Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) Plan
The Art Week Maintenance of Traffic Plan (attached) is developed and executed in coordination with Art Basel, Design Miami, the Miami Beach Convention Center Transportation staff, and key City departments, including Transportation and Mobility, Parking, Fire, Police, and Tourism and Culture. A key advantage of this MOT is that it maintains the east curb of Convention Center Drive open for valet and rideshare operations and other uses. During Art Week, all travel lanes on Convention Center Drive remain open to vehicular traffic, however, the western portion of Convention Center Drive is converted to a two-lane southbound traffic pattern. A portable digital message sign at the northern end of Convention Center Drive facing southbound traffic instructs drivers to use both lanes for southbound travel. Drivers were also required to turn right on 19 Street approaching Convention Center Drive. Cones were strategically placed to channelize northbound traffic on Convention Center Drive towards the two easternmost lanes. U-turns were prohibited on Washington Avenue between Dade Boulevard and 17 Street, and left turns and u-turns were prohibited at the intersection of Convention Center Drive and 17 Street. Portable digital message boards were placed around the perimeter of the Convention Center campus to provide information on parking availability and wayfinding to nearby parking garages.
Active Arterial Traffic Monitoring and Management
The Transportation and Mobility Department engaged a contractor (Transcore) to provide traffic monitoring services during the current high impact period (November 2022 - May 2023) for 14 hours/day, 7 days a week. As part of these services, Transcore monitors any available CCTV cameras in the City through feeds provided by the Miami Beach Police Department, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works. In addition, Transcore monitors the Waze mobile application to identify incidents causing congestion in the City and communicates with the Public Safety Communications Division, the Transportation and Mobility Department, and the Office of Marketing and Communications as necessary to confirm incidents, disseminate traffic text alerts, and program digital message signs strategically located throughout the City for the benefit of the motoring public. Hourly traffic reports are provided to City staff. Furthermore, Transcore coordinates with the County on any outstanding traffic signal malfunctions to ensure expedited repairs and also coordinates with FDOT SunGuide Traffic Management Center to confirm incidents affecting traffic flow on the MacArthur and Julia Tuttle causeways. Traffic messages are displayed on overhead digital message signs on the causeways, I-95, SR 836/I-395, and SR 112/I-195.
Additionally, under a separate contract with the City, Kimley-Horn provides traffic signal timing support to the Transportation and Mobility Department during high impact periods on an as-needed basis for 24 hours a day/7 days a week, including holidays. Kimley-Horn also serves as the County’s traffic signal engineers performing a similar function at the County’s Traffic Control Center.
It is important to note that Miami Beach is the only city in Miami-Dade County with access to the County’s traffic signal system for signal timing changes, and very likely the only city in the State that engages in active arterial traffic monitoring and management. These services will be enhanced with the implementation of the City’s Intelligent Transportation System and Smart Parking System project currently in construction and estimated to be completed within two (2) years.
Special Event Signal Timing Patterns
During major events such as Art Week, Boat Show, and Spring Break, among others, the City activates pre-established special event signal timing patterns at signalized intersections along major thoroughfares. The signal timing patterns consist of higher cycle durations to provide extended green phases for the main traffic movements to help flush traffic entering and exiting the City. While the extended green times benefit traffic on the main streets, the side streets experience extended red phases which increase delay and can create congestion. As a result, the special event signal timing patterns are activated during major events only on an as-needed basis and for limited durations depending on when and where congestion is occurring.
Enhanced Citywide Trolley Service
During Art Week, the City enhances its citywide trolley service by adding vehicles to the existing routes. For example, during Art Week 2022, eight (8) additional trolley vehicles were placed into service. A fleet of 29 vehicles operated from Wednesday November 30 to Sunday December 4 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with an intended service frequency of approximately 10 minutes. The cost of providing this enhanced level of trolley service during Art Week is funded by the City.
It is worth noting that in prior years, the City funded and piloted a free cross-causeway shuttle service to/from the Miami Beach Convention Center and satellite art fairs in Miami as well as established a free park-and-ride shuttle service with pre-paid parking at Haulover Park and Marina. However, these pilot initiatives were not deemed to be cost-effective from a cost per rider perspective and have not been deployed in the last few years.
Event-Sponsored Multimodal Transportation Plans
The City coordinates with major events to provide and promote event-sponsored transportation plans. The Miami International Boat Show in particular provides a robust multimodal transportation plan that integrates dedicated and frequent cross-bay water taxi and shuttle services from key parking garages in Miami to the Miami Beach Convention Center. The Boat Show is the only major event in our City that voluntarily provides this high level of alternative transportation service. While City staff urges and impresses upon all major events the importance of providing multimodal transportation plans to reduce congestion and improve the customer experience, unfortunately, most events do not provide alternative modes of transportation.
Neighborhood Traffic Mitigation Plans
During Art Week and other major events during high impact periods, the City deploys traffic mitigation plans, as necessary, to limit cut-through traffic in various residential neighborhoods abutting the Convention Center and/or Art Deco Cultural District, including the Palm View, Bayshore, South of Fifth, and Flamingo Park neighborhoods. The traffic mitigation plans are developed and deployed collaboratively by the Transportation and Mobility, Police, and Parking Departments. In addition, the Transportation and Mobility Department collaborates with Waze to depict the road closures on its mobile application.
For the Palm View neighborhood, tubular delineators are placed on Meridian Avenue at the entrances to 18 and 19 streets to prohibit southbound right turns into the neighborhood and forcing all traffic exiting these streets to turn right onto Meridian Avenue. In addition, tubular delineators are placed on 17 Street blocking the left turn lanes at Lenox, Michigan, Jefferson avenues to prohibit eastbound left turns into and out of the neighborhood.
For the Bayshore neighborhood, a portable digital message sign displaying "ROAD CLOSED - LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY" is placed at the intersection of Convention Center Drive and Dade Boulevard facing northbound traffic. Barricades with the same message are placed on eastbound and westbound Dade Boulevard approaching Prairie Avenue. Cones and signage are placed on northern portion of Convention Center Drive to force all vehicular traffic to turn left (west) or right (east) onto Dade Boulevard, thus prohibiting all northbound Convention Center Drive traffic from entering the Bayshore neighborhood through Prairie Avenue.
For the Flamingo Park and South of Fifth neighborhoods, barricades and police officers are strategically positioned along 5 Street at various avenues and along Washington Avenue at various streets north of 5 Street (for Flamingo Park) to deter cut-through traffic from entering into these two neighborhoods.
Police Presence at Intersections
During Art Week and other major events, such as the Boat Show, Police officers are stationed at key intersections near the Convention Center to enforce traffic regulations, monitor traffic flow, direct vehicles, enforce no blocking of the intersection, and ensure that motorists and pedestrians follow traffic laws. The Police Department’s active traffic control efforts are crucial to ensuring the safety of all individuals on the road and providing an added sense of security for event patrons.
FISCAL IMPACT
N/A