In 2016, the City of Miami Beach adopted a multimodal Transportation Master Plan (TMP) via Resolution No. 2016-29371.  The TMP is premised on the adopted modal hierarchy (adopted via Resolution No. 2015-29083) which places pedestrians first; bicycles and transit second; and private vehicles last.

The TMP recommends dedicated transit lanes and a protected bicycle lane on Collins Avenue between 26 Street and 44 Street in order to create a safe and efficient bicycle and transit network in Middle Beach.  While the feasibility of implementing dedicated transit lanes on state roads requires a lengthy process consisting of comprehensive traffic studies and an analysis of current and future transit service, the implementation of protected bicycle lanes can be accomplished rather easily through resurfacing and re-striping projects.  The Collins Avenue bicycle lane recommended in the TMP is a protected northbound bicycle lane adjacent to the east sidewalk which would serve as a companion facility to the protected southbound bicycle lane currently in construction as part of the City’s Indian Creek Drive Flood Mitigation Project.

FDOT is currently in the design phase of a Resurfacing, Restoration, and Rehabilitation (RRR) project on Collins Avenue from just north of the 26 Street intersection to 44 Street.  As proposed by FDOT, the project includes milling and resurfacing of the existing pavement, some sidewalk improvements, relocating existing signs to create clear sidewalk paths, pavement markings, and signage.  However, FDOT is not proposing to include a northbound bicycle lane or widen sidewalks at existing chokepoints as part of the project scope at this time.  FDOT expects to complete the project design phase in summer 2022 and commence construction in late 2022/early 2023.

On April 5, 2021, Mayor Dan Gelber, myself, and members of my senior staff, including various department directors, attended a walk-through with residents of the Caribbean Condominium located at 3737 Collins Avenue to experience firsthand some of the pedestrian and bicycle safety issues along that portion of the Collins Avenue corridor.

On April 23, 2021, the City Administration, including myself and members of my senior staff, met with FDOT District 6 Secretary Stacy Miller and her staff to discuss concerns with sidewalk issues and pedestrian safety on Collins Avenue from 26 Street to 44 Street.  Photos of issues identified during the April 5 walk-through were shared with FDOT.  At the meeting, it was agreed that a walk-through of the project corridor to include FDOT, City, and Middle Beach Neighborhood Association (MBNA) representatives would be valuable to ensure the upcoming FDOT RRR project addressed all existing deficiencies along the project corridor.

On June 15, 2021, City staff, the FDOT project design team, and MBNA representatives conducted a walk-through of the project limits to once again identify existing pedestrian and bicycle safety deficiencies along the Collins Avenue corridor and discuss if/how the upcoming FDOT project would be addressing those deficiencies.  The deficiencies identified during this walk-through included:

·       Lack of bicycle lane

·       Lack of pedestrian crosswalks in the area between 32 Street and 36 Street

·       Sign clutter and multiple obstructions on sidewalks

·       Very narrow sidewalk width at chokepoints

·       Poor pedestrian curb ramp conditions

·       Poor pavement conditions

·       Poor condition of landscaping in bulb-outs

·       Drainage/flooding issues at curb ramps and driveways

Following the walk-through, FDOT staff reviewed the above concerns and, on November 3, 2021, responded to the City and MBNA via email citing constraints in project scope, budget, schedule, and available right-of-way which would not allow for the inclusion of a bicycle lane and widening of sidewalks as part of the RRR project.  FDOT advised that adding a bicycle lane would require additional funding and would need to be addressed as part of a separate, future, and yet-to-be-funded, project.  With regard to the City’s and MBNA’s request for additional crosswalks, FDOT advised that its Traffic Operations Office would initiate a pedestrian safety study to evaluate the feasibility of providing additional pedestrian crossings along Collins Avenue from 32 Street to 35 Street.  However, FDOT would not be able to commence the study until construction of the City’s active Indian Creek Drive Flood Mitigation project, which is significantly disrupting vehicular and pedestrian flow in this area of Collins Avenue, is completed and traffic in the area normalizes.  FDOT further advised that the maintenance-related items identified during the June 15 walk-through, including drainage issues and sidewalk obstructions, would be addressed as part of the upcoming RRR project.     

Following FDOT’s response, on January 5, 2022, MBNA organized a meeting with FDOT District 6 Secretary Stacy Miller and Senator Jason Pizzo to discuss the importance of including sidewalk and/or bicycle lane improvements as part of FDOT’s RRR project on Collins Avenue between 26 Street and 44 Street in order to create a safe bicycle and pedestrian network along this principal north-south corridor in the City.  FDOT committed to explore the feasibility of adding a northbound bicycle lane on the east side of Collins Avenue as part of its upcoming RRR project.  

FDOT has preliminarily analyzed the potential impacts to the east side of Collins Avenue between 26 Street and 44 Street a result of the City’s request for a northbound bicycle lane and determined that the implementation of the bicycle lane would require the elimination of 19 existing on-street parking spaces including four (4) freight loading zones, 17 concrete bulb-outs (some landscaped), and 10 bus/trolley stops.  While the loss of on-street parking in the area is generally mitigated by the public and private off-street parking available in the area, the loss of freight loading zones and transit stops would represent a significant impact to deliveries and multimodal mobility, respectively, along this principal corridor.

To mitigate the impact of eliminating the four freight loading zones along this segment of the Collins Avenue corridor, the City is exploring opportunities to relocate them to the side streets or to the east of Collins Avenue.  The City will further discuss this potential relocation with FDOT as part of the current project design.  

The loss of all the existing bus/trolley stops along the project corridor, as proposed by FDOT, would impact thousands of visitors, hotel/restaurant employees, and residents in the area and would be in direct conflict with the City’s 2015 adopted modal hierarchy prioritizing multimodal transportation as well as the City’s goal of becoming less car-centric.  As such, the City’s Transportation and Mobility Department staff conducted some preliminary research on potential alternative design treatments that would allow the inclusion of a northbound bicycle lane on the east side of Collins Avenue without the need to remove the existing transit stops.  The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), of which the City is currently a member, publishes various design and best practices guides offering ways to address conflicts between vehicles, buses, pedestrians, and bicycles, and include multimodal improvements in built-out/constricted urban corridors such as Collins Avenue.  The NACTO Urban Design Guide offers various solutions to address conflicts between bicycle lanes and transit stops in constrained rights-of-way to allow the safe operation of both modes.  Following various reviews of the existing conditions along the Collins Avenue project corridor, the FDOT design plans, NACTO design guidelines, the City’s mobility goals, and the expressed needs of the community, the City’s Transportation and Mobility Department staff recommends that FDOT design and implement shared cycle track stops as part of the northbound bicycle lane design on Collins Avenue between 26 Street and 44 Street (Attachment).  This NACTO-endorsed treatment would allow the northbound bicycle lane to coexist with the existing bus/trolley stops and avoid the need to eliminate any transit stops.  The concrete/landscaped bulb-outs and most of the on-street parking would need to be eliminated in order to accommodate the northbound bicycle lane on the east side of Collins Avenue. 

No fiscal impact.

FDOT is currently in the design phase of a RRR project on Collins Avenue from north of 26 Street to 44 Street.  The current FDOT project scope does not include a protected northbound bicycle lane along the corridor to serve as the companion bicycle facility to the southbound bicycle lane currently in construction as part of the City’s Indian Creek Drive Flood Mitigation Project.

The City’s Transportation and Mobility Department staff, the FDOT design team, and MBNA representatives have conducted a series of discussions and walk-throughs along the project corridor to identify existing deficiencies and identify if/how the upcoming FDOT project is addressing.  A northbound bicycle lane was identified as one of the major deficiencies along the corridor which FDOT is not proposing to address due to scope, budget, schedule, and right-of-way constraints.  Furthermore, FDOT advised that inclusion of a northbound bicycle lane on Collins Avenue would require the elimination of all the existing bus/trolley stops, on-street parking, freight loading zones, and concrete/landscaped bulb-outs along the project limits.