Ask the Governor: Florida reviewing public transit -- South Flo...

Most great larger cities have well planned public transportation systems. "Great city" does not describe anywhere in South Florida. South Florida is just large and has never used anything but the shotgun approach to solving problems. It will take monumental cooperation between all parties involved and I can't see anyone loosening up what they think are their god-given rights over ruling their own turf.

First of all, many don't like having to climb steep stairs to get to the other side of the tracks. I have yet to try the system with the new trains and schedules however. It should be a little better.

I think that the question is a good question, but the downtown to downtown transportation system is missing the point of what is needed. Tri-rail and buses already exist for that. The real problem is the western expansion and lack of any real transportation out there. I live in west Davie and work in Miami Lakes. It would take me almost 3 hours to take the bus to work where I would rather drive the 30-45 minutes. If a valid commuter train system existed along the Sawgrass Expressway, I75, and then down the Palmetto and the Turnpike, with connections inbetween to Tri-rail and with buses, you would then have the viable network needed. I don't know about you, but to take the bus in the morning and then get to work at 10:30 am when I need to be there by 8am doesn't work for me.

Why do you refuse to enforce florida laws against fraudulent , deceptive and unfair business practices, when the perp. is an attorney ? Lawyers in broward county have colluded with judges to fabricate arbitrations that are sham practices without discovery,due process and fee-gouge. Since chief judges fred lewis and dale ross refuse to supervise the judges and arbitrators and perjurious lawyers, you must bring integrity to the judiciary. your blind loyalty to the bar is suspicious and unpatriotic. the judges have diversity training, but really need integrity training and accountability.

Let's be real people. The auto industry lobbies heavily against mass transit because they want to sell more cars. That's the first problem. The second is that no one in government knows how to porperly plan for transportaion corridors, they go to consultants which drives the cost of mass transit too high.

Sout Florida roads are essentially built in a large grid system. When seen from the air you realize that the corridors exist but no one is willing to build on the east-west corridors.

Tri-Rail does not work beause it is centrally isolated. You need a buss or trolley to get anywhere from the stations and as Dan said it takes too much time.

The real solution is a trolley system such as in may European cities. Yes, we would have to tear up many of the major east-west and north-south arteries to install it but in the long run ti woudl be worth it. Plus the environment woiuld benefit from less polution and our hihgways would be less conjested.

The bottom line is that mass tranist will only work if the modality takes you within walking distance of your destination. It's too damn hot and rains to much most of the time for any other solution to work.

I vote for trollies incorporated into all our highways. I-95, 595, 826, 836,US1, 441, A1A, and all the east-west roads too numerous to list.

I agree with the Governor. I live in Fort Lauderdale (Middle River Terrace). I would take the train from my house blocks away from the rail road to my work in Boca Raton (just off glades and federal highway). It would be perfect. The TRI-RAIL is just way to far out west for me.

Where is the 50000 dollars homestead exemption you promised during elections.

I have lived in East Broward for more then 40 years and travel all over the US. The best regional rail systems are in New York/New Jersey, Chicago, and California. Tri-rail is the worst that I have encountered anywhere. Their engines are horribly noisy, they rarely run on time, and they have no residential destinations.
The best of the systems are the NY subway, Long Island railway, and the San Joaquin is California, the latter operated by Amtrak.
The FEC corridor may offer three downtown destinations, however we need trains running on grade free right of way to the densely populated residential areas such as Coral Springs, Tamarac, Weston, and like areas in Dade and Palm Beach County's.
Look at Cities like Chicago, the rail systems look like the spokes of a wheel centered on the downtown area. Their trains are used by a lot of people and require 10-12 cars to hold all the people. Tri-Rail has 2-3 car trains and struggles to fill them.
We need to stop funding Tr-Rail and the FEC corridor study and look at a regional rail system that will address the Western areas.
Or just maybe we need to address our water shortages and discourage people from coming to South Florida. The water engineers may be capable of pumping enough water, however where are they going get it?

This is exacly what we need. You can get cars off the roads if you use FEC railway tying in all three downtowns. This makes perfect sense. You can't use tri-rail becuase it stops very far from any business. We need to also tie in to this new eastern rail line with lines coming from out west. Anyone that drives on I-75, 595 or the palmetto knows that the majority of traffic is from the western suburbs towards the east. If a line was built running parrallel to I-75, parallel to 595, parallel to the sawgrass and parallel to the Dolphin expressways, people could drive to the expressway and rather than get stuck in traffic, could then choose to ride to work instead. The space is there, to build parking lots in the large radii of on-ramps and off-ramps. The line itseld could be built in between the two routes of opposing traffic, in the median. The key is the cost, it has to be cheaper or the same of the cost of driving, when considering gas prices.

double talk bs

People in Fl. love their cars. And rightly so. And we hate public transport. Rightly so. Who wants to take their car to a big lot--leave it, get on the train--get off the train and take a bus to your final destination.--As I grow older I want to have an easier life not a more complicated one.

What ever happened to the Bullet Train? You could travel between West Palm Beach and Orlando in an hour! It would be great for Florida's economy & ease congestion on our roads. It is disgusting that America is sooooo far behind other countries, like France, Germany & Japan in transportation systems. Our trains use 19th century technology.

I think they're all missing the point: New York City (as well as many other large cities) have transportation more than just North to South. What we're really missing are multiple small lines that bring people from the WEST to the EAST...say, TO the TriRail. Street cars would be a great thing to see here, if there's money for it! Some Swiss cities have completely closed some downtown roads to cars, dedicating them instead to pedestrians/light rail/bicycles. New Orleans uses a lane of traffic sometimes for both cars and streetcars. If New Orleans has the money for it, I can't imagine that Ft Lauderdale/West Palm/etc don't.

Yeah spend more of YOUR money on stupid projects like trains that go no where except the bad parts of town...

JLB wrote:

I think they're all missing the point: New York City (as well as many other large cities) have transportation more than just North to South. What we're really missing are multiple small lines that bring people from the WEST to the EAST...say, TO the TriRail. Street cars would be a great thing to see here, if there's money for it! Some Swiss cities have completely closed some downtown roads to cars, dedicating them instead to pedestrians/light rail/bicycles. New Orleans uses a lane of traffic sometimes for both cars and streetcars. If New Orleans has the money for it, I can't imagine that Ft Lauderdale/West Palm/etc don't.

Sure lets run it through your neighborhood...

I like to listen to my gangster rap on the way to work until Tri-Rail installs subs on their trains I Will Not Ride!!

It is encouraging that Gov. Christ's administration is actually looking to improve inter-city rail transit, not fight it. Rail connections between high-density downtowns are an obvious missing link for many of us living in South Florida who would like viable options to the "convenience" of puttering along blocked highway arteries.
It is also true that we need multiple east-west connectors, using a mix of less expensive and less intrusive systems like light rail (along highways), streetcars (along commercial avenues), and dedicated bus rapid transit lanes. The NIMBY response ("Sure lets run it through your neighborhood") overlooks the reality that streetcars are proven to improve property values for both residents and commercial areas. Though some diehards may never leave their cars, a sensible network of trains and streetcars will attract more and more riders of choice who seek better options than endless traffic jams and buses.

Doug M - Pompano Beach wrote:

I have lived in East Broward for more then 40 years and travel all over the US. The best regional rail systems are in New York/New Jersey, Chicago, and California. Tri-rail is the worst that I have encountered anywhere. Their engines are horribly noisy, they rarely run on time, and they have no residential destinations.
The best of the systems are the NY subway, Long Island railway, and the San Joaquin is California, the latter operated by Amtrak.
The FEC corridor may offer three downtown destinations, however we need trains running on grade free right of way to the densely populated residential areas such as Coral Springs, Tamarac, Weston, and like areas in Dade and Palm Beach County's.
Look at Cities like Chicago, the rail systems look like the spokes of a wheel centered on the downtown area. Their trains are used by a lot of people and require 10-12 cars to hold all the people. Tri-Rail has 2-3 car trains and struggles to fill them.
We need to stop funding Tr-Rail and the FEC corridor study and look at a regional rail system that will address the Western areas.
Or just maybe we need to address our water shortages and discourage people from coming to South Florida. The water engineers may be capable of pumping enough water, however where are they going get it?

Well, smart one, you use downtown Chicago, IL as an example. Perhaps you need to wake up and look around...you are comparing two entirely different areas. In Chicago,IL, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of commuters go into downtown Chicago each morning, and leave in the evening. Since they are all headed to the same destination, it is easy to fan out from there. Same goes for New York.

South Florida is entirely different. It is a newer metropolitian area. It isn't focused around one specific downtown area. Sure, thousands work in downtown Miami. However, thousands more, in fact the majority of commuters, do not, hence a commuting public that is not focused on one single destination, but multiple employment centers. Naturally, this results in challenges other areas do not have, and a relatively inefficient public transportation system.

Those like you that are so quick to judge are sadly misinformed and uneducated about our area.

ex-ex wrote:

People in Fl. love their cars. And rightly so. And we hate public transport. Rightly so. Who wants to take their car to a big lot--leave it, get on the train--get off the train and take a bus to your final destination.--As I grow older I want to have an easier life not a more complicated one.

Sure, why take a train when you can hop in your gas-guzzlin', emission-spewin' SUV (say, how much DOES it cost to fill that thing up these days? Couple hunnerd bucks?), get mired in traffic on the, uh, "expressway"--don't forget that comfy 3 hour commute time--and suffer from high blood pressure, roadrage, and insurance overkill? Me, I'm all for keepin' life uncomplicated, too. And I also hate leavin' my car in a big lot--that's why I junked the damn thing, and stay the heck off of I95. But, listen, don't forget that big shot of espresso in the morning before you jump in your car you love, and rightly so.