Metrorail projects going far off-track (Miami, Sunset: to buy, school, quality of life)

[illini84]

So much for the Metrorail expansion. Yet another example of how our tax dollars for "new transit projects" were totally misused.

Metrorail projects going far off-track - 07/17/2008 - MiamiHerald.com (broken link)

[schiphol]

Cool, the "transit" system here will be more expensive than New York City's and still a piece of crap. Granted I've only been here a year but I used to rely heavily on the mass transit here and was forced to buy a car and dig myself deeper in debt.
Why don't the people here vote these corrupt politicians out of office and try new people who won't just suck the County dry. Someone mentioned this before in another thread. If they don't work out, then vote them out of office and repeat until you get it right. This place is a joke. Nothing works. All of the official decisions made are ***** backwards.

[illini84]

I agree. Public transit is one of the major things that a city like Miami desperately needs! Can someone please bring us into the 21st century?! Typical Miami--they get the tax increase and a potential 1.4 billion dollars to better the transit system they've ruined, and they blow it! Something is seriously, seriously wrong with the public officials here. Looks like public transit isn't going to happen anytime soon, unfortunately. No wonder people leave this place in droves. It's sickening how they can manage to ruin a city that could be a great place to live and this is only one small example.

Someone on the Miami Herald website posted: "[in] 2002 we voted for a tax increase to improve and expand our transit system. 6 years later not a single improvement has been made and now we are told that improvements cannot be afforded because for the past 6 years the increased taxes have been spent on maintaining routine operations that were deemed inadequate in the first place." Although I personally wasn't here back in 2002, this is well said.

[doggiebus]

You would think people would do that, vote those commissioners out of their jobs if they don't do their jobs. But again this is Miami, other things like having someone of the same background as yourself in office is more important than what they stand for or do for the community. Or even more important is keeping your connections happy, even if that means doing things that are not good for the majority of the county

[noland123]

I think Miami has the mentality analogous to L.A. and Atlanta,everybody wants to drive their own cars to work and everywhere else. Miami is not as spread out as the aforementioned cities,but still a big city nonetheless. I feel it is not as much as the government's fault as it is the public fault for not supporting or utilizing the Transit system. More ridership would mean more demand,thus more expansion. There is always two sides to a coin.

[schiphol]

sigh. This place would be paradise if it weren't for the corruption, ineptness, and gross divide between rich and poor, and black and white. Why don't we all just back someone here for mayor or county whatever it is that runs this place?

[schiphol]

But ridership is up as a result of the gas prices. The powers that be cut bus routes and proposed a fare increase. Obviously we need more train routes but I would also get a better system in place to pay the fare rather than making sure you have exact change or even cash on hand. The steps towards getting a metropass are ridiculous. You pay for it for a month and a half and then you get it? I've never used it but that was how it was explained to me. And I had to have exact fare for the buses. You can only buy it during certain times of the month. Why not an automated system where you can pay cash and use plastic? Why not use said machine to buy a pass at any point of the month. Why not have those glorified security guards work a booth where they do something useful instead of getting paid to sit there? They can be there to process your payment when machines are down.

[noland123]

Originally Posted by schiphol

sigh. This place would be paradise if it weren't for the corruption, ineptness, and gross divide between rich and poor, and black and white. Why don't we all just back someone here for mayor or county whatever it is that runs this place?

Most big cities have corruption, and divisive cultures and races,but transit works in some big cities and not others and I don't feel Miami is a paradise or will ever be a paradise in the future but hopefully a greater urban city.

[illini84]

When I first moved here, I really, really tried to use the public transit system. I live in Coconut Grove and work near Sunset--two places that are heavily traveled. This would require me to take THREE different buses to go only FOUR miles! Completely absurd. Adding insult to injury, one of the buses I'd have to take doesn't even start running until after 9am. It's just impossible.

[runswithscissors]

What a mess. My ex DH is an international expert in this field. 32 years, I know I put him through grad school. He's the immigrant I talk about lol with a phd and masters in transportation. This can be done. Of course it can. Its poor management and crony ism.

He did it in San Fransisco when BART expanded to the airport it was his project and he did it in Washington DC to Virginia. San Fransisco was completed in a short time and mostly ON TIME from what I remember. I'm thinking about 5-8 years tops. Then he moved to DC. Every project had it's share of politics and bs but the job got done. It's sad. How can you have Miami without a good mass transit system.

People need to focus on these things not the stupid racial stuff, imo.

One thing I remember him saying is "California is so wierd everyone is so nice and they agree to everything then they do nothing"....I think it's the heat, really.

You guys in Miami need to organize and bi&ch about it it's a fundamental quality of life issue. I'd be storming the city council meeting etc.