Rep. Julio Robaina
Hello from Tallahassee. I was at the Capitol today, meeting with our state leaders in my role as Director of the South Florida Bike Coalition. I met with State Representative Julio Robaina, former mayor of South Miami and current member of the House Transportation Committee. We spoke about state-wide issues, of course, but I was most impressed with how attentive he was to our concerns related to the Sunset Drive project. I wrote him a quick email over lunch and within an hour, I received the following response – reminding us that reaching out to our representatives when we need them is important and, in this case, effective. I am eager to see what, if any, response we get now from FDOT. It strikes me that it is easier to get a meeting and even just an email reply from Tallahassee than it is from Miami.
____________________________________________
From: Julio.Robaina@myfloridahouse.gov
cc: Gus.Pego@dot.state.fl.us, kevin.thibault@dot.state.fl.us, Stephanie.Kopelousos@dot.state.gl.us, Charlie.Crist@myflorida.com
Kathryn, I apologize for FDOT and them not responding to you. As you know, this project is in my district and its another one of my priorities. I will make sure that they all call you back. Let me know what happen and I will also advise the Mayor and Commissioners.
Julio Robaina - State Representative - District 117
Ph: 305.442.6868/850.488.6506 Fax: 305.442.6870
| 6262 SW 40th St (Bird Rd) Suite 2E | | Miami | FL | 33155
8 Responses to Urging Representative Julio Robaina to Support Bike Facilities on Sunset Drive: Success!
Leave a Reply
Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network- A New Federalism Needed to Support America's Modern Metropolitan-Oriented Economy June 18, 2013In an essay adapted from their new book, Jennifer Bradley and Bruce Katz examine America's traditional 'dual sovereignty' federalism. They argue that metropolitan areas should play a greater role in governance through a collaborative federalism. […]
- 'Rest Stop for the Urban Age' to Hit NYC Streets June 18, 2013How many times have you hunted in vain for a place to charge your phone for a few minutes while running between errands? Hunt no more. An experimental, and elegant, solar-powered cell phone charging station is set to hit the streets of New York. […]
- German Development Debacles Give Architecture a Bad Name June 18, 2013Architects Christoph Ingenhoven, Meinhard von Gerkan and Pierre de Meuron, designers of three of Germany's most disastrous developments speak about their troubled projects and the damage inflicted on the status of architecture in the country. […]
- Momentous Climate Plan Being Development by Obama June 18, 2013An historic plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions is being covertly developed by the Obama administration, reports Neela Banerjee. The plan could for the first time set limits on the country's biggest emitters: power plants. […]
- London’s Lived-In Look June 18, 2013London calling! PlaceMaker Hazel Borys fuses her passions for great cities, efficient transit, civic art and form-based coding into one lavishly documented examination of the English capital. Cheers, mates! […]
- Commuter Rail Lines Multiply, But Where Are the Riders? June 18, 2013Despite a flurry of new commuter rail lines in operation, ridership increased a mere .5% during a record year for transit. Worse yet, some of the newer lines saw the greatest decreases. The answer: increase service to attract riders. […]
- 'Best Square' in Paris Returned to the People June 18, 2013Over the weekend, the $30 million revamp of Paris's iconic Place de la République opened to the public. By transforming the square from a place for cars into a place for people, Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has earned a distinguished "anti-car" label. […]
- Who Deserves Blame for New York's Parks Disparity? June 18, 2013Many assume that the affluence of the surrounding neighborhood determines the health of New York City's parks. According to Lisa W. Foderaro, elected leadership, rather than location, determines which parks in the city are better maintained. […]
- America's Most Urban President Should Embrace Its Cities June 18, 2013While he cannot do much to rewrite the Constitution, which favors rural America, or reverse a century of history, which gave rise to the suburbs, Obama, the most urban president, can do more to embrace the city as an innovation incubator. […]
- Designing a Divorce? What It's Like to Work With a Spouse June 18, 2013Spurred by the simmering debate over whether Denise Scott Brown deserves recognition from the Pritzker Prize for her work with her husband Robert Venturi, Justin Davidson explores the nature of designing with your life partner. […]
- A New Federalism Needed to Support America's Modern Metropolitan-Oriented Economy June 18, 2013
Awesome. keep up the pressure both local, district, state. We need some Miami Beach supporters- now we are getting thru at miami and coral gables city halls and some at the county.
Big whup! Another bike service for the “white belt” in south Dade. You know that shangri-la that exists somewhere around Coral Gables, Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay. All the greenways, trails and whatever seem to happen here a lot. What? Perrine, Miami/Biscayne, Hialeah? People don’t ride for fun there. The ride for their LIVES!
Glance at whatever lists of studies or projects related to bikes and you get this small sliver or triangle of upper middle/upper class areas, predominantly populated with whites and certain types of hispanics. These NIMBY-thugs even want to convert railways to bike trails. As if there was no need for available land for future commuting for those who could only afford boonie homes but work the shopping malls.
The rest of the county ride on the street, yo. Go further south and ask a Mexican what a greenway is and he’ll point at the ditch an SUV will one day leave him in to die. Spare me your politico-butt-kissin’.
I like Robaina’s quick response…amenable to bike lanes, he gets my vote in November. Angel, I understand your angst. I ride for my life almost every day. What steps are you taking to speak to your representatives in your area about bike lanes/greenways, signage, etc.
Go Ellen!
Angel – we at TransitMiami.com focus on this project because it is one moving forward and we want to cover its progress. Personally, I think that just because people in under-served areas have less facilities does not make these or any other areas less deserving. Did I understand you correctly?
Furthermore, bike lanes do not equal greenways. That’s another kind of facility altogether and, fyi, one that I think Hialeah could use a lot more of – after the area gets a real network of transportation-oriented bicycle routes. Thank you for your comment.
Ellie, Katie, spoken like residents of that aformentioned area. And way to turn the whole “concern about bike services” to someone who mentioned the discrepency. It probably would’ve been harder to join in the “outrage”. Though that might take away from what y’all are getting in return for your silence. Well, except for that disparaging remmark about Hialeah… you forgot it rhymes with “diarrhea”. So original.
The majority of bike related projects take place in certain well-to-do, southern areas. The people who dream them up live in these areas. They, you, look at bikes as “recreational” and buses as ickky (technical term). None of you use these modes. The closest you come to the masses is Metrorail. And maybe that so-called trolley in the Gables. India and China are laughing at you. For those who don’t own a car, buses and bikes ARE the modes of transportation. These modes ARE mass TRANSIT, Miami!
F-Y-I, really? Lanes, greenways and trails. Spaces where cyclists can travel in relative safety?
Such a hillbilly. I done wrote “remark” all wrong.
Oh, I just wanted to mention something not so related. FDOT is a laugh. They will not respond to you or anybody, unless a politico tells them to. Their response to making I-395 in downtown less of a wall between neighborhoods is to make it HIGHER. While the urban planners say sink it like St. Louis and L.A. did – making it less of an eye-sore, visually connecting that area, and possibly increasing development there. But FDOT say, “Higher is cheaper. FDOT like cheaper. And uglier, like FDOT. We smart engineers.”
These are the same folks who backed up a billion dollar tunnel to the port AFTER the politicos were sold on a profit-making scheme. For a few million an inconspicuous elevated road would’ve taken the trucks straight to the highway. And let us not forget 95Express which costs $300+ mil to make but only grosses $1.4 mil a year. It’s got a 30-year mortgage to pay back but no one counted on the maintenance and operation costs. FDOT is in the business of keeping FDOT employed. Business plan: selling smoke machines and mirrors.
[...] to David Henderson, Green Mobility’s Tom Blazejack and myself about mostly local issues – great news for Sunset Drive (read about it in my blog for TransitMiami.com here) and James Bush – representative for a large part of the City of Miami and rumored candidate [...]