Pics o’ the Day: The Choice Is Yours

7 Responses to Pics o’ the Day: The Choice Is Yours

1. Alex Baquero-Lima says:

   August 30, 2012 at 1:15 pm

   Word.

      3 likes
2. David says:

   August 31, 2012 at 4:22 pm

   You mean they built the E-W metrorail line after all?

      0 likes
3. Matthew Toro says:

   August 31, 2012 at 6:22 pm

   Apart from the new MIA station, not yet, David. But there are lots of west-to-east collector buses that do the trick. Also, the Miami-Dade Transit Department is working on plans to get some express buses moving on the Dolphin (836), just as Broward County Transit’s Department has express buses running on 595/95.

   If our elected officials and community planners see no public demand for the east-west line, they’ll never build it. We must be vocal about the need for better transit in Miami.

      2 likes
4. Meh says:

   September 4, 2012 at 5:16 pm

   To get to work, THIS requires a 1.3 mile walk to the correct bus stop followed by an hour long bus ride. Total travel time of nearly 2 hours. THAT gets me there in 30 minutes. While better public transportation would be great, it just isn’t a viable option for most of us.

      1 likes
5. Matthew Toro says:

   September 4, 2012 at 5:33 pm

   Hi Meh,

   I currently live in far West Kendall (near the Urban Development Boundary), literally on the urban fringe.

   I take a bus every morning, then transfer to the Metrorail to get to my place of employment in downtown.

   The total trip — during rush hour — takes about 55 minutes (about 25 minutes on the bus, another 20 mins. on the train, and about 10 additional mins. when the time spent walking to/from the bus stops and train stations is included, and even less when I complement the journey with my bicycle).

   In a car, the trip takes about the same time.

   The difference is that with the walk/bike + bus + train, I get to relax, read a book, catch up on E-mails, contemplate my existence, stretch out my legs, get some more blood and oxygen flowing through my muscles, and get a bit more physical activity, etc.

   When driving, I’m wasting money on gas, burning far more carbon, negotiating my life and safety with reckless drivers, sitting idly, and getting really stressed out.

   You’re right, though: in the Miami of today, getting with “THIS” can sometimes take a little more effort (planning, etc.) thank getting with “THAT”.

   However, Miami-Dade Transit is more viable than you might think. It can be made to work if you really want it to. . . . Moreover, it will only work better when our elected officials and urban planners see our persistent demand for “THIS”. We need more of “THIS” in the Miami of tomorrow.

   I sincerely understand your frustration. I just hope you’ll continue to make your voice heard to our community’s decision-makers about how to get a little more of “THIS” and a lot less of “THAT”.

      2 likes
6. Meh says:

   September 5, 2012 at 8:30 am

   You sir are a trooper. I too live out west not far from the UDB. All the traffic heading east is what led me to look into public transportation so I could avoid driving one or two days a week at the very least. In its current state, I’d rather deal with gas in the $4.xx range, gas mileage in the low teens, soccer moms putting on their make up as they drive their 2 ton SUVs 10 mph under the limit, and sometimes wildly unpredictable traffic.

   Given the current state of urban sprawl, I honestly don’t think there’s ever going to be a better solution for those of us who live out west. Had county planners thought ahead, they would’ve set aside land for metrorail use way back before everything was overdeveloped and clogged with ever widening roads that are at capacity within a few years of construction. Now I’m just rambling…

      1 likes
7. Matthew Toro says:

   September 5, 2012 at 12:06 pm

   Not a ramble at all, Meh — those are very important, and honest, insights. You’re right: the profits from sprawling real estate development took precedence over quality of life and urban functionality . . .

   Let them know, Meh! Let them know how frustrating it is to be stuck in “widening roads that are at capacity within a few years of construction”!

   Let them know how much you’d like to use public transportation, but they just have made it convenient/accessible enough yet . . .

      0 likes