Readers favor a monorail
We greeted news of a potential monorail connecting Hard Rock Stadium to the area around Nova Southeastern University in Davie with, admittedly, a little bit of arch humor. When we asked readers to weigh in on the idea, we couldn’t help but draw an inference to the Simpsons episode “Marge vs. the Monorail,” with its delightful singalong in which the town all gets together to support a crackpot monorail idea.
And yet, we discovered, like so many Springfieldians, Broward County residents love the idea of a monorail.
“South Florida desperately needs a better transit system. This is a good first step,” emailed reader Karen Wilford. “Connecting Broward and Dade county is a great start. Anyone who has been on I-95 would agree.”
“As a frequent traveler on the turnpike and 95, these counties could use as much rail and public transportation as possible. The current conditions are dangerous and expensive,” wrote reader Jerry Haynes. “Although not a winner for the oil companies, the public needs these options desperately.”
The response on social media was similarly effusive.
Criticism of the idea seemed mostly to be not about spending public money on a big transit project, but rather the location of the proposed monorail. Some readers felt what Broward really needs is an east-west mass transit option that could connect Brightline/Virgin Trains and Tri-Rail with western communities, as well as move commuters from West Broward cities to the downtown areas along the coast.
“What about an east-west monorail along 595?” emailed reader Jamie Rodriguez. “FDOT considered this back in 2008 and it was projected to get 20,000 cars off the road; presumably, the number would be even higher today. The population in Broward, alone, is up 11% from 2010. As a west Broward commuter who works downtown, I would jump at the chance to not have to be forced into gridlock everyday.”
“I think a monorail would be awesome, but not the route that’s planned,” emailed Jess Barnett. “It would be nice if they would have a monorail that goes east and west. Not just to stadiums. It would be nice to give up my car if we had true public transportation in Broward.”
The Florida Department of Transportation considered several options to alleviate traffic a decade ago. Along with the mass transit option, there was also an option for elevated express lanes, at least initially. Eventually, officials opted for the reversible express lanes that opened in 2014. In just the first Beach-goers seek shelter at Fort Lauderdale Beach, Sunday, as a thunderstorm rolls through.