We didn’t spend as much time in Flughafen Wien due to the fact that it was our final destination, however, while passing through I noted several similarities between it and Schiphol. The airport featured some enclosed glass boxed rooms for smokers only, an innovative thought to keep the smoke away from the general terminals; even though smoking is generally permitted everywhere else indoors in
The City to airport connection at both airports is a marvel in itself. Forget the
The City/Airport connection in
Amsterdam’s Central Station is an amazing intermodal facility. It links the city with the airport via rail as well as local metro service, streetcars, buses, ferries, water taxis, regional rail service, and long distance rail…
More to come soon…
Technorati Tags: Miami, Airport, Transit, Transportation, Train, Planning, Amsterdam, Vienna, Wien, Travel, Europe,
Miami-Dade Transit’s own consultants [Not me, however see below] are concluding that a rubber-tired automated people mover that would run from the airport to the Miami Intermodal Center is a better option, according to a draft report obtained Thursday by The Miami Herald.
It appears that my “Airtrain Solution Series” wasn’t such a bad idea to begin with. My main concern regarding this decision is whether it will be designed/built properly to accommodate most of the terminals rather than just one centralized station at the airport (you know, in an effort to cut project costs as usual.)
More info on the vehicle maker, Sumitomo Corp…
To wrap up the discussions on the new proposed plans for the MIC/Airport connection, I will focus on why a direct line to the airport is such a bad idea. Like I previously stated, a direct line partially negates the reason why we decided to construct the MIC to begin with. Given the shape of the airport, tight clearances around the terminals/parking garages, and numerous elevated walkways, I am left to assume that the only suitable location for metrorail and station would be between the parking structures or west of the new cooling tower by the new south terminal. I assume the current taxi parking lot could also be a viable option considering the cars will one day be stationed at the MIC instead. In any case, any of the above three options place metrorail just enough out of reach to make it convenient for all passengers at all terminals. Any of the above options would equate to more than a quarter mile walk (linearly, which we know will not be the case) for some of the farthest gates. A direct line will also only be able to service one location (the airport) rather than an Airtrain like concept which will be able to service every terminal, parking structure, and transfer station. Like most Airtrain systems, travel from terminal to terminal would be free and passengers looking to exit the Airtrain system at the MIC would pay the fare to disembark, effectively solving the ridiculous concept of an automated farecard system so rental car patrons can ride for free to the intermodal center, while anyone who stays on Metrorail will pay a regular fare. We don’t even have fare cards that can be purchased at any station, why are we dreaming up further problems!?
Going back to my previous post, I’d like to present some more evidence with regards to the confusion of the MDT decision makers. As I stated, metrorail is at best a commuter rail with several parking garage park-n-ride stations. The concept of a truly urban transit oriented development is, well, quite foreign around here to put it mildly. MDT somehow conceives that fewer transfers will equate to greater ridership numbers, which for an urban transit system can generally be true. What MDT fails to realize though is that metrorail riders are commuters, which means they have already used another form of transit (a car, likely, parked in one of the massive park-n-ride stations) to arrive at the station which will probably not have any long term parking for people who will be away for longer than a day. Where am I going with this? People who live near metrorail cannot walk to the station because we haven’t adapted the surroundings properly for this type of lifestyle and people who already use metrorail will not be able to ride it to the airport because they usually drive to metrorail to begin with. The problems are worse than we think! Had MDT pushed through some necessary urban train lines first (like baylink) then perhaps this wouldn’t be such a big issue because it could be perceivable that many people could walk a short distance to the nearest Miami Beach station and only have to make one transfer to get to the airport.
There is no clear-cut answer to the problems posed by the MIC-MIA connections. MDT needs to seriously analyze what they hope to accomplish as our transit agency and how they plan to create a transit system that effectively replaces vehicle use from a substantial portion of the population. MDT would also benefit greatly from studying the solutions other airports have concocted to this very issue, rather than continuing to do things the ineffective way…
Knowing that my day will be pretty complicated tomorrow, I’ve decided to provide you all with a photograph of NYC’s JFK airport’s Airtrain and an interesting recent article on MIA for you all to mull over until I can better analyze the situation catastrophe occurring in our Aviation/Transportation departments…
Other intelligent airport connectors: Newark, San Francisco, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai
Apparently, my recent gushing rant about the Miami Intermodal Center, sparked one hell of a discussion over on CriticalMiami. In any case, I’m going to elaborate on the Center and reaffirm my stance and views of the problems we will continue to face until it’s completed. An excerpt from the MIC website:
“In 1989, Miami-Dade County accepted the Miami International Airport Area Transportation Study recommending implementation of a multimodal transportation access facility. It was conceived as the means to link commuter rail (both heavy and light) and public and private bus service, thereby providing needed regional connectivity and improving access to Miami International Airport. In the early 1990s, the State of Florida implemented transportation policies to encourage users to use high occupancy vehicles.”
I recently experienced a system similar to this at Madrid’s Barajas International Terminal. Beautiful terminal. Absolutely stunning design. It’s such a terrible pain however to travel from the gate to the baggage area; it takes an approximated 30+ minutes of walking/riding, not including the multiple security checkpoints.
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John.Hopkins's blog
- Greenway Bike Festival February 22, 2012This fully-supported ride promotes the Biscayne-Everglades Greenway, which will loop through the historic city of Homestead. There'll be routes of 62 miles, 42 miles, and 25 miles -- with darned good food at the finish. You can register at Active.com. You'll certainly want to be at Losner Park for the demonstration parachute jump by the Army's […]
- Many call for safer streets February 19, 2012Board member Suzanne Kores captured the scene at yesterday's rally on the Rickenbacker Causeway for greater street safety. Tom Evental made available this stirring video. The voice you hear at the beginning is our co-founder Hank Sanchez-Resnik, who played a big role with allied groups in organizing the event. We appreciate the chance to share this wit […]
- Climb the bridge for safer streets February 17, 2012All road users are invited to the tall bridge on the Rickenbacker Causeway this Saturday at 9 a.m. to call for safer streets and recognize cyclist Aaron Cohen, who died Thursday of a hit-and-run driver's injuries. The bicycling community put this event together, working in parallel efforts from varying points of view. We have one message, though: Everyo […]
- Greenway Bike Festival February 22, 2012