The Miami Progressive

Because of my interest in transportation policy, and because the South Florida region has a dearth of quality public transportation, I look to other, more transporationally-progressive (if I may coin my own phrase) regions, for leadership in the realm of public transport. Recently, the New York Times has published a number of articles on mayor Michael Bloomberg’s efforts to institute a congestion pricing strategy to reduce the number of drivers who travel into various areas of the city.

“Congestion pricing,” for those unfamiliar with the concept, is where cities establish a perimeter inside of which private vehicles are unable to travel, without first having paid a hefty sum of money for the privilege of driving into or through that area during rush hours. Cities that come to mind when I think of this are London and, to a lesser extent, Stockholm, both of which have implemented congestion charges to reduce the amount of traffic within their central business districts.

While our central business districts here in the South Florida region are widely spread, implementing something similar to the congestion charges proposed by Mr. Bloomberg for New York City might be a way to develop a better transit system, which is something our region sorely needs if we hope to avoid the gridlock that has beset cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and the aforementioned New York.

We here in South Florida appear to be on the list of cities that will be trying something new. The I-95 corridor between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale is on the list of potential proving grounds for something called “Managed Lanes.”

This project, which is being funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, proposes to replace a single High Occupancy Vehicle lane on I-95 in each direction with two “managed lanes” which are accessible by express county transit vehicles, as well as by vehicles equipped with electronic toll collection equipment (in our neck of the woods, this is called SunPass). Traffic is guaranteed to be flowing at speeds of 50 miles per hour or more within these managed lanes, and, in return, customers will need to pay increasingly higher tolls in order to use them as traffic increases. This is to say that the more cars that use these lanes, the higher the tolls will become, instantaneously, so that commuters can make the choice to pay more to use the lanes, or ride free in the lanes that are not part of the managed lanes.

Commuters will be able to make their choice to ride within these managed lanes at various intervals along the route, where these lanes will open up to the other unmanaged lanes. Pricing for entry and travel within these lanes will be posted at the entry points, as well as guaranteed travel times to specific destinations. This will enable customers of the toll lanes to know what they are purchasing when they enter.

While I’m not a proponent of continued investment in a highway infrastructure that is perpetually overburdened by traffic, I am in favor of investing in making our highways smarter, so that the gridlock is freed up, less gas is consumed, and, ultimately, cleaner air can be breathed by us.

Now, if only we could convince our politicians to invest in a better transit system, we’d be way better off.