An open letter to Governor Scott about transportation.

[Dog Walker]

Open Letter to Governor Scott â€" Will Florida Become a Paradise Lost?



Today Sierra Club released a statement from seven organizations in an open letter to Governor Rick Scott about creating a 21st century transportation system in Florida. The letter is as follows:




April 15, 2011



Governor Rick Scott

State of Florida

The Capitol

400 S. Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL  32399-0001



Dear Governor Scott:



Will Florida become a Paradise Lost?



Currently, Florida runs on oil.  As long as our state remains dependent upon oil, Floridians will continue to suffer financially as prices increase at the pump and we pay more money to fuel our vehicles.



In the early twentieth century, the railroads of Flagler and Plant helped spur the development of Florida.  It is ironic that in the twenty-first century, public transit has not expanded sufficiently to meet transportation needs of that development.  Instead of moving forward with fuel-efficient transportation choices, like improved public transit, Florida has taken a step backwards by promoting more oil drilling to fuel more cars on more highways.



Governor, you were elected on your campaign promise to get Floridians back to work.  However, your rejection of Federal monies to fund a highly popular high-speed rail project in the state lost the potential for 24,000 jobs.  In addition to that catastrophic loss of jobs and money to Florida residents, the Sunshine State has lost the opportunity to be America’s leader in 21st century transportation alternatives that would have enticed new businesses and residents to locate to Florida.



Instead, your reliance on auto usage and using taxes to build more roads reflects neither innovation nor opportunity for growth.  It just proves to the rest of the nation that Florida lacks commitment to attract investment and invest in quality of life for residents and visitors, relying on tired solutions (building more roads and requiring more oil) to solve 21st century transportation problems.



For decades, Florida’s economic growth was measured by the proliferation of residential developments and highways to accommodate them.  The result was two problems that continue to plague our state and our way of life: massive urban sprawl and traffic congestion. Will newly retired baby boomers and visitors want to come to Florida if they have to face daily bumper-to-bumper traffic and air pollution?  Will new businesses want to establish offices in a state where employees have limited access to reliable public transit?



The answer is simple.  Florida needs to take the lead in providing cleaner and greener transportation choices, with better mass transit and routes that promote walking and bicycling.  Such transportation reforms will also create more jobs than simply building new roads.



Let’s get to work, Governor Scott, to create a 21st century transportation system in Florida that will make our state sustainable, clean and green before Florida becomes Paradise Lost.



Sincerely,



Linda Bremer

Steering Committee, Sierra Club Florida

Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign

1650-302 Margaret Street

Jacksonville, FL  32204

Linda@bremer.net



Frank Jackalone

Senior Field Organizing Manager

Sierra Club

111 Second Ave., Ste.1001

St. Petersburg, FL  33701

Frank.Jackalone@sierraclub.org



John D. Hopkins

Executive Director

Green Mobility Network

200 S. Biscayne Blvd., 6th Floor

Miami, FL 33131

john@greenmobilitynetwork.org



Gloria Katz

Founder

Smart Growth Partnership

2823 NE 36th St.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308

GloriaKatz@SmartGrowthPartnership.org



Brad Ashwell

Legislative Advocate

Florida PIRG

310 N. Monroe St.

Tallahassee, FL 32301

brad@floridapirg.org



Bill Newton

Executive Director

Florida Consumer Action Network

3006 W. Kennedy Blvd., Ste. B

Tampa, Florida 33609

billn@fcan.org



Ilysia Shattuck

Executive Director

Florida Conservation Alliance

7403 Alafia Ridge Loop

Riverview, FL  33569

ilysia@gmail.com



Mike Lasche

Executive Director

Bicycle/Pedestrian Advocates

P.O. Box 3746

Sarasota, FL  34230

Mikel.modem@verizon.net

[Timkin]

+1

[Ocklawaha]

Currently, Florida runs on oil.  As long as our state remains dependent upon oil, Floridians will continue to suffer financially as prices increase at the pump and we pay more money to fuel our vehicles.

In the early twentieth century, the railroads of Flagler and Plant helped spur the development of Florida.  It is ironic that in the twenty-first century, public transit has not expanded sufficiently to meet transportation needs of that development.  Instead of moving forward with fuel-efficient transportation choices, like improved public transit, Florida has taken a step backwards by promoting more oil drilling to fuel more cars on more highways.

This portion of the letter is accurate, and spot on the problems we face and the future we have unfortunately had chosen for us. "We have met the enemy, and they are us!"

Governor, you were elected on your campaign promise to get Floridians back to work.  However, your rejection of Federal monies to fund a highly popular high-speed rail project in the state lost the potential for 24,000 jobs.  In addition to that catastrophic loss of jobs and money to Florida residents, the Sunshine State has lost the opportunity to be America’s leader in 21st century transportation alternatives that would have enticed new businesses and residents to locate to Florida.

Instead, your reliance on auto usage and using taxes to build more roads reflects neither innovation nor opportunity for growth.  It just proves to the rest of the nation that Florida lacks commitment to attract investment and invest in quality of life for residents and visitors, relying on tired solutions (building more roads and requiring more oil) to solve 21st century transportation problems.

At this point the letter loses all credibility, (credibility because it is obvious that the writer does not understand what was actually being proposed in Florida, and had bought the sales pitch without question, hook, line, and sinker) with both the railroad community, most of the transportation experts outside of Florida, the Governor and his party. Killing the high speed project Florida has been chasing was in and of itself a great reason to elect Rick Scott.

Florida High Speed Rail:

Would not take a single car off the interstate as it was not designed for Floridians.
It would not improve the quality of life in Central Florida or anywhere else as it was not designed for Floridians.
It might have effected 2,000-3,000 jobs, but even those would have been short term construction employment and Scott knows it.
We would not have led anything with our HSR project which was designed to fail, rather we would have been the battle cry of the automobile lobby for the next 100 years saddled with a railroad which nobody in Florida would ride.
Our HSR project was to railroads what the Weekly World News is to media, a dangerous joke which could well have had a catastrophic effect for any future HSR project in the nation.
Why would anyone want to relocate along a rail line that is worse then the Skyway? Traveling from nothing to a small city, to an amusement park, to a bunch of amusements parks to an airport would have quickly collapsed into the reality of just another Disney ride. There NEVER WAS a transportation "alternative" offered by Florida HSR.
Quality of life? really? What part of knowing we had a failed railroad, running along an interstate, crippling its travel advantage by serving airports rather then cities, would have improved my quality of life?

For decades, Florida’s economic growth was measured by the proliferation of residential developments and highways to accommodate them.  The result was two problems that continue to plague our state and our way of life: massive urban sprawl and traffic congestion. Will newly retired baby boomers and visitors want to come to Florida if they have to face daily bumper-to-bumper traffic and air pollution?  Will new businesses want to establish offices in a state where employees have limited access to reliable public transit?

Reliance on auto usage would only have gotten worse along I-4 because the railroad surrendered all of it's advantages before it ever turned a wheel.

Railroad's have a huge advantage over air travel in congested highly urbanized area's. Running from City Center to City Center puts the train at the door of millions of potential patrons. Airlines suffer from the body searches performed by homeland security, and from locations that are anything but convenient.  Adding in the wasted time getting from town to the airport, parking and security, while trains run directly into city centers it's easy to see a railroads advantage on short-medium haul passenger routes. Put that train station in the airport and you just trashed the number one reason for using corridor trains where ever they are found, adding the typical train speeds to the long delays at the airport is a deal killer. 

The average trip from the Orlando metro area to OIA is about 25 minutes. Any perceived time savings was shot before the train ever left the station. With only hourly trains, the average customer would have to wait 30 minutes for the "next train," then of course one would have to add in parking. Parking is free down on Sligh Avenue Amtrak station, but it costs $19 dollars a day at OIA, and adds another 10-15 minutes to any trip.

So take the Florida HSR and spend $30 for a one-way ticket to Tampa, add in the parking and you've spent $49 dollars for a trip that Amtrak charges $14 for. Did I say HIGH SPEED? 50 minutes is the projected travel time, toss in 25 to get to the airport, 10 to find parking, 30 (average) wait on the train, and you've just blown nearly $50 dollars on a train ride that will take you 1 hour and 55 minutes for a trip that Amtrak makes in 2 hours flat. That's not only NOT high speed, depending on your direction of travel, you would still be standing around a giant city bus stop, or airport while Amtrak was moving on to Miami.

The answer is simple.  Florida needs to take the lead in providing cleaner and greener transportation choices, with better mass transit and routes that promote walking and bicycling.  Such transportation reforms will also create more jobs than simply building new roads.

Let’s get to work, Governor Scott, to create a 21st century transportation system in Florida that will make our state sustainable, clean and green before Florida becomes Paradise Lost.

Couldn't agree with you more, but your use of the HSR as your "train of choice," will relegate this whole conversation to the circular file. Florida needs to continue it's efforts (along a route already upgraded and expanded for passenger trains by the Florida tax payers) to restore the former Sunset train, as a new daytime "Gulf Wind." We need to work with Georgia and Southeast High Speed Rail in establishing routes to Washington, Charlotte, and Atlanta, before 2020. Continued pursuit of corridor service all along the Florida East Coast, arguably the railroad created for the passenger train, should be another priority. Urban rail projects such as Sunrail, JTA and HART are absolutely vital to our future. These are the projects that need Rick Scott's immediate attention.



OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

OCKLAWAHA