Waiting on a metro miracle

Page 12 | Opinion

STAFF-ED: Waiting on a metro miracle

The metrorail and buses in Miami-Dade county are worsening by the day, impeding on the academic lives of Gables students who use public transport

This article reflects the opinion of the highlights 2022-2023 staff. Written by staff writer Julia Volman.

IN A CITY STRUCTURED around the use of cars, public transportation options in Miami- Dade are less than ideal. Limited choices hinder the academic and social lives of Gables students. The recent reduction of the available vehicles and metro staff in the public transportation system has negatively impacted the community’s ability to use these forms of transit on a daily basis.

Upcoming changes to the Miami-Dade metro system have been announced to start on Aug. 8 and things are not looking good for riders. The arrival frequency of the orange and green lines have been extended to every 15 minutes, as opposed to the previous schedule of every eight to 10 minutes. Wait times have increased further to every 30 minutes during evening hours.

These two lines will also be combined between Earlington Heights and Dadeland South stations. As for on the weekends, only the orange line will run between the two stops during this time. These new unforeseen implementations were abruptly announced on the Miami-Dade Service Updates website.

Pushing arrival times and closing or merging lines will inevitably create confusion and force daily commuters to change their schedules entirely. Miami Metrobuses are also taking a turn for the worse after 39 bus route cuts have occurred over this past year, according to Streetsblog U.S.A.

Miami-Dade claims all of these cutbacks and reductions are due to the lack of operators, maintenance personnel, mechanics and support staff, according to the Miami Herald. Furthermore, bus stops are now even farther away than before due to the recent downsizing of Miami-Dade public bus routes. This pattern of scarcity continues with there only being one running metrorail in a 2,500 square mile county, making metro stops few and far between.

“FOR STUDENTS, THESE CHANGES WOULD MEAN MORE SACRIFICES," PERLA SANTOS, SOPHOMORE

Students will now be forced to wake up and arrive home at preposterous hours on already exhaustingly long school days. In

addition they will lose access to parts of the limited sectors of Miami the metro reaches when lines are disabled or merged. Students will then have limited areas they can reach because they are confined to the minute geographical area of public transit.

“The metrorail only goes east and west, meaning it doesn’t reach important and well trafficked areas such as Miami Beach and further west,” junior and public transit user Amalia Garrido said.

One of the main reasons the metro system is such an issue with students is the absurdly high cost. A monthly metrocard costs $112, according to Miami-Dade County. Considering the fact that over 62% of Gables students are considered low-income, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, facing such fees can be detrimental to their quality of life.

Students are then left with less money that can be used to pay for necessities, such as school fees. Not to mention, these outrageous prices greatly impact the adults in the lives of students, as it is now their responsibility to figure out how to pay their fares or to find a new transit method.

Another point to consider is that public transit is exponentially better for the environment, so having a faulty transportation system is forcing citizens to use less ecofriendly options. A one-passenger car emits 89 pounds of carbon dioxide per 100 miles, while a bus full of people only emits 14 pounds, according to the Reason Foundation. The less carbon emissions produced through using public transport means less global warming will occur, slowing its harmful effects on the planet and society.

Although there are more alternatives, such as the Coral Gables trolley system, it only travels within the limited confinements of downtown Coral Gables. Students have the option of using other modes of transit such as carpool, Uber or biking, but for numerous reasons these cannot always be a primary source of travel. Whether these methods are too expensive or inconvenient, the only real solution for students is a dependable public transportation system Advocating for a new and improved transit system is advocating for a new and improved Miami-Dade County. h