A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE FINANCE AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCY COMMITTEE, AT ITS FEBRUARY 17, 2023 MEETING, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATION TO PROCEED WITH DESIGN OF THE PROPOSED PICK-UP AND DROP-OFF
LANE AT MIAMI BEACH SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF $160,000.

The administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission approve the resolution.

Similar to most schools within Miami-Dade County, Miami Beach Senior High School (MBSH) and the streets in the vicinity experience traffic congestion during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up periods.  The critical period for most high schools in the County is the morning drop-off period.  The afternoon pick-up period tends to produce less traffic congestion around the perimeter of a school due to its staggered nature and multiple extracurricular activities requiring many students to remain in school.

MBSH is bounded by Prairie Avenue to the west, Dade Boulevard to the south, the City’s Public Works operation yard to the east, and Bayshore Park to the north.  Dade Boulevard is a collector roadway under the jurisdiction of Miami-Dade County.

Over the years, the City has worked closely with the Committee for Quality Education (QEC), MBSH Administration, and residents of the area to discuss traffic concerns, review traffic conditions along adjacent roadways during drop-off and pick-up periods, explore solutions to mitigate the impacts to traffic, and improve safety.  As a result, the City has implemented various safety improvements to enhance safety and reduce congestion, including installation of a pedestrian crosswalk with rapid rectangular flashing beacons on Prairie Avenue north of 23^rd Street. In 2018, the City completed the installation of school zone flashing beacons on Prairie Avenue to replace older static signs. Furthermore, the City installed new pavement markings and signage along Prairie Avenue including re-striping school zone markings.

In addition to these improvements, the City applied and was awarded funding through the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Transportation Alternatives Grant Program to design and implement various pedestrian safety improvements in the vicinity of MBSH.  The project scope includes pedestrian ramp upgrades, new crosswalks, new school zone beacons on Prairie Avenue and Dade Boulevard, signalization improvements, and other pedestrian accessibility improvements.  The project is currently in the design development phase and scheduled for construction in Fiscal Year 2024.

In 2019, the City conducted observations during morning drop-off period and discovered that some parents were dropping-off students along eastbound Dade Boulevard forcing students to cross Dade Boulevard at unsignalized mid-block locations (i.e. jaywalking).  As a result, the City commissioned a study to explore the feasibility of creating a dedicated pick-up/drop-off lane adjacent to Dade Boulevard to discourage drop-offs and crossings at mid-block. The study was completed in 2020 and recommended the implementation of a one-way westbound pick-up/drop-off lane between the existing bus lane in front of the school and Dade Boulevard (Attachment A).  The study was forwarded to Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) and Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) for programming of the recommended improvements. However, MDCPS expressed some safety concerns with the pick-up/drop-off lane as proposed by the City and advised that it did not have funding identified for the implementation of the improvements. In the immediate term, MDCPS decided to move forward with the installation of a fence along the back of the north sidewalk in front of the school to deter students from jaywalking across Dade Boulevard.  Given MDCPS’ safety concerns and lack of funding, the City’s proposed pick-up/drop-off lane concept was not supported and did not move forward at that time.

On October 26, 2021, the QEC passed a motion urging the Transportation and Mobility Department to develop a working plan prioritizing student safety during drop-off and pick-up at MBSH. The motion was transmitted to the Mayor and City Commission on October 28, 2021 via LTC # 463-2021.  

At the December 8, 2021, City Commission meeting, Commissioner David Richardson sponsored the referral of this item to the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee (FERC) for discussion.

At the March 30, 2022, FERC meeting, the City presented the pick-up/drop-off lane concept. At the meeting, FERC supported the City’s proposed concept and recommended that City staff meet with DTPW and MDCPS to propose that each agency, including the City, fund one-third of the total cost of the pick-up/drop-off lane in order to fully fund the proposed improvement. Pursuant to FERC’s recommendation, the City’s Transportation and Mobility Department met with both DTPW and MDCPS, however, MDCPS continued to express safety concerns with the proposed pick-up/drop-off lane.

On November 15, 2022, QEC discussed this item and passed a motion supporting the City’s recommended alternative. Given QEC’s motion, in December 2022, the City’s Transportation and Mobility Department met with DTPW and MDCPS again to discuss potential modifications to the City’s proposed pick-up/drop-off lane concept in an effort to address the County’s safety concerns. Both DTPW and MDCPS have expressed a desire to collaborate with the City through the design development process.

To advance the pick-up and drop-off lane concept through the design development phase, the Transportation and Mobility Department has reached out to a traffic engineering consultant and received a draft scope of services and price proposal to develop engineering design drawings for the implementation of the proposed pick-up/drop-off lane.  The design will address the safety and traffic concerns raised by MDCPS and DTPW.  The consultant’s design fee is approximately $160,000 and funding for design has been identified at this time.  The scope is based on a seven (7) month duration for completion of final design plans, including DTPW review and permit approval.  Ultimately, approval from both MDCPS and DTPW will be required to move forward with the implementation of the proposed pick-up and drop-off lane, if determined to be feasible.

At the February 17, 2023 FERC meeting, the Administration discussed this item and provided an update on the recommended design. At the meeting, the Committee made a recommendation to proceed with the design of the proposed pick-up and drop-off lane at MBSH. 

According to the 2022 City of Miami Beach Resident Survey, 81% of respondents expressed that they are most concerned/dissatisfied with pedestrian safety (vehicles not yielding to pedestrians) when crossing an intersection.  In addition, 51% of residents responded that at least one person in their household regularly rides a bike and 37% of residents consider bicycling the most viable alternative to using cars for trips within Miami Beach.  Based on the same survey, while 56% of residents feel somewhat safe when riding their bicycle in the City, 44% of residents feel unsafe.

The estimated cost of the design phase is approximately $160,000. The Transportation and Mobility Department has identified funds in its Fiscal Year 2023 Operating Budget for this purpose. The preliminary construction cost is estimated at $600,000, pending further refinement during design development. DTPW and MDCPS have not yet committed to funding construction costs, as costs are not yet determined. Grants may also be pursued to provide funding for the project. 

Given the documented student and pedestrian safety concerns associated with MBSH drop-off and pick-up operations, the Transportation and Mobility Department completed a safety study which recommended the implementation of a dedicated pick-up and drop-off lane in front of MBSH between the existing bus lane and Dade Boulevard.  MDCPS initially expressed some safety concerns with the City’s recommended alternative.  To address the County’s concerns, the Transportation and Mobility Department is in the process of engaging a traffic engineering consultant to develop final engineering design plans for the proposed pick-up and drop-off lane. 

The City will continue to work with the MDCPS and DTPW through the design development process with the goal of securing approval of the proposed pick-up/drop-off lane.  Once the design is complete and approved by the County, an opinion of probable cost for construction will be developed as well as an equitable funding plan in collaboration with MDCPS and DTPW.