Datasets:
patrickbdevaney
/
mia9

Dataset card Data Studio Files
xet
 Community
1
text
stringlengths
0
6.44k
anticipated growth and long-term mobility, as is supportive land use
that drives many of our transportation outcomes. Creating viable
transit options that can compete with the car will be key to reducing
congestion on roadways. Currently 77% of people in the Miami
Urbanized Area drive alone; 9% carpooled; 3% use public transit; 1%
bicycle; 2% walk; 7% work from home, and 2% use other means.72
Unlike cooler, dryer areas of the state and nation, the tropical heat and
frequent rain showers are a hindrance to biking along with dangerous
roadways where bicyclists and heavy automobile traffic share the road.
Improving first and last mile connections to the network, embracing
safety and adopting pedestrian-oriented design standards, and
promoting policy that incentivizes Transit Oriented Development are
all necessary to support the success of investment in high-capacity
public transportation. Supportive public policies and investment is
needed to achieve equitable access to 21st century jobs and a better
quality of life for all.
Source: http://tri-railcoastallinkstudy.com/
63 | Page
64 | Page
Regional Transit
The Miami Urbanized Area is fortunate to have a relatively high
number of transit trips per capita. Further connecting the region’s
population with well-connected transit remains a priority. With 18
stations along a 70-mile stretch, Tri-rail, a commuter rail connecting the
northern and southern portions of the Miami Urbanized areas,
provides important linkages for regional commuters from West Palm
Beach to Miami. Like Broward Transit and Miami-Dade Transit, the
SFRTA’s Tri-Rail ridership declined with the onset of the COVID
pandemic. However, transit ridership increased due to rising gas prices
with Tri-Rail reporting 11,000 customers on a single day in March 2022;
the highest level since the start of pandemic in March 2020. Public
policies to enhance and facilitate public transportation, particularly
convenient east-west connectivity to key destinations such as
educational institutions and facilities should lead to greater ridership.
Recent private sector investment in mass transit has also broadened the
regional mobility options. Introduced in 2018, Brightline is a higher
speed rail line than previously existing regional mass transit and has
limited stops with stations in downtown West Palm Beach, Fort
Lauderdale, and Miami. Brightline has planned expansion of its
services within the Miami Urbanized Area with local stations planned
for Aventura and Boca Raton as well as service connecting South
Florida with other cities in Florida, including Orlando and Tampa.
Brightline has already constructed the rail to Orlando and is in the
process of construction a station near the Orlando Airport.73 Brightline
was also recently awarded $15.9 million by the U.S. Department of
Transportation to begin work on the proposed Tampa to Orlando
segment, connecting the South Florida region to other urbanized
areas.74
Key regional transit initiatives include Miami-Dade County’s
“SMART” or Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit Program. This
ambitious program seeks to advance five rapid transit corridors of the
People’s Transportation Plan to support mobility, and future
population and employment growth. In Broward, the Mobility
Advancement Program (MAP) funded by a 30-Year Transportation
Surtax advances five goals: 1) Enhancing transit services; 2) Improving
connectivity; 3) Improving traffic system management; 4) Enhancing
multimodal options; and 5) Increasing economic development and
benefits.
In a giant step forward for regional transit and collaboration, in August
2022 the Broward County Commission unanimously approved $15.5
million for the study and development of a southern segment to
connect to Miami-Dade County’s SMART PLAN Northeast Corridor
along the FEC Railway line to bring local train service from Aventura
in Miami-Dade County to a point south of the New River in Fort
Lauderdale. The Broward County southern segment is part of the TriCounty “Coastal Link” project which envisions the expansion of
commuter rail along the FEC through Palm Beach County. To provide
a truly multimodal regional network, the service will also include bus
and highway connections through Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm
Beach counties. Broward and Miami-Dade counties are collaborating
to secure funding for this expansion of rail service. The major obstacle
currently hindering expansion of the Coastal Link into northern
Broward County and Palm Beach is the crossing of the New River in
Fort Lauderdale. Local governments are working together to produce
a viable solution that has the most stakeholder support. It may be a
bridge over, or a tunnel under, the New River but there is agreement
on the importance of this project continuing to move forward so the
Coastal Link can expand northward. Expanding rail transportation in
the region is expensive and difficult given that the necessary rail
easements were not contemplated or set aside early in the development
history of the region.
65 | Page
Regional transportation is particularly important to the economy of
Monroe County, where many workers live outside of the County, and
rely on public transportation to access more affordable housing. The
U.S. 1 corridor, connecting the more urbanized area of the region to the
southernmost point of the country in Key West, is a vital corridor that
requires investment in both transit and resilience to ensure continued
economic growth. Monroe County’s U.S. 1 Transportation Plan (2021)
indicates the need to explore alternative modes of transportation and
improved transit alternatives to help relieve congestion and improve
safety.
Small Businesses – The Heart of Florida’s Economy
Small businesses are an essential part of Florida’s economy landscape.
The U.S. Small Business Administration generally defines small
business as “an independently owned for-profit enterprise that
employs 500 or few persons.” In Florida small businesses represent
99.8% of all Florida Businesses and employing 3.6 million employees
which represent 41.1 percent of Florida employees according to a 2021
Small Business Profile by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
County Business Patterns Data, released April 28, 2022 by the U.S.