At a municipal meeting last month, one Miami Beach commissioner floated a simple idea in response to growing traffic and congestion concerns: permanently banning cars from Ocean Drive. In a city where Lincoln Road, another pedestrianized street, has become one of its biggest tourist draws, you’d think the idea might…
Four years ago, Christophe Le Canne, a South Miami family man, was riding his blue Cannondale in the bike lane on the Rickenbacker Causeway when he was struck by a Silver Volkswagen and killed as the driver, Carlos Bertonatti, drove away dragging his bike. But without better safety measures in…
The big party starts tonight in South Beach, and local police are determined to keep drunk drivers out. (Makes sense, no?) With Urban Beach Week beginning in earnest this evening, local police will implement a DUI checkpoint on the eastbound MacArthur Causeway beginning at 8. A team of at least…
I hate taking taxis in Miami-Dade, but I depend on them. Without a car, I sometimes need a quick ride to events and to the office, which unfortunately has no convenient bus or trolley stops nearby. But the rights of passengers who use taxi services in the county are rarely…
You might want to just stay in your SUV forever, Miami. Days after a study found that Florida cities dominated the list of America’s deadliest for pedestrians (with the Magic City clocking in fourth place), a new report has been released on the most dangerous locales in the U.S. for…
Last Friday, Chris Underhill’s bike was stolen. He had taken a cousin from out of town to Mary Brickell Village, only to find his chain cut and his Giant Escape true to its name: gone. Underhill underwent the usual stages of stolen bike syndrome: disbelief, anger, and despair. He filled…
Segways: They’re silent, they’re funny-looking, and they never go faster than 12 mph. And soon they could be banned from much of Miami Beach because of apparent clashes with pedestrians. At a public hearing later this morning, Miami Beach Commissioner Jonah Wilson will propose an amendment to city code that…
Uber’s plans to enter the Miami market have stalled, but a similar yet distinct ride-sharing app-based service called Lyft will give it a try anyway. The company operates a “peer-to-peer ride sharing” program that allows users to get rides from approved drivers operating their personal vehicles in exchange for money…
Between 2003 and 2012, 1,539 pedestrians died while walking along the streets of South Florida. That’s more pedestrian deaths in any other major metro area except for New York and Los Angeles. So, sadly, it’s not much of a surprise that Miami has been ranked the fourth most dangerous metro…
Memorial Day weekend is just three days away. That means Urban Beach Week — and its hundreds of thousands of revelers — is once again slated to descend on Miami Beach. Three years ago the event was marred when police fired more than 100 shots in an incident that killed…
Two weeks ago, we wrote about how DecoBike was not turning out to be the win-win we were once promised. Despite extraordinary success for the bike share, a revised deal between DecoBike and Miami Beach meant that the city was only getting half the revenue originally agreed upon. Our article…
DecoBike is booming. The Miami Beach bike-share program now boasts around 100 kiosks with 1,000 bikes. Locals and tourists used the company’s cruisers more than 1.5 million times last year, earning DecoBike roughly $3 million. By most measures, it is the most successful bike-share program in the nation. DecoBike’s deal…
There are two types of drivers in Florida: snow birds who drive 15 mph under the speed limit, and everyone else who pretty much ignores the speed limit. Despite that, Florida still has a speed limit maximum of 70 mph. A bill to raise the limit to 75 mph in…
Today is the last Friday of April. Which means it’s National Arbor Day — you know, that one special day a year when you wake up early and rush out to plant a tree in a silent and unnoticed but deeply symbolic demonstration of your commitment to reversing centuries of…
For Miami Beach commuters, the past year has been a migraine-inducing hellscape. While a project aimed at alleviating flooding has left Alton Road hacked to bits, the ongoing construction of the PortMiami tunnel has turned the MacArthur Causeway into a traffic-clogged nightmare (especially this morning, when a Ferrari going more…
If you’ve collected two or more DUIs in Florida, a judge can force you to install an interlock device in your car. The device requires you to blow into it before you can start your car. If it detects alcohol on your breath then it prevents your car from starting…
Despite an aggressive push in Tallahassee, car service app Uber’s hopes to enter the Miami market are on the back burner once again. A bill that would prohibit local governments from placing restrictions on chauffeured car services has now been amended so that it affects only Hillsborough County. Despite this,…
The meat of downtown Miami is separated from the waterfront parks and attractions by an eight-lane highway complete with median surface parking. It works, but it’s not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing setup. Well, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has finally picked a plan to redevelop a stretch of Biscayne…
Apparently, Golden Beach — that little hamlet north of Sunny Isles Beach full of ridiculously wealthy people where Shaquille O’Neal was famously sworn in as a police officer — is experiencing a rash of drunk driving incidents. And tonight they’re taking a stand. According to a news release issued earlier…
Ashton Kutcher made an unplanned cameo during a Florida Senate Transportation Committee meeting two weeks ago. Uber representatives presented a clip of the Two and Half Men star and Uber investor on Jimmy Kimmel Live blasting Miami for not changing longstanding laws to accommodate the upstart car service. “Basically, it’s…
If you’re anything like us you probably appreciate the message of Critical Mass but have some really dark fantasies when you’re in your car and get stuck in the traffic caused by the monthly bike event. The best way to avoid that is checking the route first and staying as…
Do you often find yourself cruising Miami’s highways and thinking to yourself, “I really, truly wish that everyone on this road would drive even faster”? If so, you are a maniac probably bent on your own fiery death, and you are also in luck. Because Florida’s legislature looks just about…
