Liberty City Trolley plan would cut into Brickell route
Although the City of Miami’s free trolley system extends to all corners of the city, no dedicated route serves the Liberty City area. That may be about to change – with Brickell trolleys running less often as a result.
On the agenda for today’s (4/25) city commission meeting is a proposal to begin a defined regular route for a city trolley through Liberty City connecting with other established public transit routes and services.
The proposed resolution, if approved, would authorize City Manager Emilio González to take all necessary steps, including negotiating and executing an amendment to the city’s current agreement with Miami-Dade County, to allow for addition of a Liberty City route to the city’s trolley system to connect with the existing Little Haiti Trolley Route, Allapattah Metrorail Station, and numerous Miami-Dade County Metrobus routes.
In a background memo, city staff wrote: “Our current system serves many neighborhoods across the City including Little Haiti, Flagami, Little Havana, Coconut Grove, and Allapattah with connections to Metrobus routes, Metrorail, Metromover and other area municipal circulators. However, currently there is no Trolley service in the Liberty City area.
“As such, we are recommending [implementation of] a new Trolley route to provide dedicated service to the Liberty City neighborhood. This route will serve the Liberty Square area, Miami Northwestern High School, Edison High School with service along the main commercial corridors in the neighborhood,” it reads.
The change would be funded by trimming two other trolley routes.
“By reducing the existing service on the Flagami and Brickell trolley routes by one vehicle each, this option will reduce the stated frequency of service on the Brickell route from 15 minutes to 25 minutes and have no discernable impact to the Flagami route,” according to staff.
Savings from these reductions to existing routes will allow the city to run a Liberty City route in a “cost-neutral manner” without increasing the overall peak number of vehicles, staff wrote.
A route map attached to the proposed resolution shows trolley travel on Northwest 33rd Street, 12th Avenue, 17th Avenue, 50th Street, 62nd Street, 54th Street and beyond.
The planned Liberty City Trolley Route would have an expected frequency of about 25 minutes, and operate from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
There is no charge to ride city trolleys – rubber-tired vehicles designed to look like old-time streetcars – and from the outset of the program in 2011 city leaders have stated a desire to keep it free.
Commissioners have tried to offset operating costs by adjusting routes once patterns are established and cost-saving measures present themselves.
Also, in 2016, commissioners approved a new transportation trust fund, created in part to provide funds to support continued operation of the trolleys.
In the current 2018-2019 fiscal year budget, the entire trolley system is budgeted at $14.1 million, much of the money from the countywide half-cent transit tax, with $3,751,152 from the transportation trust fund.
Details: www.miamigov.com/trolley
R PULIDO
April 25, 2019 at 1:26 pm
THE EXIT OF THE TROLLEY IS THAT IS FREE
BUT THE STAFF THAT OPERATE THE TROLLEY HAVE NOT A CLEAR IDEA.
THE TIME NEED TO BE 10 MINUTES WAITING TO CALL THAT A GOOD SERVICE.
30 MINUTES IS VERY BAD SERVICE.
THAT IS THE REASON THE PEOPLE THAT CAN HAVE A CAR USED
NOT WILL TAKE A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BECAUSE METRO DADE OR CITY
GO IN THE WRONG THINKING.
William P Martin
April 25, 2019 at 6:53 pm
This is one stupid idea. They are essentially taken trolleys out of high density routes (Brickell) to less dense areas where is not needed. Waiting for a trolley for half hour is NOT acceptable!
William Foot
May 21, 2019 at 4:28 pm
The Liberty City Community has paid for the trolley service for 15 years and never received the service while Brickell has four (4) trolley routes plus free Metro-mover. Liberty City has subsidized Brickell for all these years and now Brickell riders want to complain because they lose a single trolley, not the route just the trolley!
Those who pay for the service should have the service and not have to help high-income Brickell residents and tourist get a free ride on the backs of poor people!
robert pulido
May 21, 2019 at 8:37 pm
FROM NOVEMBER 2016 THEY TALK TO IMPROVE GPS TRACKING.
THEY DO NOTHING WE ARE MAY 2019.
INEPTITUDE EVIDENT