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The Greater Miami area, comprising the three counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, known collectively as South Florida, is home to a wide variety of public and private transportation systems, including heavy rail mass transit (Metrorail), commuter rail (Tri-Rail), automated guideway transit (Metromover), highways, two major airports (Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport (FLL)) and seaports (Port of Miami and Port Everglades), as well as three county-wide bus networks (Metrobus (Miami-Dade), Broward County Transit (BCT), and Palm Tran), which cover the entire urbanized area of South Florida. Census and ridership data show that Miami has the highest public transportation usage of any city in Florida, as about 17% of Miamians use public transportation on a regular basis, compared to about 4% of commuters in the South Florida metropolitan area. The majority of public transportation in Miami is operated by Miami-Dade Transit (MDT). Miami-Dade Transit is the largest transit system in Florida and was the 14th largest transit system in the United States in 2011. South Florida overall is one of the most densely populated urbanized areas in the United States,〔In terms of population of the tri-county urbanized region divided by the urbanized area, the density is relatively high. However, it is sprawled out in terms of lack of clear urban corridors and transit-oriented planning.〕 being bound by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the South Florida Water Management District and the Everglades to the west, with a fairly strict Urban Development Boundary (UDB). As of the 2010 US Census, South Florida is both the eighth most populous and eighth most densely populated metropolitan area in the United States. Now, with a population of over five and a half million people living in an urbanized area of only , it has an average population density of over 5,000 residents per square mile. According to the population as of the 2010 US Census, the Miami city proper has an average population density of about 12,139 residents per square mile, with Downtown and Brickell being the fastest growing and most dense neighborhoods. A major problem for urban planning and effective public transit in Miami-Dade and South Florida is the fact that in terms of planning it is one of the most sprawled out and automobile dependent metropolitan areas in the United States,〔 with a lot of lowly contrasted medium density development spread throughout the area.〔.〕 For example, a very low percentage of the area's office space is located in the Central Business District (CBD) of Miami (only 13%, the lowest in the nation, in 1999). Additionally, there has been very little transit-oriented development (TOD). ==Overview== Transport in South Florida is largely dominated by roads and highways. While the region originally burgeoned because of Henry Flagler's railroad, much or it was built during from the 1920s Florida land boom onward, through eras that saw the rise of the automobile, the fall of of streetcars, then the general fall of public transport during the 1950s and 1960s. The Metrorail, located solely in Miami-Dade County and centered in Miami, is the state's only heavy rail mass transit system, and generally has low ridership per mile, per station, and even per population compared to other systems. It was planned after public outcry against an extensive highway expansion plan during the 1970s energy crisis during a time other regions such as the San Francisco Bay Area were also building heavy rail under the Carter Administration. After it was built, it was derogatorily referred to as "Metrofail" due to low ridership, cost overruns, and an inability to finish what was supposed to be a system. The system slowly gained ridership, but only at a rate comparable to population increases. Tri-Rail, which runs west of South Florida's urban centers, is an exceptional financial loser, even compared with other subsidized transport, and was nearly shut down during the Great Recession in 2009. There is a proposal to bring a commuter rail line to Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway line that does pass through the urban centers, but is many years off and will may have to coexist with the major Brightline service by All Aboard Florida that is planned for the line. Florida has no state-level income tax, but has more toll road mileage than any other state. South Florida is home to a large number of these tolled or partially tolled roads with express lanes, the latter of which can have a variable rate that can rise to over US$1 per mile during crush loads. Highway expansion through wideing projects, the addition of express lanes, and the rebuilding of interchanges has persisted into the 2010s, though traffic congestion is as bad as ever, ranking high among United States metro areas.〔 With a population nearing six million, Miami-Dade Transit, Broward County Transit, and Palm Tran combined carry less than half a million passengers per day, a number that works out to less than 5% of the population using transit regularly once round trips are figured. In Greater Downtown Miami, which has seen more than 100% population growth since 2000, the Metromover system carries almost half the daily riders of the Metrorail system with only about of track. Although it directly connects to the Metrorail system at two stations, nearly 80% of the ridership is through direct boardings. This mode alone would suggest at least 15% of the downtown-area population uses transit. Historically, Metromover ridership remained fairly steady from 1995 (after outer loop extensions) to 2002, when the 25 cent fair was lifted, making the system entirely free to use. After this, ridership spiked by more than 60% within two years, but it was not until 2013 that ridership doubled from 2002. In a region and state not overly inclined to public transport, this system is considered successful and a vital part of downtown life. The elimination of the fare was just a small part of a sales tax increase that was approved by two-thirds of Miami-Dade voters under the promise that major rail-based transit extensions would take place. Funds were misused and it was later admitted that the half-cent increase was known to never be nearly enough for what was promised, further souring public opinion of local transit and government. Miami International Airport (MIA) is one of the busiest airports in the United States in terms of total passenger traffic and cargo traffic, but especially when it comes to international traffic. It is considered to be the largest economic engine in Miami-Dade County, and has a large employee base. It was connected to the Metrorail system in 2012 via the only significant extension to the system in its history, the AirportLink that created the Orange Line, which most significantly led to higher service frequency in the southern portion of the existing Green Line. The connection is made at the Miami Airport Station through the MIA Mover people mover, and the station only sees about 1,500 passengers a day, much lower than many of the system's other stations. With headways cut in half, ridership rose much more on double-lined portion of the system from Earlington Heights to Dadeland South stations than the Airport Station itself. MIA has seen record growth in the 2010s, with the addition of many major international flights and carriers, though many are connecting flights, similar to Hartsfield Jackson, with Miami being a layover not a final destination. As the population of South Florida fluctuates similar to the rest of the state, traffic, transit ridership,〔 and flight volumes (FTL) are all generally greater in the winter season.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Monthly Traffic Recap )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Transportation in South Florida」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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