Joel Engelhardt
An effort to ease the daily traffic crunch in downtown West Palm Beach by giving drivers more alternatives launched Thursday.
Among its backers: Downtown’s biggest high-rise builder, the Related Cos., the city and the Downtown Development Authority, which provided $100,000 in seed money.
- It’s called West Palm Beach Mobility Coalition — WPBgo for short. It’s a private not-for-profit.
Its director, Jonathan Hopkins, is a former Brightline executive who ran a similar Transportation Management Agency in Seattle.
“Charging for transit and giving people free parking is kind of like giving kids free cigarettes but charging them for vegetables,” Hopkins said after kickoff speeches on the city’s Great Lawn downtown.
Hopkins pledged to educate employers and present incentives, such as low-priced train and bus passes or free bike rentals.
“When you are on a freeway or a road that feels really congested, it’s moving really slow, the difference between that and when it’s free-flowing is about 5% of volume,” Hopkins said. “So if we can get just a couple of percent to do something different, then we will be successful.”
Mayor Keith James thanked backers, who also include the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, PalmTran, Nora, One Parking and the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency is considering a $50,000 contribution.
“We anticipate tangible results as early as this year, while traditional infrastructure projects such as road expansions or train line constructions can take years to complete,” James said.
One alternative already offered for free downtown is Circuit, electric vehicles that will pick up passengers on demand for rides in a broad downtown area that crosses the water to Palm Beach. See the boundaries here.
- About one-fourth of Circuit’s trips started or ended in Palm Beach, with The Breakers a big draw.
- The West Palm Beach Marriott accounted for the most pickups.
- The Brightline station had the most dropoffs.
- Circuit is subsidized by the DDA, Brightline and for a six-week trial, the town of Palm Beach.
You’re reading a story from Stet News Palm Beach County.
Joel is a founder, reporter and editor at Stet News. His award-winning newspaper career spanned more than 40 years, including 28 years at The Palm Beach Post, which he left in 2020. Joel lives with his wife in Palm Beach Gardens. He volunteers on the board of NAMI Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach Gardens Historical Society.
