crucial part of the Tri-Rail service, as the stations themselves are generally far from employment centers. The buses, funded by the county, provide the final link to work or home for many Tri-Rail riders. Until we get Tri-Rail service on the FEC tracks that pass closer to city centers, they provide the best connections. County bus service is not timed to the train schedules and often uses longer routes to get to key locations. Take the Fort Lauderdale airport, for instance. Right now we have a nice shuttle bus providing service from the Fort Lauderdale Airport station to the airport terminals. Without the shuttle, the alternative would be to wait for Broward County Transit Route 4, then transfer to Route 1 at US-1. I don’t even want to know how long that might take! Do you want to be able to get to FLL by Tri-Rail? Ask your county commissioners to keep the shuttle.
Find your commissioner and let them know you want to see Tri-Rail shuttles funded for the coming year. Also remind them that you want to see funding continue on a permanent basis.
Streetfilms covers San Francisco’s Sunday Streets - could this be a preview of what’s to come in November at Bike Miami?
Last week, Transportation for America officially launched their plan to improve our nation’s infrastructure, reshape our economy, and wean Americans off foreign oil. T4America is a grassroots network composed housing, environmental, public health, urban planning, transportation and other organizations. Transit Miami will be actively working with T4America over the coming months to bring you the latest news from the congressional front lines. Together with T4America, we can make a substantial change on national (and Local) transportation infrastructure policy. We are committed to enacting sweeping changes in the upcoming 2009 Transportation Equity Act (TEA), a long-held bastion for highway lobbyists and insiders.
T4America’s 5 Step Plan:
BUILD TO COMPETE – We must catch and pass competitors in China and Europe, by modernizing and expanding our rail and transit networks to reduce oil dependence and connecting the metro regions that are the engines of the modern economy.
INVEST FOR A CLEAN, GREEN RECOVERY – Our nation’s clean-energy future will require cleaner vehicles and new fuels, but it also must include support for the cleanest forms of transportation – modern public transit, walking and biking – and for energy-efficient, sustainable development.
FIX WHAT’S BROKEN – Before building new roads, that will themselves have to be maintained, we must restore our crumbling highways, bridges and transit systems.
STOP WASTEFUL SPENDING – Re-evaluate projects currently in the pipeline to eliminate those with little economic return, that could deepen, rather than relieve, our oil dependence.
SAVE AMERICANS MONEY – Provide more travel and housing options that are affordable and efficient, while helping people to avoid high gas costs and traffic congestion. Save taxpayer dollars by asking the private developers who reap real estate rewards from new rail stations and transit lines to contribute toward that service.
(Image Source: Fate the Magnificent’s Flickr)
- Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower is calling to move forward with a plan to build a new convention center rather than the 50,000 SF addition proposed back in 2004. (Miami Today)
- After three years and $7 Million worth of renovations, Miami Beach’s historic City Hall (pictured above) is finally set to reopen. The refurbished building will house Miami Beach Police offices, the Miami design preservation league’s offices, and the MB Branch Court. (Miami Herald)
- Despite the huge economic downturn, MDM partners have secured a $250 million loan for the construction of MET 2 - a 750,000 SF office building rising in the heart of the CBD. (Globe Street)
- Contractual delays in the port of Miami tunnel could likely set back that project’s opening date to 2013. (Miami Today)
Elsewhere:
- NIMBYs try (and Fail) to keep a bus route from passing by their suburban Toronto home. Their arguments, typical of the NIMBY mindset, included: noise, pollution, added traffic, and a threat to children playing in the streets… (The Star)
- Surprise, surprise, apparently Sprawl may be the reason for a lack of civic involvement in Central New Jersey. (Princeton Packet)
- Voters in Minnesota will be deciding whether to spend $10 million to purchase a golf course in Eagan in order to prevent a developer from building more suburban homes. (Minesota Public Radio)
“I used to only ride this street on the weekends, you know it can be sketchy. But now I feel there are more bicyclists everywhere and its safer because the cars are starting to expect it.”
–Fellow bicycle commuter on SW 7th Street, heading west from downtown to his job near the airport.
Question - What’s 11 stories tall, 129,000 SF, located within 0.3 miles of a transit station in a dense transit-oriented quadrant of the city (see map above), and dedicates 54% of its available volume to parking? If you guessed Miami’s newest rising LEED Silver office structure just south of the Health District, then you guessed right.
Via Globestreet:
The space is designed to LEED Silver standards and will cater to the needs of healthcare professionals, according to Gutierrez Group…The 11-story building, located at 1001 Sunnybrook Road, will include four stories of office space and six floors of parking, says Jeb Bush Jr., commercial sales and leasing agent for Coral Gables-based Fairchild Partners, which will handle leasing for Highland Park.
Welcome to Miami. Only Miamians can figure out how to rig the LEED certification standards so that this lousy excuse of a building can become Silver Certified. Honestly, this building should be imploded upon completion. The building, pictured below, is reminiscent of a few other less than notable properties we’ve discussed before (See: Miami Green, Bay of Pigs Museum, Marina Blue, etc.) and littered with the same atrocious parking standards Miami has become renown for. Some might even say we have “world-class” parking standards. I traveled the great cities of the United States and part of the world and have never seen another city that takes such pride in its autocentric designs. Without a formal analysis, I’d go so far as to suggest that we have more parking structures in our high transit centers than any other city I’ve seen yet. Its projects like these that will really tarnish the USGBC’s LEED certification system.
Image Credit: Vitruvius09 via SSC
The Florida Department of Transportation has issued a new document entitled Accessing Transit:Design Handbook for Florida Bus Passenger Facilities. At 176 well-illustrated pages, I have yet to dive into this one, but from a quick skim it looks to offer something for every bus transit geek. Download it here.
Looking internationally to, um, Canada, the University of British Columbia released A Cost Comparison of Transit Modes. Their research found that of all major modes of transportation, excluding bicycling or walking, modern trams (streetcars) are the most cost effective transit investment dollar, as well as the most environmentally friendly. Click here for a nice, well-illustrated synopsis of their work.
Miami’s streetcar can’t come soon enough…
You may now download the Miami Bicycle Action plan here. The accompanying map identifying planned infrastructure improvements will be available soon as well. Check back for updates.
It is amazing to watch how Green Mobility and other cycling groups have made the City of Miami Move along with bike infrastructure. The upcoming Bike Miami could put old school transport back on the map . As we close the chapter of phenomenal growth in the County, I am disappointed as I gaze back on many great redevelopment achievements that did not include better-planned streets and sidewalks, crossings, and grades. The fact of the matter remains that too many public and private projects have gone forward with major underground retrofits and right-of way reconstruction – countless missed opportunities where five feet of clear, walkable sidewalk AND bike lanes could have easily been implemented:. A complete street of course. Biscayne Boulevard is a perfect example. Where is the bike lane? Where are the wide sidewalks? As construction comes to a grinding halt, Biscayne Boulevard will continue to look this way. It is the poster child of what we’ve done wrong (twice) within this last century.
If a few thousand people gather and populate along this downtown strip, go shopping, have lunch, make friends and go about their business without cars, the argument will be over, once and for all. Bikes and alternative forms of transportation matter and we, as the residents of Miami Dade County, must clamor for our civic leaders to push our city forward with clean, livable street infrastructure. After all, the sky will not fall; the river will not run dry if we have fewer cars on our roads as a normal course of affairs. The only way to achieve this is by making physical accommodations to the roadway for transport other than cars. The political chicken and egg story. Let’s crack it wide open and have it cook on the asphalt of old – politicians and bureaucrats all will take notice of that day of Bike Miami.
I look forward to seeing you and your friends at Bike Miami.
Upcoming Events:
We all know how I feel about Miami Beach. A great City to live or visit, but I wish you did not have to drive everywhere. And my wish could be granted, on such a small and perfectly laid out Island, if only we had the right mix of parking and public transit, complete streets and wide sidewalks. Getting my town closer to this tropical urban utopia will require your attendance at the following Public Meetings:
- Dade Blvd. Bike Path (for the proposed bike/pedestrian bridge) on Oct. 21st 6:30 -8:30 p.m. at the Botanical Gardens.
- And the ever-important Transportation Element Planning workshop tentatively scheduled for Oct. 27th, with a place yet to be determined.
The first meeting addresses upcoming projects that have the potential to include enhancements to non-motorized transportation. The second is a state requirement to conform to our wonkish Comprehensive Plan, an important technically we should utilize to realize global solutions to our constant state of gridlock and redundant bus routes. I would hope the TE update meeting could turn into a mini “Transit Summit” for the Beach that focuses on mobility for residents and guests. Only your attendance can make that happen.
This morning the Miami City Commission unanimously passed the Miami Bicycle Action Plan! This is a momentous day for Miami, one that should mark a new approach to bicycling in a city that was recently ranked as one of America’s three worst cities in which to ride.
Comprehensive in its scope, the Action Plan calls for the continued expansion of Miami’s on-street facilities, as well as classroom education and public awareness campaigns. The Action Plan is the product of a tremendous effort by several like-minded organizations and advocates, as well as multiple City and County departments. Those who read this blog know the usual suspects.
Above all, we at Transit Miami have to thank Mayor Diaz and his staff for their strong and continued support. From day one they were behind this effort and they continue to commit the City to becoming more livable. Bike Miami anyone?!
Check out a few photos from this morning’s rally below. Commissioner Sanchez, Sarnoff and Diaz were on hand, as well as dozens of other city employees and bicycle advocates. In the coming weeks Transit Miami will delve into the plan with more detail, and show you the City’s Bicycle Action plan as it relates to implementing new infrastructure all across the City.
City officials, commissioners, Police officers and citizens prepare to ride to City Hall in support of the Miami Bicycle Action Plan.
Mayor Diaz takes a practice spin on his new three wheel throne!
Heading down Bayshore Drive to the entrance of City Hall’s Pan American Drive, Mayor Diaz, Commissioner Sarnoff and Comissioner Sanchez lead the pack.
A host of media reporters and photographers were on hand to document the sunny approach to City Hall.
Photo-op in progress.
From left: Robert Ruano, Director of Sustainable Initiatives, Commissioner Sarnoff, Mayor Diaz, Commissioner Sanchez and in the back right, Police Chief John Timoney. Looks like they are having fun, huh?
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