The Florida State DOT vs. Livability

Activists in Miami are celebrating a likely victory in a months-long campaign for livability improvements on Brickell Avenue, the main drag in the city's fashionable Brickell neighborhood.

The campaign united the folks at Network blog Transit Miami, the Brickell Homeowners Association, a developers coalition and a handful of local advocacy groups. Their lobbying effort was aimed at the Florida Department of Transportation, with the goal of securing pedestrian improvements and a reduced speed limit.

A few recent events seem to indicate that the tide is finally turning in their favor. The Miami Herald editorial board recently took up the cause, and Transit Miami writer Felipe Azenha had the opportunity to lead FDOT officials on a tour of the neighborhood, pointing out possible improvements.

In a recent post at Transit Miami, Azenha can't help but wonder why it takes such a heroic effort to convince FDOT to consider basic safety accommodations, even in the face of united community support:

As Azenha points out, it's ironic that a powerful, specialized organization like the Florida Department of Transportation appears to be lagging behind recent (and not-so-recent) developments in its field. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with many of our state DOTs.

Elsewhere on the Network today: the FABB blog points out that cyclists tend to obey traffic laws when the proper accommodations are put in place for the bicycling community. Market Urbanism pokes fun at the hyperbolic media reaction to New York's incremental increase in street parking rates. And Second Avenue Sagas looks at the long history of failed attempts to link New Jersey to Manhattan by subway, in light of the idea's recent resurrection.