Why doesn't Broward County have a rapid transit system? (Jacksonville: mover, neighborhoods)

[taii1234]

Like our neighbors to the south? Miami has two main rail rapid systems - Metrorail and the Metro Mover.

The Metro Mover services the downtown and Brickell area, while the Metro rail services the rest of Miami starting from the Palmetto going all the way to Dadeland South. You can switch between both rail systems at the Governement Center station in downtown Miami.

Additionally, Tri-Rail and also provides services out of Miami through the Metro Rail Hialeah station while Amtrak provides services out of the the Central Station. So technically, there are four transporatation rail systems working out of Miami.

Why doesn't Broward County have the same thing? I know we have Tri-Rail but that only services residents who live on the East side and it is very limited in the areas it goes. I also know that Ft Lauderdale is getting getting a street car later this year that will service the Las Olas/Downtown Area but I think we need more.

What are your thoughts?

[Don_s30]

Honestly there's really no good excuse... Broward County is really a perfect area for an elevated rapid transit system, like a monorail.

The Miami Metromover model has been proven, and could also be implemented in Broward. The geography is flat and our strip of civilization, from ocean to Everglades, is only about 20 miles wide...
An elevated rail system wouldn't interfere with pedestrians or automobile traffic. It could be completely electric and driverless, with a portion of the power generated from solar cells integrated into it's architecture.
I envision a system that could be manufactured in modular sections off-site, then delivered and assembled on-site.

With a high percentage of elderly citizens and tourists in South Florida, I often think why we don't already have a system like this in place.
Surely, it would benefit our society as a whole, if people, especially senior citizens, had an easy way to get around quickly and efficiently. Our roads are beyond their capacity and constantly congested, people could have an option other than their automobile, which truly is the only realistic option, to get around. Anyone who's taken the bus in South Florida knows it's always a tossup, never knowing when or if it's coming, how long you will be waiting in 90° weather at the bus stop. Never mind the sheer inefficiency of a fleet of loud, polluting busses which require constant maintenance, moving around congested streets. Contrast this to a near silent, driverless- always on time, safe- unencumbered by pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic and driver error, zero-emissions, futuristic electric-powered pods, zipping by.

I would propose that we would have two main loops, one serving South Broward, south of I-595, a loop running around Hollywood, Davie, Pembroke Pines, Dania, tying in with the Tri-Rail and Airport, and a North loop serving Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise, Coral Springs, Deerfield, and Pompano Beach.

If I remember correctly, Gov. Rick Scott turn down billions of dollars in federal money that would have been allocated to public rail transit. Imagine how a large development project like this could impact our economy and grow our community. It would create jobs, bolster our economy and infrastructure, while eliminating a lot of stress and emissions caused by commuting in traffic.

[taii1234]

I like that idea but I would make the two loops connect somewhere so you can transverse Broward without switching transportation modes. I also would see if we can integrate the Miami Metrorail in there to, having both rail systems under one selected station will make navigating South Florida more easy.

Some locations that will make for good rail stations would be:

- Downtown/ Las Olas
- Broward County Bus Terminal (the second level of the bus terminal is not being used at all. Make this the boarding platform for the rail system. Great location because a lot of the BCT buses will be waiting on the ground level.
- Airport
- Port Everglades
- South Florida Education Center (Students who attend BC, FAU, NOVA, UF Broward Campus, and the grade schools will love this!)
- Broward mall
- Sawgrass Mall/BBT Center

I would have to think hard for other good locations that will need a station there.

I didn't know Rick Scott turned down a proposal like that. How come?

[ruski]

Because there is no free lunch.

[Don_s30]

Here is some info about why Scott killed the rail development, I suppose this doesn't really apply since we are discussing local transit, however some interesting points are made...

[url=http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2011/aug/11/rick-scott/gov-scott-says-rail-would-have-cost-state-taxpayer/]Gov. Rick Scott says rail would have cost state taxpayers $1 billion to build | PolitiFact Florida[/url]

[Nolefan34]

Because 50% of the citizens in our state don't want to pay taxes. They would rather FL have low wages, poor schools, and teachers earn low pay while they waste their money on gas guzzling SUV's and cheap products at Walmart made in China. A rapid transit system, if done correctly, would pay for itself. Miami has found a way to make it work with all of that city's corruption.

As it specifically pertains to Broward County, there are several issues. First, Broward has a lower population than Miami and the traffic isn't terrible here like Miami. So the demand isn't quite as high for rapid transit. It would still be successful in my book so long as it is an extension of Miami's system. An independent Broward transit system would be a bad idea.

Another issue is you would need to build elevated lines through neighborhoods. Inevitably, they will go through the poorest neighborhoods, not necessarily the most logical ones. Someone living in Weston or Parkland might have to drive 20 minutes to a station in Margate or Sunrise, then ride a train 20 minutes to downtown Fort Lauderdale, when they could have spent the same amount of time just driving there. Rapid transit would be more useful to get from lets say Parkland to Miami.

I also think they should build a long distance line from Miami to Orlando, and follow suit with lines to Tampa, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee.

[transitfan]

Actually, a train line from Miami to Orlando (with stops at Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach) is already planned:

All Aboard Florida

Not sure when it will open, though, maybe next year?

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by transitfan

Actually, a train line from Miami to Orlando (with stops at Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach) is already planned:

All Aboard Florida

Not sure when it will open, though, maybe next year?

Yes, but they had to fight tooth and nail to get it. I'm not sure it will be such a huge benefit. I mean why would anybody in South FL want/need to go to Orlando? Other than a small % who have family up there, I'm not sure it would be so useful. One can only go to Disney so many times in his life let alone 1 year. Would it go quicker than driving?

[miamifloridafan]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

Yes, but they had to fight tooth and nail to get it. I'm not sure it will be such a huge benefit. I mean why would anybody in South FL want/need to go to Orlando? Other than a small % who have family up there, I'm not sure it would be so useful. One can only go to Disney so many times in his life let alone 1 year. Would it go quicker than driving?

Um High gas prices and stuff.

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by miamifloridafan

Um High gas prices and stuff.

Yeah but the same is true going anywhere in a car. I doubt high gas prices for people going to Disney once every 5 years was a driving factor behind this decision. If you cannot afford the gas, you probably cannot afford to go to Disney in the first place. I would think there would be a business benefit if anything being the driving reason behind it.