South Florida Transportation Part II

[BornInTheGrove]

lol for real.... thats another reason their 'undesireable' arguement is baseless

[qbanaso86]

In the meeting i talked to one of the engineers from HTNB about how much ridership will the FIU Engineering station (107 AVE and flagler) produce. He told me that it was enough to go with the option even if the people of Sweetwater don't want it, unlike the NW 7th st and lejune station would have.

[Verticus]

Due to Popular Demand and Ernesto, MORE MIAMI-DADE MEETINGS!

HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO CHOOSE A NEW TRANSIT SERVICE!

All Meetings are from 5:30 to 8:00 PM – They Start with Public Review of Project Illustrations Followed by BREAKOUT GROUPS AND PRESENTATIONS STARTING AT 6:00 PM.

Choose the date and location best for you:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2006-- Miami-Dade
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11, 2006-- Aventura
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2006-- Legion Memorial Park

MIAMI-DADE
Stephen P. Clark Government Center
111 NW 1st Street, 18th Floor
Miami

Aventura Community Recreation Center
3375 NE 188th Street
Aventura

Legion Memorial Park
6447 NE 7th Avenue
Miami

PUBLIC WORKSHOPS

Please come share your ideas for future fast and convenient transit services along the FEC Corridor. The SFECC Study seeks to improve mobility by providing new local and regional passenger transit service for eastern Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties along an 85-mile-long, two-mile-wide corridor centered on the FEC Railway. The study is being conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation in partnership with planning and transit agencies of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.

Contact Michael Brady in Palm Beach County 561-833-8080; David Ramil in Broward County 1-800-330-7444; or Jackie Kidd in Miami/Dade County 305-573-2049 x 43 for more information, or to arrange assistance or special accommodations under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 at least seven days prior to any of the meetings.

For additional information please click the following link:

www.sfeccstudy.com

[Meph]

[qbanaso86]

Looks like the MIC. Nice pic.

[ChannelsideTitle]

Does anyone know when the Biscayne Blvd. road Construction project will be finished?

[skyscraperhighrise]

Originally Posted by Meph

Nice.

[dave8721]

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/061012/fyi.shtml

ALL ABOARD? Miami and the Florida Department of Transportation are hosting the final hearing on a proposed Miami streetcar system before it heads to the City Commission Nov. 9 for a decision. The hearing is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Oct. 18 at Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave. If the commission approves, the $200 million project would head to the Metropolitan Planning Organization for endorsement in December. The 10.13-mile circulator would travel on existing roads beginning in July 2010.

[Verticus]

Originally Posted by dave8721

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/061012/fyi.shtml

Maybe someone would like to explain to me why streetcars are the answer? I think busses would be more efficient and cheaper-- much cheaper. Unless streetcars have their own lane, what's the point? If they are not a high speed solution, what's the point? Busses can fulfill that roll and cost a hulluva lot less. Anyway, Miami had streetcars before-- probably before your parents were born (except for mine)-- and they got rid of them because they were inefficient. In my opinion, they will only clog the streets and make Miami an even more expensive place to live just to keep them maintained and running on time.

[BornInTheGrove]

Streetcars...

They're cars... that ride along the street....

The streetcars/trolly's i rode in San Fran 2 years ago were quite nice.

[brickell]

Streetcars are quieter, making them more ideal for urban neighborhoods.
Streetcars are permanent, spurring development and gives people confidence in where it goes.
Streetcars are more popular. Face it, people just flat out don't like busses.
I've also read that streetcars are more economical in the long term because of the constant maintenance required for busses.

[dave8721]

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...t/15756782.htm

THE ROADS
Streetcar plan runs into opposition

A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION WANTS TO CREATE OPPOSITION TO A PROPOSED STREETCAR SYSTEM IN MIAMI
BY DAVID SMILEY
dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com

A Roads neighborhood association is trying to garner opposition to a proposed streetcar system that would run from the Government Center up to the Design District and Midtown Miami.

The estimated $200 million transportation system, which would run along a similar path to the Metrorail and the Metromover on rails embedded in the streets, is the last thing the city of Miami needs, the Miami Roads Neighborhood Civic Association says.

The organization, one of several concerned about the project, has voted to oppose the plan, which will be aired for public input Wednesday. Members want Roads residents to derail the laying of 10 miles and three loops of streetcar track that will connect the Government Center with Wynwood and the Design District, as well as Midtown Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital.

''We need fliers circulating through all 1,400 homes in the Roads,'' Grace Solares, association president, told residents at the group's last meeting Sept. 27 at Simpson Park. The group's newsletter comes out this week and contains anti-streetcar information.

Critics raise many questions about the project, citing its similar route to the Metrorail and the Metromover, dependency on electricity, speed and location on the streets.

But of all the questions, one is shared by most: funding.

''Nobody believes that $200 million will be a final number,'' Wendy Stephan, president of the Buena Vista East Historic Neighborhood Association, said.

Stephan also said she'd like to see the city compare the streetcar system to alternatives, such as improving the bus system, before approving it.

This year, the city dipped into reserves for the fourth year in a row to balance its books.

The city estimates the project will cost $200 million initially, and then $8 million annually to operate.

Funding for the project has yet to be set in stone. But a number of sources are available, including $100 million from the federal Department of Transportation and money from the city's share of the half-cent surtax for transportation, Lilia Medina, assistant transportation coordinator for the city of Miami, said.

City planners will go before the City Commission Nov. 9 to ask for approval to seek a partnership between the city and a private contractor that would design, build, finance, operate and maintain the project, Medina said.

Should the commission approve, Medina said, city staff will conduct workshops for prospective bidders and begin with a financial plan.

Leaders say that taxes will not be increased because of the project.

However the streetcar system is paid for, the price tag is justified by the riders attracted and property value increases seen throughout other municipalities that have implemented the same system, said Winsome Bowen, a transportation planning manager and consultant with contractor HDR Engineering Inc.

''We've seen through studies that buses don't generate riders,'' Bowen said. ``This is about bringing more pedestrians to our city streets, which we have to have to make our downtown work.''

Bowen points to a number of cities, such as Portland, that have built a streetcar system and experienced a development boom within a few blocks of the rail.

Portland experienced a larger than expected population density increase after its streetcar began running in 2001, said Cheryl Twete, director of the Portland Development Commission.

''I think we view our streetcars as one of many things we do to make downtown and inner-city neighborhoods attractive to people, making it somewhere people want to live,'' Twete said.

But Twete also said public transportation in Portland was alive and well before the streetcar was built.

Bowen said the idea behind the streetcar having a similar route to that of Metrorail and Metromover is to create a more comprehensive public transportation system and to serve the areas of highest population density.

The streetcar loops also would connect with the Florida East Coast Railway corridor at the Government Center, Medina said, attracting commuters.

The FEC tracks, currently used to haul freight, are being considered for passenger travel as well.

The idea is that the streetcar will stop frequently, encouraging people to take Metrorail to the streetcar and then to their destination.

City Commissioner Linda Haskins, whose district includes the Roads, said she supports the project because raised rail systems break up neighborhoods and buses have failed to attract riders.

''Study after study, people have an aversion to riding a regular bus,'' Haskins said.

But Haskins also said alternatives to the project, such as the trolleys used in Coral Gables, still need to be studied.

If approved, the earliest the system would open is 2010.

The next public meeting on the project will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus. City representatives will answer questions before and after the meeting.

[Bobdreamz]

^ what numbnuts!
and why are people in the Roads section concerned about this when it won't even go through their area?

[spellbound]

Originally Posted by Bobdreamz

^ what numbnuts!
and why are people in the Roads section concerned about this when it won't even go through their area?

That was my question as well. Talk about having no vision whatsoever!

I love the trolley option. The neighborhood I live in here in Philly recently restored a dormant trolley line (complete with lovingly refurbished vintage 1940's trolleys) and it's been a roaring success. And, needless to say, it's a MUCH more attractive and clean alternative to a damn bus.

Miami has such a feeble, uninteresting transit system for such a large city. It's amazing to me that there'd be this kind of opposition to a project with so little downside.

[brickell]

The real question should be why aren't they planning for more street car lines already. Calle Ocho, Flagler, 27th Ave, Coral Way, Biscayne, Brickell would all make excellent corridors for streetcars.

[kevinkagy]

Originally Posted by brickell

The real question should be why aren't they planning for more street car lines already. Calle Ocho, Flagler, 27th Ave, Coral Way, Biscayne, Brickell would all make excellent corridors for streetcars.

Exactly. We have a public transportation phobia here in South Florida that needs to be resolved. If neither metrorail nor metromover can get built, than streetcar sounds great. I don't understand the opposition.

[miamicanes]

SW 8th Street barely has enough room for 2 lanes in each direction with a (very badly needed) turning lane (trust me... turning left onto Calle Ocho used to really suck before its reconstruction, and there were gruesome accidents almost daily). Calle Ocho between 27th avenue and the Palmetto is *so* tight for space, even finding room to put columns for something like Metromover would be a serious problem in many areas.

Ditto, for Coral Way, unless the streetcar ran down one of the residential streets a block north or south. If MDTA started cutting down the trees to make room for a trolley down Coral Way, there'd be justified public rioting in the streets.

Personally, I'm rather fond of Aerobus. I'd love to seem them running above Miami's major streets (above the trees and left turn lanes, as opposed to wreaking havoc and making the traffic worse than it already is.)

[ChuckScraperMiami#1]

Originally Posted by dave8721

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/061012/fyi.shtml

EVERYONE , This is Tomorrow, Night , Wednesday, Anyone going !!!
THE MIAMI STREETCAR ISSUE !!!, It's a Must and a PUBLIC MEETING at the Miami-Dade Campus DOWNTOWN, at N.E. 2nd Ave.
This has got to PASS , It 's a PLUS for the Future of Travel in the ever-growing Downtown MIAMI !!!

[BornInTheGrove]

I wonder... how will we pay....?

County approves port tunnel project, now must figure out how to pay for it

By Charlotte Libov

With Miami-Dade County commissioners green-lighting a $1.2 billion tunnel at the Port of Miami, the focus now turns to how the county will pay its share of the bill.
"This is still soft in terms of identifying the funding sources and the amounts, but it's far enough along that I think the Florida Department of Transportation will consider this a green light to go to the next level," said Ric Katz, a tunnel project spokesman. But until state transit officials see "the dollar amount and understand the sources, weíll be waiting and watching," he said.
Commissioners unanimously approved the project Oct. 12 and agreed that the county would pay $600 million to help fund the project. The board took the step after state officials warned that unless the there is some progress on the project, the state may divert its money to other projects.
State officials also said the final funding plan must be completed by late February so the transportation department can award the contract to one of the three bidders.
According to County Manager George Burgess, about $100 million will come from a General Obligation Bond approved by voters in 2004, $114 million from transportation fees and about $47 million in the form of a right of way donated by the port.
Miami officials are considering a contribution of $50 million.
County officials have said the remaining $300 million could be generated by tolls into the port or increased user fees for cargo and cruise ships.
In a recent interview, Commissioner José "Pepe" Diaz, a longtime tunnel supporter, said he thinks the project is necessary but hopes that the toll plan does not put too much of a burden on the port's users.
"The vote was to move forward to make this a reality. As far as the little intricate parts of it, we do have a lot of work to do. The manager has to come up with a funding source so we can move forward, and the port director has to find ways of not hurting our local companies," he said.
He said a tunnel is the most financially feasible way of easing congestion at the port. "A bridge would cost twice as much," he said.
The proposed tunnel, between Interstate 395 and the port, would enable trucks to bypass surface streets and ease downtown traffic.

[qbanaso86]

"A bridge would cost twice as much," he said.


I dont thinks so. Pepe has a history of talking alot of crap just to get his way.