047-2009 Traffic Calming Programm MIAMIBEACH
Office of the Ciry Manager MEMORANDUM
no.047-2(X19
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TO, Ed Tobin, Commissioner /~ v '7
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FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager --
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DATE: September 10, 2009 ~,,, _.
SuaJECT Traffic Calming Program n~
In order to preserve the safety and livability of our community, the City of Miami Beach has been
developing a Traffic Calming Program. The Traffic Calming Program will address traffic
concerns related to the traffic volume and speeding in local and residential streets. Traffic
calming provisions are aimed at reducing the number of accidents and other traffic violations
throughout Miami Beach.
Miami-Dade County (the County) has the authority and responsibility of all traffic engineering in
the County and in all municipalities. It has been the City's intent to enter into an
Intergovernmental Agency Agreement (IAA) with the County for traffic calming. The purpose of
the IAA would be to make the City responsible for the review and approval of all future
installations and maintenance of these devices, and allow the City to perform the work rather
than the County. It is unclear at this time if the County will allow the City to have full approval
authority. City staff has made numerous attempts to attain a decision from the County, including
several coordination meetings and conference calls with the County's Chief of Traffic
Engineering Division. The City Administration has requested that the City Attorney's Office
contact the County Attorney's Office to get a final determination of whether or not the County will
grant the City approval authority for the installation of and maintenance of traffic calming
devices. The pending approval of the IAA has caused a delay in the overall implementation of
the City's traffic program and for the City's ability to expeditiously review and respond to the
increasing number of requests received from residents for traffic calming in their neighborhoods.
In the interim, the City can only process traffic calming requests through the County's adopted
process,
More specifically, in response to the complaints in the Lakeview area and the upper North Bay
Road area, City staff forwarded the residents' requests for the installation of traffic calming
devices on North Bay Road between 60'"' Street and 63'd Street and on Lakeview Drive to the
County's Traffic Engineering Division, which completed a study to evaluate existing traffic
conditions and determined that the installation of traffic calming devices at either location is nol
warranted.
In order to install traffic calming devices, minimum traffic volumes must be greater than 150
vehicles per hour or 1500 vehicles per day: and the 85"' percentile speed must be at least 10
MPH greater than the established speed limit of the road. The 85`" percentile speed is defined
as "the speed at or below which 85 percent of the motorists drive on a given road". The County
did not approve installation of traffic calming devices because the traffic volumes were less than
1,500 per day and the 85"' percentile did not exceed the 30 MPH street posted speed limit by 10
MPH at either location.
Regarding your question: "Can we have speed bumps put in on North Bay Road without having
to go through the County". The answer is no, since only the County has the authority and
responsibility of all traffic engineering in the County and in all municipalities.
Commissioner Ed Tobin
September 10, 2009
Page 2
The Administration will continue to expeditiously process traffic calming requests through fhe
County which in the average takes about eight weeks to complete their evaluation and provide a
response.
Please let me know if you have any questions or require additional information
cc. Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
Fred H. Beckmann, P.E., Director of Public Works
Tim Hemsireet. Assistant City Manager
Fernando Vazquez, P.E., City Engineer
Xavier Falconi, P.E., Transportation Manager
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m MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR AND COMMISSION
i0: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager
FROM: Ed Tabin, Commissioner ~'Srrn
DATE: August 25, 2009
5U81ECT: Upper North Bay Road and speeding cars
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MEMORANDUM
I would like to know what the plans are to develop our own in house speeding mitigation plan. I
have had many complaints from residents in the Lakeview area as well as the upper North Bay
Road area (51~`-63rO) as to what can be done about the speeding cars. Can we have speed
bumps put in on North Bay Road without having to go through the County?
If you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact my Aide, Ben Torter at
x6274.
ET/sm
Cc: Fred Beckmann, Public Works Director
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