The intersection of 40 Street and Chase Avenue currently operates as a two-way stop-controlled, 3 leg or T-intersection.  The east approach on 40 Street is stop-controlled while Chase Avenue traffic is uncontrolled.  There are crosswalks on the north and east legs of the intersection only.  Both 40 Street and Chase Avenue are classified as local roadways.

In March 2020, following resident concerns with pedestrian safety at the intersection of 40 Street and Chase Avenue, Commissioner Steven Meiner sponsored the referral of a discussion item to the Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee (NQLC) to explore modifying the current intersection traffic control from a two-way stop control to an all-way stop control.  At that time, the City was under emergency stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, the Administration recommended delaying the data collection and evaluation of the intersection until traffic returns to normal conditions.

It is worth highlighting that according to the 2019 City of Miami Beach Resident Survey, 74% of respondents expressed that they are most concerned/dissatisfied with pedestrian safety (vehicles not yielding to pedestrians) when crossing an intersection.  As such, expediting the implementation of pedestrian safety improvements is a priority for the Administration.

The evaluation criteria for multi-way stop signs are outlined in the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).  The MUTCD specifies the minimum criteria that must be met prior to installation of a multi-way stop control at an intersection.  The criteria are based on crashes and traffic volumes (vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle) at an intersection over various periods of time.

The approval, implementation, and maintenance of traffic control devices is under the jurisdiction of Miami-Dade County; however, to expedite the approval process, City’s Transportation and Mobility Department engages a consultant to collect traffic data, conducts in-house warrant analyses for multi-way stop controls, pedestrian flashing beacons, and traffic signals, and works with the County to expedite the installation of the traffic control device, if warranted.

All-Way Stop Control Warrant Study

The data was collected from Thursday, January 28, 2021 to Sunday, January 31, 2021 (96-hours) to identify the peak eight (8) hours for the analysis.  The peak day identified was Friday and the peak times identified were 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.  Staff also coordinated with the temples in the vicinity to ensure the data included pedestrian volumes generated by religious institutions.  Further, staff reviewed 2017 data and 2019 data for Chase Avenue and other corridors in the vicinity of the intersection to determine if a factor needed to be utilized to normalize the data. Following the completion of the warrant analysis in accordance with the MUTCD, the following results were obtained:

• Warrant 1 - Five or more reported crashes in a 12-month period that are susceptible to correction by a multi-way stop, or
  • Result – Typically, the analysis for Warrant 1 is performed reviewing the 12 months prior to the data collection date; however, to account for the reduction in traffic due to the Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions, staff reviewed 5 years of crash data to identify the highest 12-month period. The 5 year review resulted in 3 crashes susceptible to correction by a multi-way stop in a 12-month period between September 2017 and September 2018.  Based on the results of the analysis, Warrant 1 is not met.

• Warrant 2A - The vehicular volume entering the intersection from the major street approaches (total of both approaches) averages at least 300 vehicles per hour for any eight hours of an average day; and
  • Result – The average volume for the peak 8 hours is 583 vehicles. Based on the results of the analysis, Warrant 2A is met.

• Warrant 2B - The combined vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle volume entering the intersection from the minor street approaches (total of both approaches) averages at least 200 units per hour for the same 8 hours, with an average delay to minor-street vehicular traffic of at least 30 seconds per vehicle during the highest hour.
  • Result – The average volume for the peak 8 hours is 130 vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles.  Based on the results of the analysis, Warrant 2B is not met. 

Given that both Warrants 2A and 2B are not met, an all-way stop control is not warranted at the intersection.  The warrant analysis of the intersection also included a feasibility review of other types of potential devices, such as pedestrian flashing beacons, as well as a review of current pavement marking conditions.  While the pedestrian volumes are not sufficient to warrant the implementation of pedestrian flashing beacons, staff recommends moving forward with the following improvements in the immediate term:

• restriping the existing crosswalks as high-emphasis crosswalks (zebra stripe)

• installing new pedestrian crossing signs at the crosswalks

• installing a sign advising westbound traffic on 40 Street that north-south (Chase Avenue) traffic does not stop  
  
  

The Transportation and Mobility Department will restripe the crosswalk through one of its rotational contractors and install the advisory signs in-house.  These improvements will be completed within 60 days.  The above improvements are anticipated to cost approximately $4,000 and the funds are included in the Transportation and Mobility Department’s Adopted Fiscal Year 2020/2021 Operating Budget. 

Speed Analysis

In addition to the turning movement counts, pedestrian counts, and vehicular counts collected at the intersection, the City’s traffic consultant also collected speed data.  Speed data is used to determine if speed calming features are warranted.  Following are the results of the speed study:

Chase Avenue:

85^th percentile speed: 29 MPH

Percent greater than posted speed limit of 25 MPH: 37%

Percent greater than 30 MPH: 9%

40 Street:

85^th percentile speed: 24 MPH

Percent greater than posted speed limit of 25 MPH: 15%

Percent greater than 30 MPH: 1%

Given that more than one in three vehicles travelling on Chase Avenue currently exceed the posted speed limit of 25 MPH, staff reviewed the feasibility of implementing traffic calming measures at the intersection.  Based on the geometric characteristics of the intersection and the concerns with pedestrian safety, staff recommends implementing a raised crosswalk at the north leg of the intersection and exploring the feasibility of adding a crosswalk (potentially raised) at the south leg where a crosswalk does not currently exist (see attachment).  Similar to a speed table, a raised crosswalk is effective in reducing vehicular operating speed by approximately 20%.  In addition, a raised crosswalk increases the visibility of pedestrians and raises driver awareness approaching the intersection.  The increased awareness results in more drivers seeing and yielding to pedestrians crossing the intersection.  Raised crosswalks have been shown to reduce pedestrian crashes by 45% according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.