Regional Transit System
Investing in a well-connected, high-capacity transit system doubles the amount of access our residents have to places and destinations. Our youth, commuters, seniors, visitors, and businesses need this future system. Taking public transportation instead of owning a second vehicle can save (on average) more than $10,000 a year¹, and for those who ride instead of driving the primary vehicle, can save individuals a significant amount of money each month in avoided gas, maintenance, parking, and other expenses. These savings can be redirected toward other financial goals like housing, emergency funds, education, or retirement.
Complementary Land Use
Moving people not only means getting them to and from their destinations, it can also equate to reducing the distance between destinations. Moving more people within the same amount of space requires complementary land use, adjacent businesses and services and first/last mile connections to maximize its value. Transit-Oriented Development not only generates ridership to reduce congestion but eliminates the need for many trips and shows large economic benefits. For example, since 2005, more than 558 development projects along the Phoenix Valley Metro light rail line has attracted a total of $17.5 billion of public and private investment to the area, 35,000 jobs created, over 13,400 new residential units, and more than 6,500 hotel rooms. Safety improved with bicycle and pedestrian collisions decreasing by 50% along the corridor. Overall, the area experienced economic, safety, environmental, and social benefits².
Increased Flexibility within Funding Programs
In 2021, state and local governments spent $206 billion on highways and roads, making it the 5th largest source of direct general spending³. Increasing the flexibility within funding programs would create a multi-billion-dollar investment opportunity for transit and other multimodal projects. This shift would provide decisionmakers with more flexibility in building higher capacity systems within the same public space, choosing projects with significantly higher returns on investment when looking at a standard 30-year lifecycle.
New Revenue Sources
To build our 21st century transportation system, we all need to invest in it (federal, state and local levels). In Phoenix, Arizona an initial $3.7 billion public capital light rail investment (including a local tax voted on by citizens) generated $13.8 billion of private capital investments². High-capacity transit and Transit Oriented Development will attract business and local financial support. Public-private partnerships and innovative financing must be part of the solution.
Stronger Mobility for a Stronger Economy
The 2050 RTP includes a regionally connected high-capacity transit vision identified within each of the adopted 2050 LRTP/MTP for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. It comprises 500 miles of high-capacity transit service and 600 miles of express bus service with nearly 675 stations, increasing access to jobs exponentially. This new potential future transforms our regional economic competitiveness, and our citizens’ quality of life and freedom of upward mobility.
Opportunities Ahead
Southeast Florida is growing rapidly. As it is today, our transportation system is bursting at the seams. There’s a solution, but it isn’t wider roads. It’s a different system. Creating modern mobility policies will lay the foundation needed to improve access, provide convenient options for everyone, and move people freely throughout Southeast Florida. The previous 2045 RTP effort resulted in new or improved policy recommendations to help the region move towards a more modern, viable, safe and efficient system. The 2050 RTP effort reconfirmed those same policy needs.