Lexus Lanes on a blue-collar corridor? What could go wrong?

It’s not often that we have seen FDOT and the state admit to a mistake, but they just did.  Florida legislators, transportation officials, and even Governor Ron DeSantis recognize that putting Express Lanes on the Palmetto in Miami-Dade has created more traffic congestion instead of reliving it.  But hey, what do we know.  We have been asking that the whole 826 express lane project be scrapped since 2016.  Mainly because of the blatant disregard for safety by FDOT.  Especially with over 12 years of clear data from the I-95 Express Lanes showing reduced safety.  See our sister website NoPalmettoExpressLanes.com

Damn The Torpedoes And Full Speed Thru Hialeah

The fact that no access points to the express lanes were considered in the Hialeah portion of the project speaks volumes about the lack of planning and consideration for this hard-working community.

Plan “B” for BAD

Express lane tolls on the SR 826 will be suspended indefinitely while the state figures out how to clean up this mess.  But for them to think that reducing the express lanes from two down to one will solve the problem, they must insane!  Remove the express lanes and make them all general-purpose lanes.  Please don’t expect a different result FDOT.

Adding insult to injury, the hard-working people of Hialeah and Doral now have to endure years of added construction.  No thank you!

This is Tollmageddon

Poor planning, out of touch decision-makers, greedy Tallahassee lawmakers = TOLLMAGEDDON.

We thank state representatives Bryan Avila and Manny Diaz for listening to their constituents.

Mayor Carlos Giminez statement on roll back of express lanes on 826 Palmetto

by RollBackTolls.com

Take back your representation in Government and sign this petition that would require voter approval for new toll roads, new tolls and or toll rate increases in Florida.

1. Print out the petition (hard copy only)
2. Must be a registered voter in Florida in order to sign
3. Mail original signed petition to: D.R.I.V.E., PO Box 3051, Miami, FL  33283

Click image of petition below to start the download.

by RollBackTolls.com

Kendall Parkway Mostly Supported by Residents, With Conditions

You could hear it in the voices of the people who spoke at the Kendall Parkway Town Hall meeting, they want traffic relief.  And Mayor Carlos Gimenez and MDX executive director Javier Rodriguez put on a good dog and pony show to satisfy people’s distress with traffic congestion in West Kendall.  Many if not all spoke in support of the idea of expanding the 836 West along SW 8th Street then South along 167th Avenue.

One of the first questions from a concerned resident was how much would the toll cost.  Gimenez said it would cost the same as taking the Turnpike with Javier Rodriguez pointing out that the stretch would most likely have two tolling points along the 14 mile extension.  No exact toll rates were given.

Diagrams and pictures of proposed roadway showed a six lane highway, three lanes in each direction with space along side the corridor for future use and space for possible Metro Rail.  MDX would run and operate Express Buses along shoulder of highway.

Many others who spoke asked the Mayor and MDX to move the south bound leg further west away from their homes along SW 167th Avenue with some asking why they did not plan to connect to the newly widened Krome Avenue.  Points were voiced with regard to noise, pollution and health concerns along with added traffic in the west end of Kendall.

Thank you to Michael Rosenberg, President of the Kendall Federation of Home Owners Associations (KFHA) for providing video below showing how close the proposed Kendall Parkway toll road would be to homes in the area of 167th Avenue.

MDX’s calculations show that 10,000 cars a day would move West along Kendall Drive, Miller and Bird Road  in the morning to access the toll road instead of Turnpike.  MDX indicated that the traffic would split at or about 142nd Avenue.   This new movement would provide great traffic relief and improve “quality of life” for Kendall residents echoed Mayor Gimenez.

Of course there were many concerns voiced that this project may open the door to future urban sprawl, development and congestion.  And those are very valid concerns which we cannot disagree with.  Below is copy of Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations resolution regarding their concerns with this project.

Pain is a powerful motivator and it seems to have given way to a this idea.

Carlos Garcia,
co-chair of Roll Back Tolls

by RollBackTolls.com

Today we learned of an idea that Miami-Dade county mayor Carlos Gimenez is putting forward for a westward extension of the SR 836 Dolphin Expressway and south to 136th Street

The article below is reprinted from the PinecrestTribune.com.  Click on image of article to view larger readable version.

Come and learn about this proposed project!

Town Hall Meeting: Wednesday April 18, 6:30 pm at John Ferguson High School, 15900 SW 56th Street.

by RollBackTolls.com

We congratulate Miami-Dade county mayor Carlos Gimenez for taking an active role on the MDX board of directors.   In this video of his first meeting this past February the mayor outlines his goals for his role on the MDX board.

First and foremost we are pleased that moving forward, we the citizens and toll payers will finally have representation from elected county county officials.   The mayor’s participation, along with that of district 3 commissioner, vice-chair Audrey Edmonson will go a long way to changing the tide of “tollation” that has kept our community in the dark by way of un-elected and out of touch directors.

We look forward to having open and candid discussions with with the newly updated MDX board about how to change MDX’s role in providing more non-auto central transit development.   For the good of our community, today and into the future.

by RollBackTolls.com

Create your own user feedback survey
 

by RollBackTolls.com

The Triple Squeeze by FDOT on I-95 Express Lane: Your wallet, your highway and your life.

We’ve been saying it for years now; what FDOT did on I-95 to squeeze in express lanes without adding the needed capacity is causing accidents and fatalities.  We are grateful to Channel 10 WPLG Miami and Jeff Weinsier for the in-depth coverage on this crisis facing daily commuters on the I-95 express lane.

What is revealed in this story is how the dangerous mix of narrower travel lanes, higher speeds and those plastic “delineator” poles that allow “lane diving” from the non-tolled lanes into the express lanes, has cause thousands of accidents and many fatalities.

12,192 reported accidents in just 3 years!

At first I thought that I was seeing a misprint on the number.  But it’s no mistake.  There have been over 12,000 accidents that Florida State Troopers have responded to related to the I-95 Express Lane.   That is over 4,000 accidents per year or roughly 11 per day.   This is unacceptable FDOT!  We always believed that safety was the highest priority for the agency.  Clearly, this is not the case.

State Troopers speak out about their experiences

As you see in the video report above State Trooper Joe Sanchez has to actually step out in the travel lane of the express lane to approach a violator that has pulled over in the very narrow emergency lane.  Trooper Bill Smith a over 30 year veteran, asks “What does it take to actually address the problem?”  We the commuting public, tax payers, toll payers and now legislators are waking up to the unsettling reality that the use of those plastic polls are a key contributor to the dangerous conditions.

See I-95 Express Lanes crash map data.

Personal injury attorney speaks out on why I-95 Express Lanes must be stopped.

Not on my Palmetto 826 Expressway!

#No826ExpressLanes

It’s time to take action before FDOT moves forward with the same compromise in safety on the Palmetto Expressway, SR826.  Yes, you’ve seen the bill boards along the north and south lanes announcing Express Lanes coming to the Palmetto.  See the full details including a very nicely produced video explaining how they will go about it.

The Palmetto Expressway already has the unique distinction of being one of the most dangerous highways in the state of Florida, never mind Miami-Dade county.  I personally know of two people that lost their lives on it over the last 10 years.  Now, FDOT is moving forward with it’s half baked idea of implementing Express Lanes.  To say this is foolish knowing what they know of the I-95 express lane debacle is kind.   They will be implementing the same big lane squeeze from 12′ down to 11′ travel lanes and narrower emergency lanes as they did on I-95.  And from the looks of the pictures on their website and video, more plastic polls giving drivers a false sense of security.

Don’t let FDOT proceed on the Palmetto Express Lanes until they put safety first.

Visit www.NoPalmettoExpressLanes.com for more information about what you can do to help stop FDOT from putting express lanes on the Palmetto SR 826.

It’s time to start calling  and emailing your state representatives, senators and county commissioners to stop this Express Lane nightmare before it’s too late.  Do it for your family, wife, kids, friends and neighbors.   We must demand that FDOT re-align their values before spending more time and money making another epic blunder like the I-95 Express Lane project.

Carlos Garcia, co-chair, Roll Back Tolls,   info@rollbacktolls.com

by RollBackTolls.com

Tollmageddon Hits Kendall

“Major impacts are anticipated on Kendall Drive, where traffic will be shifted and lanes will be narrowed for extended periods as the entrance ramps to the Turnpike are reconfigured.”

The Florida Turnpike Enterprise announces construction of northern leg of their Express Lane widening from Killian Drive (SW 104th street) north to Sunset Drive (SW 72nd street).  The highway will be widened from  6 lanes to ten lanes to accommodate new express lanes (aka Lexus Lanes) on the inside portion of the road.

A small but important victory for Roll Back Tolls and the Kendall/Devon Aire community.

Last year Roll Back Tolls was instrumental in organizing a heavy opposition to the Florida Turnpike’s proposal to build an express lane access ramp at the Killian Parkway overpass next to a school and residential homes.

Carlos Garcia with State Representative, Frank Artiles at Oct. 3rd Turnpike meeting in Kendall.

With the help of state representative Frank Artiles and former FDOT secretary Ananth Prasad, a terrible idea was defeated.  We continue to thank representative Artiles for listening and representing his constituents.  Also, we commend former FDOT secretary Prasad for his access and engagement during this process.

Our group was able to expose that the FTE had done little to no research on the safety and traffic impacts to the Devon Aire K-8 school, surrounding neighborhoods and general West Kendall area.

We are thankful that common sense and logic prevailed in this instance.

by RollBackTolls.com

Finally!  Our county commissioners are engaging on the massive toll hike by MDX and the financial impact it is having on individuals, working families and businesses in our county.

This resolution (R-355-15) asks MDX to freeze toll rates or reduce toll rates(Roll Back Tolls).  It also calls for MDX to eliminate CPI inflation indexing of toll rates.  Yes!  Something we have been asking for since MDX approved it in 2013.   Watch video below.

You can click the image of the resolution below to see the full resolution.

by RollBackTolls.com

We are happy to see Mayor Carlos Gimenez, asking MDX to reduce the recent toll increases.  Yes, please roll back the tolls MDX!

We understand that the mayor has no direct authority or power over MDX.  But it is good to see him using his bully pulpit to bring attention to this important issue.

Read Miami Herald columnist, Fabiola Santiago’s post on Mayor Gimenez’s “populist” about face.

by RollBackTolls.com