LTC 106-2009 Implementation Route and Date for the South Beach Local~F:r;~i~.~rr~
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OFFICE OF TI1E CITY MANAGER
NU. LTC # to6-zoos LETTER TO COMMISSION
io: Mayor Matti H. Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager ~.---7~
DATE: April 16, 2009 U
SUBJECT: IMPLEMENTATION ROUTE AND DATE FOR THE SOUTH BEACH LOCAL
At the February 25, 2009 Commission meeting, the City Commission voted to request an
amendment to the Interlocal Agreement with Miami-Dade County for the South Beach Local
(SBL) service to provide for an expansion of the service. The City Commission specifically
requested that the South Beach Local route be extended to incorporate Belle Isle and the
Cultural Campus. The Commission also expressed its desire to see the route implemented
in the earliest possible Miami-Dade Transit route realignment which was then projected for
April.
The City requested the route revision by Miami-Dade County and was informed that the
route changes that were requested could and would be implemented. The implementation
was achievable since the anticipated route realignments thatwere set for implementation in
April have been delayed until June. With the added time, Miami Dade Transit (MDT) was
able to agree to a June implementation date for the South Beach Local.
The MDT schedule for approval is to take fhe route adjustments system-wide to the Transit
Committee of the Board of County Commissioners on May 13'", which also serves as a
Public Hearing, and for official Board of County Commission action on June 2n°, with a June
14"' start date for all routes.
At the City's request, MDT redesigned the South Beach Local route to incorporate both Belle
Island and the Cultural Campus. The MDT personnel incorporated the two additions at the
closest point of the current South Beach Local route. The current west side of the SBL loop
was changed to add a stop at Belle Isle. The current east side of the SBL loop was changed
to add the Cultural Campus. No other aspects of the route were altered as part of the MDT
route plan. As discussed by the City Commission, this route realignment for the South
Beach Local adds several minutes to the total headway of the system, ratherthan having the
City incur costs of additional buses.
Recently a requestwas received from a resident of Belle Isle to have the South Beach Local
route be adjusted in a different fashion to provide service to Belle Isle. The route while
similar in mileage to that planned by MDT would have necessitated a different path of travel
by the MDT buses and as such MDT indicated that this level of change in the route could not
be implemented until November at the earliest.
In order to meet the time schedule indicated above and a June implementation, MDT
required that the City advise them of the route choice and the specific implementation time
desired. As the planned MDT route was consistent with the intent and direction of the City
Commission and allowed the earliest implementation date, MDT was advised to proceed
with their planned route adjustment.
The Traffic and Parking Committee (TPC) raised and discussed the South Beach local
route options at their meeting on Monday, April 6th and supported the MDT planned route
that would allow for the June implementation date. The TPC recognized that the resident
suggested route could be continued to be analyzed and in the event deemed desirable,
could be proposed for subsequent implementation to MDT.
As a practical matter, the MDT planned route most closely follows the original South Beach
Local routing and only deviates in order to accommodate the requested additions of Belle
Isle and the Cultural Campus. While the resident suggested route may have merit, it does
alter the travel path and the sequence of stops of the South Beach Local. While the
suggested travel path may in fact provide more expeditious service on one of the directional
loops of the South Beach Local for Belle Isle residents, it is unclear what current rider
reaction or impacts would be for the suggested route.
In the planned MDT routing, the system is bi-directional for both new locations, meaning one
bus travels in each direction simultaneously on the overall route. For Belle Isle residents to
access Publix, Lincoln Road and the Cultural Campus, they would simply choose the bus
going in that direction first; likewise in a return movement the Belle Isle residents would be
able to return to Belle Isle from the northern end of the loop on a short trip simply by
choosing a bus heading in that direction rather than towards South Beach.
The Administration has committed to review the resident proposed route with MDT officials
in order to determine its feasibility and any potential impact. The result of the discussion will
be forwarded to the TPC and City Commission with sufficient time to allow for the change to
be made in November if so desired.
JMG
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