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

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 and Dade Boulevard to the south.  While Prairie Avenue is a local street under the City’s jurisdiction, Dade Boulevard is a collector roadway under the jurisdiction of Miami-Dade County.  Over the years, the City’s Transportation and Mobility Department has worked closely with the Committee for Quality of Education, MBSH administration, and residents of the area to discuss traffic concerns, review traffic conditions along both roadways during drop-off and pick-up periods, and explore solutions to mitigate the impacts to traffic and improve safety.  As a result, the City has implemented various safety improvements to improve safety and reduce congestion, including installation of a pedestrian crossing with rapid rectangular flashing beacons on Prairie Avenue north of 23 Street. In 2018, the City’s Transportation and Mobility Department completed the installation of school zone flashing beacons on Prairie Avenue to replace older static signs.  Further, 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 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 improvements are currently in design development phase and scheduled for construction in State Fiscal Year 2024.

On October 26, 2021, the City’s Committee for Quality Education passed a motion urging the Transportation and Mobility Department to develop a working plan prioritizing student safety during drop off and pick up at Miami Beach Senior High School.  The motion was transmitted to the Mayor and City Commission on October 28, 2021 via LTC # 463-2021.

In 2019, Transportation and Mobility Department staff 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. encouraging jaywalking).  As a result, staff commissioned a study to explore the feasibility of creating a dedicated drop-off lane along Dade Boulevard to discourage the illegal drop-offs.  The study was completed in 2020 and submitted to Miami-Dade County for review and programming of the recommended improvements which included creating a drop-off lane adjacent to the westbound lanes along Dade Boulevard and the existing bus drop-off loop (Attachment).

The preliminary cost estimate for the proposed drop-off lane on Dade Boulevard is $525,000 including design and permitting costs.  City staff has met on a couple occasions with the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) to discuss the proposed drop-off lane and potential funding sources. While both agencies found the improvements warranted and feasible, MDCPS advised that funding would need to be identified and included in its work program for design and construction of the improvements.  

As a temporary mitigation measure, MDCPS proposed the installation of a 4-foot high fence along the back of the north sidewalk to prevent students from accessing the area if they cross mid-block. MDCPS advised that it is prepared to install a fence in the immediate term. In addition, both MDCPS and the City have requested that DTPW re-stripe the existing crosswalks at the intersections of Dade Boulevard/Washington Avenue and Dade Boulevard/Prairie Avenue to enhance pedestrian safety in the immediate term.

Given the documented pedestrian safety concerns associated with MBSH drop-off and pick-up operations, the City’s Transportation and Mobility Department implemented various pedestrian safety improvements along Prairie Avenue in 2019 and secured FDOT grant funding for the design and construction of additional crosswalk, signalization, and signage improvements on Prairie Avenue and Dade Boulevard.   In addition, the City completed the Miami Beach Senior High School Safety Study in 2020 which recommended the creation of a drop-off lane adjacent to Dade Boulevard to enhance pedestrian/student safety.

The Administration will continue to work with MDCPS to identify funding in their work program to implement the drop-off lane proposed in the Safety Study.  If funding cannot be secured through the MDCPS work program, then the City can explore the feasibility of funding the proposed improvements through the FY 2022/2023 capital budget process.  Furthermore, City staff will follow-up with MDCPS and DTPW on the timeline for the installation of the fence and crosswalk re-striping work on Dade Boulevard.  

Staff will provide status updates on the above pending items via Letter To Commission.