October Newsletter
This upcoming election is the best chance Orlando has ever had to revolutionize our outdated and unsustainable transportation system.
We can build a system where transit, biking, and walking are valued equally with driving, or we can continue the status quo of traffic jams, dangerous roads, and high transportation costs.
Voting YES on Orange County’s Penny for Transportation is the right choice for numerous reasons:
Build a Better Economy & Save Money
- Our region is failing behind for necessary transit investments, making it harder to compete nationally
- Orange County households spends on average 25% of monthly income on transportation versus 17% nationally
- Address our high housing costs by allowing walkable Transit Orientated Development to flourish around frequent transit stops
Create a More Charitable Community
- Bus transit ridership is mainly comprised of low-income service workers
- Better transit will save current riders countless hours to spend with family or leisure
- Transit tax will fund fare discounts for low income riders
- Better street safety for passengers who overwhelmingly arrive at stops by foot or bike
Save the Planet, Take Transit
- Transportation causes 36% of Orange County’s greenhouse gas emissions
- Increasing public transportation will decrease emissions
- Reduce suburban sprawl and road construction destroying our remaining wilderness.
- Reduce air pollution and animal road kill
A system that prioritizes moving people over simply moving cars is transportation for the 21st century.
Orange County’s Transformational Transit Plan
Frequency is Freedom:
- 45% of LYNX routes would come every 15 mins compared to only 5% now
- 90% of LYNX routes would run every 30 mins or better
- Trains every 15 minutes on Weekdays
Transit for all Hours and Needs:
- 24 hour service on busy bus routes
- More weekend LYNX for leisure trips and our diverse hospitality workforce hours
- Finally, Weekend Train Service
Premium Rapid Transit:
- New SunRail Lines:
- Airport connections with Brightline
- Apopka and Northwest Orange
- Universal, I-Drive and Disney
- Bus Rapid Transit on our busiest roads
- OBT
- 50/Colonial
- Kirkman
- I-Drive
- 436/Semoran
- Expanded LYMMO BRT for our downtown neighborhoods
- Regional Express Routes between major activity centers
- LYNX 38, 350, and 300 operating on I-4 Toll Lanes are current example
You can view these projects and other transportation priorities at this interactive map.
Mobility is a human right and it’s about time our transportation system reflects this.
For these reasons, we are joining a diverse coalition united to Move Orange County Forward
December LYNX Service Changes
LYNX has proposed promising new service changes for December:
- More Sunday service on busy routes serving the airport and theme parks
- Route optimizations to speed up service
- A new route connecting St Cloud with Lake Nona
Learn more by reading the LYNX press release or attending upcoming workshops, dates, times, and locations posted in the link.
Send a letter to the LYNX Board of Directors in support of these changes and urge them to continue to improve service.
Voter Guide
We also endorse the following candidates, who have shown strong support for transit through their actions, statements, and questionnaire answers.
- Maxwell Frost for U.S. House Congressional District 10
- Carlos Guillermo Smith for Florida State House District 37
- Anna Eskamani for Florida State House District 42
- Anthony Nieves for Florida State House District 47
- Rita Harris for Florida State House District 44
We urge residents of Orange and Osceola to make your voice heard by voting in support of transit this election year!
Hurricane Ian Updates
We hope you survived Hurricane Ian safe and sound. The devastating storm underlined the need for a more sustainable transportation system in Greater Orlando to fight climate change and have a more resilient system.
The intense flooding left many without access to their vehicles, yet LYNX was back on the road Friday after the storm, providing a valuable service for those in need. All routes have been restored to normal operations except for Link 61 and 102 as of today.
While SunRail has to restore to Kissimmee and Poinciana stations, service is predicted to restart by the end of the month. Currently bus shuttles are providing service for those stations to the rest of the line.