Traffic is bad.
You know it. We know it. Mayor Gelber knows it.
Pop quiz: What causes traffic?
Cars…
How do you get people out of cars?
Create ways to comfortably and reliably move around without a car: bike infrastructure, buses, trains. Y’all get the gist.
So you’d think the announcement of a train extension into Miami Beach would bring waves of joy and relief to our fellow SoBe residents. Alas, my friends, may we introduce you to the South of Fifth NIMBYs?
What’s a NIMBY? A “not in my back yard” kinda person. In this case, our suddenly disgruntled neighbors living South of Fifth.
The South of Fifth Neighborhood Association held a meeting on Thursday that all but devolved into a mob. Our general impression of these “arguments:”
Concerns about “crime:” “these people” that will use the train will be dangerous. This is a long-held NIMBY argument that gets brought up during any metro extension discussions in every city of the country. Toss this argument in the trash where it belongs.
Concerns about “design:” whether the train station will destroy the architecture of 5th street. Fifth street is presently an unattractive, unsafe seven-lane road. No train station could make this road any worse than it is. In fact, it could revitalize it.
Proposed alternatives: opponents seem to think a train over the Julia Tuttle causeway would be preferable. Matthew over at Better Streets Miami Beach looked at the data and found that 66.7% of jobs are in South Beach. A train to South Beach just makes more sense.
⚠️ SO WE ARE CALLING ON OUR SOUTH BEACH YIMBYs!
Join us in telling our local politicians that YES! We want a train in our fucking back yard!
Here’s how:
📩 Email the Mayor and Commissioners
🚊 Attend the Public Meeting (Thurs, Feb 16)
📢 Speak at City Commission (Wed, Feb 22)
Public comment will be heard at 8:30 AM and 1 PM
CLICK HERE to join the Zoom meeting and participate virtually
Can’t make it?
Submit a written comment by sending an email to cityclerk@miamibeachfl.gov by 5 PM on Tuesday, February 21st – make sure to identify the agenda item (TBD) in the subject line.