transportation

10 Things Miami's Terrible Drivers Need to Learn

Kyle Munzenrieder — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:40:01 +0000

Miami is notorious for its bad drivers.

How Much Do You Walk? Livability In South Florida

Nathaniel Sandler — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Have you ever tried to cross US-1 on foot? Both in South and North Miami, all the way through Broward and even in parts of the Florida Keys it’s a harrowing experience. People are driving fast and not expecting pedestrians. It has the feel of an action movie to it and one you’re definitely not starring in.

There are other roads that have this same feel in South Florida. Brickell, Calle Ocho and the Macarthur Causeway are streets you take to get from point A to point B and pray you avoid running into a $200,000 luxury car or uninsured $500 car.

Ditch Your Car And Ride A B-Cycle

Hyan Freitas — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:40:16 +0000

Riding a bike is a childhood right of passage. As we age, we move from tricycle to bike with training wheels to classic two-wheeler. But at some point we shift from bikes to the expanded mobility of owning a car.

Kathryn Moore, program manager at Broward B-Cycle, thinks people should consider going back to the basics when it comes to getting around downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Pursuing Reckless Cops Wins Sun-Sentinel Its First Pulitzer

Christine DiMattei — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

It was a humdinger of a story.

A Miami police officer in a marked squad car is pursued, pulled over and handcuffed by a Florida state trooper after speeding down the turnpike like race car driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

A dash-cam video of that pre-dawn October chase in 2011 went viral and sparked a three-month investigation by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper into how local police officers routinely endangered the general public through reckless driving.

Why Hasn't Florida Banned Texting And Driving?

Arianna Prothero — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:11:00 +0000

Steve Augello lives in Spring Hill Florida, just outside of Tampa. Like a lot of dads, he always made his 17-year-old daughter, Alessandra, check-in with him when she was out. Augello also had a rule.

“You weren’t allowed to have that cell phone out while you’re driving,” Augello remembers telling Alessandra. “I even tested her a few times I called her when she was driving and it always went right through to the recorder.”

Gov. Scott Wants Florida Reimbursed For Port Improvements

Arianna Prothero — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

President Barack Obama will be visiting PortMiami Friday to talk about the economy. Gov. Rick Scott, meanwhile, is asking the federal government to repay Florida for the money it has spent on port improvements.

Although Scott often criticizes the federal government for spending too much, he says this is different.

How Much Time Do You Spend In Transit? An Interactive Map Of South Florida

Daniel Rivero — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

There is a lot of discontent among South Florida residents when it comes to our transit system-- both among drivers and public transit commuters. But according to data from the Census, it could be a lot worse.

Technically, There's Nothing Stopping You From Texting And Driving In Florida – Yet

Allison Goodman — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

After several failed bills and a decade’s worth of debate, texting and driving remains legal in Florida – and the most recently proposed bill wouldn’t change that. But drivers could be charged with vehicular homicide in the case of an accident.

According to the News Service of Florida,

How A Fake Train Station Could Improve Public Transportation In Miami

Arianna Prothero — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Over the weekend, public transit advocates in Miami built a temporary train station along an imaginary transit line. They called it the Purple Line, sticking with the theme of Miami’s other two commuter rail lines, the Orange and the Green. Organizers of the project say this mock train station is going to help improve public transit in the city.

Get On The Bus: How Miami Is Like L.A.

Alicia Zuckerman — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Several times a week, Miami reminds me of Los Angeles. For better and worse. We're both the land of sunshine, palm trees (theirs are taller) and beautiful beaches (ours are nicer based on ocean temperature and clarity, but we're missing out on the mountains). And both places have much beneath the surface of our beautiful things. Extreme wealth and poverty pressed up against each other, but rarely mixing -- largely because both places are so deeply devoted to the automobile.

Palm Beach County To Get Express Lanes

Rick Stone — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:37:09 +0000

Transportation engineers are planning to install pay-per-drive express lanes as part of the next big I-95 makeover in Palm Beach County.

Already in use in Miami-Dade County and under construction in Broward, express lanes provide a faster, limited-access drive for commuters who can commit to the entire distance. Tolls rise and fall as a function of traffic congestion.

In Miami, the tolls range from 25 cents to six and seven dollars, according to traffic conditions.

Troubled Bridge Over Water: Why A Key Part Of Keys' History Is In Danger

Arianna Prothero — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:30:00 +0000

When the Old Seven Mile Bridge was built, it was an engineering wonder of the early 1900s. Part of Henry Flagler’s famous railway to Key West, it ran across nearly seven miles of open water to connect Marathon to the Lower Keys.

Today, the bridge is still a popular spot with both locals and tourists, but it’s slowly falling apart. Salt water and storms are eroding the bridge faster than the state can afford to repair it. Much of it is now closed. Historians and activists are desperately searching for a way to preserve what's left: a 2.2 mile section of the Old Seven Bridge that is still open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Fast Train Will Link Miami, Orlando In 2015

Rick Stone — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:00:43 +0000

A billion-dollar passenger rail project, due to break ground next year, will be whisking business travelers and tourists between Miami and Orlando at top speed by some time in 2015.

Plans call for stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on the way from Miami to Orlando International Airport with a spur line connecting the beaches of Brevard County to the system.

Cost and benefits? According to the Sun Sentinel, $1 billion, 1,600 jobs and a three-hour trip -- much quicker than you could make at the wheel of your own car.

Composer/Architect Discusses Airport Installation At Art Basel

Alicia Zuckerman — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Christopher Janney's sound and light installation for Miami International Airport was unveiled during last year's Art Basel Miami Beach. This year, he's back to discuss the piece on a panel during Design Miami, today (Friday, Dec. 7) at noon.

How To Get Around With Public Transit During Art Basel Miami

Daniel Rivero — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:30:00 +0000

At a roundtable arts engagement at Locust Projects a few months ago, the conversation inevitably turned to Art Basel and it’s effect on Miami both as a city overall and the development of the arts scene.

Fort Lauderdale Airport Workers Rally For Higher Pay Just Before Busy Thanksgiving Travel Days

Christine DiMattei — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Many of the service workers at South Florida's busiest airport for Thanksgiving holiday travel say they can't afford a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year.

About 60 members of a local airport workers' union held a rally Monday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to try to persuade airline contractors to pay them higher wages.

The Workers

Hurricane Sandy Is Parking Planes Across South Florida

Arianna Prothero — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 20:38:37 +0000

Even though Hurricane Sandy has moved past South Florida, the region's airports continue to feel the storm's effects.

Director of Operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Mike Monnemacher, said 152 flights have been canceled at his airport.

"One of our larger markets for this airport is to the Northeast," Monnemacher said. " So, when we're not having any operations into the Washington all the up through Boston area, that's a significant number of aircraft. So, right now we have 35 aircraft that really don't have any place to go."

Amtrak Works With Feds To Fight Human Trafficking

Marva Hinton — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:19:27 +0000

Two federal government agencies are teaming up with Amtrak to fight human trafficking.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman announced the new partnership Thursday.

How Miami Is Climbing The List Of Top Bike-Friendly Cities

Arianna Prothero — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:30:51 +0000

Miami recently jumped ten spots on Bicycling magazine’s list of the country’s top, bike-friendly cities. It’s the fastest rising city on the list.

But just four years ago, Miami was put on a list of the worst cities to bike in according to Bicycling magazine senior editor Emily Furia.

What South Florida Cyclists and Drivers Have to Say to Each Other

Ruth Morris and Arianna Prothero — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:45:12 +0000

This is a place that’s sunny, warm, and flat. It seems like it should be a pretty perfect place to ride a bike. It’s not.

A New Yorker's Commute on South Florida Public Transit

Arianna Prothero and Luc Cohen — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:39:11 +0000

South Florida is clearly a car-centered part of the country, but there are a lot of people here who rely on public transportation. This summer, WLRN intern Luc Cohen was one of them.

Cohen, who is majoring in public and international affairs at Princeton University, was born and raised in New York City. So for him, public transportation is practically second nature.

Before coming to Miami for his internship, Cohen had driven a total of six blocks by himself in his life.