Miami-Dade’s mass transit system is like the body’s cardiovascular system. Or, at least that is how it should be. As it is currently, it is more similar to a cardiovascular system that does not reach the ears, nose, hands, fingers, feet, or toes. In our county, we refer to those areas as Unincorporated Miami-Dade. We have a transit system that works, sometimes, for only a portion of the population.
If you look at a map of Miami-Dade County you’ll notice that nearly half of our county’s population live in unincorporated areas. Now, if you look at a map of our mass transportation system, you can clearly see that these unincorporated areas are underserved. This is why I say that we have a “mass transit hole” in unincorporated Miami-Dade County.
In some municipalities, the absence of transportation provided by Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works is made up for by a system of free municipal trolleys. The unincorporated areas are not so lucky.
Other transportation options exist in our county where public transit does not reach. Uber, Lyft, and Freebee are three market-driven transportation services that can be used as last-mile solutions or even for the full commute. However, for much of the unincorporated areas, these services are too costly for consistent use.
What do you do if you live in unincorporated Miami-Dade and cannot afford to regularly take Uber or Lyft, don’t have access to a free trolley, and can’t easily access Miami-Dade Transit? You drive. As more people drive, you have more cars on the road and more traffic…the word we’ve all come to hate yet live within our daily lives. A study mentioned in an article published by the Boston Globe mentions a staggering statistic; a mere 5% cut in traffic means a 20% drop in congestion.
We need to fix our transit system so that it doesn’t just help the people living in the urban cores. Everyone in this county should have access to efficient, attractive, reliable, and FREE (or as close to free) public transportation. That is the role of government- to provide critical services, like transportation, to its residents and visitors.
My next article will touch more on market-driven transportation and its impact on our county.
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