Transportation in South Florida

The Miami metropolitan area[a] composed of the three counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, also known collectively as South Florida, is home to a wide variety of public and private transportation systems.

Tri-Rail, which runs west of South Florida's major downtowns on a former CSX line, is a commuter rail system introduced to provide an alternative to the congestion on Interstate 95.

Highway expansion through widening projects, the addition of express lanes, and the rebuilding of interchanges has persisted into the 2010s, though traffic congestion is as bad as ever, ranking among the highest in United States metropolitan areas.

[14][15] The elimination of the fare was just a small part of a sales tax increase that was approved by two-thirds of Miami-Dade voters under the promise that major rail-based transit extensions would take place.

Funds were misused and it was later falsely claimed that the half-cent increase would not be enough for the expansion promised, despite the fact that the Citizens' Independent Transportation Trust concluded that the Metrorail extension along 9 rail corridors is financially viable.

As the population of South Florida fluctuates similar to the rest of the state, traffic,[18] transit ridership,[19] and flight volumes (FTL) are all generally greater in the winter season.

I-95 and the Palmetto Expressway, a highly congested elevated freeway that serves the farther inland part of the county, are the two busiest roads in South Florida, with traffic in places exceeding 250,000 vehicles per day.

[10] Despite overwhelming support for public transportation to be funded instead of several new highways in the 1970s,[54] Miami's Metrorail system was not operational until 1984 and as of 2014 has not yet reached the scope which was promised over 30 years ago.

[61] Therefore, the Miami metropolitan area remains highly automobile dependent, with a prominent grid system made up of many wide, dangerous roads[62] interlaced with various highways, most of which have tolls.

[70] Similar to Los Angeles traffic, Miami-Dade has a loosely defined "rush hour" that extends much longer than just 8–9 a.m. and 5–6 p.m.[71] Miami also consistently ranks at or near the top in terms of worst drivers and number of accidents.

Unlike most other metropolises, underground development, including basements and below grade parking, is very rare in South Florida, even in city centres, due to the low elevation above sea level.

[109] Though the general trend for public transit in South Florida is for gradual growth in ridership numbers, percentages are offset as the majority of the region has seen steady increases in population over time.

A 2014 survey of 3,917 people in Miami-Dade County found that their highest priority was on-time performance, eclipsing by a narrow margin more frequent service and transit expansions to new areas.

The Miami-Dade County government is working with the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust oversight committee to receive money from the half-penny surtax approved by voters in 2002 in order to purchase new Metrorail cars, due to begin construction in late 2015.

Streetcar style trolley-replica buses have been implemented in over a dozen cities in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties,[142] such as downtown Miami, Coral Gables, and Hollywood.

However, Florida governor Rick Scott denied the funding in 2011, citing that it was still a risk due to uncertain ridership estimates and actual construction and maintenance costs, which could have been a burden to taxpayers.

The city began to host a monthly event known as "Bike Miami", where major streets in Downtown and Brickell were closed to automobiles, and left open for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other human powered transportation.

The event quickly grew in popularity, drawing thousands of cyclists including high-profile individuals such as Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

[193] As the population grows in the region, especially in the greater downtown Miami area, graded and textured crosswalks are added to slow traffic along busy streets such as Brickell Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard (US 1).

New crosswalks installed in the Upper Eastside along Biscayne Boulevard in late 2011 will also be outlined with flashing lights, as well as having islands in the center of the road and large speed feedback signs to warn automotive traffic.

[113] Real estate developers are generally required to pay high impact fees for these large buildings, the profits of which are intended to go to public infrastructure such as schools and transportation.

[215] Due to the urban density, high-rises, cultural institutions, and access to various transit services, Downtown and Brickell are often compared to New York City, specifically Manhattan,[113] despite being much smaller.

The "Coastal Link"[156] is a long-proposed project to move or expand Tri-Rail service to the more easterly aligned Florida East Coast Railway freight line.

There is a controversial plan to extend the Dolphin Expressway from its current western terminus further west to the edge of the Everglades, then south through rural areas, with Krome Avenue being the primary alignment proposed.

[251] In addition to present difficulty with below-grade development, some areas of southern Florida, especially Miami Beach, are beginning to engineer specifically for sea level rise and other potential effects of climate change.

Specifically, in the Miami-Dade area there is a significant population of Cuban-American expatriates and people of Cuban descent, who often default to right-wing politics,[266] seeing it as the opposite of liberalism, which is tied to socialism and seen as similar to the communist regime they escaped.

[278] Specifically, the public felt deceived when the majority of promises were broken related to the county-wide half penny sales surtax, which was supposed to fund many rapid transit expansions, that was passed in 2002 with about two-thirds of the vote.

[280] It should be noted, however, that the half-penny itself was a trade off from the full penny surtax that would have generated billions of dollars over several decades,[281] which was championed by then-Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas,[282] but fought successfully by local businessman and community activist Norman Braman.

[283] Although often grouped with other relatively young sunbelt cities, which grew largely in the age of the automobile,[59] Miami and Coral Gables had an extensive early transit system, with a peak in the 1920s.

[55][284] These studies, which were supplemented by reports by Simon & Curtin Transportation Engineers, continued into the 1970s and recommended a public transit system for the county, citing traffic problems and increasing population.