As if our public transit system wasn't already Byzantine enough, the city of Miami Beach is preparing to unveil another addition on Monday. As of right now, we have a handful of systems that work to an extent, but don't operate in conjunction. Instead of having one master public works project that takes a person from A to B, Miami-Dade residents have a series of half-baked ideas that operate on their own.
Although the trolley, bus and Metrorail systems are difficult to parse unless you have a PhD in cartography, this new idea might actually be useful to beachside commuters and visitors.
It's been pretty difficult to navigate much of the beach since the Alton Road construction project began last summer. The main drag is all torn up so that officials can try to reduce tidal flooding, and there's no end in sight for the inconvenience. As a remedy to all the detours caused by the revamping, Miami Beach is launching a new trolley that will take people from Fifth Street to Lincoln Road, along Alton Road and West End. In all, there will be about 20 stops on the route.
The service will run seven days a week, every 10 minutes from 8 a.m. to midnight. The goal is to help the businesses on Alton Road that have been hurt by the Department of Transportation's long-term project. Trying to park at the various commercial spots around the construction has been a nightmare, but hopefully this will help bolster traffic for the effected spots. Since it costs nothing to ride, though, nighttime revelers are free to jump on board and use the trolley as they see fit. Although it won't be running late, anyone who wants to grab a beer on the early side or catch a matinee at the Regal South Beach Cinema will be able to take part.
People who want to try it will be able to park at the Fifth and Alton Garage for up to four hours and use a voucher to get on board.
The new trolley actually sounds pretty sweet: It's gonna have a bike rack and WiFi, and up to 25 people will be able to ride at a time. If you're an early adopter who can't wait to save on parking, just know that the city will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new thing-a-ma-jing on Monday, at Lenox Avenue and Fifth Street. That's where you'll be able to catch the very first ride.
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