The Miami Dade Police Department has provided Transit Miami with their Rickenbacker Causeway enforcement statistics for 2009 and January 2010. As you can see below the Miami Dade Police Department has been enforcing their jurisdiction on the Rickenbacker Causeway. They are issuing approximately 7 hazardous moving violations per day to motorists. Enforcement is clearly present. What we need is a roadway that is designed to discourage people from speeding. Even with police enforcement motorists continue to speed on the Rickenbacker Causeway. More enforcement may help, but is not the ultimate solution. Designing a roadway for all users is the answer.
| 2009 | ||||||
| Month | Hazardous 1 Moving Violations | Non-Hazardous2 Moving Violations | Verbal Warnings | Total | ||
| January | 136 | 97 | 67 | 300 | ||
| February | 227 | 142 | 108 | 477 | ||
| March | 252 | 76 | 117 | 445 | ||
| April | 257 | 102 | 97 | 456 | ||
| May | 257 | 138 | 151 | 546 | ||
| June | 218 | 119 | 83 | 420 | ||
| July | 203 | 75 | 93 | 371 | ||
| August | 147 | 85 | 86 | 318 | ||
| September | 174 | 89 | 153 | 416 | ||
| October | 216 | 168 | 112 | 496 | ||
| November | 222 | 90 | 97 | 409 | ||
| December | 115 | 99 | 113 | 327 | ||
| Total 2009 | 4,981 | |||||
| Total 2009 Hazardous Moving Violations | 2,424 | |||||
| Average 2009 Hazardous Moving Violations Issued Per Day | 6.64 | |||||
| 2010 | ||||||
| January | 270 | 120 | 120 | 510 | ||
| Average January 2010 Hazardous Moving Violations Issued Per Day | 8.71 | |||||
| 1. Hazardous violations are those which have the immediate potential for bodily injury | ||||||
| and property destruction; for example, running a red light or stop sign, or careless driving | ||||||
| 2. Non-hazardous violations are those not likely to expose persons to injury or result in property damage; | ||||||
| for example, expired tag or defective equipment. | ||||||
7 per day? That’s a very small number compared to the number of speeders out there. That’s less than one ticket every 3 hours.
The City of Miami plans to bring back a proposed Master Plan for Virginia Key in July 2010. A redesign and policies related to the Rickenbacker should be part of that. Now is the time to influence those changes on the road as well as uses on the island. There will be public meetings and opportunities to comment beforehand. There is one public charrette already scheduled at the Rusty Pelican, March 27 as part of Dade Heritage Days. Alternate master plan proposals created by University of Miami students will be on display. More info on that and other events, history and ecology of Virginia Key are available at http://www.viewfromvirginiakey.com.
Also. on Facebook: Friends of Virginia Key.
Perhaps the City of Miami will decide to make clubs close at 3:00 am. That would make the roads safer for bikers and runners and it would save lives.