Last week after another accident

Today after replacement

This advertising board on Brickell and 15^th Street was replaced again this week. This is at least the fourth time in two years that it has been destroyed by a speeding vehicle and then replaced.  Four accidents in two years doesn’t seem to be enough to convince FDOT to address the design speed of this curve, or for the responsible party to change the location of this advertising board/bench to a safer site .  Since we have to laugh so that we don’t cry about what is in fact a very dangerous situation, we are taking wages as to when the next accident will occur here.  Transit Miami consulted a Las Vegas oddsmaker and the current over/under for the next accident is 6 months. Below are the odds. Please place your bets in the comments section.

1 month:   6:1

2 months: 5:1

3 months: 4:1

4 months: 3:1

5 months: 2:1

6 months: Even

Unfortunately, this is not the first accident here. According to The Miami Hurricane this intersection has had a history of accidents involving UM student pedestrians. About five years ago, UM student Ashley Kelly was killed when she was hit by a SUV that ran a red light on U.S. 1 and Mariposa Court.

It gets worse. Since 1990, seven students have been struck crossing Ponce de Leon Boulevard and U.S. 1. Three of the incidents have resulted in death.

There has been talk of building a pedestrian overpass across U.S. 1 at Mariposa. I for one hope this never gets built.  Building a pedestrian overpass is not the solution as most people will not to use it and will continue to cross at grade level.  The solution is to calm traffic in this area. It is unrealistic to expect healthy students to safely cross 6 lanes of traffic while cars are moving in excess of 50 mph. Can you imagine how an elderly person or someone with a physical disability must feel trying to cross U.S 1? How many more pedestrians need to die before FDOT decides to calm traffic on U.S. 1?

Please send an email to Mr. Gus Pego District 6 secretary letting him know that you are not satisfied with the existing conditions on U.S. 1.

The Board of County Commissioners will hold their public hearing on the EAR on October 20, 2010 at 9:30 AM in the Commission Chambers.

For information about the EAR, the schedule of activities or the EAR process, please contact the Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning, Metropolitan Planning Section at 111 NW 1st Street, Suite 1220, Miami, Florida 33128-1972; or call (305) 375-2835.

Streets will be closed from 9am-2pm at the intersection of Biscayne Blvd. and Flagler Street west to SW 1st Ave and from Flagler Street south on SE 1st Ave onto South Miami Avenue to SE 10th Street allowing vehicular traffic to cross only at main intersections. The route is appropriate for people of all ages and skill levels and they be able to choose any part of the route to ride, walk and explore. The Miami Police will be present to keep all participants safe ensuring that traffic is routed appropriately. There will be a variety of activities for everyone to enjoy throughout the day in addition to local restaurants and shops that will be open to public.

Please make a contribution and help bring back Bike Miami Days! The Open Streets Project is accepting contributions through Paypal. There are various sponsorship opportunities ranging from title sponsor @ $10,000 to a Bike Miami Friend @ $250.

Want to be part of this great event? The Open Streets Project is still seeking partners, sponsors and volunteers. Please contact us at openstreetsprojects@gmail.com for more info.

August 24, 2010

The very same Brickell Avenue bus stop was taken out again last night.  This is at least the fourth time in two years that this has occurred. Our call for reducing the design speed of Brickell Avenue has fallen on deaf ears and FDOT has refused to make this area safer for pedestrians and motorists.

March 2010

We have spoken to our sources at the City of Miami and they have confirmed that FDOT has been made aware of the problem at this intersection. After reviewing crash data from the last three available years, FDOT research does not indicate any crash pattern or safety concerns related to lack of beacons or the design of the roadway. We beg to differ.

We can confidently say that there is a crash pattern here and there are undeniable safety concerns on this dangerous curve. How many more times are we going to erect the same bus stop, on the same dangerous curve, without addressing the design of the roadway? And if we are going to keep the same unacceptable roadway design, the very least we can do is move the bus stop to a safer location before someone is seriously injured.

Flashing beacons may help, but much more needs to be done here and for the rest of Brickell Avenue. It is imperative that we change the design speed of Brickell Avenue.

Please send an email to Mr. Gus Pego District 6 secretary letting him know that you are not satisfied with the existing conditions on Brickell Avenue.

We are pleased that new safety improvements are being considered, as they are long overdue. However, it seems that there is no coherent plan for how these improvements will be implemented. Indeed, details regarding the improvements remain absent.

What we do know is that the Rickenbacker Causeway is the premier recreation destination in the City of Miami, if not all of Miami-Dade County. Thus, we must think of the entire corridor as a big linear park. The area hosts many parks and attractions. They include:

• Miami Seaquarium
• Crandon Park/Tennis Center
• Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
• Mast Academy
• Alice Wainright Park
• Hobie Beach

In addition, the Miami Marine Stadium is slated to be renovated and Virginia Key will be converted into a major urban park, which will also include several miles of mountain bike trails. With a plethora of attractions/parks in such close proximity, it is imperative to provide safe connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists.

With the diversity of users and the number of related destinations, a coherent Rickenbacker Causeway Master Plan should be developed in order to bring all the major stakeholders to the table, including the Village of Key Biscayne.  This would be an immensely important undertaking, and the County Public Works Department should not be solely responsible for making these improvements without the input of the public and the Village of Key Biscayne and City of Miami.

Ideally, the Rickenbacker Causeway Master Plan would specify the details of the proposed improvements and analyze the proposed phasing already associated with the list of improvements slated for the Causeway.

Below is the summary of projects slated to be implemented over a 5-year period.  The proposed projects listed below are all pedestrian/bicycle safety oriented improvements for the Causeway and would be funded through the use of the 25 cent allocation of every toll collected.  Below each project you will find my commentary in bold.

Summary of Projects:

FY 10-11

Hobie Island Signalized Pedestrian/Cyclist Crossing and Turnaround $630,000

Description: Design and install a cyclist/pedestrian traffic light crossing at Hobie Island (Windsurfer Beach). The installation of a traffic light, striping, and signage will allow cyclists to turn from Eastbound to Westbound prior to reaching the toll plaza.

Does this require bicyclists to dismount? How is the traffic light activated? Where will it be placed? We need more details.

Rickenbacker Speed Limit Study $ 5,000
Description: PWD will conduct and evaluate results of speed study in order to determine whether the speed limits need to be modified and implement necessary signage changes.

Reducing the posted speed limit is very important, but it will have little to no effect on the actual speed of traffic without reconfiguring the roadway for slower speeds (signal timing, narrowing vehicular lanes, etc.)

Permanent “Vehicle Speed” Information Sign $ 80,000
Description: Install permanent ”Your Speed” information signs/speed radar light boards along causeway, to alert vehicles to their traveling speeds.

Not a priority (these are very expensive) if you design a roadway with a design speed not to exceed 40 mph. Money could be better spent elsewhere.

Improvements to Roadways Leading into Toll Plaza Phase 1 $ 160,000
Description: Modify lanes leading into the toll plaza on SE 26 Road/Rickenbacker Causeway from Brickell Avenue through the toll facility to Hobie Island, to accommodate and improve access to bicycle lanes.

The entire intersection before the toll needs to be redesigned. Crosswalks also need to be dramatically improved. Do we have drawings?

Total expenditures: $875,000

FY 11-12
Improvements to Roadways Leading into Toll Plaza Phase 2 $376,000
Description: Modify lanes leading into the toll plaza on SE 26 Road from Brickell Avenue to South Miami Avenue, and on South Miami Avenue from US 1 to S 25 Road, to accommodate bicycle lanes.

See comments from above.

Crandon Boulevard Lane Modification Phase 1 $507,750

Description: Re-design width, and restripe Crandon Boulevard vehicle travel lanes, from the east end of Bear Cut Bridge to the Village limits, inbound and outbound (north/south side), widen existing width of the dedicated bike path.

What is the width of the proposed bike lane? More importantly, what is the new width of the travel lanes and will there be a soft or striped barrier between the bike lane and travel lanes?
Total expenditures: $883,750

FY 12-13
Crandon Boulevard Lane Modification Phase 2 $492,250
Description: (Continued) Re-design width, and restripe Crandon Boulevard vehicle travel lanes, from the east end of Bear Cut Bridge to the Village limits, inbound and outbound (north/south side), widen existing width of the dedicated bike path.

See comments above.

Bicycle/Pedestrian Lane Mod West Bridge to Brickell Avenue $400,338
Description: Re-design, widen, stripe, and sign the existing ped-path/bike lane beginning at the north side (outbound travel) of the West Bridge bike underpass (along condominium wall/I-95 north/south flyover ramp) to Brickell Avenue.

How wide will the path be? What about those users who are never going to use the path, those heading to points south and west of Brickell?

Total expenditure: $892,588

FY 13-14
Bicycle/Pedestrian Lane Mod West Bridge to Brickell Avenue $99,662
Description: (Continued) Re-design, widen, stripe, and sign the existing ped-path/bike lane beginning at the north side (outbound travel) of the West Bridge bike underpass (along condominium wall/I-95 north/south flyover ramp) to Brickell Avenue.
See above.

Multi-Use Path along North Side of Rickenbacker Causeway on Virginia Key $450,000
Description: Provide multi-use trail along north side of causeway from Bear Cut Bridge to William Powell Bridge. Cyclists can use Mast Academy signal to cross causeway, then use aforementioned path to reach Sewer Beach Road.

We welcome an extension of the multiuse path.  Although we would like to see drawings of the Mast Academy signal to cross the causeway.

Pedestrian/Bicycle Grade Separation across the Causeway $351,851
Description: Perform a study to evaluate the best location for a pedestrian/bicyclist grade separation from motor vehicles across the Causeway; Design and construct.

This is an expensive proposition that may be better spent getting roadway improvements for cyclists and pedestrians at grade, namely in signalization and improved crosswalks.

Total expenditure: $901,513

FY 14-15
Pedestrian/Bicycle Grade Separation across the Causeway $910,529
Description: (Continued) Perform a study to evaluate the best location for a pedestrian/bicyclist grade separation from motor vehicles across the Causeway; Design and construct.

See above.

Total expenditure: $910,529

We write this with great respect for the County Public Works Department, as this is a major project that is symbolic of a larger sea in recognizing the needs and rights of bicyclists and pedestrians. Unfortunately, there remain many missing details, including how we address safety on the bridges. Thus, we need a Rickenbacker Causeway Master Plan that looks comprehensively at the necessary improvements to furthering the success and safety of this recreational corridor. Going at it piecemeal is how we got into this mess in the first place. So, let’s not repeat the same mistake; let’s do it right for once and for all.

You can find more information about the proposed improvements here

I like water parks, and for those natives who remember ‘Atlantis’, having a nice water park close by will be a lot of fun. But what I like most about this project is that it doesn’t involve public money or land! What a refreshing idea – that large scale projects in Miami-Dade County DO NOT require public money or land. This all after talk of using $200 million in tourist tax dollars to update Sun Life stadium to better compete for the Superbowl. Thankfully that talk has died down, for now. Hopefully decision makers will continue to look at the long list of projects built on public land or with public money and decide that there are better uses of our tax dollars. 

 PS. This post is dedicated to: the Marlins Stadium, the proposed Metro-zoo amusement park, the Watson Island luxury development, EDSA’s Virginia Key Plan, the American Airlines Arena, the Old Miami Arena…etc. Feel free to add to this list…

Simpson Hammock park is a wonderful reminder of what our comunity used to look like at the turn of the 20th century. A pristine nature reserve complete with trails and events for both adults and children really make this place one of the “green” places in all of Miami. And its right here in our neighborhood! What makes Simpson Hammock park even more wonderful is that right now along the North and South bike lanes on South Miami Avenue the Royal Poincetta trees are in full bloom. An afternoon spent biking along these bike lanes to Simpson Hammock park is a wonderful way to spend a day, and a wonderful example of how one can live a more “green” life here on Brickell.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/29/1654051/an-explosion-of-color-returns.html

This post was submitted by Efram Abrams.

Click to Watch the SFPark Intro Video

As GOOD put it, “Average motorist, meet Adam Smith.”

A Message From Horizon 2060:

A Statewide Transportation Summit will be held August 19 and 20 in Orlando on the future of transportation in Florida.

     At this event, all interested partners and members of the public will have an opportunity to provide input on draft language for the 2060 Florida Transportation Plan and to help kickoff an update to Florida’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. To help us plan and prepare accordingly, please click here to RSVP online.

     Thursday’s event will include roundtable discussions and electronic voting to build consensus on draft goals and objectives to be potentially included within the 2060 Florida Transportation Plan. A preliminary meeting agenda is posted online, and additional materials will be posted as soon as they become available. * Please note. If you are unable to attend the Summit, the draft goals and objectives will be posted online in survey form and available for comment. A reminder email will be sent the day of the event with links to these surveys.

When:	Thursday, August 19 from 1pm to 6pm — with a focus on the draft 2060 Florida Transportation PlanFriday, August 20 from 9am to 3pm — with a focus on the update to Florida’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Where:	Hyatt Regency Hotel, Orlando International Airport. There is no cost to attend and you may register the day of either meeting.

     For questions regarding the 2060 FTP please contact Huiwei Shen. For questions regarding the Safety Summit please contact Marianne Trussell of the Safety Office.