mass transit article in the sun sentinel (Miami, Palm Beach: rental car, rental)

[Wild Style]

So it seems ridership on the tri rail has sky rocketed. So maybe there is hope for south florida to build a world class mass transit system? Seems people will ride if given the option.

link

[rogerbacon]

"Over the next five years, the impact on Broward County would be $89 million. Palm Beach County stands to lose $40 million and Miami-Dade $135 million. But the dollar loss in terms of projects totals $339 million because the tax money constitutes only a portion of each project's budget in the three counties' five-year work programs."

So road projects will get cancelled so that tri-rail riders can be subsidized? That doesn't seem fair.

"Without a dedicated funding source such as the rental car tax, Eggelletion said Tri-Rail could be forced to shut down because the three counties can't make up the financial gap"
"On Feb. 6, the trains carried more than 15,000 riders — the third highest ridership in the agency's 19-year history."

They are running 150,000 riders a day and they still can't cover their cost? What is the price of a tri-rail ticket and why aren't riders paying their share of the operating cost?
I'm not anti-mass transit but I don't think the car drivers should pay for it when they don't use it. Figure out what hte REAL cost per ticket should be and then charge that price. If it is too high then sell tri-rail to a private company that thinks they can make a profit with it. Gasoline is expensive enough. I can't afford to pay for someone else's commute too.

[chisoxfan]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

Seems people will ride if given the option.

That's one of the keys to the whole thing. If South Florida invests in safe, convenient, reasonably priced mass transit, will people use it? Or will it be an expensive white elephant, a boondoggle of epic proportions? This area is more addicted to the automobile than anyplace I've lived. On the other hand, if oil prices keep rising $25/barrel every six months and gas costs $5/gallon, we'll find out just how strong that addiction really is.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by rogerbacon

"Over the next five years, the impact on Broward County would be $89 million. Palm Beach County stands to lose $40 million and Miami-Dade $135 million. But the dollar loss in terms of projects totals $339 million because the tax money constitutes only a portion of each project's budget in the three counties' five-year work programs."

So road projects will get cancelled so that tri-rail riders can be subsidized? That doesn't seem fair.

"Without a dedicated funding source such as the rental car tax, Eggelletion said Tri-Rail could be forced to shut down because the three counties can't make up the financial gap"
"On Feb. 6, the trains carried more than 15,000 riders — the third highest ridership in the agency's 19-year history."

They are running 150,000 riders a day and they still can't cover their cost? What is the price of a tri-rail ticket and why aren't riders paying their share of the operating cost?
I'm not anti-mass transit but I don't think the car drivers should pay for it when they don't use it. Figure out what hte REAL cost per ticket should be and then charge that price. If it is too high then sell tri-rail to a private company that thinks they can make a profit with it. Gasoline is expensive enough. I can't afford to pay for someone else's commute too.

I am sure mass transit riders feel they shouldn't have to pay in terms of health when it comes to toxicity put out by automobiles. One is monetary and one is health (which will lead to monetary down the road), people end up paying one way or the other.

Originally Posted by chisoxfan

That's one of the keys to the whole thing. If South Florida invests in safe, convenient, reasonably priced mass transit, will people use it? Or will it be an expensive white elephant, a boondoggle of epic proportions? This area is more addicted to the automobile than anyplace I've lived. On the other hand, if oil prices keep rising $25/barrel every six months and gas costs $5/gallon, we'll find out just how strong that addiction really is.

when gas jumped up to the high twos I remember sun sentinel did a article that said bus rider ship jumped up significantly. People will ride if it is convenient and cheaper than the cost to operate a car. I pay 120 dollars in gas a month and that doesn't include insurance and repairs. If they had a mass transit system that cost me less than all my auto bills combined per month I would jump all over it.

[tallrick]

Zoning has made south Florida unable to effectively deploy mass-transit. People go all over, not just north-south. A good start would be connecting the ports, airports and popular tourist areas. Commuters are not enough.