LTC 422-2018 Meridian Avenue from 16th Street to Dade Boulevard - Pedestrian and Bicycle Feasibility StudyMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
LTC#
422-2018
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of he City Co
FROM : Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: July 27, 2018
LETTER TO COMMISSION
SUBJECT : MERIDIAN AVENUE FROM 16TH STREET TO DADE BOULEVARD-PEDESTRIAN
AND BICYCLE FEASIBILITY STUDY.
The purpose of this Letter to Commission (LTC) is to provide an update on the Pedestrian and
Bicycle Feasibility Study for Meridian Avenue from 16th Street to Dade Boulevard .
On April 2, 2018, the Transportation Department issued a Notice-To-Proceed to Keith &
Schnars for the Meridian Avenue Feasibility Study. The purpose of the feasibility study is to
assess existing transportation conditions and recommend multimodal transportation
improvements to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety and connectivity along Meridian
Avenue. The study area extends along Meridian Avenue from 1 ih Street to Dade Boulevard
and from 16th Street to Lincoln Road. This portion of Meridian Avenue connects to the Miami
Beach Convention Center, Lincoln Road, Dade Boulevard Shared -Use Path , and the 16th Street
green bicycle lanes . It is important to note that the segment of Meridian Avenue from Lincoln
Road to 1 ih Street is being designed as part of the Lincoln Road District Renovation Project
and is being coordinated with the Meridian Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Feasibility Study.
An initial public meeting was held on May 14, 2018 at the Miami Beach Golf Club to identify
community issues and concerns. Based on community feedback, the consultant team prepared
conceptual plans for both near-term and long-term improvements for the study area .
Two (2) interim draft concepts have been developed for the segment of Meridian Avenue
between Dade Boulevard and 1 ih Street. Both concepts include green bicycle lanes and lane
reductions (i.e . a "road diet") and , excluding the proposed signalization improvements , have the
potential to be implemented in the near-term as a "demonstration" project in early 2019, pending
County review and approval. Option 1 depicted in Attachment A proposes a new signalized
intersection and pedestrian crosswalk on the north side of 18th Street/City Hall Garage access
and a new mid-block pedestrian crossing equipped with LED flashing beacons on the south side
of 19th Street. Option 2 depicted in Attachment B proposes a new signalized mid-block
pedestrian crosswalk between 18th Street and 19th Street. Given the signalization improvements
are contingent upon County review and approval, if approved by the County , those
improvements would be implemented as part of a separate future project.
Letter to Commission RE: Meridian Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Feasibility Study
Page2
July 27, 2018
Three (3) long-term concepts have been prepared and presented to the community. The long-
term concepts could be implemented as part of the City's future City Center Neighborhood
Improvement Project. All 3 concepts include green bike lanes and a "road diet". Option A
depicted in Attachment C proposes buffered bicycle lanes and a center two-way left turn lane.
Option B depicted in Attachment D proposes buffered bicycle lanes and a landscaped median.
Option C depicted in Attachment E proposes buffered bicycle lanes and an expanded sidewalk
adjacent to the future park on the east side of Meridian Avenue.
All concepts include a proposed pedestrian "scramble" crosswalk at the Meridian Avenue/17th
Street intersection. A pedestrian scramble is a traffic signal movement that temporarily stops all
vehicular traffic and allows pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including
diagonally, at the same time, as a protected movement. The benefit of a pedestrian scramble
crosswalk at an intersection is that it prioritizes pedestrians over vehicular traffic, resulting in
improved pedestrian safety. Because of the volumes of pedestrians crossing at the intersection
of Meridian Avenue and 1 ih Street, the Transportation Department staff believes that it is a
suitable location to pilot and test the pedestrian scramble concept in Miami Beach; however,
Miami-Dade County approval will be required. Transportation Department staff is coordinating
with County staff to include a pedestrian scramble crossing at Meridian Avenue/1 ih Street
intersection as part of a potential demonstration project that could be implemented in the near-
term.
A concept for Meridian Avenue between Lincoln Road and 16th Street is depicted in Attachment
F. Coordination with the Lincoln Road Renovation design team is ongoing in order to ensure
seamless connectivity between the two projects.
A second public meeting was held on June 26, 2018 at the Botanical Gardens to review the
near-term and long-term draft concepts. There were 24 attendees at the public meeting and
supportive community feedback was received. At the conclusion of the meeting, participants
were asked to vote through a dot exercise on a proposed long-term vision for Meridian Avenue.
Option C (depicted in Attachment E) was selected by the participants as the preferred long-term
alternative. As previously mentioned, Option C depicts buffered bicycle lanes, an expanded
sidewalk on the east side adjacent to the proposed park, and landscaping adjacent to the
buffered bicycle lane on the east side of Meridian Avenue.
The proposed interim improvements on Meridian Avenue are important because they would
improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and connectivity in the near-term by adding green bicycle
lanes, improving pedestrian signalization, and reducing vehicular travel speeds along the street.
Additionally, the County's proposed Beach Express North Bus Express Rapid Transit (BERT)
Demonstration service is proposed to serve the City Center area, thus, the proposed interim
pedestrian and bicycle improvements on Meridian Avenue will help ensure multimodal
connectivity to/from the proposed BERT service.
From a long-term perspective, the proposed pedestrian safety improvements and bicycle lane
network in this portion of Meridian Avenue are important to establish connectivity between the
existing Dade Boulevard Shared-Use Path, 16th Street green bicycle lanes, Lincoln Road, City
Hall, and the numerous cultural and civic destinations in the City Center area.
Letter to Commission RE: Meridian Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Feasibility Study
Page 3
July 27, 2018
The Administration is scheduled to bring this item to the September 26th
Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee meeting for review and input on the draft near-
term and long-term concepts.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
ATTACHMENTS:
A: Meridian Avenue Dade Blvd to 1 ih Street-Option 1
B: Meridian Avenue Dade Blvd to 1 ih Street-Option 2
C: Meridian Avenue Long Term-Option A
D: Meridian Avenue Long Term-Option B
E: Meridian Avenue Long Term-Option C
F: Meridian Avenue Lincoln Road to 161h Street-South Study Area Conceptual Plan
JLM/KGBiifcbJr
F:\TRAN\SALL\PROJECTS\0 TMP 14 -Meridian Avenue -17th Street To Dade Boulevard Feasibility Study, Bike Lanes\LTC\LTC-Meridian Avenue
-17th Street To Dade Boulevard Feasibility Study Bike Lanes FINAL.Docx
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Letter to Commission RE: Meridian Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Feasibility Study
Page 6
July 27, 2018
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Page 7
July 27 , 2018
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Letter to Commission RE: Meridian Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Feasibility Study
Page 8
July 27, 2018
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