Archive for the 'US-1' Category

Busway-HOT Lane Combo is Smog and Mirrors

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on February 13, 2008
in Congestion, Congestion Pricing, HOT lanes, Land Use, Larry Lebowitz, Pinecrest, South Miami-Dade Busway, Sprawl, Streetwise, Traffic, US-1 and bus
. 9 Comments
This week’s Streetwise Column by Herald Reporter Larry Lebowitz, presented an “innovative” new use for Miami-Dade’s Busway program. We’ve taken some time to mull over the basics of the plan over the past few days (apparently so have a number of you based on the number of emails I received) and have prepared an analysis of the project based on the data Larry provided in the article.

Imagine widening the Busway from two lanes to four and giving buses and carpoolers with at least three passengers a free ride.

It is a stretch of my imagination, that is for sure, but from the looks of it, this does not seem like a promising solution for South-Dade commuters. Granted, the Busway is far from perfect, but adding lanes, albeit managed lanes, is hardly the solution to an ever-growing congestion problem.

Instead of encountering dozens of incredibly looooooong lights at the busy cross streets on today’s Busway, imagine flying over all the major intersections as the government guarantees a reliable 50-mph journey from Dadeland to Florida City or the turnpike interchange near Southwest 112th Avenue.

The sad part about this is that some sort of “benefit” has to be presented for motorists in order to shore up the funds to marginally improve the transit infrastructure. I guess that is one of the major issues we have to deal with when we have a President who in his next financial deficit (that is not a budget) wants to reduce an already anemic transportation fund by $3.2 billion. One major question remains: What is going to happen to all of those cars not going to Dadeland or the Palmetto when they merge back onto a US-1? We cannot honestly expect all these folks to suddenly abandon their cars and hop on Metrorail, can we? Or will the lanes be extended north into downtown, continuing to undermine the reason why Metrorail was constructed along US-1 to begin with - to get people out of their cars.

A similar variably priced tolling plan is about to be introduced on a 24-mile segment of Interstate 95 between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. They are also planned for the expanded Interstate 595 in Broward.

True. However, I do not think drawing comparisons between US-1 and limited access highways is fair. HOT lanes are a novel concept for the highway scenario, but not along a corridor where driveways and intersections all interfere.

Not only could it provide a little relief to the normal wall-to-wall madness on the overburdened South Dixie corridor, but it could also finally fulfill the Busway’s original promise: real rapid transit.

Once again, see our unrelated qualms above on transportation spending as a whole in this country. It’s deplorable!

”Without a strong transit component, this doesn’t work,” said Javier Rodriguez, executive director of the expressway authority.

Amen!

Elevated intersections will incite plenty of sturm und drang from communities along the Busway. The neighbors must be mollified, especially if Transit is forced to relocate its stations away from the intersections to maintain easy street-level access for riders.

Wow, you can say that again. Most of these communities have already reduced the allowable density along US-1 making Mr. Rodriguez’s point listed above extremely difficult to accomplish. Transit needs to treat any further upgrades to this project as a rail project, bringing with that the power to enact land-use changes for the corridor that will continue to prepare it for future rail transit, increase bus ridership, and lay a foundation for preventing future westward and southern sprawl. Without a massive overhaul of the land around the Busway, this corridor will never realize the transit ridership necessary to fund such a project.

Besides noise walls and landscaping, some must-dos:

Whoa, noise walls are a definite must-do-not. This project needs to entwine the Busway (future railway) as much as possible with the surroundings, not create an inhospitable environment for those walking, biking, or using transit.


• All plans must leave a pocket for future light rail or Metrorail within the 100-foot corridor as the Busway was originally intended. It might take 30 to 50 years to get trains there, but that’s what the people were promised and the bulk of the growth is already occurring down there.

Definitely! Can’t stress this point enough.


• The plan must set aside money to re-time all of the signals for cross-street traffic trying to get onto and across U.S. 1 under the elevated intersections.

This is something MDT/MPO should do now to give the 15,000 daily transit riders a surefire benefit to riding the Busway. Which reminds me, what exactly is MDT up to these days?

• An expanded Busway must mesh with the community charettes aimed at future redevelopment of Princeton, Naranja and Goulds into transit-oriented development villages.

• Ditto for preserving the existing bike path and enhancing pedestrian access to and from the Busway.

Once again, we cannot stress how important this is. These details will ultimately make or break a project like this. Take Metrorail for example, it is a great transit system but the surroundings are beyond lousy.

The point of this article was not to criticize Streewise or Larry Lebowitz - after all he’s just the messenger - but rather to condemn a plan which is seemingly being hailed as the golden ticket for fixing congestion. The fact of the matter is, for any real change to come of any of these plans (Metrorail, Bay Link, Miami Streetcar, Busway included) we need to push for land use changes more favorable to living lifestyles which are not automatically governed by the necessity of owning a vehicle.

Transitography 21

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on September 26, 2007
in History, Miami, Pictures, Sprawl, Transitography, US-1 and Vintage
. 0 Comments

1963:2007:

US-1 Overpass Updates

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on September 14, 2007
in Community Meeting, Douglas, MDT, Overpass, Pedestrian, Public Works, UM and US-1
. 3 Comments
I was driving by the Douglas Road pedestrian overpass last weekend when I noticed that the fence designed to “force” people into using the overpass still hadn’t been fixed after an accident partially destroyed it last summer. Interestingly enough, a new path has formed in the grass and once again there are people darting across this treacherous stretch, rather than climbing the flight of stairs or using the elevator. We analyzed this particular overpass a year ago.

Meanwhile plans to build a third US-1 pedestrian overpass adjacent to the UM Metrorail station are currently underway. The Miami Today News Reports:

The meeting is 4-7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Holiday Inn University of Miami, 1350 S. Dixie Hwy in Coral Gables. Free hotel parking is available.

Free Hotel Parking? Yes, let’s drive to a planning meeting designed to build better facilities for walking. This doesn’t make any sense… I came up with a visual as to how close this meeting will be to the Metrorail:

Apologies/News Briefs

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on August 8, 2007
in Arts, Bay Heights, Commission, Coral Springs, Downtown, Lifestyle, Max Tower, Media, Miami, Miami 21, Pedestrians, Port of Miami and US-1
. 2 Comments
We here at Transit Miami, would like to issue a heartfelt, sincere apology to our dedicated readers for our less than stellar content contribution lately. Each of us is currently wound up in our personal affairs and have naturally failed to allocate enough time to writing comprehensive, detailed articles on the latest transit/development issues. Fortunately for us, the past few weeks have been tame on the news fronts in these areas. Transit Miami readers, things will get better, I can attest to that. Our dedication is still as strong as the day we started this blog and our continued effort will be a testament to that. We have some exciting articles on the way and are working hard to instill the ideals of Transit Miami into the lives of every Miamian…

Some latest worthwhile stories:

  • City of Miami Commissioners foolishly rejected a plan to fund their $50 Million share of the port of Miami tunnel. A plan that would remove thousands of daily trucks, buses, and cars from the congested downtown streets somehow isn’t seen as a valuable enough asset worth of community development money. A word of advice to the commissioner who voted against the plan: try walking along these streets or open a sidewalk café at one of the new high-rises along Biscayne Boulevard and you’ll quickly see what kind of benefit the tunnel will provide the neighborhood…
  • Max Tower on the Way? We certainly hope so…The proposed 31 story tower rising in the media and arts district would provide just that; Media and Arts. The tower would become a hub for local production providing ample recording studio space and other media oriented amenities. It may be too late to save NBC, ABC, or CBS from abandoning the district but, hey who knows maybe we can begin to recentralize ourselves again?
  • Finally! The hideous pink wall along US-1 and the Bay Heights is set to receive a worthy makeover…
  • What’s life like in downtown? The Herald profiles some residents happy about their lifestyles changes…
  • Samuel Poole III shares his thoughts on Miami 21 and you know what? He’s right on the money…

Pedestrians and Public Spaces, Part 1: Biscayne Boulevard

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 16, 2007
in Bayfront, Bayside, Biscayne Boulevard, Biscayne Wall, Downtown, FDOT, Green Space, Miami, Miller-Legg, Museum Park, Parking, Pedestrians, Realignment, Sarnoff, US-1 and Zyscovich
. 13 Comments
Before I begin, I’d like to thank all of our loyal readers who sent us copies of this article in the herald. Although we too had seen it, we’ve been busy working on investigating the new plan for Biscayne Boulevard and gathering as much information as possible to bring you the most comprehensive coverage. On that note, I’d like to thank everyone for their patience with our delinquent postings lately. Ryan, James, and I have a lot on our plates currently and we’re working hard to keep you well informed. With that said, if you have any comments, suggestions, or would like to apply to become a contributor on Transit Miami, feel free to contact us at movemiami@gmail.com. We will be working on introducing our newest writer over the next few weeks…

A plan is in the works to beautify and significantly enhance Biscayne Boulevard to make it a lusciously landscaped paradise for pedestrians. The initial phase of the plan calls for the re-alignment of Biscayne Boulevard south of the current phases of the Biscayne re-alignment project which has transformed the thoroughfare north of 5th street. The plan would move the Boulevard west, eliminating the current surface median parking, thus narrowing the street and creating approximately five acres of new park space along the western fringes of Bayside and Bayfront Park. This part of the plan is estimated to cost the city around $1 million, considering that FDOT would already be covering the re-alignment costs of the Boulevard.

A plan is already underway to beautify and realign the Boulevard from NE 5th Street to NE 13th Street. The Miller-Legg redesign is intended to better integrate a realigned Boulevard with the upcoming Museum Park project, providing better pedestrian access from the condominiums rising along the Biscayne Wall north to the promenade of the Carnival Center. The redesigned medians and curbs seen below feature an intricate brick design, abundant (we hope) foliage, and bus bays (perhaps streetcars, one day) fronting the new condominium developments:

The new proposed project further south, would mimic the successful design elements incorporated up north. The removal of the surface parking would significantly alter the width of the boulevard, making the menacing 8-lane behemoth a bit more manageable for pedestrians. Eliminating the useless (eyesore too, we might add) median parking will also provide about five extra acres of public space, which, if landscaped with shade trees will prove to be a boon to Bayfront Park and the River Greenway.

”This is as close to a no-brainer as you’ll ever find,” [Commissioner Marc Sarnoff] said. “It’s just wise and prudent for us to pursue this as quickly as possible.”

Other plans apparently appearing on an upcoming study of downtown Miami, includes a promising option of a joint-venture with a European company to construct an underground parking facility. This massive undertaking would reap large benefits for the Bayfront parks and whole downtown area. Allowing a private firm to construct and operate the parking facilities will allow the city to concentrate on other downtown area rehabilitation efforts. We’ll reserve judgment on this part of the project until more details are made public.

Via Homee’s Panoramio…

”Now, people go to cities because they have an interest in seeing what the life of the city is like,” he said. The problem with downtown today, [Bernard Zyscovich] said, is it’s “not the kind of place you’d ever want to come back to, by and large.”

The incorporation of more public green space and pedestrian friendly design elements is only the beginning of a much needed downtown overhaul which should be well in the works. Over the next two weeks, we’ll address how these improvements will spread west throughout the city’s central core, riverfront, and into the design district, creating a city that is navigable for people and more importantly creating abundant public spaces…Stay tuned, Miami’s pedestrian transformation is only one piece of the puzzle, which when combined with streetcar, bike, streetscape, and shading improvements, will make Miami’s urban core one of the most accessible (and desirable) places to live and visit…

Update: Critical Miami presents an excellent Overlay of Museum Park Plans…

Update: Eye on Miami and Bob:Miami discuss plans for parcel B…

GeoTag

Got a Face? You can Drive

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 26, 2006
in Drivers Improvement Course, Education, Enforcement, Miami, Police, South Miami, Traffic Tickets and US-1
. 0 Comments
If some of you have received traffic citations recently, I wouldn’t be too surprised. I’ve seen more traffic enforcement in the past 2 weeks than I’ve seen the entire summer. I’ve even seen the incredible rarity (and stupidity) of the South Miami Police force motorcycle cops out patrolling US-1 at one or two in the morning for speeders. I say stupid because when was the last time you saw a motorcycle cop out past sunset to begin with, but, this one was sitting in the turn lane facing southbound with all of his lights off (Headlight too! I thought that was against the law), radaring passing Northbound cars? Not your typical sight. I guess our local law enforcement officers have finally decided to crack down on Miami drivers by nit-picking the little things (like rolling stops in Coral Gables, or cruising above the speed limit in the wee hours of the morning in an area that knowingly reduced the speed of US-1 to 40 mph rather than the typical 45 mph to make those tickets sting a little more than usual) rather than cracking down on some of the more crucial traffic issues (the people who drive in exit lanes on the 836 knowing full well they have no intention of exiting, the hapless gridlock professionals on US-1, the red-light runners, or the speed daemons on the palmetto and I-95 at any hour where it is actually possible.) It makes me wonder if our police force is actually trying to resolve some of our traffic issues or add to them.
Some of you may remember that I was recently the lucky recipient of one of these golden tickets. I was going 47 mph in a 45 mph zone which temporarily became a 35 mph zone for some construction that was going on about a mile before I got stopped. Wonderful. In any case, my terrible experience let me realize a few crucial things:
1. Being polite and courteous to a motorcycle cop will never get you out of the citation, but, can get you a price break if you pull over promptly and show utmost respect.

2. The “Driving-Improvement” courses we are all required to take, don’t improve diddly squat and are likely the cause of so many careless drivers to begin with.

I enlisted in one of the on-line courses to avoid getting points on my license (Oh, yeah and to avoid further financial ravaging by Geico.) I thought the four hours was bad enough; the sheer stupidity of the whole course was worse than a kick to the groin. I survived the course by watching the timer on the webpage unremittingly tick away four wasted hours of my life. Then came the “final exam” which boasted some fantastic questions which I guarantee will make most of us better drivers. Here are the highlights:

How many licensed drivers are there in Florida? (I fail to see how this will make anyone a better driver.)

Until what age should a child use in a car seat? (The options for the answers to this one were: 3 years, 5 years, 60 lbs)

How many points can you receive in a 12 month period before your license is suspended? (Um, if you are worried about the maximum number of points, I don’t think you should be driving in the first place.)

What sign is shaped like an octagon? (A Stoptional! Or a S.T.O.P. sign – Slow To Observe Police…Duh!)

The obvious challenge continued throughout the rest of the 40 questions. Needless to say, I passed. Printing out my certificate of completion made me think about how backwards the licensing and driving education requirements really are. I will no longer wonder why area drivers stink- the rules to become licensed are terrible…

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"Fan Mail" Part One

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 13, 2006
in BRT, Busway, Land Use, Miami-Dade County, The Falls, Transit, UCSL and US-1
. 0 Comments

I’m going to take some time to address some “fan mail” I have received via e-mail, forum commentary, or blog comments. Here is one from a forum friend of mine Paul:

Sorry, Gabe. This one is going to hurt. The vote to prioritize the South Link Metrorail extension (Alternative 5) over the Bus Rapid Transit System (Alternative 6) for Kendall failed by one vote on June 22nd! The Miami Planning Organization voted 8-8 for Commissioner Katy Sorenson’s motion to prioritize Metrorail expansion over the other alternatives. The board then voted for the Bus Rapid Transit System which won by a popular vote of 8-5. This system will provide an extension of the current Metorail track to US-1 and 104th. From this stop an elevated busway will take passengers from the 104th station to 312th street, over the existing busway, which will be turned into an express toll lane. We can all thank Coral Gables Councilman William Kerdyk for leaving the country without making his opinion known or making a proxy vote cast (Mari… Monday Candidate?). His vote, which would have been in favor of the extension according to Robert MacDougall, would have been enough to approve the metrorail extension plan. Instead we will get a raised busway and two more lanes for US-1. We can also thank Commissioner Jimenez, who represents Pinecrest, for leading the front against the metrorail. Find out more about MPO’s decision in The Kendall Gazette or the United Citizens for South Link website.

Ouch, yeah that did hurt. Thanks Paul. I actually wrote about this a couple of weeks ago, after I attended the UCSL meeting. The MPO is really in the wrong hands. Jimenez (like all our commission members) is completely oblivious to what the constituents really want and is basically doing what he pleases. Extending metrorail to 104th is meaningless and will do nothing to improve our local traffic issues, enhance our public transportation, or increase ridership. Honestly, it should extend south to The Falls mall at least in order to make some sort of positive impact.

The elevated busway you speak of is actually just a bunch bridges placed at key intersections. This appears to be some sort of a ploy to help traffic flow on US-1 so that cars may turn westward unimpeded. This will however allow the busway to serve as a genuine BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) Line. This is crucial for the 10,000-15,000 daily busway users and has proven to be a success in other cities with dedicated ROW’s for buses…

I got some more great mail that I will reply to later today…Thanks for writing in, Keep it up everyone…

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Complain, for the right reasons…

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on June 15, 2006
in 27th avenue, Carlos Rua, Coconut Grove, Density, Metrorail, NIMBY, Pedestrian, Sarnoff, Transit Oriented Development and US-1
. 0 Comments

Will the Grove NIMBY’s please stop whining? No, I’m not talking about their latest efforts to continue to balk at whatever proposal is presented to them by The Home Depot (Although, I must say that the latest renderings presented by the company are absolutely stunning for a big-box retailer and the restrictions placed on deliveries and parking facility use are fairly reasonable.) I too understand the atrocities committed by big-box companies like The Home Depot and would also seek such restrictions if they were moving into community. I commend the people for fighting the Atlanta based company (whose persistence is really starting to amaze me now; they must have calculated some ridiculously huge profits for this location in order to still have the motivation to challenge the Grove residents.)

Now, that I have digressed enough from my initial statement and have proven that I truly have nothing against Grove residents, I can continue with the reason why some local NIMBY arguments are weak. Reference this Article in today’s Miami Sunpost.

The plan for the Miami-Dade Transit agency is to build Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) along nearly every stop of the Metrorail (Ex: Datran Towers in Dadeland, Transit Village in Overtown, Allapatah Apartments in Allapatah, etc.) Next stop, Coconut Grove, well maybe not, if Grove NIMBY’s have their way.

The project calls for a 1+ million square foot mixed-use development with retail, office, hotel, and condominium space all leased on County owned land adjacent to the metrorail (like Datran only slightly smaller.) A great idea to boost system ridership and charge rent on the use of the land for decades to come.

Grove NIMBY’s (like the Pincrest one’s down south) argue that the development will have an adverse effect on the current traffic issues in the area. Ok, point taken. But what development won’t have an adverse effect and how do we begin to solve the problem if such TODs aren’t built to get people (like the Grove, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, South Miami and Kendall residents) onto Public Transportation to begin with? It’s a vicious cycle that has cast Miami traffic into a downward spiral.

The real question here, which all residents should ask when a TOD or any high density building such as this is rising, is: What is being done to force residents, visitors, and tenants alike to use public transportation to access this new building? Will there still be enough parking for all employees or is it being designed properly to incorporate metrorail and bus use? (Note, even the Datran complex was poorly designed with each building resting on a parking garage “pedestal” with surely enough parking for office employees, hotel guests, and visitors.)

We can’t change our way of life overnight, but we must begin to implement progressive changes quickly, especially on projects situated on major corridors (Like US-1 and 27th Ave, where this project is slated to rise.) By asking the right questions first, all residents will benefit from the changes that can be forced to occur in the design of local developments without reducing density or profitability. The transit agency has taken a step in the right direction to create the TOD, residents and politicians alike now need to guide developers into creating projects which improve and promote the ever growing public transit infrastructure in our community…

Experiencing Public Transit (Part 1)

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on June 8, 2006
in Lejeune, Metrorail, Miami, UM, US-1 and bus
. 0 Comments
Well, having already used public transportation for pleasure and recreational purposes on various occasions, today is the first day I depended on the system for my daily mobility. I began my day, 40 minutes earlier than usual and arrived at the UM metrorail station by 7 am (on foot.) The stations and metrorail were busy with what appeared to be working class individuals; the business executives were only visible as I peered through the window of the train at the traffic down below on US-1. I rode the train North to Douglas Rd. (next stop) where I disembarked around 7:12. That’s where the efficiency level of the system suddenly took a sharp drop.

Now, I knew the J bus would take me to my destination, however, the trip planner recommended route 42. So, with that knowledge at hand, I proceeded to the route 42 bus stop. The station had a bit of activity but did not appear to be more or less than usual. Route 37 seems to be the popular route. I waited for 20 minutes, watching a couple of J routes come and go as well as a route 42 heading towards Coconut Grove, empty.

The arrival of the 42 could not have come at better time, as the sun was just beginning to peak over the trees and buildings which were shielding it from me and the heat was just starting to intensify. It appears many people are unaware of today’s free rides as the bus driver himself quizzically glanced at the ticket I just handed him and riders continued to pay or show their golden passports. The bus embarked immediately.

The ride was uneventful and much more serene than my new daily commute down the same thoroughfare in my car. Once on the bus, we flowed seamlessly until I disembarked at my location at 7:50, nearly 50 minutes after my public transit endeavor began. Next time, I’ll spring for the route J, and a shorter commute which could in fact rival driving which often takes me up to 20 minutes… I’ll be back later with the conclusion to my daily errands and a wrap-up on what I think could be improved.