A great example of action, follow through, by the Village of Pinecrest on Neighborhood Protection.

Pinecrest has taken a stand for its residents. Now, it is time for Palmetto Bay elected officials to step up. Personally, I agree with Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner who opines that transit, not a toll road, would be the best way to relieve congestion on US1. Maybe the Palmetto Bay officials are 110% behind the plan to create the toll lane. We wont know until this issue is fully considered by the council and the time is now for proper consideration.

In my opinion, elected officials need to step in and take charge of shaping projects such as this toll road. Failure to act results in allowing the actions of others, outside of the village to make the substantive decisions yet to be made on this toll, and the impact this toll road will have on the future of Palmetto Bay. CLICK HERE to view a copy of Pinecrest resolution 2012-55, opposing the project.

For additional background, see:

Reminder - US1 Express Toll Lane Project meeting Wednesday, posted 11/12/2012.  Information has been provided. The issue is how this new council will feel about neighborhood protection and the impact of the proposed changes to US1 will have on Palmetto Bay. 

The project discussion was featured in the Miami Herald, Nov 16, 2012, South Dade residents skeptical of proposed toll road.  

By the way, officials are not presently talking about a 'nominal fee' to drive the proposed “Lexis Lane”.  The presentation disclosed that MDX is talking about tolls of about 80 cents per mile during rush hours (more than 836), or 10 to 20 cents at other times, depending on demand.

Community activists in the Pinecrest area have been wary the study could result in an unsightly toll road that would bring more cars looking to avoid Florida’s Turnpike. Where are the Palmetto Bay activists?

What are surrounding quality of life activists concerned about on this project? Quoting from the Herald article:

Jane Walker, a resident in West Kendall said the proposed “toll-a-coaster” could harm property values in Pinecrest and Cutler Bay.

“This would be a visual scar through the area,” she said.

Resident and neighborhood leader Holly White said she is concerned that the new toll road would bring cut-through traffic into the surrounding neighborhoods.

“It’s could be very dangerous for our children and disruptive to our neighborhood,” White said.

There were also concerns from residents that having a toll road would also just bring more cars to that area, which would defeat the purpose of easing traffic.

As I said above, Palmetto Bay is now on the clock to provide some leadership on this issue. Let’s see if the new council wants to take up this issue or let the project define the future of our area.