Miami news, Miami local news

A column by Daniel Shoer Roth was published in El Nuevo Herald on November 4th criticizing transit officials for not offering a bus route from Miami International Airport to South Beach. Shortly after that, Miami-Dade Transit chief Harpal Kapoor announced that such a route, which will be called the Airport-Beach Flyer route, will exist starting December 13th. Kapoor assures that the new route has been in the works for some time and was not prompted by Roth’s column. The much-needed and heavily-traveled bus route from Miami International Airport to South Beach will follow State Road 112 and make one stop at the Earlington Heights Metrorail station along the way for those wishing to reach Downtown Miami. The bus trip will cost $2.34 and takes about 30 minutes.

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For years, solitary commuters have been finding creative ways to fool the system and use the South Florida HOV lanes on I-95 without any real companion passengers. Commuters have used ploys such as blow-up sex dolls, life-size celebrity cardboard cut-outs, faceless store mannequins, wigs on passenger-seat head restraints, dolls in baby seats, kick boxing dummies, Safe-T-Man and even balloons with a face drawn on them. In reality, only 12 percent of highway commuters carpooled. Sales for these travel “companions” will likely drop due to the seven-mile carpool lane being replaced with new variable-priced toll lanes on northbound South Florida I-95. Next year, the same will be done to the South-bound lane and by 2011, the pay-to-go lanes are expected to run through to Broward County. Lone travelers can now save some money with a $4.99 investment in a South Florida SunPass Mini sticker versus a $24.95 blow-up doll.