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December
2005, No. 3
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Metrorail
Expansion Plans Get A Boost
Plans to expand Metrorail got a big boost from Congress
last month with the passage of this year's transportation
appropriations bill. The bill includes $10 million for
the North and East-West Corridor Metrorail projects, which
will extend Metrorail north to the Broward County line
and west to Florida International University's South Campus
over the next 10 years under the People's Transportation
Plan. More... |
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Honors Mother Of Civil Rights Movement
Miami-Dade Transit recently participated
in a nationwide tribute to late Civil Rights icon
Rosa Parks. On Dec. 1, 1955, Parks ignited the
Civil Rights movement by refusing to give up her
seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus.
More...
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Hon. Carlos A. Giménez
Miami-Dade County Commissioner
Chairman, Regional Transportation Committee
When Miami-Dade voters approved the People's Transportation
Plan and the half-penny tax for transportation three
years ago, the County dedicated itself to improving
the efficiency of the transit system to maximize
the value of every tax dollar invested.
As part of this effort, the County recently conducted
a comprehensive evaluation of the County's bus routes.
Results from the study will be used to determine
the need to adjust routes or reallocate tax dollars
based on ridership trends.
The use of technology also has been important in
improving efficiency. Global positioning satellite
technology now tracks most buses' locations at all
times. I have asked for adjustments to our current
system, which will allow transit staff to easily
assess on-time performance and quickly address any
service interruptions.
Additionally, technology promises to make transit
more efficient and user-friendly than ever in the
next few years, thanks to the introduction of a
new regional automated fare collection system that
will allow passengers to use a "Smart Card"
for seamless travel across the tri-county area.
As we move forward with the implementation of the
People's Transportation Plan, we are committed to
continuously looking for ways to improve efficiency
and ensure the best use of taxpayer dollars. |
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Miami-Dade
Transit recently earned awards for safety
and marketing from the Florida Public Transportation
Association. In the Safety category, MDT won
an award for reducing the number of preventable
accidents by more than 50 percent in 2004.
In the Best Marketing category, MDT picked
up a plaque for a 30-second television spot
about the People's Transportation Plan. |
From left are County Commissioner Carlos A. Giménez,
MDT Advertising and Media Relations Chief Michael
De Cossio, MDT Director Roosevelt Bradley and County
Commissioner Dorrin D. Rolle. |
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MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY
Carlos Alvarez
Mayor
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Joe A. Martínez
Chairman
Dennis C. Moss
Vice-Chairman
Barbara J. Jordan
District 1
Dorrin D. Rolle
District 2
Barbara Carey-Shuler, Ed.D.
District 3 |
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Sally
A. Heyman
District 4
Bruno A. Barreiro
District 5
Rebeca Sosa
District 6
Carlos A. Giménez
District 7
Katy Sorenson
District 8
Dennis C. Moss
District 9
Senator Javier D. Souto
District 10 |
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Joe
A. Martínez
District 11
José "Pepe" Díaz
District 12
Natacha Seijas
District 13
Harvey Ruvin
Clerk of Courts
George M. Burgess
County Manager
Murray A. Greenberg
County Attorney |
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© 2005 Miami-Dade County. All rights reserved.
Enewsletter Development by Loop
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Metrorail Expansion Plans Get A Boost
Plans to expand Metrorail got a big boost from Congress last
month with the passage of this year's transportation appropriations
bill. The bill includes $10 million for the North and East-West
Corridor Metrorail projects, which will extend Metrorail north
to the Broward County line and west to Florida International
University's South Campus over the next 10 years under the People's
Transportation Plan.
The new appropriations come just months after the approval of
a four-year federal transportation bill that put the two projects,
which will total $2.3 billion, in a stronger position to compete
for future funding.
"It's very exciting news," said Miami-Dade Transit
Governmental Affairs Manager Lyn Harris. "Our congressional
delegation came together and said we want to give you additional
money to keep these projects moving forward."
ALL ABOARD: Congress
recently
appropriated $10 million
to expand Metrorail.
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Beyond the new money, the County is seeking a 50 percent
funding commitment from the federal government under the
"New Starts" process for the two Metrorail projects.
Under that scenario, the state and the County's half-penny
surtax for transportation would each contribute 25 percent.
"We're going to keep coming back to the Congress
every year for more money," Harris said.
The new bill also includes an additional $400,000 for
a bus transit hub at Northwest 7th Avenue and 62nd Street,
beyond $806,000 already approved in the earlier bill,
and $750,000 for new municipal bus service in Homestead
that will connect to the South Miami-Dade Busway. |
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MDT Honors Mother Of Civil Rights Movement
FITTING
TRIBUTE: Miami-Dade Transit
commemorated National Transit Tribute
to Rosa Parks Day by dedicating a front-row
seat to Parks on all its buses.
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Miami-Dade
Transit recently participated in a nationwide tribute to late
Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks. On Dec. 1, 1955, Parks ignited
the Civil Rights movement by refusing to give up her seat to
a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus.
Miami-Dade Transit buses, along with transit systems around
the country, marked the 50th anniversary of Parks' famous act
of defiance by keeping their headlights on throughout the day
and dedicating a front-row seat to Parks with a commemorative
decal. The decals will remain through the end of the month.
Parks died this fall at age 92. |
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Public Works Department Faced Big Challenge After Wilma
Darkened
traffic signals at nearly every intersection, missing street signs,
debris-filled roads.
Anyone who was in South Florida during Hurricane Wilma will long
remember the challenge of getting around after the storm.
In addition to the debris blocking many roads, only 16 of the Miami-Dade
County's 2,635 signalized intersections were working immediately
after the storm due to damaged signal heads and a lack of power.
The Herculean task of restoring the traffic signals and clearing
the roads to improve the situation for drivers and bus passengers
was left to the County's Public Works Department.
Immediately after the storm, the department also worked closely
with Miami-Dade Transit supervisors to identify areas where debris
had to be removed to make roads passable, which enabled the restoration
of key bus routes by the morning after the storm.
AFTER
WILMA: Hurricane Wilma
left Miami-Dade's Public Works
Department with the challenging
task of restoring the County's
traffic signals and clearing storm
debris.
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Public
Works traffic engineers and technicians, along with a team of
private contractors, also worked tirelessly to restore traffic
signals.
In just two days, the number of working signals grew to 500,
with more than half the signals working within a week of the
storm. That percentage grew to 65 percent nine days after the
hurricane and 90 percent by three weeks after the storm, with
full restoration by the end of November.
"Staff from the Public Works Department's Traffic Signals
and Signs Division, along with the Florida Department of Transportation
and traffic signal contractors, should be thanked and commended
for making personal sacrifices and doing an outstanding job
to get Miami-Dade's arterials back to normal," said Bob
Williams, an engineer with the Public Works Department's Traffic
Control Center. |
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Residents Polled On Transportation Concerns
Greater public awareness about recent improvements to Miami-Dade
Transit could be the best way to attract more riders, according to
a recent public opinion survey.
The survey, which asked more than 2,000 residents what would convince
them to use transit, found that residents who don't use transit were
most concerned with accessibility, dependability and route availability
- three areas that have seen great improvements under the People's
Transportation Plan.
"We found that the issues most respondents brought up were areas
where we've been able to make great progress thanks to the People's
Transportation Plan and the half-penny for transportation," MDT
Director Roosevelt Bradley said. "As a result, we plan to step
up our efforts to get the word out about the PTP."
Over the last three years, MDT has improved accessibility by adding
22 new bus routes, increasing rush-hour service frequencies, opening
new Park & Ride lots and introducing online Metropass sales and
automated transit trip planning.
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SURVEY SAYS: Miami-Dade Transit recently surveyed
residents about their perceptions of transit.
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On-time
performance has been improved with more standby buses, systematic
bus replacement, global positioning satellite technology and
more field supervisors.
Among its findings, the survey showed that most residents are
unwilling to walk more than four blocks to a bus stop or transit
station. In the last three years, the PTP has brought public
transportation closer to residents' homes by funding a number
of community circulator buses offering convenient access to
transportation at the neighborhood level while providing connectivity
to regional Metrobus routes and Metrorail.
In a sign that the volatility of the gas market is making people
more open to public transportation, a large number of respondents
said another spike in gas prices could motivate them to use
transit. |
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New Program Lets Residents Track Transportation Dollars
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INFORMATION
SUPERHIGHWAY: Miami Springs City Manager Jim Borgmann
and administrative assistant Barbara Robinson use
a new County program to update information about the
city's transportation projects online.
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A new online tool is giving residents access to real-time information
about how their transportation tax dollars are being spent.
Under the People's Transportation Plan, which established the
half-penny surtax for transportation, municipalities receive
20 percent of surtax revenues for local transit and roadway
improvement projects. Local governments are required to submit
annual financial reports and project information to the Citizens'
Independent Transportation Trust, the County's surtax watchdog,
to ensure compliance with local and state laws.
The new Municipal Transportation Plan Project Tracking System
just made that job easier. Developed by County staff, the software
allows cities to immediately update project and budget data
online, thanks to a standardized format featuring user-friendly
pull-down menus. |
"This system enables us to quickly and easily update our information
and submit it to the County ahead of the deadline," said Miami
Springs City Manager Jim Borgmann.
The new software also will make it easier for CITT staff to track
changes to a city's transportation plan and determine how surtax dollars
are being spent.
"We want to be able to support the municipalities in every way
possible, and the tracking system simplifies several complex tasks
in one function that makes it easier for cities to be in compliance
with PTP requirements and for our staff to monitor municipal spending
and project implementation," said CITT Executive Director Nan
Markowitz. "While municipalities will still have to submit hard
copies of certified documents, this tracking system lightens the load
when updating project expenditure and implementation information."
Most importantly, the system improves public access to information
about municipal transportation projects. To find out about your city's
transportation plan, visit www.miamidade.gov/citt.
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Transit
Toy Drive Brightens Holidays
SANTA'S
HELPERS: Miami-Dade Transit's
Toys for Tokens drive collected hundreds
of toys for needy children.
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Miami-Dade
Transit is making the holidays a little brighter for hundreds
of local children.
MDT recently completed its ninth annual Toys for Tokens toy
collection drive. This year's drive yielded hundreds of toys
which will be distributed to needy children throughout the County,
including those whose families were affected by this year's
active hurricane season.
Every year, the department solicits donations of new, unwrapped
toys at selected Metrorail stations in exchange for two transit
tokens per toy. |
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Go.Miamidade.Gov
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CITT
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Stephen P. Clark Center
People's Transportation Plan
111
NW 1st Street, Suite 910
Miami, FL 33128
gomiamidade@miamidade.gov |
Changing
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Miami-Dade County does not collect information for commercial
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Privacy
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© 2005 Miami-Dade County. All rights reserved.
Enewsletter Development by Loop
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