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Summer Transit Challenge

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 22, 2008
in Public Transit
. 15 Comments

That’s right Miami, we are doing it again.  The Transit Miami Summer Transit Challenge is back and we are looking for participants.  This Thursday I along with several coworkers will go car-free to experience Miami-Dade Transit at its finest.  We will be commuting from our homes (Coral Gables, Miami Beach, and West Kendall) to our Doral offices solely using public transportation.  We will be documenting the whole trip (Twitter, hopefully) and discussing the difficulties we encountered along the way.We want to hear from you too.  We invite our readers to participate and send us their stories and images.  All feedback will be transmitted over to MDT.

To make our commute even more challenging, we have imposed a 9 AM arrival time as our deadline, at which point we will convene to discuss the problems we each encountered.

To plan your commute we recommend Google Transit…

NIMBYs Fear Bicycle Path

Published
by
JM Palacios
on July 21, 2008
in Greenway, I-595 and greenways
. 3 Comments

Artist Rendering of SR 84 Greenway

The Not-In-My-BackYard syndrome rages on in Broward County. If there is one facility that seems calm, sedate, and most likely to be desired in one’s backyard, it would be a shared use path for bicycles and pedestrians. No engine noise, no fumes, no rushing traffic. Just some neighbors going for a leisurely stroll or a quiet bike ride. It sounds pretty relaxing, right? Apparently residents in Plantation Acres don’t think so.

The Sun-Sentinel reported last week that some residents near a proposed multi-use path that is part of Broward County’s Greenways fear it will cause a rise in crime. One resident even offered a long list of things that were recently stolen from cars in his neighborhood. The article points out some data supporting that bicycle paths do not cause rises in crime, but fails to point out common sense.

First, if there’s crime now, that doesn’t mean a shared-use path will increase the level of crime. If crime went up after a path was put in, it would be a post hoc fallacy to assume that because of the path the crime went up. But the residents’ reasoning doesn’t even go that far! The residents are talking about a future project and doing nothing more than expressing their paranoia. They are seeing a rise in crime in their neighborhood now. Naturally, this is creating a little nervousness for them. They happen to see a project that might bring outsiders into their neighborhood, so their nervousness increases. Normally there might be something to it, but not so if you stop to think about it.

How are crimes committed? How do criminals get away with the loot? Generally, not by bicycle or on foot. If they want to steal electronics and weapons from cars or houses, they will need a vehicle to stash the goods. It ensures a quicker getaway without attracting attention. So where could anyone even get the idea in their head that a path for bicycles and pedestrians will make it easier for criminals to enter their neighborhood?

I honestly cannot figure out why the Sun-Sentinel even bothered to publish an article based on the opinion of a few paranoid people! To make it even more ironic, they point out that Plantation Acres is an equestrian community. Broward County’s Greenways page makes it clear that the paths are for equestrian use as well as bicycle use. These people will have a chance to ride their horses across the county on this and connecting trails, yet they still rise up against it.

It looks like FDOT will be installing fences to quell the fears of these residents. If the residents have any sense, they will take the time to install their own fences now to avoid the crime issues that are happening now. Their crime problems are happening now, and they have no reason to take out their frustration on one of FDOT’s better projects.

Commuter Profile: Ellen Haas

Published
by
Mike Lydon
on July 21, 2008
in Bicycles, Downtown, Little Havana, Miami and bike lanes
. 9 Comments

Miami, meet Ellen Haas, a 45-year old commuter bicyclist who lives on 8th Street and 62nd Avenue. Citing fitness, economic, environmental and personal reasons, Ellen recently started bicycling 6.5 miles to work downtown. Transit Miami has asked her a few questions about her commute.

Transit Miami: What was the impetus to start commuting by bicycle?

Ellen Haas: I promised myself that when gas reached $4 a gallon for the lowest octane, I would search for an alternate form of commuting. I decided on bicycling after doing some Internet research on public transit, carpooling and bicycling. Bicycling won out because I keep my independence.

TM: How was the first experience?

EH: The first experience was exhilarating. I rode like a bat out of hell, terrified, almost full speed the whole way thinking that I was going to be maimed or killed by a big dump truck or Metrobus, leaving my daughter with no mother. I was amazed when I arrived downtown intact. Riding home that first day was much more difficult, more traffic, intense sun, exhaust fumes, thunderstorms. Every day when I get home, I feel like I have summited Mt. Everest.

TM: Where do you ride and what is your route of choice?

EH: I head east on Eighth Street [Calle Ocho] at 62nd Avenue. I merge left onto Beacom Blvd. in Little Havana at 22nd Avenue. Then I merge onto Southwest First Street and head all the way downtown. I think it’s about 6.5 miles one way. My route of choice would be Coral Way east/west if it had designated bike lanes. It is a lovely shady street and not as manic as Eighth Street SW or Flagler.

TM: What are the challenges to bicycle commuting?

EH: The biggest challenge by far is car drivers ignorance of laws regarding bicycles and their aggression accordingly on the streets of South Florida. Another thing I didn’t realize is how bumpy poorly maintained roads are on a bike with no shock absorbers. The poorer the neighborhood, the less maintained the streets.

TM: What are the joys?

EH: There are many more joys than challenges. I am saving a lot of money on gas and will save more when I give up my parking space that I will surrender to a poor, deserving, still driving co-worker August 1st. I will also notify my auto insurance carrier that I drive a fraction of what I used to. I am also getting into good shape cardiovascularly.

TM: What type of bicycle do you ride?

EH: I ride a Trek 21 speed track bike. I’m not at all technical, so I don’t know the model or whatever.

TM: Do you have showers at work?

EH: There are showers at work but I would be able to deal with a sink and a washcloth if I had to.

TM: How about safe and reliable bicycle parking?

EH: No. I park over at the public library. I have approached the building management people but they look at me as if I have two heads and cite “security” concerns.” Soon I will ask a superior in the building with more “pull” than me to contact building management.

TM: What advice do you have for people who may be considering commuting by bicycle, but have not yet made the leap?

EH: Like Nike says, “Just Do It”. I am an overweight asthmatic 45 year old single parent. If I can ride 6-7 miles to work, ANYONE can. If you live further than that, consider biking part of the way and using MetroRail or Metro Bus for part of your commute. Everybody I talk to who is still driving has an excuse as to why they can’t.

TM: You have a daughter. What type of values do you think you are instilling in her by bicycling to work?

EH: I hope to instill in her a sense of strong individualism. When the new school year begins next month, I would like for us to bike commute together and I am quite sure no other student in her school rides a bicycle to school. We are becoming active in city, county, state and federal politics; carefully noting candidates’ stands on bike lanes and alternative forms of energy. She also has asthma so I want us both commited to improved health.

TM: What does Miami need to do to become more bicycle friendly?

EH: I could go on for paragraphs about how Miami-Dade County needs designated bike lanes with accompanying signage. Drivers need to be educated via “public service announcements” on television and radio to be broadcast in English/Spanish/Kreole about bicycle [e.g. the "Steer Clear" law] safety. I’ve noticed abandoned train tracks, perfect areas for bike paths. We each need to contact our elected officials and start making ourselves known, on the streets and off.

Metro Monday: Making the Morning Train

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 21, 2008
in Metro Monday
. 3 Comments

This video is of a subway station in Venezuela when the doors are opened for the first train of the morning.

Transit Humor: The Duplex

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 20, 2008
in Transit Humor
. 0 Comments

- Via Go Comics

The Week in Review…

Published
by
Tony Garcia
on July 18, 2008
in Metro Zoo, Metrorail, Transit, Transportation Engineering and Zoning
. 10 Comments
  • The Herald continues to report on the downward spiral that our transit plans have taken over the past few months years. We have been silent on the issue here at TM mostly because the whole debacle is just sickening. There isn’t much more to say other than our leaders have really dropped the ball on this issue. I don’t know what the solution is, but I know that plenty of other cities in this country are currently embarking on ambitious transit plans. Most cities have been slowly, but consistently, adding rail transit lines over the years. We have not, and are suffering now because of it. I have said it many times on TM: our leaders need to prioritize transit. It is a part of our public infrastructure that needs to be funded. It is as unacceptable to say we cannot afford to pay for our schools as for our transit. That is how important this needs to be. Somehow, other cities find creative ways to finance and build the projects they promise to voters. It’s a question of political will and it is non-existent here.
  • The zoning around Metrozoo was officially changed to accommodate the new water park and hotel complex approved by voters in 2006. I’m not really a fan of this project because I don’t support giving public land to private developers, and less on this last stretch of contiguous pine rockland, but at least our zoo will benefit. This is an instance of a ‘megaplan’ that was conceived and approved by public referendum. I think that makes all the difference.
  • The Sun Sentinel reports on declining funds available to road building projects. “From 2008 to 2012, the county estimates, gas tax revenue and impact fees, the major funding for Palm Beach County road building, will drop 48 percent. Road impact fees, which come from new construction, will drop to $7 million in 2012 from $42.8 million this year. As people drive less, gas tax revenue will fall to $33.3 million in 2012 from $35.3 million this year, planners say. Adding salt to the wound, Palm Beach County commissioners decided in June to supplement mass transit with $8 million of gas tax money designated for roads. They gave $1 million to Palm Tran to save weekend routes that were in danger of being cut and to keep fares low for low-income and disabled riders. For the first time, the county used gas tax money to pay its annual Tri-Rail subsidy, about $7 million. Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons said that after 20 years of putting money into building roads, more money now needs to be invested in alternative transportation. Alternative forms of transportation are going to have to be a priority because people can’t afford to drive long distances in their cars,” he said. Duh! Its nice to see that they are finally waking up in Palm Beach. Now we need our leaders to start doing the same. Raid road building funding for transit, and stop letting local municipalities use their 20% of PTP funds for road related improvements. Again, it’s a question of priority. We have long ignored our mass transit system, and it’s time to play catchup.

Pic O’ The Day

Published
by
Mike Lydon
on July 17, 2008
in Pic o' the Day
. 2 Comments

About That Funding…

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 16, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 14 Comments

Consider the following excerpt from the Herald:

Miami-Dade voters strongly oppose spending tax dollars on a baseball stadium and other projects in a $3 billion public works plan, but would back spending on local schools, a new poll shows.

The survey of 800 Miami-Dade registered voters suggests the public is reluctant to spend local tax dollars for ”luxury items” during an economic slowdown, said Sergio Bendixen, whose Bendixen & Associates conducted the poll.

I’m going to go ahead nip this one in the bud before anyone grabs it and runs with it.  The money (Note: vast majority, not all) earmarked for the Miami Megaplan is allotted for the sole use of the intended individual projects.

If Miami does not utilize the $500 million FDOT is providing for the tunnel project, the funds cannot be diverted to education, healthcare, or any other sector.  FDOT will simply reallocate the funds to another or various transportation projects in other counties within the state.  Our loss.

Now about the stadium.  That funding, 90% of the county’s share according to County Manager George Burgess, is coming from the tourist and convention development taxes.  Tax money, which once again, can only be used for programs that will stimulate more tourism within the Miami-Dade County area.

CRA Money?  Care to take a guess?  Yep.  This money can only be used for the improvement of the redevelopment districts.

Now, before we start crying foul about the Miami Megaplan or any other infrastructure upgrades in these self imposed difficult economic times, perhaps we should stop and consider where this funding is coming from and what we are permitted to do with it in the first place.  I find it rather irresponsible of Bendixen & Associates to perform such a rash survey without considering the complex funding restrictions.

Bendixen noted that the poll didn’t ask voters’ opinions of the projects, just the funding mechanism. ”Voters aren’t saying they don’t like the ideas, they don’t think these projects are good investment for tax money,” he said.

And clearly failed to consider how exactly these funding sources work…

Voters were even more opposed to paying for construction of a new museum park at Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami. The poll found 66 percent of respondents found it a ”bad investment” for the county; while 29 percent considered it a “good investment.”

Guess what folks?  We had the chance to vote on this one already.  We approved the bond deal that enabled its funding.  Besides if we’re in such a dire need to improve our education, why not build these institutions of higher learning?  Every great city has large museums to compliment the classroom components of learning…

We’re Getting SmartCards…

Published
by
Sean Bossinger
on July 16, 2008
in Farecard
. 5 Comments

UniversalGate2100

Photo of the Universal Gate 2100 Courtesy Cubic Transportation Systems

According to this article by Larry Lebowitz on the Miami Herald website, the Miami-Dade Transit Agency will be introducing SmartCard technology over the next year.  The first fare boxes are scheduled to begin appearing in Metrobuses starting this month, with a systemwide roll-out to be completed by the end of 2009.

Gone will be the days of bus drivers inflating their fare counts at the Dadeland South Metrorail station on the Busway lines, as they manually press the button for Metropass customers.  Here will be the days of discrete passenger counts at all stops, in order to provide information to the Federal Transit Administration, and, ostensibly to provide more accurate alignment of vehicle choice with the route.

The infosheet provided by the MDTA identifies Cubic Transportation Systems as the vendor the county has selected to implement this $42MM system.  Above, you will see a likely candidate for a fare gate that will be replacing the turnstiles which have been in use since Metrorail’s opening in 1982.  I’m certain that the county will, in the style of other transit systems around the country, raise a bar between gates to prevent people from climbing the gates.

One excellent feature of the system is that reloadable cards are available for all, with appropriate coding on the card for individuals who are eligible for discounts or free fares.  Photo identification can be integrated into the SmartCards, which should eliminate the trading and forging of cards which has plagued the manual system currently in place.

Perhaps the best feature is that for the Average Jane or Average Joe, they will be able to purchase the cards at Ticket Vending Machines at all Metrorail stations, and they’ll be able to reload these cards much like a SunPass can be reloaded.

Tags: , , ,

95 Express

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 15, 2008
in 95 express and HOT lanes
. 12 Comments

Last Wednesday, I had the chance to drive north along I-95 in Miami-Dade County where I snapped the pictures below of the then incomplete sections of 95 Express, the variable priced road pricing scheme program going into full effect by 2010.  Little did I know that just 2 days later, FDOT would be “completing” the first segment of 95 Express and opening the lanes up to the public.  Driving, I actually thought to myself “This should make for some interesting conversation on TM.”  In fact, had I known this, I likely would have driven north to Palm Beach instead of taking tri-rail this past Friday.

95 Express

95 Express’ opening day was a disaster.  I will tell you why.  This is the sort of outcome you should expect when our government blindly throws hundreds of millions of dollars at an unproven concept.  Not congestion pricing.  We are generally in favor of road pricing policies because of their effectiveness in reducing urban congestion and smog.  I am concerned with the urban partnerships program.  Essentially, this program threw $1 Billion dollars at five cities to “relieve congestion” in existing rights of ways while combining public transportation with road pricing.  Or in the preferred government alliteration speak:

The Department sought applicants to aggressively use four complementary and synergistic strategies (referred to as the “4Ts”) to relieve urban congestion: Tolling, Transit, Telecommuting, and Technology.

Now, how a transportation project can go from conception to construction in just over 1-year’s time is beyond me, this process is sure to be riddled with problems.  Note: In August 2007, the Secretary announced five final urban partners: Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle.

I predict that most Miami drivers will have no problem mowing down the delineated candlestick markers, just as they managed to do along Dolphin Mall Blvd (see below), or Kendall Dr. (Note: here they raised the delineated markers onto a concrete curb after they had been plowed a few times, encouraging most Hummer sedan drivers to stray away.)

This is likely an issue which we’ll be writing on frequently and is the subject of much controversy (especially now) in South Florida.  Before I get to the transit aspect of 95 Express, let’s open this up for some conversation…

News Links

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 14, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

These are the issues and articles we’ll be addressing over the next week or two:

  • Braman Falls flat on his face in the opening arguments of his lawsuit against the Miami Mega Plan (Miami Herald)
  • Midtown Miami falls way short of its intended promises and scope but is still set to receive Millions in Taxpayer money.  This is the sort of scandal we should be raising lawsuits over, not streetcars and tunnels.  (Miami Herald)
  • 95 Express’ first day in quasi operation proved to be a disaster (Miami Herald)

Transit Humor: Shoe’s Carbon Footprint

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 14, 2008
in Transit Humor
. 0 Comments

Via: Go Comics

Bus vs. Bicycle

Published
by
JM Palacios
on July 12, 2008
in bike lanes and bus
. 6 Comments

Bus blocking bicycle lane

I was spoiled by learning to ride my bicycle on the road in Gainesville, one of Florida’s most bicycle-friendly cities. Bus drivers in that city typically check for bicycles in the bike lane before pulling over into it to stop, or they stop outside of the bicycle lane altogether. This is in obedience with Florida Statute 316.085(2) that requires a driver to check that a lane is clear before changing lanes. In this regard, a bicycle lane is no different than a regular vehicular lane, just as a bicycle is no different than a regular vehicle. There is nothing wrong with the bus changing lanes into the bicycle lane when stopping, but the driver must make sure the bicycle lane is clear before doing so. Anything else is a violation of the law and a threat to cyclists.

Bus drivers down here seem ignorant of that law as it applies to bicycle lanes. At least the one who I ran into yesterday was ignorant, as was the cop who faulted me for the accident without finding me in violation of any law.

A message to all the local transit systems: train your drivers to drive carefully and lawfully as it pertains to cyclists! In this case, they need to check their right mirror before encroaching on any kind of bicycle lane. We are all part of the multimodal transportation system, and bicycles and buses are both good alternatives to cars. We would hate to see one kill off the other.

Miami Bicycle Activism: Come Participate

Published
by
Mike Lydon
on July 11, 2008
in Bicycles, Coconut Grove, Cycling, Miami, Miami Dade and cyclists
. 1 Comment

The Miami Bicycle Advisory Committee and Critical Mass/Emerge Miami want to hear from you! Please join us this Saturday, July 12, for the second anniversary of Miami Critical Mass. The ride will begin at the South Miami Metrorail station at 10am. The ride will soon after depart the station and head for Peacock Park in Coconut Grove for a picnic and some direct bicycle route mapping. Yes, mapping. We need more input from the bicycle community on those routes you find to be the safest in Miami,  those you would like to see improved and where the City should install more bicycle parking facilities. To do so, I will have half a dozen maps on hand (printing as I write), markers and some brief instructions. We’ll break people off into smaller groups and you can have your way with the maps.

If you can’t make the ride, we will be doing a similar exercise during the Ride For Peace on August 16th in Little Haiti. Also, please click here to fill out a brief bicycling survey put together by Critical Mass/Emerge Miami.

Pic o’ the Day: More Streetcars

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 9, 2008
in Photography, Pic o' the Day, Tram and Transit
. 4 Comments

Streetcars, Trams, Light Rails.  Call them what you may, but these devices resolve the simple task of effectively moving people around densely populated urban centers.  In the spirit of keeping the Miami streetcar alive (which I assure you will not resemble the picture below) this week with a swift defeat of Norm’s frivolous lawsuit against the Miami mega plan, we bring you today’s Pic o’ the Day.  Can anyone name this city?