A special thank you to Andres Viglluci from the Miami Herald for reporting about the upcoming Brickell Avenue resurfacing project. As many of our readers know, Transit Miami has been trying to persuade FDOT to make Brickell Avenue more pedestrian-friendly.
Brickell Avenue is probably the most densely populated area in the state. If FDOT can’t properly design a road for all users here, then there isn’t much hope for pedestrians and bicyclists throughout the rest of the state.
Want a safer Brickell Avenue? Please sign this letter to District 6 Secretary Gus Pego.
You can find links to our articles and videos about Brickell Avenue below:
Want a job where you are accountable to no one? Apply at FDOT.
Unsuitable Brickell Avenue (video)
More Crosswalks on Brickell Avenue (video)
Brickell Drawbridge and Red Pedestrian Crosswalk Lights (video)
Brickell Has Spoken. Will FDOT Listen and Do the Right Thing?
Where is the enforcement on Brickell?
FDOT Showdown on Brickell. Let’s Rally the Livable Streets Troops!
Correction: FDOT Showdown Has Been Delayed
Transit Miami and FDOT take a field trip on Brickell Avenue
FDOT Resurfacing Project Coming to Brickell; Transit Miami Eye is Watching
5 Responses to Miami Herald reports on Brickell Avenue resurfacing; FDOT refuses to do the right thing.
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The best quotes in the article were from Billy Hattaway. He got right to the point of what FDOT can do with the project in question. Brickell needs be redesigned and that’s not going to happen with a $9M paving project.
Anon,
Yes, the long term solution is to redesign Brickell. However, there are inexpensive things FDOT could do immediately to make Brickell safer. Unfortunately, FDOT refuses to consider any of them. More enforcement is certainly necessary too, but enforcement is not the silver bullet.
Here’s the gist of the problem:
I was at another CPAP meeting earlier tonight and a rather competent woman from the FDOT was presenting a long litany of projects the FDOT is working on/about to work on in the county. It was a really long list.
Why in God’s name is the FDOT worrying about city streets? Brickell should be maintained solely by the City of Miami and no one else should be involved–not the county, not the state, and not the feds. It is only when we have local control (with entirely local spending) that we have real control over our local environment. As well intentioned or competent though they may be, no one is a distant office can take care of the streets as well as we can. No way can they spend our money better than we can.
What I continue to see at transit meetings is well-intentioned people who are mired in inaction because of the overlapping jurisdictions and funding sources.
If we want to build a project that extend between city lines, we can set up a cooperative between the cities to get it done (think bus service within the county or commuter rail amongst the 3 counties.) We must bring government action back to its smallest level of government so we can control it. And frankly in those cities that don’t want the projects, well, they don’t have to have them (or fund them).
I 100% percent agree with you Mike. It is insane how FDOT is responsible for the roadway and the CWP is responsible for the traffic signals. One agency should be held responsible and accountable for the maintenance of the entire street; preferably it would be an agency within the city of Miami. Unfortunately, Miami is broke and the last thing they probably want to do is take on additional expenses. I believe when the city went broke in the 90′s, the state and county took over the some streets when Miami filed for bankruptcy (correct me if I’m wrong please).
Regardless, it is still incumbent upon FDOT to design streets for all users. A great example is the MacArthur Causeway. This is another signature FDOT project that extends between city lines. FDOT really did a terrible job to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists in their latest resurfacing. We need FDOT to buy-in on complete streets; until then they will continue to be at the heart of the problem.
The other option, as you mentioned, is for Miami to take over FDOT streets within the city. Financially speaking I don’t think the city wants to do this. They can’t afford it.
These unelected FDOT bureaucrats are a disgrace. If they fail to add some simple, cost-effective pedestrian improvements in the project, there should definitely be an organized protest of human bodies in the street to get some media attention and stop the project in it’s tracks.