LTC 188-2020 Citywide Implementation of Automatic Pedestrian Phases at Intersections to Prevent COVIVD-19 MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 188-2020 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members o the City f •mmission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager ,►
DATE: May 21, 2020
SUBJECT: CITYWIDE IMPLEMENTATION F AUTOMATIC PEDESTRIAN PHASES AT ALL
SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS IN MIAMI BEACH AS A MEASURE TO PREVENT
THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
I am pleased to inform you that on April 7, 2020, Miami Beach became the first municipality in the
County to implement automatic pedestrian phases at all signalized intersections in the City as a
measure to reduce human contact and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Automatic pedestrian phases provide pedestrian walk signals automatically without the need for
pedestrians to press the button to cross an intersection. This initiative is particularly important as
businesses reopen throughout the City and pedestrian activity increases.
In March 2020, the City's Transportation and Mobility Department submitted a request to the
County to reprogram all 248 traffic signals in Miami Beach with automatic pedestrian phases. The
County approved the City's request, and, as a result, walk signals are automatically activated
every cycle at every signalized intersection in the City. The automatic pedestrian phase
programming was corroborated in the field by the City's traffic engineer and will remain in place
in the interest of public health as a COVID-19 pandemic prevention measure. Since the
implementation of automatic pedestrian phases in our City,the County has implemented the same
measure in high density areas of the City of Miami.
It is worth noting that automatic pedestrian phases can potentially increase vehicular delays as
they automatically activate even if no pedestrians are present. However, given the current
reduction in citywide traffic volumes of more than 55% since the start of the shelter-in-place
orders, City staff has determined that the adverse impact of automatic pedestrian phases on
vehicular travel time and congestion along our major corridors is insignificant at this time. Staff
will continue to monitor traffic conditions daily as the City reopens and will reassess locations with
automatic pedestrian phases as necessary.
The Office of Marketing and Communications is disseminating this information to the community
through social media and e-blasts(attached).
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
JLM/ATH/JRG/JFD
F.\TRAN\$ALL\LTC\LTC-COVID 19 Automatic Pedestrian Signals.docx
LTC-Implementation of Automatic Pedestrian Phases—COVID-19
May 21, 2020
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