|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Commuting by bicycle is not common in Miami, but it’s something that Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Paul J. Schwiep, Esq., her appointee on
the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust (CITT), have in common. On a recent
episode of “Mobility Matters” – the CITT’s biweekly video podcast – Mayor Levine Cava
and Schwiep spoke about what the County is doing to increase safety for pedestrians
and cyclists, the importance of building along transit corridors, and other transit-related
topics.
“We do have a lot of people who are dependent on (using) bicycles for their
transportation needs. It’s not just a lifestyle choice. It’s actually a reality because having
a vehicle is very expensive,” said the mayor. “I do want to add that I also bike commute
whenever possible. I go to my husband’s office, which is in the Gables… It’s just a better way to start the day.”
Added Schwiep, “I started riding my bike to school while I was in law school.
Then, I started practicing law in Miami and spent a lot of time stuck in traffic. I wasn’t
feeling so good about how I was keeping my health up. So, I just decided one day,
‘Hey, I can ride to work.’ That was in the mid-90s, and I’ve been doing it pretty much
every day since. I commute from my home in Palmetto Bay to my office in Coconut
Grove.”
Mayor Levine Cava and Schwiep praised the expanding network of bicycle and
pedestrian trails that includes the South Dade Trail, The Underline, the Ludlam Trail, the
Commodore Trail, and along the Rickenbacker Causeway. They also extolled the benefits that the county’s transit system provides for residents’ quality of life.
They highlighted the environmental advantages of public transit, including
reducing the number of cars on the road, modern electric buses, and the growing
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) along Metrorail and bus corridors.
“The Urban Development Boundary – that is not just a fictional line that
somebody cooked up for no good reason. It’s there to protect our natural areas, our
water supply, our agricultural industry, which is really a buffer to protecting the
Everglades. And then, if we just build with sprawl, we don’t have the infrastructure. It
only contributes to traffic,” the mayor added.
Mayor Levine Cava said an important part of the County’s future vision is to meet
the housing needs of residents through increased density. She said that by building
along transit lines, developers can build with fewer parking spaces because of the
access residents have to transit, which also helps to bring down housing costs.
The mayor added that the County is working towards reducing its carbon
footprint by 50 percent by 2030, and net zero by 2050.
“The impact on climate is huge. We know how many cars are taken off the road
by every bus, and you are reducing our climate impact,” she said. “We’ve got work to
do, folks.” Mayor Levine Cava pointed out that a lot of people are dependent on bicycles for
their transportation needs, so it’s not just a lifestyle choice it is actually the reality
because having a vehicle is very expensive.
The county’s current and expanding network includes the South Dade Trail, The
Underline, the Ludlum Trail, the Commodore Trail, and along the Rickenbacker
Causeway. The mayor and Mr. Schwiep also touched on the elements of the county’s
SMART Program that will bring transit to all areas of the county, from the South Dade
Bus Rapid Transit corridor, now under construction, to the much-anticipated Northeast
and North Corridors.
Mr. Schwiep added that expanding our highways is not the solution to
congestion. “These investments in mass transit are not cheap but we’re investing a lot in roads, and we’re still stuck in traffic. We’re contributing to carbon emissions,” he said. “So, you’ve got to invest in alternatives.”
To watch the full episode of this Mobility Matters podcast, visit the CITT’s
Facebook page at: facebook.com/Transportation Trust. Also, catch Mobility Matters
streaming live every other Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., on CITT’s Facebook
page. To learn more about the CITT and its ongoing efforts in overseeing your “half-
penny” sales tax for transit and transportation projects, visit the CITT’s website at:
www.miamidade.gov/citt.
