Ocean Drive without cars for months at a time? Miami Beach is trying to make it happen.
Miami Beach commissioners voted 7-0 to move forward with a plan that would make Ocean Drive pedestrian-only from 5th to 15th Street every year, starting around Thanksgiving and lasting through March 31.
We’ve seen Ocean Drive close to cars before, but this would basically give us an entire winter season without them. You could walk around, hit the restaurants, hang out by Lummus Park and, of course, enjoy some of the best people-watching in Miami without dealing with cars going up and down the street.
Not everyone is loving the idea, though. Some businesses have questions about valet service, hotel drop-offs and deliveries. There’s also the question of where all that traffic would go because, hello, Collins and Washington already have enough going on.
Before you start planning your car-free stroll down Ocean Drive, nothing is official just yet. Miami-Dade County still has to approve the seasonal closure before it can happen.
So, Miami, what do we think? Would you like to see Ocean Drive go car-free for a few months every year?