Miami-Dade’s traffic congestion crisis is back in the spotlight, with a new poll surveying the county’s most engaged voters and frequent transit riders, commissioned by the Partnership for Miami. The survey offers a deeper dive into the 78% pro-transit results of a straw ballot conducted in August 2024 by Miami-Dade County.
Key Takeaways: Everybody Hates Traffic, But Most Still Driving
- 92% say traffic is a daily challenge they face.
- 70% think traffic is a “serious” problem.
- 51% responded they feel “stressed” when driving or commuting in their neighborhood with another 11% responding they feel “angry.”
- 67% say the traffic in Miami-Dade County is worse than anywhere else in the country.
- And yet…86% still drive their own cars to move around Miami-Dade.
- Less than 10% say they’re using transit regularly to get to work or school or for daily errands.
Which roads are the worst to travel on, according to participants? It depends where you live.
Overall, I-95 is rated worst by a plurality (31%), followed by the Palmetto Expressway (27%), and U.S. 1 (15%). But for residents living in North Miami-Dade or in coastal communities, 55% and 43% say I-95 is a daily challenge respectively. If you live in northwestern areas of the county, you are more likely to be frustrated by the Palmetto/826 (47%) than by other highways. Commuters who live in West Miami-Dade are mostly frustrated by the Dolphin Expressway, while South Dade residents are not fans of driving the Florida Turnpike.
Connectivity and Reliability: More Options for When, How People Travel
The poll reveals two glaring pain points that limit ridership. Most agree that more transit options would improve traffic. But when asked why they don’t use public transit more often, connectivity and reliability topped the list.
Key Takeaways:
- Eight out of 10 residents believe that increasing public transit options and connections to existing train or bus stations would help reduce traffic in Miami-Dade.
- Nearly half (49%) say if public transit options were increased and improved, they would strongly consider using them more instead of driving everywhere in a car.
- When asked to rate specific traffic solutions, 58% say increasing public transit options like train or bus (39%) and improving connections to the system such as shuttles or trolleys (19%) are the best ways to reduce traffic in Miami-Dade County.
- In contrast, 31% say improving and expanding existing roads would be the best solution.
The Perception Gap
The poll found a gap in perception between transit system users and nonusers. Those who use Miami-Dade transit frequently are far more optimistic than those who hop on a bus or train rarely or never.
- 49% have used public transit infrequently, while 27% have never used it at all.
- Six in 10 rate the County’s transit service negatively, but most regular public transit users rate their last experience on public transit positively (63%).
- Frequent transit riders generally rate the service positively on safety (63%), cleanliness (63%), hours of service (58%), and reliability (57%).
Beyond the perception gap, large majorities of Miami-Dade voters are unaware of the original vote to expand mass transportation in the community 23 years ago, and of a much more recent collaborative effort to improve bus service.
- 80% have never heard of recent improvements such as the effort to optimize bus routes (Better Bus Network).
- 57% were unaware of the voter-approved half-penny sales tax from 2002 that funds the existing public transit system. Of those who had heard of the tax, only 33% felt the money had been spent wisely, with 46% saying it was spent improperly.
People Blame Politicians for Transit Shortcomings
- People mostly blame elected officials (53%) but a significant minority (39%) say that in big urban areas, traffic is unavoidable.
- Voters believe their local government elected officials (70%) are better able to fix traffic problems than their state government elected officials in Tallahassee (19%).
Other Important Takeaways
There are differences in opinion for groups based on age, length of residency in Miami-Dade, ethnicity, geography and socioeconomic status. Broadly speaking people under 45, newer Miami residents, Black, Anglo and non-Cuban Hispanic residents perceive transit more positively and see it as a potential solution vs. older Cuban-Americans. These groups are more likely to say they would use the service more often if it expanded to areas – and frequencies – relevant to them.
Among the findings, while traffic is a leading concern of voters – affordability related to housing costs, property taxes and inflation are top of mind among voters today.
As Miami-Dade continues to grow, increasing transit options is a key strategy for addressing congestion, among others. However, engaging residents in that strategy is the best way to ensure that the system works for them and is one they will support – and use.
“Traffic is one problem everyone in Miami believes is a real challenge,” said Ana-Marie Codina, co-chair of the Partnership for Miami. “What this poll finds overall is that people are open to trying transit and believe more of it would help reduce traffic – but our local government has to overcome some perceptions among drivers who don’t currently see transit as working for them.”
About the Countywide Poll
This statistically representative study captured the opinions of 603 likely general election voters in Miami-Dade County. It was conducted via live telephone calls to both landlines and cell phones and via text messages in English and Spanish. The margin of error is ±4% at a 95% confidence interval.
For more highlights from the poll and interview requests, contact: Mike Hernandez at [email protected].