The New River and sailboats are inseparable. With naught but drawbridges in their way east of I-95 and Tri-Rail’s New River bridge, sailboats frequent that part of the river. Even the mighty US-1 bows to the sailboats by tunneling beneath the river.
A threat looms on the horizon, however. Passenger rail service on the Florida East Coast (FEC) corridor could mean a 55′ bridge over the New River, limiting the height of sailboat masts. According to a Sun-Sentinel blog post, Mayor Jim Naugle, a supporter of the FEC project, laid down the law, saying, “Thou shalt not restrict navigation.”
I fully agree with his desire to protect boat traffic. I was at a public meeting for the Sunrise Blvd. Bridge over the Middle River and saw the majority of attendees voice their support for a drawbridge to replace the current low fixed span. Despite the added costs, I would agree with them as well. When you see all its canals and rivers, you can understand why Fort Lauderdale claims the title “Venice of America”. But if they do not keep these canals open to boats, they cannot accurately keep the title.
Fort Lauderdale should vigorously protect the navigation rights of boaters. They must realize, though, that it comes at a cost. Just as a tunnel was constructed on US-1 at a much higher cost, a tunnel could be constructed on the FEC tracks for passenger service. The thing is, when the state cannot foot the bill for it, the city must be willing to pay for the expense. Throw another tax on the rich sailboat owners if you must. I’m sure they would rather pay more and keep their river open.
This news is a few days old, but we wanted to post it in case anyone didn’t see the article in the Miami Herald. A bus driver hit a bicyclist and didn’t even bother to stop, ignoring the cries of his passengers.
The bicyclist escaped with some scrapes as an early Christmas present. Fortunately for him and the rest of us, the driver has been suspended, so we have one less bus driver out there trying to maim bicyclists. He’s still getting paid, though. MDT wouldn’t want to let him miss that hefty salary paid by your sales tax.
On Nov. 4, Americans voted overwhelmingly to support measures that would fund public transportation — and we’re using it more and more, with ridership levels this year surging at a rate not seen for the past 25 years. The Washington Post editorial board recently said lawmakers should see these developments as a “call to action for mass transit,” and that “a good start would be to make infrastructure improvements a key component of any economic stimulus bill.”
Investments in our public transportation and creating safe streets for biking and walking will create jobs right now and allow Americans to use less gas in the years to come, giving us a three-for-one return: a stronger economy, less dependence on oil, and reduced emissions of climate-harming carbon.
In the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis, it’s imperative that we make smart investments with stimulus funds to create new jobs building a 21st Century transportation systems, preserve the millions of jobs that depend on mass transportation, and repair our roads and bridges.
If my TM fellow writers want to comment further, by all means…this is just utterly despicable and I don’t know if there is much else to say other than that if you want to build a city for the 21st century, you need to have a transit agency full of employees who don’t extort the citizens of Miami-Dade County.
I recently wrote an op-ed to the Miami Herald chronicling the growth of bicycling in Miami, and the City’s commitment to ensure said growth continues. I can only assume the Herald didn’t print the piece for the same reason they don’t cover anything to do with Bike Miami.
Not to be deterred, I published the piece over at Planetizen earlier this week. Read it here, and let’s hope for an even better 2009, a year in which we continue to expand bicycle infrastructure, safety, and education throughout Miami and Miami-Dade County. To start, the City will host Bike Miami Days with a new and expanded route, along with more programming on January 18th, 2009.
Whew! A bunch of news to report today transit nerds.
- Obama has chosen a relative unknown, moderate republican Ray Lahood from Peoriai, for Secretary of Transportation. Streetsblog provides many links to the reactions from the various arms of the livable streets movement.
- On the homefront, Souto defends Tropical Park against yet another ruthless, expensive FDOT-led Bird Road widening. I wonder if FDOT will ever understand that widening lanes induces demand and does not solve congestion, not to mention is hazardous to all non-motorized users. And $177 million?! Find our original post on this issue here. And while you are at it, tell Souto he is right to defend the park, its visitors and all District 10 residents.
- Miami 21 went on ’til the wee hours of last night…and with little resolve. The PAB never voted, resolving to (maybe) do so on January 7th. Regardless, the real big hearing is later that month when Miami 21 goes before City Commission. We will need every livable city advocate in Miami to come out and speak in support that day.
- Dissolve the Downtown Development Authority (DDA)?! Someone wants to…
- Finally, a press release from Commissioner Sarnoff’s office actually targets several vacant lots to be temporarily managed and maintained as park space, not just the Brickell Bay Drive lot we mentioned yesterday.
There are a couple of big meetings this week that everyone should know about:
City of Miami Planning Advisory Board vote on Miami 21. This is a really important meeting for all those interested in seeing Miami 21 enacted. The PAB voted in April of 2007 for the East Quadrant of the city and its underlying zoning code, this time they will vote on the entire city and a final draft of the code. We really need them to support this project in the hopes that the City Commission will finally pass the plan in January. Please come out and show your support!!
When: Tonight, Wednesday December 17th at 6:00 pm
Where: City of Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive
County Commission vote on Parkland. Remember Parkland, the 960 acre crap development that Lennar wants to build in some of our remaining agricultural land outside the UDB? Well, they are headed to the County Commission this week to seek approval. This one could be a tight vote, although you have to wonder about the commissioners who will vote ‘yes’ for this considering they are simultaneously wasting taxpayer money defending their Lowes decision in court. Really guys, really??
When: Tomorrow, Thursday December 18th at 9:00 am
Where: County Commission, Stephen P. Clark Center, 150 NW 1st Street
These are really important decisions, so I urge everyone to get involved. Even if you can’t make it to the meetings, please spend five minutes and send out an email to your commissioner. Check out our ‘My Commissioner’ page and find out who you need to email/call.
According to this South Florida Business Journal article, developer Tibor Hollo will lease 2 acres of prime development land to the City of Miami. Located at 1201 Brickell Bay Drive, Hollo will lease the undeveloped bayside lot for the whopping sum of $1 a year. In return, the City will landscape the lot and provide benches for what will be called Hollo Park.
While usable green space is badly needed in Brickell, and Hollo should be commended for what Commissioner Sarnoff calls “thinking outside the box,” I sure hope the developer knows what they are getting themselves into. That is to say, if this park is even remotely successful and enjoyed by Brickell’s growing number of residents, it could become a political battle once the development market returns and Hollo moves to make Hollo Park “Hollo on The Bay,” or “Hollo Haven.” View Larger Map
Whether it was the Dolphins, Christmas shopping to-do-lists, or the complete lack of coverage in the Miami Herald, Bike Miami did not see as many participants as it did last month. Nonetheless, hundreds of people came out and had a good time. An Announcement should be coming forth regarding the 2009 Bike Miami schedule. This will help us all plan a little better. In the meantime, check out some photos from yesterday’s car-free fun, and Rydel’s video over at Miami Bike Scene.
Finally, thanks to Tobacco Road and all who came out for the Transit Miami after party. ‘Til next time…
Transit Miami is throwing another Bike Miami after party!
This time, join us for a few burgers, a few beers, and few laughs (ten points for anyone who knows the movie reference there), at Tobacco Road, conveniently located on the South Miami Avenue portion of the Bike Miami route. We’ll belly up to the bar starting at 2pm and look forward to celebrating another day of good urbanism in downtown Miami with you.
Tobacco Road will offer $2 Miller Lite specials for Bike Miami attendees.
This event is open to everyone–bring the kids, and show them some of Miami’s history!
…South Florida, and especially Miami, would become better-connected: locally, regionally, and internationally. According to this front page Miami Herald article, that is exactly what Mayor Diaz has asked for in his portion of the US Conference of Mayors infrastructure plan wish list. The list, which comprises more than $10 billion worth of projects, is the organizations attempt at shaping Obama’s infrastructure/economic stimulus plan.
The impressive list of projects on both the master list, and Manny’s own, outlines a way to create thousands upon thousands of jobs, while also making our country, and this Magic City, more sustainable and livable. Manny seems to be betting that the Obama administration– who will likely create the country’s largest infrastructure investment since the Interstate Highway system–will be amendable to at least some of the ideas proposed.
Obama has said he wants to make job creation nationwide a priority, and city and county officials estimate that the 1,720 projects on the list would create more than 150,000 jobs.
‘The quickest way to get people back to work is through infrastructure projects that can be rolled out quickly,’ said Diaz, who thinks the port tunnel project alone will create 2,000 jobs.
The wish list is ambitious, but it might be more than just a pipe dream. Though some requests are probably farfetched, others — like much-needed transit improvements — seem to fall in line with Obama’s vision.
Read the article to find out which projects Manny wants to see done here in Miami and South Florida.
Let this be your friendly reminder that Bike Miami is returning this Sunday, from 9-3pm in downtown Miami. Now operating as a monthly event, we have Bike Miami Days, as in there will be plenty more car-free streets to enjoy in Miami’s future.
This month’s event seeks to build on the critical success of the inaugural Bike Miami by offering even more attractions. For a full run down of what is happening this weekend, please visit the City’s Bike Miami website for general information, or their blog for specifics. Please spread the word to family and friends, especially if they missed the last one.
The American Public Transportation Association released figures Monday on third quarter growth in public transportation. Tri-Rail ranked as the second fastest growing commuter rail system in the country with a whopping 32.9%. Public transit use overall jumped 6.5% between July and September across the country, while automobile use shrunk by a much larger 4.6%. More people reduced their driving because the actual number of vehicle-miles is much higher to begin with than the passenger-miles for public transit. So these 4.6% who reduced driving are not all switching to public transit, but also carpooling and combining or eliminating trips. Few bothered to point out that aspect of our new transportation habits, as the released figures don’t include those changes. Personally, I know many coworkers who have started carpooling this year.
Read the Miami Herald article on the subject here. One phrase in the article that nearly makes me shiver with delight is that “meanwhile, the U.S. auto industry is on the verge of collapse…” While I wish it were the case, the statement is rather sensationalist. If they declare bankruptcy they will not be collapsing, just restructuring.
Meanwhile, gas prices continue to drop, so we can only hope these changes last.
Via Streetsblog, the Louisville Transit Authority is using a corny rap video to promote the use of bicycle racks on buses. Funny thing is, it may be working…
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