Item Coversheet

Resolutions - C7  R




COMMISSION MEMORANDUM

TO:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission 
FROM:Alina T. Hudak, City Manager 
DATE:April  6, 2022
 



SUBJECT:

A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, EXPRESSING CONCERN WITH ROADWAY SAFETY ALONG THE ALTON ROAD CORRIDOR IN MIDDLE BEACH, AND URGING THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO (1) INCORPORATE EFFECTIVE TRAFFIC CALMING AND SPEED MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS AS PART OF THE PROPOSED SR907/ALTON ROAD RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS FROM MICHIGAN AVENUE TO ALLISON ROAD; (2) EXPEDITE THE INSTALLATION OF THE RECOMMENDED SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS IN THE VICINITY OF THE HORIZONTAL CURVE AT ALTON ROAD AND 63 STREET, AS IDENTIFIED IN THE FDOT STUDY ENTITLED "ALTON ROAD FROM 62 STREET TO LA GORCE DRIVE SPEED SAFETY STUDY"; AND (3) CONDUCT PUBLIC INPUT MEETINGS/CHARRETTES WITH THE AREA RESIDENTS AND CITY OFFICIALS TO IDENTIFY THE APPROPRIATE TRAFFIC CALMING AND SPEED MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS FOR INCLUSION IN FUTURE ALTON ROAD PROJECTS. 


RECOMMENDATION

The Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission approve the resolution.

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

State Road 907/Alton Road is an arterial roadway under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).  While Alton Road is mostly commercial south of Michigan Avenue, the corridor is predominantly single-family residential between Michigan Avenue and 63 Street in Middle Beach.  In this section of the corridor, Alton Road is a four-lane divided roadway with an annual average daily traffic of 34,000 vehicles per day.  There are not many crosswalks or traffic signals along this section of the corridor which, coupled with the number of horizontal curves between 41 Street and 63 Street, contributes to vehicles speeding and numerous crashes.

 

 

Based on historical crash data provided by the Miami Beach Police Department, over 580 crashes, including three fatalities, have occurred along this segment of Alton Road over the past five years. Many of the crashes are related to speeding and loss of vehicle control in the vicinity of the pronounced horizontal curve at 63 Street.  Based on an analysis of the crash data, Transportation and Mobility Department has determined that the crash rate between 2016 and 2021 is about 4.5. For context, roadway segments with a crash rate above 1.0 are considered high crash segments by FDOT.

 

 

Given the prevalent speeding and the number of crashes resulting in property damage, the City and residents of Alton Road have been expressing concerns to FDOT for several years with regard to traffic safety on Alton Road between 41 Street and 63 Street.  FDOT has responded to some of these concerns over time by implementing various signage and pavement marking improvements and installing several electronic signs as speed mitigation.  However, to date, FDOT has not made any physical improvements to the configuration of the road to effectively mitigate speeding and reduce crashes.

 

 

FDOT is currently in the design phase for the future reconstruction of three segments along the Alton Road corridor in Middle Beach:

 

  • Michigan Avenue to south of 43 Street (FPID # 429193-1-52-01)
  • south of 43 Street to north of 48 Street (FPID # 430444-1-52-01)
  • north of 48 Street to east of Allison Road (FPID # 430444-2-52-01)

 

While prior signage and pavement marking improvements along Alton Road between 41 Street and 63 Street have yielded limited benefit, FDOT’s planned reconstruction projects offer a much greater opportunity to effectively redesign the road to mitigate speeding and enhance safety for all users - pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.

 

 

The resident concerns with safety and speeding on Alton Road were discussed at the October 29, 2021 Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee (NQLC) meeting. Residents and representatives from FDOT attended the meeting to discuss the elements of the future reconstruction projects and the importance of including traffic calming and additional pedestrian crosswalks in the projects. At the meeting, the Committee recommended that the City Administration work closely with the area residents to draft a City Commission resolution to transmit to FDOT outlining the concerns and desires of the City and its residents in terms of traffic calming and pedestrian safety improvements along the Alton Road corridor in Middle Beach. Additionally, the Committee requested that FDOT conduct public input meetings and/or charrettes with the area residents to discuss specific design elements to mitigate the concerns of the City and Alton Road residents.

 

 

Since the October 29, 2021 NQLC meeting, Transportation and Mobility Department staff has met various times with Alton Road residents to collaboratively develop a comprehensive list of key community needs and priorities in terms of safety, traffic calming, and neighborhood walkability and livability for FDOT to include as part of the design of the future Alton Road reconstruction projects in Middle Beach. 

 

 

At the March 9, 2022 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Alex Fernandez sponsored an item to "Discuss A Request To FDOT For Possible Emergency Improvements To 63 Street Due To Recurring Traffic Accidents".  At the meeting, Transportation and Mobility Department staff shared the recommendations of a recent traffic study conducted by FDOT pursuant to the City's request titled "Alton Road From 62 Street To La Gorce Drive Speed Safety Study" intended to enhance roadway safety in the vicinity of the pronounced horizontal curve located at Alton Road and 63 Street.  Staff emphasized the importance of  FDOT identifying funding and implementing the improvements recommended in the FDOT traffic study in the immediate term rather than waiting for the future Alton Road reconstruction projects. 

 

  

At the March 23, 2022 Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee meeting, the Administration presented the comprehensive list of key community needs and priorities for inclusion in the future FDOT Alton Road projects as well as the list of recommended short-term improvements in advance of the future Alton Road projects.  The Committee passed a motion endorsing the Administration's recommendations and moved the item to the April 6, 2022 City Commission meeting with a favorable recommendation.

 

 

ANALYSIS

The comprehensive list of key community needs and priorities in terms of safety, traffic calming, and neighborhood walkability and livability for FDOT to include as part of the design of the future Alton Road reconstruction projects in Middle Beach, includes:

 

  • Traffic calming by way of raised crosswalks, speed tables, raised intersections, traffic circles and other similar devices to accomplish the target posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour
  • Widen the parking lane to allow for more space to open vehicle doors
  • Replace conventional streetlight poles with aesthetic pedestrian-scale lighting contextual to the single-family residential neighborhood
  • Add signalized crosswalks to cross Alton Road at 23 Street, Chase Avenue (south leg), 44 Court, 54 Street, 57 Street, 62 Street, and other intersections as appropriate to improve pedestrian safety and allow residents to cross Alton Road safely
  • Replace trees and landscape in the median with mature trees to help with traffic calming, walkability, and livability along the corridor
  • Install high-emphasis (zebra) pedestrian crosswalks at all crosswalk locations
  • Install bulb-outs at all existing and proposed crosswalks and other locations as appropriate to serve as traffic calming and reduce pedestrian crossing distances
  • Study the repurposing of the inside lane as a shared through/left turn lane
  • Modify the east leg of the intersection of Alton Road and 51 Street to a single entrance and exit and signalize the intersection

While it is crucial that FDOT include the above community-contextual street design elements as part of its future reconstruction projects, it is equally important that FDOT address the immediate concerns with safety and speeding along the corridor, particularly in the vicinity of the pronounced horizontal curve at Alton Road and 63 Street.  As such, residents are also requesting that FDOT consider implementing the following short-term improvements in advance of the future Alton Road reconstruction projects in Middle Beach:

 

  • Restripe all pedestrian crosswalks as high emphasis (zebra) crosswalks
  • Reinstall missing reflective raised pavement markers along the corridor
  • Repair broken sidewalks and correct tripping hazards
  • Consider installation of “NO TRUCK” signs on Alton Road north of 43 Street
  • Reinstall missing ADA detectable pads at pedestrian curb ramps
  • Install temporary raised speed humps or other raised traffic calming devices
  • Implement all the recommended improvements identified in the FDOT study entitled "Alton Road From 62 Street To La Gorce Drive Speed Safety Study"

Enforcement

 

The Miami Beach Police Department conducts periodic speed enforcement along Alton Road in Middle Beach; however, sporadic police enforcement is not an effective deterrent to speeding and is not a sustainable strategy to change long-term driver behavior. Given that a large percent of the crashes can be attributed to speeding on Alton Road, the City is requesting that FDOT District 6 work closely with FDOT Central Office in Tallahassee and the State Legislature to explore the use of speed cameras to more effectively and efficiently enforce speeding and enhance safety along this corridor. 

 

Furthermore, Alton Road residents have requested that FDOT explore the possibility of tolling on I-195 and State Road A1A southbound to deter cut-through traffic on Alton Road.  The Administration believes that this request will need further research and discussions both internally and with FDOT prior to the City taking a formal position on this request.

SUPPORTING SURVEY DATA

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.  In addition, 47% of residents responded that at least one person in their household regularly rides a bike and 33% of residents consider bicycling the most viable alternative to using cars for trips within Miami Beach.  Based on the same survey, while 64% of residents feel somewhat safe when riding their bicycle in the City, 37% of residents feel unsafe.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

N/A
Amount(s)/Account(s):
N/A

CONCLUSION

Given the prevalent speeding, high number of crashes, and lack of pedestrian crosswalks along the Alton Road corridor in Middle Beach, the Administration recommends that the City Commission approve the comprehensive list of short and long term priority needs and requests developed jointly by Alton Road residents and City staff.  The priority list includes requests for traffic calming, additional pedestrian crosswalks, and community-contextual street design elements, among other desired improvements, to be considered by FDOT for potential implementation either in advance of or as part of future FDOT reconstruction projects along Alton Road between Michigan Avenue and 63 Street in Middle Beach.   

If approved, the City Commission resolution will be transmitted to the FDOT District Six Secretary.  Furthermore, the Administration will work closely with FDOT leadership and staff to ensure the inclusion of the City's recommended safety improvements in the future Alton Road projects.  

Applicable Area

Middle Beach
Is this a "Residents Right to Know" item, pursuant to City Code Section 2-14? Does this item utilize G.O. Bond Funds?
No No 

Strategic Connection

Neighborhoods - Work with partners to address regional safety issues.
Legislative Tracking
Transportation and Mobility
Sponsor
Commissioners Steven Meiner, Mark Samuelian, and Alex Fernandez

ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Resolution