Recent Telephone Poll Results Are In: Cutler Bay Residents Want Rail
The Town of Cutler Bay recently completed a telephone poll at the end of June this year in order to determine residents’ preference for transportation developments in South Dade. The primary objective of the poll was to gauge whether residents in the South Dade community preferred the development of a rail or an improved bus system such as the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along the 20-mile stretch of the South Dade Transitway.
The Village of Palmetto Bay also commissioned for the same telephone poll to be conducted within their Village, as well as in the Cities of Homestead and Florida City.
The telephone poll results indicated the following:
The results of the poll where overwhelmingly clear: Residents of Cutler Bay favor the development of a rail as the preferred mode of mass transit along the South Dade Transitway.
“We polled our residents in Cutler Bay to ensure their voice was heard on this issue,” stated Mayor Peggy Bell. “We heard them loud and clear – Give Us the RAIL! Over 2 billion dollars have been spent in 16 years in more affluent communities, while our residents pay the same but only get inadequate bus service.”
The concept of the poll was a collaborative effort by Mayor Peggy Bell (Cutler Bay), Mayor Eugene Flinn (Palmetto Bay), State Rep. Kionne McGhee and former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner, and further supports the Town’s Resolution number 17-52. The Resolution, which was adopted by the Town Council on June 21, 2017, urges the Miami Dade Board of County Commissioners and Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to construct a light rail and/or Metrorail along the existing South Dade Transitway.
Although South Dade residents have indicated a clear preference toward the development of a rail, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works’ have recommended the development of the Bus Rapid Transit along the 20-mile stretch of the South-Dade Transitway instead. Mayor Gimenez has also called for a vote from the Miami-Dade TPO governing board to take place during their July 19 monthly meeting to determine which of the two transportation modes should be implemented in the South Dade Community.
South Dade Residents are encouraged to attend the decisive July 19th meeting to have their voices heard or, if they are unable to attend, to contact the TPO with their thoughts and concerns regarding the matter by emailing TPO@mdtpo.org. The meeting will be held on Thursday, July 19, 2018, from 2 PM – 4 PM at the Stephen P. Clark Center located at 111 NW 1st Street, Commission Chambers, 2nd Floor, Miami, FL, 33128.
