Two things happened recently that illustrate the problem we have with our entire mass transit effort. Let’s discuss them in chronological order.
Trolley Service Along East-West Corridor:
The first concerned a simple proposal to extend existing trolley service (provided by the City of Miami) from the Flagami area all the way to FIU. When this idea went to committee, one of my colleagues referred to the plan as “transportation from the dais.” (The derisive tone, I suspect, was meant to convey the notion that commissioners are not really competent to conceive transit routes.)
Of course, the alternative way that transportation has been analyzed in recent years can be referred to as “transportation by consultants.” Not one of the plans or studies carried out by outside consultants has resulted in a single important transit improvement.
That brings me to the second thing that happened recently…the reader may compare and contrast the two approaches.
Trolley Service to Westchester:
About the same time as that was happening, Commissioner Javier Souto asked to meet in the sunshine with me to discuss connecting South Miami, in my district, to Westchester and the Tropical Park area in his district. Evidently, Commissioner Souto believes that our ideas for transit connectors and systems – subject always to staff putting bells and whistles on the particular initiative.
Now let’s see what the consultants and bureaucrats do when they are asked to design a transit connector.
I am talking about the Kendall corridor, which was analyzed at a substantial cost and over a lengthy period of time.
Here is the unbelievable tale of the consultant’s analysis. For a 9-mile stretch that connects Kendall to the turnpike along Kendall Drive, these folks envision what is euphemistically called “BRT, “which means “bus rapid transit.”
OK, I thought to myself, if this is the only thing that works to provide mass transit on the 9-mile stretch, let’s proceed to ask what cost and timing look like. (I assumed it would be very inexpensive and expeditious to mark the lanes for buses and synchronize lights properly to reduce transit time for the buses.)
Much to my surprise, or rather shock, the cost was estimated at $250 million and completion time was estimated as 2032. In other words, it would cost a quarter of $1 billion to dedicate an existing lien to be used by existing buses and will take 13 years to Implement.
I am sure the reader will want to know where the $250 million would be used, other than to paint the dedicated lanes for the buses. It would take too long to explain, and it would not be believable in any case.
Suffice it to say that a much simpler system using existing right of way would be to buy 40 new trolleys for about $10 million and operate them as the cities do for about $4 million a year.
Which of course is what I will propose, and I am sure will not get traction until we have a whole new administration and a majority of new commissioners.
That is less than 11 months from now.
Xavier L. Suarez
Commissioner, District 7
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez can be reached at 305-669-4003 or via email at district7@miamidade.gov.
