No tourist transportation! (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach: rental car, rental, how much)

[tallrick]

Isn't it amazing that in Miami there is no reliable public transit from the port of Miami to the airport to downtown and Miami Beach? Is this a stupid city or what?

[MiamiRob]

what do you think taxis are for? How many people are going to lug around a bunch of luggage unto a bus or train? I believe there are also private shuttles to & from the airport to the port itself but not sure.

By the way there are buses to Miami Beach. I wonder about your threads sometimes, it seems you hate Miami and bash it at any chance you get.

[Maramax]

Miami and Fort Lauderdale do not have busses. Only taxis. We should have the opportunity to have both. Is not a matter of hating the city is a matter of being realistic.
Thanks,

[Hero]

I think tallrick's seen enough of Miami to know its true potential.

Although I love Miami, I think not having a solid public transportation is pretty stupid. I would love to see a metro line going from MIA through downtown and into Miami beach.

1: Planning to fly in and out of Miami would be a whole lot easier.
2: I'd go to Miami beach/downtown a lot more often. Parking is a pain and it's not in my budget to ride the taxi.
3: In places like SF, tokyo, london, and NY, I've always felt a sense of autonomy when moving about thanks to their subways.

Plus, it's so much easier to drag your bike, luggage, baby carriage, etc onto a metro than into a taxi or bus.

[topbuzz92]

i think miami does indeed require more public transport, with the whole country, and many places in Europe 'going green' why not? miami and miami beach need to be connected somehow (other than by roads) , not everyone can afford $30-40 cab fares.

All real 'World-class' cities have these in place, Miami needs to catch up, and set the standard for other U.S cities.

[rogerbacon]

I thought the taxi driver's lobby was the group that originally killed the plan to have metrorail go to the beach.
As for way it doesn't go to the airport (and never will) the answer is in those parking garages. Look at how much money they make in parked car fees. They could never make that money up with metrorail fairs. Metrorail runs at a loss but parking garages make tons of money. After all, there isn't much opperating cost in a parking garage compared to a train.

[topbuzz92]

Originally Posted by rogerbacon

I thought the taxi driver's lobby was the group that originally killed the plan to have metrorail go to the beach.
As for way it doesn't go to the airport (and never will) the answer is in those parking garages. Look at how much money they make in parked car fees. They could never make that money up with metrorail fairs. Metrorail runs at a loss but parking garages make tons of money. After all, there isn't much opperating cost in a parking garage compared to a train.

yes, true, money is the root problem....but what is the point of having all this money if the enviroment ends up like down-town L.A?

[tallrick]

My point exactly. This was just another subject I posted to show how Miami sabotages its own economy. Penny wise and dollar foolish. By not having mass-transit Miami sets itself up for a hard crash when oil becomes more valuable. The Metro-rail is MetroFail because of deliberately avoiding any meaningful stops. Downtown Miami is useless due to parking issues. It's folly to think that locals will give up their cars for slow mass transit, but targeting tourists with free time and money to spend would turn Miami mass transit profitable. My vision would be for a tourist to arrive at Miami International or the Port of Miami and be able to go to their hotel. Many tourists travel light and would use the MetroRail or could use the hotel bus to load their luggage. Once at the hotel they could use transit to move between the destinations. The rental car companies and taxis would lose business but who cares? Taxi driving is dangerous, and less taxis at the airport would be a good thing. Do you think that tourists really want to spend more on a taxi than a meal?

[MiamiRob]

In actuality the Baylink plan which would have connected Miami & Miami Beach was opposed by Miami Beach's own mayor Dermer even though many beach residents wanted the link. As for the link to the airport the Earlington Heights to Miami Intermodal Center expansion link just outside the airport will finally connect it to Metrorail.

[miamiblue]

I've dragged my luggage from National Airport in DC onto the metro to get to my hotel in downtown DC with absolutely no problem. It was a million times better experience than having to sit in traffic in a taxi.

I've also done this in England, dragging luggage from a town outside of London to downtown London. We even had to change from the commuter train to the Tube and then walk from the Tube station, but still way better than a taxi or even a bus because we cut out all the city traffic.

This type of transit is invaluable to the economy of a large metro area, especially one that relies so heavily on tourists. Less $$$ spent on transit means more $$$ to spend in restaurants, shops, etc. for those vacationing in the Miami area. Not to mention, more people would be able to afford to vacation there in the first place if you take out the rental car expenses and exorbitant taxi costs. And that is a good thing!