The Miami Beach City Commission has voiced a unanimous opposition to a Miami-Dade County plan that would extend the Metromover elevated monorail system to South Beach, creating the first mass transit connection between the city and the Florida mainland.
According to a Miami Herald report, Mayor Steven Meyer and the six city commissioners co-sponsored a resolution opposing the “Baylink” plan. Instead of the Metromover extension that would connect two existing stations in downtown Miami to two new stations to be built in South Beach, the city leaders called for the county to explore alternative options including express bus lanes.
Metromover is a free elevated transit system operating in downtown Miami and Brickell. Homeowners in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth and West Avenue neighborhoods opposed the new stations that were proposed in their communities, with some residents warning the Metromover stations would disrupt the character of their affluent areas while offering an inefficient solution to the city’s ongoing traffic congestion problems.
The Metromover project would be funded with county and state dollars and operated by the Miami-Dade County government. However, opposition from the Miami Beach city government and its affluent residents could signal potential legal challenges if efforts are made to go forward with the project.
Photo courtesy of Miami-Dade County Government’s website
