http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/transit/part4.html
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.
Pathetic.
Now, how about 9 minutes of zen?
This article merely confirms what we’ve always known, but never really realized…That public transit in MD county is viewed by everyone in power (and most further down the trough) as a source of political patronage and money, and that providing service and building a usable system are secondary considerations, when they’re considerations at all…And, most of the time, they are not. In my many years of involvement I saw attitudes ranging from indifference, to outright hostility to any real change to the existing order……..
In retrospect, however, we should have known that a county run by 13 warlords, and one titular monarch will not willingly cede any power to the serfs…And, why listen to advisors and consultants when it’s so much easier to just do another study that says what they want it to say?
Miami needs a transit Czar, or at least a mayor who believes in Transit. We had high hopes for county commissioner Carlos Alvarez,
but he never stepped up.
And, don’t make me laugh by suggesting that Mayor Diaz of Miami
fits the bill with his toy streetcar project………….
Revolutionary change is needed. Maybe, just maybe, President Obama
will provide the impetus, but I’m not holding my breath…..
Agreed with you Dave. However, don’t call a streetcar a toy. Research demonstrates time and time again that streetcars are the best bang for your buck transit investment for existing corridors. If Miami is actually able to build its streetcar it will be a great and needed addition to this city. Theoretically, it would just be on line in a series of many that would radiate out from the downtown.
As for regional transit, which is indeed needed more than a streetcar, Miami-Dade will have to figure out how to hire people who care about transit, this city, and working dilligently with local, state and federal officials to do something this city could be proud of. Until then, we all bear the brunt of the actions these corrupt idiots continue to take.
Can’t say I’m surprised. We’ve been beating a dead horse about how useless MDT is for at least a year now. As Dave says, no one in this town gives a hoot about transit. Mayor Diaz does his part, but also supports ridiculous projects like the billion dollar port tunnel, and extending Metromover to the Orange Bowl (I mean, really? Metromover?? If you are going to ask Daddy Obama for money, fund the full East/West Orange line with a stop at the new ballpark….)
The story between the lines is that if Obama follows thru with mass transit funding we are going to get left out of the biggest federal giveaway ever. Forget the Organge line. Forget MDT. Forget real transit solutions. We’ll be left with really big highways, and a 500 foot long tunnel from nowhere to nowhere. Jeez, even Orlando is going to finally get their commuter rail. This is pretty embarassing….
At 00:46 we see a streetcar going the other direction stuck in traffic. Streetcars must be given priority over other modes if they are to offer any travel time benefits.
[...] He’s still getting paid, though. MDT wouldn’t want to let him miss that hefty salary paid by your sales [...]
that streetcar scene is one ive taken before on my travels to lisbon, portugal. i think the traffic you mentioned was a result of an idling taxi waiting for the oncoming trolley to pass. you’ll notice there are no cars infront of the taxi, a la miami traffic jam, stuck on the palmetto sort of traffic. as you well realize, this particular trolley route was built in a hilly, narrow and very old part of lisbon. you make do with what youre given!