Miami Goes Streetcar - Jacksonville Can't Imagine It

[Ocklawaha]

We were recently and rather incredulously asked by JTA committee members and one of our esteemed city councilmen; "How can you compare a streetcar to our First Coast Flyer?" The shame of the matter is more and more cities 'get it,' but preach and teach as we might, Jacksonville seems forever stuck in 1936, the year we finally junked the states largest streetcar system. Fort Lauderdale is already working on their new streetcar system and how better to ring in 2016 then this article out of Miami.

MIAMI BEACH
BY JOEY FLECHAS
jflechas@miamiherald.com
DECEMBER 23, 2015 12:36 PM
Miami Beach wants to expedite local streetcar, jump-start Bay Link to mainland

Miami Beach will solicit firms to design a streetcar system for South Beach

Bids will be based on unsolicited proposal submitted by French firm four months ago

City officials hope expedited plan will jump-start larger Bay Link project to connect island to mainland


An early rendering of a proposed Bay Link streetcar along Washington Avenue in South Beach. A rendering of Bay Link in South Beach included in an Metropolitan Planning Organization presentation.  An early rendering of a proposed Bay Link streetcar along Washington Avenue in South Beach.

An early rendering of a proposed Bay Link streetcar along Washington Avenue in South Beach. Miami Herald File

The last time Miami Beach desired a streetcar — in 1939 — the world was on the verge of war, Clark Gable romanced Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind and the city lost its 65-year-old founding father, Carl Fisher.

Now, three-quarters of a century after the last electric trolley traveled between the island and the mainland, the Beach is pushing forward with plans to create its own piece of Bay Link, a light-rail line that would efficiently transport passengers along the MacArthur Causeway across Biscayne Bay.

"It won't be cheap, but the problem isn't cheap," said Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales, pointing to the Beach's constantly congested roads as a major headache for both residents and visitors of the resort city.

The Beach's portion of Bay Link is estimated to cost about $148 million, or about 28 percent of the expected $532 million price tag for the entire project.

The first Miami-area electric trolleys came early in the 20th century, with lines created through the 1920s in Miami, Coral Gables and Miami Beach. The first trolley to Miami Beach was completed after the 1926 hurricane, according to the Miami History blog. Coral Gables trolley service ended after the 1935 hurricane and service to and from the Beach ceased in 1939.

Historian Seth Bramson, who has written extensively on the histories of South Florida's electric railways, said the street car that ran across the MacArthur Causeway — then called the County Causeway — died along with many of the nation's electric rail systems after the automotive industry put pressure on politicians.

"One of the worst things we ever did in this town was end the electric railway connecting Miami with Miami Beach," he said. "That was so foolish, because had we kept it, we would've had a tourist attraction at the level of the San Francisco cable cars."

Now, with traffic-choked streets every day throughout Miami-Dade, talk of a new light-rail is heating up. Bay Link was first studied in 1988 and the rail was promised to Miami-Dade voters in 2002 when they approved a new half-penny transit sales tax.


The Beach stoked the conversation in August when French rail company Alstom submitted an unsolicited bid to build a 14-mile transit system connecting downtown Miami to the Miami Beach Convention Center, along with five miles of stops through South Beach's entertainment district.

Alstom and its partners want to finance the construction tab upfront, and then operate it on an exclusive contract that could run for 35 years. Tax dollars ultimately would fund construction and operations.

Miami Beach will take the Alstom proposal to the marketplace in January, seeking other bidders for what would be one-third of the Bay Link project.

Beach commissioners unanimously approved going out to bid while continuing an environmental study required if the city wants to qualify for state funding. To move faster with the project, the commission also decided to forgo a longer environmental analysis that could make the light-rail eligible for federal dollars but would take years to complete.

"The commission decided we were not going to go through more elaborate National Environmental Policy Act analysis to qualify for federal funding, given how long that would take without guaranteeing we would get federal funding," Morales said.

Officials hope the expedited approach could mean breaking ground in about three years, while the rest of Bay Link gets hashed out.

On the mainland, the topic hasn't been broached as much at Miami City Hall as it has across the bay, where traffic was a major issue for voters in this year's Beach election.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine this week touted the move in an email to residents:

"Last week, the Miami Beach Commission and I authorized the city to move ahead expeditiously to develop a light rail/wireless streetcar system that will allow residents, visitors and business owners to move around our city a lot more efficiently and reduce the amount of cars on our roads," he wrote.

Levine acknowledged that "the process going forward will not be easy and we will face many challenges along the way."

"From environmental studies, planning and engineering, to garnering community support and adequately funding this massive endeavor, our commitment to implementing effective public transportation solutions in our city is unwavering and we will get it done," the mayor wrote.

The Beach supports Bay Link and wants to move quickly on its own piece of it. A South Beach streetcar would likely have bearing on what happens with Bay Link: Civic and political leaders throughout Miami-Dade County have said they want one operator for the whole system.

Morales said the public bid will at least push the conversation about Bay Link forward. "We firmly believe if we move at all, if we get the process started, it jump-starts everything."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article51285235.html#storylink=cpy

iTechPost
More than just technology news
Light Rail Project May Come Soon In Miami Beach
Paul Pajarillo First Posted: Dec 30, 2015 11:10 PM EST



TagsMiami, trains, transportation, public transport, mass transport, transport system, Auto Tech, Society, Culture, Florida
People walk near the light rail in the centre of Jerusalem October 18, 2015. A surge in Palestinian attacks in Israel is raising concerns that the weakening economy could eventually be pushed into recession. Picture taken October 18, 2015.

People walk near the light rail in the centre of Jerusalem October 18, 2015. A surge in Palestinian attacks in Israel is raising concerns that the weakening economy could eventually be pushed into recession. Picture taken October 18, 2015. Credit:Reuters/Amir Cohen
Mayor Phillip Levine of Miami Beach has authorized the City Commission to develop a light rail system that will allow its citizens to move around the city efficiently. Another goal of this project is to reduce cars running around the city's roads.

After years of discussion regarding the pros and cons of improving Miami Beach's mass transit system, it seems that it is finally advancing with a proposed wireless streetcar light railway system. Once the system is built, it will provide mass transportation up and down South Beach Florida. More importantly, it will permit convenient transportation from the downtown area to the beach area via the MacArthur Causeway.


Long-time residents of Florida may still remember similar undertakings surrounding the 1980 Miami Metrorail Project. Regardless of the long wait of Florida residents, still there is reason for a celebration.

Mayor Phillip Levine of Miami Beach, FL, said in a press release that he is happy to report that after decades of discussions, the city government has finally taken the first step in making the dream of providing better public transport systems closer to reality. The mayor and the Miami Beach Commission authorized the city to design a wireless streetcar light rail system that will enable visitors, residents and businessmen to move around the city efficiently and at the same time reduce traffic caused by cars on the road.

Eventually, the system will be connecting the City of Miami to the City of Miami Beach. Commuting between the two cities will be a lot faster, safer and convenient. Phase one of the project will consist of a two-way connection to Washington Avenue and 5th Street, which will be known as the South Beach Component.

Phase two will be taking its place along 17th Street and Alton Road that complements Downtown Miami's cross-bay route. Future plans include routes along the Julia Tuttle Causeway, which will be connecting Midtown Miami and the beach area and the Miami International Airport.

[Tacachale]

Lol, someone actually thought a bus was better than a streetcar? Who?

[Ocklawaha]

More then one someone and I believe several have expressed the same thing to Lakelander. However recklessly naming names and embarrassing people would severely hamper our ability to continue consulting with them.

The real shame of it is that even JTA in the recent Skyway decisions envisions a mass transit system built on their pseudo-BRT system and all other transit (even if we add rail) will be designed to feed into this 'mainline' of buses. So in other words and rather typically, 100% backwards from standard practice the world over where buses feed into rail.

[thelakelander]

I've come across several people who wonder if investing in transit is worth it at all. For some strange reason, many believe self-driving vehicles will eliminate the need for transit.

[spuwho]

What good will Miami streetcars be if as Stephen says, it will be underwater in 25 years?

[thelakelander]

My guess is they don't believe they'll be underwater in 25 years.

[Jax Friend]

I've come across several people who wonder if investing in transit is worth it at all. For some strange reason, many believe self-driving vehicles will eliminate the need for transit.

I have also experienced the same discussion with people. I'm still not convinced of the full impact self-driving cars will have, but I think that they have rightfully entered the discourse regarding transportation. Their implementation will have some kind of distributive effect to the status quo. My belief is that elevated and submerged services will still hold some value. I think our minds haven't quite wrapped around the impending impact to surface transportation. When we are talking about these multi-million dollar projects it should be considered.

[thelakelander]

I work in transportation planning industry and I'm really not convinced that self driving cars will have any type of significant impact on mass transit. Most of these discussions completely overlook the economics and demographics of core transit users. Many transit users can't afford to have a regular car. Now we're going to expect them to own a self driving car or.....Uber themselves to and from work, school, etc. on a regular basis? Then, how will these vehicles be integrated with existing vehicles, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians, cyclists, etc? Not much really changes unless it's wholesale integration. In the event that day eventually comes, how we build/design roads and parking lots will be impacted before mass transit would, IMO.

[mvp]

Self-driving buses are being tested in Greece and Switzerland:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a226e2e4a4314eebbfb7603015ecd975/greek-town-glimpses-mass-transit-future-driverless-buses

https://bestmile.com/2015/11/04/sion/

[thelakelander]

Just wondering. Does the skyway count as a self-driving train?

[Jax Friend]

When looking through the lens of social stratification I can see how it would appear that not all will have access to a new technology. The strongest rebuttal I can think of is the impact of mobile telecommunications. It still blows my mind when a homeless person pulls out a phone nicer than mine. Not to mention the massive impact mobile phones have had on the developing world. I don't know if those consequences were being foreseen at the R&D phase. Also, I believe a big part of the transition is the decoupling of car as a possession. I could imagine legislation killing it, but what is being proposed is a paradigm shift. 

[thelakelander]

True but the price points between the two are pretty significant.  Cars have been around for over a century now and a significant portion of transit users still can't afford them.

[ProjectMaximus]

True but the price points between the two are pretty significant.  Cars have been around for over a century now and a significant portion of transit users still can't afford them.

The price point between mass transit fares and a lower-cost uber (due to lack of driver) would be very marginal. Certainly on longer distances where mass transit might have an advantage, there is also the possibility of sharing rides which would potentially make it cheaper than typical mass transit. The issue would be what to do with govt transit systems if less and less riders are using them (also because of private mass transit)...we'll have to revisit this discussion in 10 years.

[thelakelander]

What's marginal and what type of timeline are you envisioning for revolutionary change? 10, 20, 50 years?

[ProjectMaximus]

Marginal meaning a few bucks. It absolutely should be far less than owning a car and certainly accessible to folks who can't afford a car. As for a timeline, I am far more conservative than many...it's hard to imagine revolutionary change until it actually happens. I'd take a wild guess at 20 years for mainstream acceptance in major markets. Google and uber are shooting for more like a 5-10 year time frame.