Additional Traffic Calming Needed ahead of Park Opening
Over the past few weeks, Miami-Dade County Public Works has begun to upgrade the streetscape on South Miami Avenue through the heart of Brickell, specifically from Broadway to SW 8th St. As reported earlier on TransitMiami, these upgrades include ‘zebra’ crosswalks, additional signage and lane striping.
Recently, a bicycle lane and ‘sharrows’ were added to South Miami Avenue on this segment, as well as ‘sharrows’ on Brickell Plaza and through Mary Brickell Village. Additionally, the chaotic and confusing intersection at SW 12th St. and S. Miami Avenue has been slightly reconfigured with bollards to prevent ‘soft left’ turns.
Re-configured intersection at SW 12th st. and S. Miami Ave. The bollards prevent the 'soft left' turn that was the scene of numerous crashes.
Newly striped bike lane headed south on S. Miami Ave. through Brickell
As the new Triangle Park nears it’s completion, a need for additional traffic calming in the area is painfully obvious to allow residents a safe way to access the park. Presently, with a green light at the intersection of SW 13th Street and S. Miami Avenue, it is possible for a motorist to continue unimpeded from the Broadway roundabout all the way to SW 10th street. Such a long stretch with no stop signs allows motorists to gain unsafe rates of speed through Brickell. There are no traffic calming mechanisms (raised crosswalks, stop signs, sidewalk bulb-outs, etc.) to alert drivers that they are entering an area with dense pedestrian traffic and speeds of 45mph+ are dangerous and unacceptable.
Just a block down S. Miami Ave from the park, in Mary Brickell Village, no mid-block crosswalk exists to connect the two sides of the street. Understandably, pedestrians frequently weave through parked (and moving) cars to cross the street. The need for a safely marked midblock crossing is so obvious it’s almost comical that it does not exist.
I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Brickell’s new ‘Flatiron Park’ in October. During Commissioner Sarnoff’s speech, cars were flying down S. Miami Avenue at ridiculous speeds, completely inappropriate for a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood. No motorists were yielding to pedestrians. Mothers with strollers, people walking their pets, individuals in wheelchairs were all having difficulty crossing the street. Watching SUV’s hurl themselves at the intersection outside Baru Urbano and aggressively brake just in time for the crosswalk was unnerving. Unfortunately, this is an everyday occurrence.
This hazardous situation could be mitigated with a stop sign at SW 11th street, pictured below. As reported earlier on TransitMiami, the manager of Rosinella has personally witnessed an average of 5 accidents a year at this intersection.
How will we get to the park? Need to slow the cars down here.
This only scratches the surface of the improvements to make the area truly ‘pedestrian-friendly’. A walk down SE 1st Avenue by the busy MetroRail and bus stations will show you that. (No pavement marking, no crosswalks, no stop signs – only speeding vehicles) Currently, there is a plan for a complete streetscape overhaul of South Miami Ave. that is scheduled for 2014.
How many more accidents and close calls will we see before then?
4 Responses to New Bicycle Lanes on South Miami Avenue
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Now that cyclists have their own lane the police need to start enforcing the laws for cyclists. Too many people riding dangerously putting themselves and others at risk.
I think the police should focus on enforcing the reckless speeding and failure to yield violations by motorists that occur by the minute in Brickell. If a cyclist rides without care, they are typically only going to harm themselves. When a motorist acts in a similar fashion, there is no limit to the destruction to be caused. All road users bear responsibility to follow the laws, but the stakes are exponentially higher for motorists and their two-ton missiles.
I can’t argue with you Craig that police need to enforce laws for motorists. Almost everyone on the road in Miami drives like a jerk. I even see way too many cops running lights, stop signs and other reckless behavior. The bottom line is the police need to enforce the laws of the road for everyone including themselves. Then the roads will be safer and less stressful. There are a lot of people that run stop signs here but I have never seen a cyclist stop and have almost hit several because they recklessly drive though intersections.
I agree police should enforce laws for cyclists. I bike all the time and I notice cyclists rarely following the rules. I believe that contributes to driver aggression toward cyclists. All street users (cyclists, pedestrians, and cars) should be held accountable and we would all get along better.