REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE MARY PETERS
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

MIAMI UPA EVENT
MIAMI, FL

AUGUST 1, 2008
10:30 AM

Good morning. Thank you all for being here today. And thank you, Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos, for that kind introduction and for hosting us in the great city of Miami. Secretary Kopelousos is one of the leaders in a promising new generation of transportation reformers.

Before I being my remarks today, I would like to ask you all to take a brief moment and mark the anniversary of the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis. We lost 13 lives that tragic day, when Minnesota’s busiest bridge collapsed for reasons that remain uncertain.

It is hard to believe a full year has passed. Although the replacement bridge is nearly complete, the memory of August 1, 2007, will never fade. I have the victims and their families in my thoughts today, and I know that Americans from Minneapolis to Miami do the same.

Miami, according to Forbes Magazine, is “America’s Cleanest City”.

While Miami’s clean, natural beauty draws many visitors and new residents, it also brings chronic traffic congestion. In a state known for its oranges, too often commuters are left seeing red.

People should be able to lounge on the beach instead of being forced to languish in traffic.

The good news is that relief is on the way. Thanks to the strong leadership and innovative vision of Governor Charlie Crist and Secretary Kopelousos, the Sunshine State can avoid the dark cloud of traffic congestion.

They also had a lot of support from Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, Senate President Ken Pruitt, House Speaker Marco Rubio, State Representative Dan Webster, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, County Chairman Bruno Barreiro, and County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez.

Their hard work has led to a bold, new strategy to ease traffic, stimulate the economy, and pump new money into the region’s highways and transit services by redefining the way people drive Miami’s sun-drenched highways.

It is precisely the kind of bold thinking we want to encourage and support as part of the new comprehensive plan to refocus, reform, and renew our very approach to the nation’s highways and transit systems that I released this week.

And there is no better example than Miami’s efforts – as one of our first Urban Partners – to take advantage of nearly $63 million they received through our national program to reduce congestion. Miami will soon be opening new high-tech, high occupancy toll – or HOT – lanes, which will replace and add to already existing local HOV lanes.

And what better place to launch HOT lanes than in Miami during the heat of August?

These roads will use state-of-the-art electronic tolling technology to allow single drivers to pay a fee for access to less-congested lanes. Sophisticated sensors will monitor the region’s freeways and, based on traffic levels, will adjust the fares for these new lanes.

We all know how frustrating it is to be stuck in traffic while staring at a wide open lane just to your left. Now drivers will be able to choose to avoid back-ups, perhaps to pick up your son from daycare or being able to see your daughter’s game-winning soccer goal.

Time and reliability are important and valuable to all of Miami’s commuters. And Miami’s plan will make commuting easier if you take transit. That is because funds generated by the tolls can be used to finance new, enhanced bus service designed to take advantage of these new HOT lanes.

Indeed, there are few cities in America that have been as creative and successful in finding new ways to make buses as attractive for commuters.

As part of the city’s plan, 23 new low-emission buses will begin running on this HOT-lane network, and there will be five additional routes available. Travel times will also improve, as buses on the HOT lanes average 50 mph, instead of the current 22 mph speeds.

Florida’s Department of Transportation has also been a national leader in embracing innovative financing to maintain and expand major roadways — an approach that is increasingly necessary with the uncertainty of the Federal Highway Trust Fund’s future.

Florida DOT’s recent request for bids on a long-term private lease of the Everglades Parkway — or Alligator Alley — is a perfect demonstration of the state’s creative thinking.

As the city’s traffic-fighting measures start going on-line in the coming weeks, commuters will notice a real difference.

As more cars take advantage of the new HOT lanes, data and experience tell us traffic in the other lanes will improve as well. That means it will take less time to get to work, to go out for a night in South Beach, or even to make it to a Dolphins game.

Even if you are one of the few folks who never use a highway, getting around town is still going to get easier with this new approach. And as congestion pricing cuts polluting traffic tie-ups, expands travel freedom, and makes transit a more effective alternative, it will help ensure that Miami remains “America’s Cleanest City.”

The concept is simple, but the idea is bold: Make Miami an easier place to live, a better place to do business, and a healthier place to raise a family.

I want to again thank all the members involved for their leadership and vision.

With the support of the local community, Tallahassee, and D.C., Miami will begin to tackle its congestion problems.

Thank you, and now I would be happy to answer any questions you have.
 

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