Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Art Basel: The Traffic … by gimleteye

It is inevitable that the take-away from the world's most sophisticated and wealthy visitors will be Miami's traffic. Guaranteed that when the cocktail party chatter veers from art, it will veer toward traffic. It is easier putting toothpaste back in a dispenser than finding an easy way through, during Art Basel.

Last night, a car ride from the Gables to Miami Beach -- one that normally takes half an hour -- took more than an hour at 8PM. I'm tensing for today, when the venues have all opened. Our trip last night to the beach included evasive maneuvers including a scenic detour from the interstate west toward the airport on SR 112 -- the opposite direction from our destination -- then looping back on city streets, over the Venetian Causeway, to Miami Beach. With today's demolition of the Herald -- in addition to Eye On Miami's -- the traffic over the Venetian Causeway will rely on a backup generator for bridge operation.

Visitors, understand this about the developers and boosters who spent vast sums to elect officials who permitted the traffic logjam to build in Miami to gargantuan forms: one of our county commissioners, Lynda Bell, not only voted to permit residences to be surrounded by chain link fences, she also secretly owned a chain link fence company when she proposed the ordinance.

Why does this have to do with the traffic nightmare you will be experiencing? Because self-dealing on infrastructure by elected officials, the revolving door between the regulators and regulated, and campaign contributors -- like those tied to cement, lime rock, roadways and water management -- has denied taxpayers and voters any degree of organization and order except for building more and more and  more.

What city builds an art museum that is either a dangerous, uncomfortable walk along and across multi-lane traffic or a half hour ride away from a parking lot on substandard public transportation?

Lately the Miami Herald has been gushing -- (in the purple prose department, editors have all taken a paid week-off …) -- about Museum Park. Trying to drive through the area last night (the Performing Arsht Center was dark) was enlivened by panhandlers.

Visitors, understand that Museum Park is an area with only one lane of access from the interstate and no parking within comfortable walking distance. Period. A view of Biscayne Bay is an incidental luxury from plate glass windows once you have run the gauntlet of traffic, parking and admission fees. So what's the bottom line on this dystopian view?

Because of traffic, Art Basel Miami may turn out to be a bubble that Miami's elite popped all by themselves.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great week to be a driver in substandard taxis.

Anonymous said...

The AAA Foundation -- err, the "Knight" Foundation -- will take care of all this.

Anonymous said...

? AAA Foundation … what's that?

Anonymous said...

I used to care about the Herald (editorials in particular) being irrelevant but now just accept it as "sponsored content."

Anonymous said...

I honestly didn't see any traffic and was on the beach at 8pm. It was actually eerily quiet.

Most of the action happens on the beach so visitors stay there, not sure why there would be traffic in the Gables. Regular rush hour?

Anonymous said...

It was traffic on the causeways. And the midtown / BB exits.

Anonymous said...

All surface lots in PAMM area will one day become condominiums. That means that this area will have zoned itself out of existence.

How many parking spots does this museum have? What is its maximum occupancy? Cannot find out any info on the amount of spots.

From PAMM site...

Parking

​Secure parking will be available in the museum’s underground parking garage, for $2 per hour during regular museum hours. The garage extends from the far east to west side of the park, under the art and science museums and central plaza. The parking spots under the Frost Science Museum will open with the science museum in 2015.

There are also more than a dozen public parking lots within a short 10 minute walk to the museum. Visit Miami Parking Authority to find parking lot addresses, hours and rates.

Anonymous said...

Twenty some years ago I was invited to a presentation by famed landscape architect, Roberto Burle Marx in which he described how Biscayne Boulevard should be transformed into an arts and museum hub. It was he who designed our paved streets and sidewalks around the Omni and performing arts. Center area. Unfortunately, he died soon thereafter. At the time, that area was dead, dark and dangerous and very few people believed it could ever change. Now we see the transformation taking place and it is being lauded across the world.

Congratulations to the visionaries who saw what could be, and are making it happen!

Anonymous said...

Anon above clearly has a parking pass for one of the twelve spots near the museum.

Anonymous said...

Isn't there a metromover station right in front of the museum? Don't we want to encourage people to take public transportation instead of driving to this congested area? Don't people only tend to use public transportation once traffic gets bad enough? So if you live in the gables, taking the metrorail and metromover shouldn't be too difficult.

Anonymous said...

Amen! Take public transportation!

Gimleteye said...

Wasn't too bad getting to the Beach in the early afternoon. Took me forty five minutes though to find a parking space. There's water in the street on an ordinary high tide … Alton Road, another story. No sea level rise here?

Anonymous said...

The City of Miami Beach 17th Street Garage was full at 2:00 pm. Wednesday is a slow day. At 3:00 pm all the streets around 17th, Lincoln, Meridian were all gridlock and horns. No parking to be had. Why would anyone want more retail and a major hotel in that area UNLESS someone is adding 1,000 parking spots?

Anonymous said...

Hello/ still curious. Someone referred to the Knight Foundation as the AAA Foundation. What does that mean?

Anonymous said...

Dade County's traffic issues are the result of incompetent architects and engineers and the "It's good enough for Miami" design philosophy that pervades public works.

Anonymous said...

AAA? Guessing American Airlines Arena?

Anonymous said...

If you don't like it here, get the fuck out! Using one of the showcase events of this city to whine and moan about an issue that afflicts every major American city, including Miami, is just an excuse to whine. Grow up and butch up.