I mostly drive and occasionally ride the express bus. For me and I think many other residents in District 1, public transit does not run frequently enough and stops are not necessarily close enough to our destinations.

1. Expand rail in the north corridor, creating a comprehensive regional transit system that connects Miami-Dade County and Broward County.

2. Increase investment in micro-mobility infrastructure so that people can safely choose more efficient means of transportation.

3. Addressing the ridership crisis by rethinking our bus system, including those areas in unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

1. Dedicate more road space for protected micro-mobility lanes where possible.

2. Look for opportunities to repurpose underutilized rail, utility, and drainage easements that could be developed into safe and efficient micro-mobility infrastructure.

3. Create more opportunities to partner transit trips with micro-mobility solutions to close the first-mile-last-mile gap.

We need to address the ridership crisis in Miami-Dade County head on by rethinking our bus system. Many residents who ride the bus or who would ride the bus are dissatisfied with coverage, access, and frequency. We need to look at how we can make sure buses arrive more frequently along major thoroughfares and that stops are not too far from where people live, work, and leisure.

This will have to be a collaborative effort between Miami-Dade County (and surrounding counties) the State of Florida, and the federal government. I think we have to look at the development of an independent organization that would be responsible for consolidating transit plans, organizing the necessary funding between local, state, and federal agencies, and finally getting transportation done in a way that is not political and that is best for Miami-Dade County residents.

I would be open to the establishment of a transit authority. It seems that this may be the only way to remove politics from the equation and, ultimately, to get things done.

I think Miami-Dade was right to embrace micro-mobility by investing in bike stations around the county. It seems like a step in the right direction. However, we have failed to be aggressive enough about moving in this direction. Right now, we have bike lanes in some parts but absolutely no micro-mobility infrastructure at all in other areas. It is like we have bike lanes that lead to nowhere. We also must do a better job of making sure those who need public transit the most have easy and reliable access to it. In both the north corridor and the south corridor, there is an issue with connectivity. In some places people have to commute 20 minutes by car and even longer by foot to get to a bus stop or train station. We have to start thinking about public transit in terms of doorstep-to-destination for those who need to use public transit.

As I have mentioned before, it is completely unacceptable that so many folks in the north and the south of Miami-Dade County have trouble accessing efficient and reliable transportation. We must fix this issue. Beyond that, as we look into developing our micro-mobility infrastructure, we need to think about how we can make it more accessible to Black and Brown communities.

My focus is on transit-oriented development. I believe one of the most important lessons we can learn from other large cities is that we need to focus on making sure people live and work close to transit so that less people need a vehicle to get around.

It’s hard to give a broad answer on this question because every situation will be somewhat different. My focus would be to follow the lead of the local Mayors and their County Commissioner where it makes sense.