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2007-05-07T08:05:00.001-07:00

Alliance for Reliable Transport Encourages Public Involvement
April’s speaker, Jeff Bechdel, Miami-Dade Transit new business specialist, gave an extensive countywide overview of the latest rapid transit—especially bus—improvements, and answered many public transportation questions in-depth. One bit of good news locally is the impending inauguration of the Miami Beach/Airport express bus this January; he also reiterated that changes to the South Beach Local and A bus lines must await the recommendations of the Coastal Communities Master Transportation Plan. He commented on how recent local and state developments might affect public transportation policy—and extended an invitation for interested transit users to participate in the national Rail-Volution networking conference (www.railvolution.com), held this year in Miami, highlighting innovative transit opportunities from around the country. As the former communications director for the Miami Beach Local (now the South Beach Local), Jeff brings a welcome perspective to important ridership issues.
Public Forum time is set aside at ART meetings for citizen input; many good ideas surface when attendees share their views. ART encourages public participation at all levels to maintain our forward-leaning stance of finding rapid transit solutions.
The next meeting is May 7 at 6:30, at the Seymour Hotel, 945 Pennsylvania Ave, Miami Beach. Guest Speaker Fernando Vazquez, Miami Beach City Engineer, will update our transit situation, with the City of Miami Beach's Bicycle Coordinator and Traffic Engineer also in attendance. See you there!
June’s scheduled guest speaker: City of Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora.

On Mayors, Pedicabs, Streetcars—and Judy the Elephant!
April 5, 2007
Dear Mayor Alvarez:
Congratulations on accruing strong mayor powers, and your willingness to exercise them decisively (I refer to the dismissal of underperforming department heads). I can’t gainsay the removal of Roosevelt Bradley, former director of the MDT, because I always found him forthcoming and accessible. And, as a Miami-Dade transit rider since 1995—which makes me, what?, something of an expert?!—I can only say that he fairly modernized the old, wheezy busfleet, and somewhat improved headways. (Still has a long way to go, tho’, especially in the need for a strong customer relations course for drivers; they appear to have forgotten their job is to serve the public.)
But here’s my point. Mr Bradley, steeped in bus culture, was most proud of putting hundreds more vehicles, and millions more route miles, on Miami-Dade streets. But, is this the best way to be spending our money? We think not. In our opinion, borne out by countless studies, and confirmed time and again by consulting firms brought in to weigh on the subject, streetcars, in most cases, are the superior mode of moving many people efficiently.
With that in mind, shouldn’t our next transportation director be a “rail person”, aware of Miami’s new urban needs? As someone committed to streetcars, you’re already aware of their quicker, quieter quality. Besides, the more exotic ‘hybrid’ buses become, the more cranky they are, and the higher their cost and repair. Once streetcar tracks are down, maintenance is relatively inexpensive.
I speak on behalf of ART, the Alliance for Reliable Transport (www.protransit.org). And, as a former member of the Transportation & Parking Committee of the City of Miami Beach, and the Coastal Communities Master Transportation Planning steering committee (and as a nascent Urban Environmental League board member), I feel comfortable when urging your consideration in appointing a director friendly to streetcars. This is an excellent opportunity for continuing your great work in pushing Miami to the forefront of world-class cities.
Thank you for all your time and effort.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Bradley, Chair

Alliance for Reliable Transport

A Streetcar Desire: Pack up the pachyderms NewTimes April 5
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-04-05/news/letters-from-the-issue-of-april-5-2007/

Give Felipe a Chance: Ban Cars Before Pedicabs SunPost April 5
http://www.miamisunpost.com/letters040407.htm

Our Friends The Commissioners
Still Not Gettin’ It
Do our elected officials sometimes exist in a vacuum? They must, because they flub practically every chance of advancing us, transitwise. Take, for example, the recently released Miami 21 plan, touted as the be-all, end-all for addressing Miami's growth woes—yet containing not a single provision for bicycles or streetcars! How can that possibly be? What, exactly, is so incomprehensible about breaking the outmoded addiction to single-passenger vehicles before a major transit intervention becomes necessary? I'm about to segue from incredulity to outrage in the face of such recklessness. Register your own protest here: http://www.miami21.org/index.php?src=forms&id=Submit_A_Question

Worser & Worser
It’s been observed that King Louis XVI of France bumbled his way into a revolution, then bumbled his way to the guillotine. Well, our own bumbling Commissioner Bruno Barreiro may not be getting beheaded anytime soon, but he’s botched the transit issue royally: recommending against streetcars, for BayLink, I mean, in favor of those odd People Movers that sit astride huge intrusive pylons, more Disneyland, than rapid transit. After reading this article on Bumblin’ Bruno, I’m beginning to wonder where the financial tie-ins could lie. I remember this commissioner “rising off his sick bed” to attend Beach commission meetings to speak inarticulately against streetcars. I was dismissive of that performance; he, of all people, is the one who should’ve been ramming it through. This article, Bruno the Absent http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-04-26/news/bruno-the-absent, might help explain things.

Triumph of the Fief: All 12 Riders Already Rejoicing!
Yes, sir, here’s your culmination of the “30 year promise”—an overhead heavyrail colossus that few people will ride, and divides the community much as the way of Overtown. This white elephant’ll suck off tons of valuable public transit funding that’s needed elsewhere for better cause. Never mind that an at-grade streetcar would’ve handled 4x the ridership, raised property values and become part of the neighborhood fabric. Heck, no; now the County Commission can boast about keeping that 30 Year Promise. Say, what promise did I ever make 30 years ago, that I felt I just had to keep so long? Lessee… who cares? It was 30 years ago! You want answers, then follow the money trail. This is the County Commission we’re talking here. For more, see MDT Planning Dementia: http://www.transitmiami.corr , on the cool Transit Miami website.

Bicycles: BASIC Neighborhood Improvement

Re: MIAMI BEACH 16^TH STREET ROW IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FROM BAY TO ALTON

Finance and Citywide Projects Committee members today adopted the current plan of 6’-8’ undulating sidewalks (which skirt around some Royal palms and other established trees); an 8’ parking lane; 5’ bike lanes (one heading east, one west on opposite sides of the street); and 10’ roadways. The consultant emphasized his being charged with presenting a “pedestrian-friendly environment” plan.

Encroachment reclamation will be apparently minimal, tho’ Commissioner Steinberg voiced realistic concern about this setting a future bad precedent.

Bump-outs proved a source of contention, but Commissioner Gross approved their traffic-calming features, and use as planters for large shade trees.

Denis Russ, Director of Community Development, Miami Beach Community Development Corporation (MBCDC), reiterated the necessity of having these canopy trees; plans call for their use in residential quarters, and on other parts of the street, palm trees.

And, in a Warholian sense, Randall Robinson, Urbanist, achieved the status of ‘an absence who is a presence’, as his name was invoked twice by the committee for his good works, first with the MBCDC, now with the North Beach Community Development Corporation. Congratulations! BTW—I too put in a plug for those canopy trees. I believe the committee got the point.

Personally, I believe this means a big step forward in making ours a more urban-oriented community.

The members of BASIC—Bicycle Activists for a Safe, Integrated City—showed up in force in support of this effort. Contact Gabrielle or Paul at bikemb@gmail.com to learn more about BASIC.

More On Bikes: The 42^nd Street “shorty” 4-block bike lane will be extended north soon along Royal Palm Avenue to 47^th Street, then points west—an excellent sign that Miami Beach is finally getting it that there’s more to life than cars. Much of this bike lanes push comes from the indefatigably involved Gabrielle Redfern—proving that even one person can make a difference!

Still More On Bikes: Visit Miami NewTimes reporter Isaiah Thompson’s bike blog at http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/bike_blog

FDOT Takes On Alton

Florida Department of Transportation officials held their first public workshop on April 26 to alert South Beach residents to upcoming Alton Road improvements. This is good news; the way Alton’s configured now, it’s easier getting across the Indy 500 Speedway, if you’re a pedestrian. Vehicular traffic has been coddled far too long on these major arterials that funnel unacceptable car chaos, with its attendant pollution, parking, and noise hassles, through our neighborhoods. This corridor needs to be bridled and broken, converted to an urban environment encouraging shopping, walking, and gathering. Shade trees that overarch traffic-calming measures like bump-outs and narrower lanes, bicycles, cobbled crosswalks, and streetcars, will really slow that breakneck mayhem down. Of course, that’ll take leadership, vision and a political will. At least, that’s what I told FDOT.

More From FDOT: Take The Commuter Challenge

Join South Florida Commuter Services in conjunction with Miami-Dade Transit on May 17.

Congestion means commuters spend an average 51 hours per year in traffic. Nice, huh? That’s nothing; your average cost of this pleasure is between $900-$1700 a year! That’s outrageous, and only getting worse. Here are some actions you can take to combat this growing South Florida crisis:

Take the Challenge on Thursday, May 17, 2007
Find out about Clean Air Month (May) Initiatives
Map out Your Transit Routes from home to work
Bike during the month of May and play Bike-O
Join a Carpool / Vanpool to commute to & from work

Take the Challenge and carpool, use transit or bike or walk to work, and be entered for a chance to win a Grand Prize Trip including airfare and hotel & one year of free commuting costs. For more information, visit the www.1800234ride.com South Florida Commuter Services or www.yridealone.com websites, or contact Outreach Consultant Nicole Phillips at phillipsn@pbworld.com.

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