Traffic headaches during Art Week? Here are some options
MIAMI - The event that people all over the world travel in for is here – it's officially Art Week and people are already feeling the effects of the traffic.
Whether you need help getting from one event to another or you're completely trying to avoid everything in its path, we understand and have all of those options for you. Art Miami runs Tuesday through Sunday and Art Basel Miami Beach from Friday through Sunday.
CBS News Miami spent the day speaking with locals and tourists on their plans as well as the officials on how to make the best out of the evbents so you're not spending most of it sitting in a car.
"I don't drive my car during this week at all," Miami Beach resident Michael Thiel said. "I don't go to work. I stay home. I just walk everywhere because it's terrible. It's not worth the frustration"
Officials in South Florida are doing their best to make sure whether you're happy or annoyed about the festivities you can find your way around town.
The City of Miami is providing a free water taxi service to cut down on traffic congestion.
It runs Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to midnight from Maurice Gibb Memorial Park to the Venetian Marina and Yacht Club.
"I didn't even know that was happening to shuttle or the water taxi," Thiel said. "That's the first I heard of it"
Out of towners say they came with a detailed plan this year because past years they spent most of their trip stuck in traffic.
Mike Galet, a tourist from Belgium, planned what to do.
"This year we're going to take the water taxi to get from this side to the other side, because when we want to go to the art fair in Miami it's really, the congestion is terrible, so we have the opportunity to take the water taxi we will do it," Galet said.
Miami Beach officials are predicting traffic will start Wednesday and backups typically occurs leaving Miami Beach including Interstate 395, Interstate 195 and Interstate 95.
Plus with ongoing roadwork, you can also expect traffic westbound along the MacArthur Causeway.
To reduce traffic, the east Venetian Causeway Drawbridge will be on lockdown, and not open to vessels Wednesday through Monday.
"Sixteen, 17 ears ago I use to take a car, hire a car, but now no car," Galet said. "I just take Uber, Lyft or a taxi because traffic has been so worse."
Paul Pugliese, a Miami Beach resident, said: "The thing is the traffic is never good anymore on Miami Beach if you live here you stay here."
And if you plan on sticking to Miami Beach for art events, the city is offering a shuttle system so you don't have to worry about parking, driving or ride share apps.
A map shows the outer loop in green and the inner loop in blue. The inner loop shuttles will travel within Miami Beach to and from locations and the outer loops shuttles will make stops between travel to and from Miami Beach and Miami.
If none of those options work, there's also the Miami Beach trolley and bike options.
"If it's off the beach then I would bike over now with a city bike – bike, Vespa, Uber," Thiel said.
All of those shuttles are free – as we all know when these large events happen those ride share options can get pricey so if you can take advantage of the free services, it might be worth your while.
Miami Art Week's website has detailed instructions.
