New South Miami transit service

[Aessotariq]

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/...st/10392878.htm

SOUTH MIAMI

Free weekend trolley service scheduled to start in weeks

A new South Miami trolley service is scheduled to bus people around the city on weekends, starting in January.

BY YUDY PINEIRO

[email protected]

South Miami will launch a free weekend trolley service next year in hopes of easing parking and traffic problems in the business district.

The first scheduled pickup: 10 a.m. Jan. 2.

Two green and yellow trolleys emblazoned with the city seal and the words ''South Miami Trolley'' will make periodic stops at more than 20 spots from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Riders can catch the bus from places like local churches and schools, the post office and South Miami Hospital.

A third trolley will operate the first Sunday of each month to coincide with Sundays on Sunset, the city's new noon to 5 p.m. celebration at the Shops at Sunset Place. An express trolley will take people to and from the shops and the Metrorail Station.

''It's an incentive to make people park at the Metrorail,'' said W. Ajibola Balogun, the city's director of public works. ``It's like catching the bus. The best part about it -- it's free.''

City officials say trolley routes may change based on demand.

South Miami commissioners on Tuesday approved a six-month $75,000 contract with the South Florida Trolley Co., which also runs some of the trolleys in Coral Gables and Fort Lauderdale.

The new service, like in Coral Gables' case, will be funded from the half-penny transportation surtax passed by Miami-Dade County in 2002, which is supposed to help alleviate traffic congestion and transportation problems.

At the South Miami City Commission meeting, the only concerns raised were from a few residents in the audience who wanted to make sure the service would be free to riders -- which the city says it will be.

Coral Gables began operating its trolleys in November 2003. City officials there thought it was a cheap and convenient way to transport local residents and visitors to the downtown area shops, businesses, hotels and condominiums.

Since then, more than 400,000 people have hopped on board.

In fact, Coral Gables, which now owns and operates its own trolley system, has begun outsourcing for extra trolleys with South Florida Trolley Co. because of the unforeseen need.

Coral Gables' trolleys, though, run weekdays, and a lot of the traffic is people going to and from work in the downtown area.

[Urban_Legend]

Good news, more transit choices for Miami. That city has the best transit in Florida, even though that's not saying much, lol. Could you post a map or route or something? I'm a bit confused as to where exactly this will run.

[Brickell]

You ask and you shall receive...

you can find what you want here....

http://www.cityofsouthmiami.net/peoplestra...rtationplan.htm

The route leaves me scratching my head a little. Let's just say it seems to be politically motivated and leave it at that. Beyond that I like the idea behind it. Hopefully it becomes as popular as the Coral Gables trolley and hopefully both of those leads to permanent rail type trolley systems in the near future that development can be built around.

This has been a issue in South Miami because the Metro station is not that pedestrian friendly and is across the street from the main shopping and entertainment areas. You take your life into your hands when you try crossing US1 at night. So I'm hoping this really works out.

[Aessotariq]

There should be a skybridge across US 1 at the South Miami station... Another place that might be useful is at University station.

Somehow that trolley design doesn't seem to work for a long bus. Maybe it's the off-center axles. At least the Coral Gables buses fit the proportions and have that symmetry.

[Aessotariq]

Good news, more transit choices for Miami. That city has the best transit in Florida, even though that's not saying much, lol. Could you post a map or route or something? I'm a bit confused as to where exactly this will run.

You'd be surprised. It does move a lot of people to and fro everyday. It's actually not a bad system, and it will be even better once these grand rail projects start going forward.

And the system is pretty logical... I like the way the routes are numbered... the number usually relates to the arterial road that it spends most of its time on... e.g., the 24 runs mostly along Coral Way (SW 24th St), and every route that is a letter goes to the Beach. Three-digit route numbers are local circulators or temporary routes.

http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/t...for%2520web.pdf

[Urban_Legend]

^ Wow!

[streetscaper]

coolio!

[miamivicefan]

Nice choices.