Why are urban biking and walking trails so important to South Florida?

Join us to find out and support the

Friends of the Flagler Rail Trail
April 25th from 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Little Haiti Cultural Complex
212 NE 59th Terrace, Miami, FL 33137

http://goo.gl/fHHe4q

Here is Lisa Switkin from James Corner Field Operations (the firm that designed the famous Highline park in Manhattan) giving a tour of the ideas for the Underline. It is a long video, but it addresses a lot of important points and is full of great ideas.

Imagine how incredible getting these world-class landscape architects to design a trail and greenway along the FEC corridor in the north Miami-Dade would be!

Sign this Rails to Trails petition for a trail alongside All Aboard Florida’s new passenger route.

The All Aboard Florida statewide high-speed rail project has the potential to transform Florida’s transportation system for the better—but only if it includes a pathway for walking and biking.

Pathways near active rail lines are a great way to help connect our communities—and a trail alongside the All Aboard Florida rail project just makes good sense. The rail-with-trail will help cut down on traffic by helping people get to and from the train stations without having to drive, boost property values in nearby communities, reduce unsafe trespassing in urban areas and create healthier neighborhoods by encouraging active transportation.

The FEC Greenway is a finalist in the OurMiami Public Space Challege. We know this is a great idea, but it is a real honor to have made it so far before the selection committee.  Congratulations to all the other finalists as well—there are some great projects that we’ve heard about already.

Please check them all out here.

Here is a quick rendering with Florida wildflowers, grasses and slash pines alongside the FEC Tracks at 79th Street. This linear park could be an important connection between wildlife refuge pockets throughout Miami-Dade, and is a great opportunity to use native host plants for endangered butterflies and food and nesting plants for local birds.

Let’s use the space alongside the FEC train tracks for a trail, connecting the communities of northeast Miami-Dade to downtown and the M-Path. The time is right for this to happen. People are biking more and more, and the FEC Greenway is the best way to ensure a safe commute for everyone, including young adults and children. Miami drivers can be reckless, distracted, and even intoxicated.  There have been far too many avoidable pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries that could have been avoided if the FEC Greenway were available.

Please vote for the OurMiami Public Space Challenge Proposal for an FEC Greenway.