Fort Lauderdale’s Proposed Light Rail System: “The Wave”. Will it cause a major “Train Wreck” in our future?
Posted Under: Eco-Friendly "Green" Suggestions, Economic Improvement Suggestions, Ft Lauderdale City Budget Issues, Ft Lauderdale Development Issues, Important Issues for Fort Lauderdale, Neighborhood Issues
By now, most of you have read or heard about the proposed Light Rail System that the Downtown Development Authority or DDA (composed solely of a group of wealthy downtown Fort Lauderdale property owners) is pushing hard to get approved. It’s called “The Wave”. Having lived in San Francisco for 20 years and ridden that & other cities’ light rail systems around the world, I can attest to the value that these light rail systems can provide to core urban areas.
The folks at the DDA have been promoting the “Wave” as a way for people to get out of their cars (reducing carbon emissions). It will supposedly attract new businesses and residents to downtown, and will connect various points of interest within the City. They compare the “Wave” to the successful Portland Streetcar Project. Unfortunately, they are comparing “apples to oranges”. There is much that has not been disclosed about the “Wave”.
First, a quick background of light rail systems:
Many US cities have implemented Light Rail systems to enhance their core downtown area. These systems generally are implemented for one or more of these three reasons:
1. To relieve inner-city congestion.
2. To assist tourists and residents easily get from one inner-city “Destination” (or point of interest) to another.
3. To compliment and enhance an existing Regional Transportation System that already has wide-spread usage.
IMPORTANT: Cities that can address all three of these reasons for a light rail system will have a popular and well-used system; those cities that are unable to address these three requirements will have nothing more than an expensive, unused toy that cost local taxpayers millions of dollars a year.
But one thing is constant: Whether used or not, these light rail systems increase the value of the properties along that system, anywhere from 35% to over 75% immediately after the system is completed, making those who own property alongside the light rail system wealthier. Where would “The Wave” be built? Mostly within the domain of the DDA (downtown Fort Lauderdale). So now you can see why the members of the DDA are pushing so hard for this: They want to see the value of their properties rise.
Now, although there is nothing wrong with the DDA wanting to increase their property values, using O.P.M. (Other People’s Money) to do this doesn’t seem right to me. If they want to fund it themselves, fine. I’d love to see a light rail system installed here in Fort Lauderdale that doesn’t cost the taxpayer anything. But when they want taxpayers to fund almost 90% of the initial project cost and 70% of the annual operating costs, it seems that we need to more carefully scrutinize what we would be getting for our tax dollar. Here is where the money for the supposed $124 Million dollar “Wave” project (some call it the “Loop to Nowhere”) would come from:
-Federal funding (meaning US taxpayer money): $62 Million
-State funding (State taxpayer money): $31 Million
-City of Fort Lauderdale funding (meaning your property tax bill will go up): $11 Million
-Additional assessments on downtown residences, (on top of those property tax increases): About $5 Million
-Assessments on downtown Commercial property & land (monies which would come primarily from the wealthy property owners of the DDA): About $15 Million.
Because so much public money is being proposed for this project, we should be asking our City and County Commissioners: “Are we the taxpayer being served by the “Wave?” Look at the proposed cost per mile for the “Wave”: It is $50 million dollars per mile. According to the National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates (www.napta.net), the cost should be about $10 million dollars per mile. Why should the “Wave” cost five times as much? You need to ask your Commissioner this question, as it will be YOUR money that funds this. (And when was the last time you ever heard of any public project being completed on time and within budget?) Expect cost over runs here as dozens of individuals and special interest groups will line up with their hand out, wanting a piece of the construction pie…
Besides the cost factor, there are other reasons to be wary of the “Wave”. Remember the three data points that would determine the success of a light rail system?
Reason 1: “To relieve inner-city congestion”. Walk or drive along the route proposed by the “Wave”. From the intersection of NW 6th Street and NE 3rd Avenue, west over to Andrews, then south to Las Olas, over the New River and south along either Andrews or 3rd Avenue to Broward Medical Center. Where’s the congestion? There isn’t any, even at peak commute times. But one thing’s for sure. If the “Wave” is installed along these streets, there will be congestion as drivers will have to navigate around the light rail vehicles that will be sharing the road with them. The “Wave” will actually cause congestion, not relieve it.
Reason 2: “To assist tourists and residents get from one inner city Destination (or point of interest) to another.” All successful tourist cities have “Destinations”, or places for residents and tourists to go and spend money. (Go to http://abetterftlauderdale.com/?p=8 to see why we need to focus more on developing “Destinations” for our City.) And light rail systems in general are great at going from one inner-city destination to another. Now look at the route for the “Wave” project. It does go through Las Olas (our only true Destination in Fort Lauderdale), but the start of the line is an empty lot/used car dealership, and the end of the line is the Broward General Medical Center. Neither would be classified by any knowledgeable person as a “point of interest”. The Sun Trolley system already serves our one Destination, Las Olas, yet serves less than 100 riders a day. No rational person would see the “Wave” as helping people go from one inner-city destination to another, so this justification fails the smell test.
Reason 3: “To compliment and enhance an existing Regional Transportation System that already has wide-spread usage.” Fort Lauderdale has never been part of a successful regional transportation system. Tri-Rail is difficult to access and by most accounts is an expensive failure. Broward County’s bus system is spotty and used sporadically. Face it: Our city has been built around the automobile. A 2.7 mile stand-alone light rail system through downtown will do nothing to help get people out of their cars to use mass transit. There is nothing “green” about the “Wave” except for the huge number of “greenbacks” it will cost us, the taxpayers.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of examples of successful light rail systems, but all satisfy the three reasons listed above. Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia all have systems that have reduced congestion, linked inner-city destinations and are part of a larger regional transportation system. They all have ridership in the hundreds of thousands a day.
The “Wave” supporters tout Portland’s streetcar system and compare the “Wave” to theirs. But they fail to mention that Portland’s system is part of a larger 44 mile “Tri-met” regional transportation system, composed of integrated bus, light rail, commuter rail and street car systems that connect the 28 cities and suburbs around Portland. They also fail to mention that Portland’s street car system is free to riders in the downtown core area. (Probable ridership fares for the Wave’s 2+ mile “Loop to Nowhere” would be $1.25 per ride)
There are many more light rail failures: Tampa (a city much larger than us) has a 2.3 mile system with a ridership rate of under 1,000 people a day. Little Rock (a city roughly the same size as ours) has a 2 mile system with a ridership of less than 340 people per day. Kenosha Wisconsin has a 2 mile system with less than 200 people riding it per day.
The “Wave” would need to carry 6,000 riders a day to break even. Given that our Sun Trolley carries less than 100 people a day tells me that this project, (like many others proposed by special interest groups), will end up being subsidized by the taxpayer, with the only benefit going to the wealthy downtown property interests.
Do we need a 2.7 mile light rail “Loop to Nowhere” for the benefit of wealthy downtown property owners? Absolutely not. What we do need (and thank you to Congressman Ron Klein for his efforts here), is to move our existing Tri-Rail system over to the FEC (Florida East Coast Railway) tracks, which go through downtown Fort Lauderdale and along side the current Broward County bus hub. (Go to: http://klein.house.gov/?sectionid=57&itemid=725 for more on his efforts.)
If we can help Congressman Klein do this, it would establish a usable and much needed commuter link between Miami and Palm Beach, with Fort Lauderdale being a prime beneficiary. Instead of a few wealthy downtown business interests benefitting, many of Fort Lauderdale’s neighborhoods and their residents would benefit, including Middle River Terrace, Imperial Point, Brentwood Estates, Lake Ridge, Flagler Village, Victoria Park, our downtown Government Center, and South Andrews Business District. The Riverwalk and Himmarshee would blossom with new businesses as the new commuter line would be right there, bringing passengers from Palm Beach and Miami. It would also benefit the City of Wilton Manors and Oakland Park. And since this line runs right next to our airport, it would enable us to go to the airport without using gas-powered vehicles. We could also travel to Miami or Palm Beach without getting on I-95. How’s that for fuel savings?
Once this commuter link is established (which would then better utilize our existing bus network), ONLY THEN should we discuss establishing a light rail system. But why (as the current “Wave” proposal shows) would we want the “Wave” to parallel the FEC tracks, only blocks away? Rather than north & south, future light rail lines should be running east and west, connecting downtown to the beach and other future destination points out west. Then we would start to see a great regional transportation system that would benefit us all.
So what do we do with the “Wave” (or the “Loop to Nowhere”?)
First, we should politely tell the wealthy DDE members: “If you want it, fine; you pay for it. But pay for all of it” Second, tell your elected representative to ask the tough financial questions about this project. Why should it cost 5 times the average cost per mile? Why aren’t we putting our resources behind Congressman Klein’s efforts to get Tri-Rail moved over to the downtown tracks first before we start worrying about the “Wave”? Finally, ask yourself: Who does the “Wave” really serve? Would you regularly ride it? You soon realize that the only group the “Wave” really serves is the DDA who has been pushing to get it implemented. They will benefit financially. The rest of us will be paying for it for years to come.
It seems logical that any rational City or County Commissioner would put the brakes on this project. Think again. Most of our elected City and County representatives have received significant political contributions from the folks in the DDA. It’s payback time now. Go to: http://www.ddaftl.org/governance.asp to see a listing of just the board members of this group. If you were to go to the financial treasurer’s reports of many of our elected Commissioners, you’ll find the same names listed as major donors. So you can expect this project to be approved without much public input, unless you decide to express your feelings to your Commissioner. If you don’t object now, you’ll have no one but yourself to blame later.
For a useful and educational document about the good and bad of Urban Transit Systems in general, read a study from Jonathan Richmond, from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University:
(http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/professional/wholesys.pdf). A notable quote from his very well-written document: “…we have to remove ourselves from an obsession with technology and move instead to an art that appears to have been lost in public transport: the study of needs as the starting point of inquiry. Instead of asking if a light rail project is feasible when we discover an abandoned right-of-way, we must ask who our clients are, and from there proceed to study how they may best be served”.
So just who will be served with the “Wave”? I see an expensive “Train Wreck” coming.
Earl Rynerson
Reader Comments
I believe Fort Lauderdale is not a large city enough city for The Wave. The monetary problem is #1, #2 we have the city Trolley no one is riding it and the cost is very affordable. We have taxi service that is readily available. I would like to keep Fort Lauderdale a small community as it attracts tourists because of it’s quaint and appealing environment.
I do not believe it will enhance my property rather it will attract expense and misuse of funds from taxpayers.
I have been involved in transit in Fort Lauderdale for the past 10 years, first attending the 2005 and 2020 Broward County Transit Workshops in late 1999, then joining the Downtown Fort Lauderdale Transportation Management Association, becoming a member on the cities ad-hoc committee on transportation in 2003 and then the city’s technical advisor to the Downtown Broward County Mobility Study, which latter be came the “Wave” project now lead by the DDA. When I started my involvement here I thought I knew everything there was to know about public transit, having grown up in the Boston suburbs from age seven taking a bus to the trolley stop then to Fenway Park in downtown. Latter I took similar routes to school and then work. Well I found that experience does not always equal education. So I started reading books like The Geography of Urban Transportation, Third Edition by Susan Hanson, The Transit Metropolis by Robert Cervero, Urban Transit by Vukan R. Vuchic, Taking the High Road by Bruce Katz; Robert Puentes’ Air Quality Analysis for Urban Transportation Planning by Joel Horowitz, Urban Transportation Planning in the United States: History, Policy, and Practice by Edward Weiner , The beginnings of mass transportation in urban America by George Rogers Taylor, Brief history of mass transportation in the Seattle urban area by Michael W Voris, Cash, Tokens, & Transfers: A History of Urban Mass Transit in North America by Brian Cudahy, The Taxicab: An Urban Transportation Survivor by Gorman Gilbert and Robert E. Samuels, From Streetcar to Superhighway: American City Planners and Urban Transportation, 1900-1940, Uptown-Downtown Horsecars-Trolley Cars: Urban Transportation in Kingston, New York 1866-1930 by Glendon L. Moffett, and about a dozen others relate to urban planning and automobile related development sprawl.
The rail plan for Fort Lauderdale has been underway since 2002. It was first going down SW 2nd street serving an isolate population and certain property owners as well as equipment suppliers. Then it was looping north and south on Andrews and 3rd Avenue within the DDA territory serving a little broader community which included the courthouse, university and colleges. Now finally after 8 years of tinkering and millions of dollars of study the system will connect the Hospital (8,000 workers and visitors a day with Parking) to the courthouse (6,000 workers and visitors a day with parking) and the college and university (5,000 students, workers and teacher). This is a plan that truly serves the living and working population of the downtown core who need and will use transit. And yes this route will increase property values so we can afford the taxes to pay for it.
You benefit from the road my tax dollars paid for to your house and business even if I never go there it will benefit me as well by supporting the economy and property values. Same with all public utilities. And the same is true of all public transit. Routes that do not serve a population like some of the current Trolley routes are not getting direct federal dollars and the Wave is. When the FTA looks at the request they look for projects that serve populations that will make it a success. That is why the project morphed into what it is today because the DDA realized what the Fed’s want to fund and they finally responded. That is how it has worked in many cities chasing the same federal transit money.
In the future the system will connect to the airport and seaport, and the rubber tire trolleys will connect it to tri-rail and the neighborhoods. It all has to start somewhere, and plan makes sense to me. That why I put my office on south Andrews near the hospital and downtown 20 years ago and have work hard to see the plan develop into something that will work for everybody in Broward County.
What is really needed is a good, large and architecturally pleasing parking garage behind Las Olas. Along with that Las Olas has to be redesigned as an urban mall much like Lincoln Road with sidewalk cafes. To achieve that at least 3 blocks must be closed to traffic with traffic diverted to the improved and relocated roads North and South of Las Olas. What is happening to Las Olas now is a joke.
I am all in favor of improved rail transport but private transportation will be with us for a long time and moving to electric cars as we will within the next 10 years will eliminate a lot of the environmental concerns. The “Wave” is a bad idea, parking garages and a redesigned Las Olas Boulevard as a plaza mall is a good idea that will increase Fort Lauderdale real estate values and help the city develop.
Hey Mike! Haven’t spoken to you in a while. Got your comments (Thank you!) and have posted them here. I have always been truly impressed with your knowledge about all things Fort Lauderdale and especially the South Andrews area. I consider you a very smart person. I agree that we need to have a transit plan that benefits Fort Lauderdale. What I would hate to see with the “Wave” is a stand-alone light rail system (that so many other cities have), where only a few people a day ride on it. Then it ends up being an expensive bauble (that taxpayers will be burdened with for years to come) that doesn’t provide real benefit to our city. My worry comes from looking at the current Sun Trolly and seeing less than 100 people a day ride that. I know that if the “Wave” is installed along the street where your business is, that you will benefit from you property value going up. I am looking at this issue City-wide tho. How about if we are successful getting Tri Rail moved over to the FEC tracks? Wouldn’t that add value to all properties in your area as commuters from Palm Beach and Miami would be traveling through your area? I still feel that SABA is a perfect place to develop into a unique arts and theatre district. Having the City designate your area as such and incenting developers to build those kinds of structures that would allow that concept (shops/retail/entertainment) to proliferate would help improve property value even more than an unused (I fear) light rail system that goes by your front door. What do you think about that??
I support the Wave and would like to see it someday But I thank you Earl for bringing out some Realism concerning the Wave. I to have concerns with the cost of running the Wave yearly and who is paying for it until it becomes Cost neutral has well with the cost per mile to build, it does seem to high compared to other projects that have been done in the past and I appreciate your Time and effort you put into research and I say we the residents are lucky to have your impute One idea I have is maybe the DDA and others on the Route need to have more skin in the game concerning the yearly cost until the Wave becomes cost neutral and I agreed the DDA Sun Trolly history and track record is poor as I see it very little apparently was accomplished with private funding and rider-ship is very low and should be dismantled until a better Business plan can be done with a more Team effort approach again thank you for Efforts and for Your Great Blog abetterftlauderdae.com All the best Ray.
Just read your comments + the comments of others. Thanks - once again, Earl, for bringing this to Resident attention. The Tri-Rail relocation to the more Easterly set of tracks is definitely a more Common-sense, workable and REALISTIC idea - - - an “idea” that would bring real improvements to our area - and the local areas of others.
I’m a little late in the game.
My concern is with FDOT’s East/West LRT transit planning. A light rail system will run down the same route as the Wave; from Broward Blvd south to the hospital via Andrews Ave, but continuing down to the airport (also serving the western suburbs via I595 corridor). I don’t know the likely hood of either the Wave or this Central Broward LRT to be built, but if both were, I highly doubt we will ever have the ridership to justify to systems running on the same route anytime in the near future…
Earl and Ray I agree with your concerns about the proposed transit system. That is why I have been involved in this mess that has cost me a lot of time and money over the last ten years. But someone has to do it, even if it has had a negative effect on my business for a time. But by making myself as knowledgeable as possible before opening my mouth and put my foot in it I feel I can be most effective with this massage. Most of what I have advocated for; based on my education of what works best for our community has slowly evolved into the plan and everything else is part of the next phases. This includes an initial route that serves the largest population of need, which can use the system effectively. Ray the local property owners within walking distance of the system will be assessed to help fund the project so the property owners that will benefit will have some “skin in the game”.
We should all be thinking ways (to get some skin in this game) to support the transit and make sure our tax dollars are well used. This means supporting initiatives that create incentives to uses the system. Such as business owners and governmental agencies charging their employees the real cost of parking and pay for their transit pass each month. And business and governmental agencies offering discounts and bonuses for those customers that arrive by transit. Adjusting the parking in areas served by the system to encourage more reliance on transit. Once the system works for the people that live here everyone including tourist will want to be on it. In cities with great transit, the system was setup for the local public and since it work so well tourist would feel comfortable using it as well. Only theme parks and artificially created tourist areas do tourist buses and trams work well.
When the boom for condos and townhouse was on 2002 -2006 I suggested that like park fees being assed to the developer that a downtown transit fee be assed the same way. The cost to the developer could have been offset buy building less parking, offering free transit as a marketing tool, and perhaps the contributing developers could have gotten some free advertising on the current trolleys.
Sorry I’m out of time
Mike-
I’m responding to your last email. The concern that I (and many others) are starting to have with the “Wave” is that it simply does not address the three measurements that assure success of a light rail system: It does not reduce congestion, it would increase it; it does not get people from one Destination to another within our City; it would not be linked to any other well-used mass transit systems.
Additionally, you reference the thousands of people at the downtown University , the Hospital and Government buildings that could use it. The problem with that logic (as I see it), is that most of those people (probably over 98%) don’t live anywhere near the proposed light rail route, they live in Weston or Davie or Imperial Point or elsewhere. They have no way of getting to the Wave unless they drive downtown first. Once they are there, the Wave will be useless to them.
In summary, I see no value to the Wave until it can address the three cornerstone rules for any light rail system. If those rules could in fact be met, then I would “Get on Board” and encourage others to do the same. As it is right now, the Wave has “jumped the tracks” and is not going to serve anyone except the local property owners. It is simply another example of lobbyists and special interests pushing for their “pet project” that we the tax payer must end up paying for.
Mike I was aware of the assessment on near by property owners but my concern is that it doesn’t cover the yearly cost and the tax payor would need to make up the short fall until the Wave was cost neutral and remembering the track record of the Sun Trolly that DDA was involved with. I am concern with what will happen with this. So I proposed that the property owners that abuts the service mainly businesses along the route and the DDA support the Wave until cost neutral. Thanks Mike for all your efforts and I still think the Wave is a good Idea .
GaboFlorida@aol.com wrote:
3 questions the readers need to ask themselves:
1: Who is the Wave going to serve? (the clientele that will be cattered to).
2: Where is it going to take me? (points of interest)
3: What is the route? (the span of the neighborhoods covered)
After answering these 3 questions they will realize that the Wave is useless.
We really need a “wave” system that will connect Las Olas, the Beach, the Flea Market, Sawgrass Mills, Tri-Rail and points in between. Running in a circle/square around downtown (what used to be downtown) is pointless and not needed. Besides, I was behind a free trolley that was running through the residential central NW section (around 9th Ave & 13 St) of Fort Lauderdale the other day that I was not aware existed–who is paying for this free trolley? Why do I not have one running through my residential neighborhood?
What a boondoggle: the loop from nowhere to nowhere!
It will be nice for Mini-Town Ft. Lauderdale to construct a Light Rail system. But isn’t Light Rail systems are for large congested cities? Mini-Town Ft. Lauderdale, isn’t more like the suburbs of Miami. Therefore, what would this city do with a Big city toy. What the city need to invest in is converting Mini-Town Ft. Lauderdale into Downtown Fort Lauderdale, by adding something that at least all county/regional residents wouldnt mind wasating money/time to come enjoy. Fort Lauderdale isnt a destination that any just want to go to. City/County commissioners needs to developed something that not just residents want to come to because it is where there businesses, and homes are located. And not people are compiled to come to because they have to go to jail or court. But a real Downtown that people can not get enough of. The beach is played out, and being ruin, and Las Olas looks dead/or on its last leg. I strongly believe, if Downtown Fort Lauderdale, can not get it togather I truly believe that Downtown Broward County, should go to City of Sunrise, because every one in Broward County visits the City of Sunrise because it has what we want. It is our Downtown. It host shopping center, The Sawgrass Mills Mall, and directly across of the Street it host the Bank Atlantic Center, and many more destinations are located in the city of Sunrise. No matter what far more people drives to sunrise to Dead Ft. Lauderdale. That will explain the traffic congestion within the city of Sunrise, because we love what they have as attractions. DownTown have no attractions what so, ever. In reality they need to work on them
I sad to say I had no idea that these things were being built on public tax dollars. What would be the point of spending so much money on such a limited form of transportation? If you have ever used public transportation then you would know that it would serve the city better to put that money towards existing public transportation.
NO we do not need a down town light rail. Rail takes you somewhere, not round in bureaucratic circles. All a down town loop would do is connect the court house lawers and city workers with their banks and condos.
What we DO need is a REAL light rail plan connecting the things real citizens need or want to get to.
LOOP #1
Airport to convention center, going high over intercostal and down to Pier 66, on piles down center of 17th to Bahia Mar (for boat shows) past Swimming haul of Fame (for swim meets), connecting the parking lot under Las Olas Bridge, (the only large parking lot on the beach) along Birch road to connect the hotels and motels, cutting over the corner of Bonnet House to rise high again over intercostal and coming down at Galaria,(and the buss stops at Galaria), Following sunrise, past Gateway, at 15th street connecting the public park and libarry on one side and Publix and Wallgreens on the other. Swinging over Holiday park, with stop at Play House and War Memorial buildings, then crossing US1 to come down the center of N Andrews on piles. Connecting city hall, central buss station, Rivierwalk and then rising over the river to continue south, Court House, and south down Andrews to County Hospital, (REVITALIZING south Andrews as it goes) and then continuing on to the Airport where it closes the loop.
LOOP #2
Runs from Tri Rail station and the large un-used commuter parking lot at Broward and I95 (the parking lot has it’s own I95 exit ramps that are almost never used), EAST along Broward, connects Police station, then on to down town and buss station. Connects with Loop #1 and circles back along Sistrunk (Revitalizing Sistrunk) and back to north side of the existing Commuter parking lot.
LOOP3
Extends loop 2 to the west, running long Broward, stop at Broward Mall, then jog to the north to have a stop as the hospital, the Library, the Counties Western buss terminus, and Broward county offices. Continuing along Broward past Heritage and eventually swinging north to get to the buss terminus at SawGrass Mall, then on to the Ariana. Runs as a two track two way spur with return traffic on parallel rail.
A rail system must go far enough to provide an alternate way of getting there that is far enough away so that waiting for the train and paying for it is faster considerably faster than walking. Little loops don’t help anyone do anything except go to lunch at a local restaurant.
Successful rail goes between places people want to go. Like food shops, malls, parks, beaches and transit connector hubs.
Successful rail goes for enough distance that waiting for the train makes sense.
Successful rail connects major transit hubs, like airports, cruse ship terminals, buss terminals, commuter parking lots.
Successful urban rail connects RESIDENTS with SERVICES and RECREATION. To do that it must pass through or near residential neighborhoods and connect people with the stores where they do everyday shopping. The real world ain’t Disney.
Just think what it would be like if someone in Victoria Park or Harbor View, can walk to the Beach Loop and be connected with Supermarkets, Banks, Libraries, Malls, Theaters, City offices, County Courts, Bus Stations, the Tri-Trail and the Airport.
Om the other hand if it does not connect RESIDENTS or the people who come without cars, the TOURISTS, to the transport, services and entertainment in the city then it is nothing more than a tax payer supported bus to executive lunches for bankers and lawers.
James-
I don’t believe I know you, but I agree with your ideas 100%. I think this is the approriate way to look at transit plans here in Ft Lauderdale. Michael M., what do have to say about this?
Earl