Commissioner Martinez: Why is Everyone Ramrodding That CSX Rail on Us? Guest Blog by KendallKop

(There is a very important CSX story in the Tampa Tribune Tribune Investigation-Last Stop In Rail Plan: Tampa and guess who they picture in the story: Our own Miamian, Armando Codina! - Genius)

As a long-time resident of Kendall, defender of the rights of citizens to hold their elected representatives accountable, I wish to question the bizarre, perhaps bordering on the perverse, push behind the CSX railroad/commuter rail proposals, which have been ram-rodded through by the MPO, its consultants, and its staff.

A very narrow vote excised the CSX proposal, but additional votes are coming before the Metro Commission, and until the puppeteer pulling the strings is exposed, anything can – and in Miami-Dade – usually does, happen.

For almost a year there has been suspicion about the political motivation behind the CSX proposal. Is Miami Dade County Commissioner Martinez the man behind the scenes pulling all the strings?

As it turns out, Lennar has bought/or has an option on Ed Easton's mega acreage: Parkland (not sure how they are connected but they are). Parkland is currently in the pipeline as a development of regional impact (meaning it is really BIG). It is west of the present Urban Development Boundary (UDB) line – the line beyond which no county services are provided (I believe it is one house per 5 acres) but Parkland developers are trying to get very dense zoning on this buffer land and they need to show State regulators that they have transportation out there.

While the advocates of the CSX line claim the line will run from the Zoo on Coral Reef to – at first Miami International Airport – but recently cut back to Kendall Drive – in reality their plans indicate the line will run west of Tamiami Airport, cross the UDB, and – coincidence of all coincidences, the CSX line just happens to border this Parkland DRI!

In other words:

We taxpayers are being asked – indeed pushed – to pay for refurbishing of CSX tracks (so the railroad can more efficiently run its freight trains – and at night, too – all night, in fact), install a so-called commuter line which would pick up a very few number of passengers – and open land for already rich developers that have a transportation concurrency problem to fix. CSX is the fix.

The point being that once an infrastructure is in place, developers will call for the right to build.

The outside consultant, Mr. Stiles, the inside pusher Mr. Fernandez, continue to doggedly, and as was written above, perversely call for this CSX nonsense. It must be stopped.

Everything is wrong with the proposal such as:

First, it runs at right angles to the problem. The problem is 65,000 cars running east-west on Kendall Drive. The CSX answer runs north-south.

Second, the original heavy train proposal was scrapped hurriedly in the face of TOTAL resident opposition, and replaced with a lighter diesel component, going only so far north as Kendall Drive. The train would then turn east at 97th Avenue, going somewhere near Dadeland. This train would have rails embedded in the ground, providing a slick surface, on which Miami drivers would skid during and after every rainstorm.

Third, passengers would have to exit the trolley/train in the center of Kendall Drive, and would surely be killed before getting to the safety of the sidewalk.

Fourth, the turn eastward would completely duplicate another foolish approach by the consultants – that of a dedicated busway on Kendall. This busway would not allow normal automobile traffic in its lane, would also pick up and discharge passengers from the center of the street, and would take up at least three (3) lanes of traffic, one each way, plus the bus stop itself. Miami has already had the distinction of having the rudest drivers in the entire country – don't even think for a moment that those same drivers will understand or care about a bus or trolley passenger getting off in the middle of Kendall Drive.

The ONLY viable answer to the east-west congestion on Kendall Drive, one which would allow left turns in both directions, one which would accommodate the handicapped, one which would not remove necessary driving lanes, one which would accommodate 15,000 riders daily, is an extension of MetroRail west on Kendall.

Please think about this, and suggest it at the September 19th meeting.