HISTORY:
In 2015, Miami Beach became the first City in the State of Florida and one of the first cities in the Country to formally adopt a modal hierarchy specifically prioritizing pedestrians. Since the adoption of the modal hierarchy, City staff has been working on the prioritization and implementation of projects to improve pedestrian safety and connectivity. Ongoing pedestrian priority projects in the City include Pedestrian Priority Zones, enhanced pedestrian crosswalks, exclusive pedestrian phases at signalized intersections, and LED-illuminated crosswalks at mid-block locations.
Exclusive Pedestrian Phases and Pedestrian Scramble Operations are treatments utilized at intersections with high pedestrian usage. When either one of these two treatments is in place at an intersection, all vehicles traveling on all legs of the intersection are stopped on red and pedestrians are allowed to cross in all directions. In the case of Pedestrian Scramble Operations, pedestrians are also allowed to cross diagonally. Exclusive pedestrian timing has been shown to reduce pedestrian crashes by 50 percent in locations with heavy pedestrian volumes and low vehicle speeds and volumes.
Although there are no pedestrian scramble intersections currently in operation in Miami-Dade County, there are various intersections in Miami Beach where exclusive pedestrian phases are in operation. In addition, most intersections adjacent to a school in the City are equipped with exclusive pedestrian phases during school drop-off and pick-up times. In order to balance both pedestrian and vehicular demands, some signalized intersections in the City operate as dual mode, providing exclusive pedestrian phases only during certain hours of the day (when most needed) and normal pedestrian phasing at all other times.
Unlike exclusive pedestrian phases, pedestrian scramble operations have to be in effect 24 hours a day, regardless of whether there are pedestrians crossing the intersection or not. Federal standards in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) specify that crosswalks at signalized intersections must be equipped with pedestrian signals. Given that a pedestrian scramble intersection allows for pedestrians to cross diagonally, the scramble feature must be in effect at all times. While this feature is intended to enhance pedestrian safety, it is worth noting that pedestrian scramble operations will adversely impact vehicular traffic flow more than exclusive pedestrian phase operation given that the crossing distance is diagonal and longer, and, hence, the pedestrian crossing time needs to be longer (i.e. more red time for vehicles).
While the County's recently adopted Complete Streets Handbook provides for pedestrian scramble operations to enhance pedestrian safety at intersections, no specific warrant analysis currently exists to evaluate the need for exclusive pedestrian phases or pedestrian scramble operations, thus, candidate intersections need to be studied and presented to the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) or the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), as applicable, for review and approval. While no formal opinion has been submitted by the County, City staff has had conversations with DTPW staff and operational concerns on the County’s part would need to be further discussed and mitigated. In addition, the County has concerns with added maintenance as a result of the additional pedestrian signals and crosswalk striping.
As part of the Meridian Avenue Bicycle/Pedestrian Study, the City's consultant recommended the implementation of a scramble crossing at the intersection of Meridian Avenue and 17th Street. The results of this analysis and process for implementation were discussed at the October 17, 2018 Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee (NCAC) meeting. At the meeting, the members of the NCAC directed staff to explore the implementation of a scramble crossing at the intersection of Meridian Avenue and 17th Street.
This item was subsequently discussed at the November 11, 2018 City Commission meeting. At the meeting, Commissioners expressed concerns with the chosen intersection, directed staff to reach out to the County to obtain further information on scramble crossings, and referred the item to NCAC for staff to present other intersections to consider for the implementation of scramble intersections.