I have selected this issue because the road conditions are getting worse and taking forever to complete. Toll money is used to repair the roads but it seems like nothing ever gets done or when it does, it just takes years to get completed. My concerns on this would be, why does it take so long to complete when in other countries they get that done very quickly. I feel there is very uneccessary repair work being done on the roads and they are not focusing on the main ones that have to be done. Such as building extensions to the turnpike and fixing potholes on the road. Those are very important because a pothole can cause you to get a flat tire. Also, an extension to the turnpike is beneficial as this would lessen the daily morning traffic.

This article is about how Miami has some of the worst traffic. All this new and unnecessary construction of new highways will not make a difference as much and traffic will stay the same. Miamians spend about 61 hours in traffic each year which is behind Atlanta with 70 hours. 

Pransky, Noah. “10investigates: Where Does All That Florida Sunpass Toll Money Go?” Tampa Bay and Sarasota's Leading Local News: Weather, Traffic, Sports and More, Wtsp.com, 24 Sept. 2018, https://www.wtsp.com/amp/article/news/investigations/sunpass/10investigates-where-does-all-that-florida-sunpass-toll-money-go/67-597698037.

This article is about how Florida is using the toll proceeds to build even more toll roads. On top of us paying taxes for the road operations, they are making us spend more to use them (tolls) as well. With that being said, as more roads are being built, there is less capacity for us to travel on with roadblocks and construction being done.

Robertson, L. (n.d.). Miami's I-395 reconstruction project lambasted as traffic-generating boondoggle. Miami Herald. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article231941668.html.

I chose this article because it shows that the roads now being built throughout Florida are being made for nothing or cost too much and there wont make no difference. One project made the 'fifth annual list of expensive, unnecessary and ultimately counterproductive highway projects' which shows that it may be a waste of time and it wont make a difference in any way or reduce the amount of traffic we already have on a daily basis.

I. Definition/Introduction

A. Background- I chose road operations because I wanted to get an insight on how the roads operate and where our tax dollars go. Also, I chose road operations because as you all know Miami is always undergoing road construction and causing major traffic. 

B. Thesis statement- Road operations in Miami need to improve and there are many roads being built to try to reduce traffic. Where do all of our tax dollars go when the roads are being built?

II. Context/History - Tie to Your Neighborhood, Community, or City

A. First point- How do our tax dollars work in the common day road operating system?

1. First piece of evidence- Our roads are one of the best in the nation due to road tolls which directly fund road maintenance.  

2. Second piece of evidence- In Florida, 68.8%of the state road maintenance money comes from tolls and gas taxes which help improve our roads. 

B. Second point- How will these new roads possibly reduce the traffic?

1. First piece of evidence- This new roadway will be minutes away from people's homes and reduce their daily commute.

2. Second piece of evidence- There will be less cars on the road because there will be buses available for people to take with special lanes that do not stop on the highway, benefiting people by not sitting and waiting in traffic. 

III. Causes and Consequences

A. First point- Due to all the construction, there is a lot of traffic and these new roads are causing more delays

1. First piece of evidence- The one-way roads on major streets are congested and expanding them to more lanes is not making a difference. 

2. Second piece of evidence- Due to congested highways, 1.9B pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted. 

IV. Possible Solutions/Community Service-Agencies

1. Summary/synthesis- I believe the road operations in Miami are being developed too slowly but in the long run they will benefit us and not cause a lot of traffic. 

2. Importance of topic- This is important because it will benefit people's daily commute to work and they will have more roads and highways to get to work faster. Also, we get to see how our tax dollars are spent on the roads. 

3. Strong closing statement- In conclusion, I believe the roads should be built a bit faster so there is not much more traffic or construction out on the road.

One example of how our tax dollars work in the common day road operating system is that 68.8% of the state road maintenance money comes from tolls and gas taxes which help improve our roads (MamiNewTimes, 2014). The roads and bridges in Miami are one of the best in the nation due to road tolls which directly fund road maintenance (MiamiNewTimes, 2014). In the United States, 65% of roads are considered to be in "less than good" condition while in Florida it is only 4% (MiamiNewTimes, 2014). There are only a handful of other states that have better numbers than Florida. Florida has a very high gas tax of 36 cents which is 11th in the United States (MiamiNewTimes). This gas tax helps fund our road maintenance and to build new highways. 

The Kendall Parkway is one main highway that is now being built to possibly reduce traffic and the daily commute to work. This new roadway will be minutes away from people's houses and it will be a faster route for locals to get to work. "Once completed, 600,000 residents and businesses in the area can benefit from the corridor" (MiamiTodayNews, 2021). There will also be "a lane for express buses'' (MiamiTodayNews, 2021) which means that people can hop on a bus to get to work. The buses will not sit in traffic as these new bus lanes will have an express lane on this new roadway. When people hop on these buses it means that there will be less cars on the road and possibly less traffic. 

Many major streets are congested causing more delays. Due to cars being out on the road, "1.9B tons of carbon dioxide emissions were emitted from transportation" (TheGuardian, 2018). Expanding lanes on one-way streets is not making a difference and still causing delays. The expansion of one-way streets on major roadways is causing traffic and it is not doing much to reduce it either.  Also, with all these new roads, it may cause a lot of confusion on the new routes people will take for their daily commute. "Only three percent of workers use public transportation" (NBC6 South Florida, 2019). Public transit has also declined 23% in the last three years because Miami lacks public transportation (NBC6 South Florida, 2019). 

In conclusion, I believe that roads should be built faster because it will benefit people's daily commute and we will have more roadways for people to get to work. I do believe the roads are being built a little too slowly and this causes a lot of traffic because of the amount of construction on the streets. I also believe that in the long run these roads will benefit us and hopefully reduce the amount of traffic as we spend about an average of 30 minutes a day just sitting in traffic (NBC6 South Florida, 2019). We will see how our tax dollars are put to work as plenty of new highways are being built. 

                                                             Works Cited

“Expressway Authority Seeks 2,000 Acres for Kendall Parkway.” Miami Today, 26 Oct. 2021, https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2021/10/26/expressway-authority-seeks-2000-acres-for-kendall-parkway/.

Munzenrieder, Kyle. “Florida Has the Best Kept Roads and Bridges in the Country Thanks to Tolls and Taxes.” Miami New Times, Miami New Times, 20 May 2021, https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-has-the-best-kept-roads-and-bridges-in-the-country-thanks-to-tolls-and-taxes-6522231.

Quintana, Andrew. “Miami among Worst in Nation for Traffic Congestion, Study Says.” NBC 6 South Florida, NBC 6 South Florida, 7 June 2019, https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/miami-among-worst-in-nation-for-traffic-congestion/129189/.

“Vehicles Are Now America's Biggest CO2 Source but EPA Is Tearing up Regulations.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Jan. 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/01/vehicles-climate-change-emissions-trump-administration.

1. Briefly, introduce yourself to the audience: I am a sophomore at Miami Dade College studying Business Administration. 

2. The topic I selected was about: The road conditions and road operations here in Miami and how our toll money is put to use. 

3. I selected this topic because: I feel there is too much construction on the roads and it causes all of us to sit in traffic. I wanted to know how our toll money is put to use and how that money gets put back into the roads. 

4. My research shows that 68.8% of the state road maintenance money comes from tolls and gas taxes which help improve our roads (MamiNewTimes, 2014) . My research also shows that 4% of roads are in "less than good" condition compared to 65% throughout the United States (MiamiNewTimes, 2014). 

5. My thoughts about this are I believe that the roads are taking way too long to be completed and they should be done much faster. I also believe that  our toll money is put to good use and that is why there is so much construction because of how much the state gets from all the tolls on the highways. 

6. The titles of the sources I used for my talk were: Miami Today News, Miami New Times, NBC Miami, and The Guardian. 

 

“Expressway Authority Seeks 2,000 Acres for Kendall Parkway.” Miami Today, 26 Oct. 2021, https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2021/10/26/expressway-authority-seeks-2000-acres-for-kendall-parkway/.

Munzenrieder, Kyle. “Florida Has the Best Kept Roads and Bridges in the Country Thanks to Tolls and Taxes.” Miami New Times, Miami New Times, 20 May 2021, https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-has-the-best-kept-roads-and-bridges-in-the-country-thanks-to-tolls-and-taxes-6522231.

Quintana, Andrew. “Miami among Worst in Nation for Traffic Congestion, Study Says.” NBC 6 South Florida, NBC 6 South Florida, 7 June 2019, https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/miami-among-worst-in-nation-for-traffic-congestion/129189/.

“Vehicles Are Now America's Biggest CO2 Source but EPA Is Tearing up Regulations.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Jan. 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/01/vehicles-climate-change-emissions-trump-administration.

Thank You for listening.