The Grove is always the poor step child
The Federal Transit Administration released $64.5 million in federal stimulus funds to Miami-Dade Transit yesterday, of which the City of Miami has been allocated $4.1 million to implement an eco-friendly rubber-tire trolley bus system.
“This project will improve the quality of life of the residents of Miami, create much-needed jobs, and provide and eco-friendly public transportation alternative,” said Mayor Manny Diaz.
Along with the trolley bus system, the money will be used for ancillary capital equipment such as shelters and signs, to provide a premium transit circulator system in the areas of Downtown, Brickell, the Health District, Allapattah, Overtown and Coral Way. It's a shame that the Grove is not included in the project. I think many people would enjoy visiting from the other areas and bringing them in by an eco-friendly trolley is perfect for that. Why is the Grove always treated differently than the rest of the city? It gets sort of insulting.
The trolley shown here comes to the Grove often, it is run by a tour company. But a regular trolley bringing people to and from Coral Way and Brickell and connecting with the Coral Gables trolley would be very cool.
Above, you can see the trolley out on the street, as Fred Hunt paints in the window -- a perfect Grove scene to behold when people alight from the trolley.
posted by Tom Falco at 8:00 AM
YOU MAY NOT LIFT THE PHOTOS & TEXT. IT'S COPYRIGHTED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. YOU CAN HOWEVER SHARE A STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY USING THE LINKS HERE.
For linking to this one story, just click on the time it was posted & just this story will open for sharing - only through social media. Not copying and pasting.
14 Comments:
Although I agree that the Grove should get the trolly. I would think that the Grove is the pretty far away from being a step-child in Miami.
Stepchild? More like the deformed evil twin locked in the basement and forced to live on fishheads as its only source of nutrition.
What say our commissioners? Also, were is the other $60.4 million of our money given to the city going? I hope they spend it on something just unnecessary as this, and don't do anything about the real damning lack of useable public transit in the city. (like the dire need to connect the metro to the airport and run it west along Kendall.
Coconut Grove is the crown jewel of Miami neighborhoods.
Brickell, Morningside, Downtown are all very nice but as a city, Miami should promote and cultivate Coconut Grove as the magnet of Miami.
If you looked at the City of Miami from outer space, the Grove should shine and sparkle as a beacon.
You ask why? Because our so-called "representatives" in City Hall, guys like Sarnoff are inefficient in pulling for the Grove's inherent interests, even though, per capita, Grove Residents are among the most generous Tax contributors in Miami. Nothing new here. CI.
This is a silly and shortsighted project. Do they run this stuff by urban planners? Who wrote the justification report? What empirical evidence do they have that a bus (that looks like a trolly) will improve quality of life? If you want to change Miami transportation culture, it isn't going to start with a circulator. Please, this is pathetic.
Maybe if the city wasn't slipping into bankruptcy it would take advantage of the stimulus to foster a more comprehensive (and, granted, expensive) tram network connecting the cities diverse and distant neighborhoods.
I hope somebody with some guts becomes mayor of this town. Somebody who recognizes that city hall governs for citizens and not for business, consumers, developers, and interest groups.
Miami (current leadership across most departments) is not looking to make the Grove bigger and more powerful than what it already is. Instead they are trying to increase the other areas to balance out. It would become more uncontrollable and uncomfortable for them if the Grove were to become more powerfull than the city itself and thats what comes with popularity and even more cash revenue. They already have plenty of problems trying to control ideas and opinions that come out of the Grove... IMHO
Strange that we wouldn't get the trolly when City Hall is right here. I'm not sure I buy the theory that they are trying to make other places bigger and more powerful than the Grove (Allapattah and Overtown are not tourist destinations). It might have simply been done on a need basis. Perhaps the trolly is going where on the path that is traveled most?
Looks like every area of the city is getting service except the Grove. Guess we really should considering becoming our own city at this point. Very disturbing trend.
Grape had to shame the parking authority into giving us the same discounts as downtown. The Miami parking authority and the city also help support that culturales thing on Calle Ocho with our taxpayer and parking money, yet the Grove gets diddly squat.
We are always left out. Where is Sarnoff? Didn't Michelle Spence-Jones even hold the Marlins hostage for money for her district? What does the Grove get other than high taxes?
"Guess we really should considering becoming our own city at this point."
Oh, that we have, many times, and seriously. Secession from the City of Miami has had many runs since the early 90's. The obstacles are HUGE, from Legal, Hostoric, Financial and especially Political standpoints. Too many special interests, burocracy, red tape, and not enough people committed or organized.
Other cities like Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, Doral, etc had it easy, since they weren't incorporated into Miami to begin with. Cocoanut Grove was arbitrarily, unfairly, ---and, arguably, illegally annexed to the City of Miami decades ago. But that's a long story.. Carlos Iglesia.
Sometimes we need to aim our guns at the County, not the City. These transportation initiatives are a County thing. Commissioner Gimenez is a friend to the Grove. Maybe there's something he can do to improve our share of services coming to the Grove from public transportation dollars.
Yes, Michelle and Carlos Gimenez would have been a great City of Miami Mayorial candidate. Carlos please run it's not too late?
Wouldn't you rather see our Carlos replace Carlos Alvarez as County Mayor? I would and will wholeheartedly support him if he makes that challenge.
Thanks for your support Michelle! For starters, I now challenge Mr. Alvarez to a race at the Homestead Speedway, anytime!
Anon 9:51 is most correct, indicating the snub is controlled by a thought process. It is not evil that some folks want to slow the Grove, reduce the value of real estate and business expansion to a point where they then make large investments when the timing is right and jump start "the new Grove". At that point many of us will also benefit.
Post a Comment
<< Home