While signs in Miami Lakes warn drivers, “Don’t Even Think About Speeding!”, some motorists continue to race along town roads.
Though dangerous drivers are a perennial complaint among residents, just like the traffic itself, police have written fewer speeding tickets in the first half of 2022 than they did last year.
From January to June in 2021, Miami-Dade Police officers wrote 301 tickets for moving violations that included unlawful speed; speeding on a municipal road; speed posted on a county road and speeding in a school zone.
In the first six months of this year, just 72 tickets were issued for those offenses, according to statistics supplied by the police department.
And while speeding is important to control, the department’s focus this year has shifted due to changing criminal activity, said Maj. Javier Ruiz.
He leads Miami-Dade County Police officers who are contracted to protect the town.
“We are still conducting [traffic] details,” Ruiz said. “Our details are more high visibility patrols due to other crime trends, such as vehicle burglaries and commercial burglaries.”
Vehicle burglaries have been cut in half in recent years, Ruiz said.
There were 268 car break-ins in 2018; 221 in 2019; 164 in 2020 and 132 in 2021.
“However, current year-to-date, we are at 88 [vehicle burglaries] whereas last year at this time we were at 66, so we are up this year and hope to bring it down with our efforts,” Ruiz said.
Protecting shopping centers and apartment complexes are priorities for the agency’s officers, Ruiz said.
Commercial burglaries are down too: There were nine in 2021, and just two so far in 2022, he said.
Getting back to speeding, in 2021 enforcement efforts were propelled by residents’ concerns about cars going too fast on the main corridors, specifically Northwest 67th Avenue, Northwest 87th Avenue, and parts of Northwest 82nd Avenue, Ruiz said.
Officers also focused on Miami Lakeway South and Miami Lakeway North. They used radar guns during peak times at night and on weekends, with more attention on Fridays, according to Ruiz.
He said the department does not have a ticket quota to fill; education is the focus during traffic stops.
“We stress the utilization of discretion and verbal warnings,” Ruiz said.
This year, Ruiz said that residents’ complaints have been sporadic and when received, the agency responded to them.
On July 19, officers were posted for two hours along Montrose Road between Oak Lane and 152nd Street after receiving reports about speeders, he said.
One driver was ticketed for driving 6 mph above the 30 mph speed limit and three drivers were cited for running the three-way stop at Oak Lane, Ruiz said.
On July 23, a motorist was ticketed for driving 8 mph over the limit.
The department is also parking patrol cars along roads where speeding is common such as on Commerce Way, to deter fast drivers and to increase the agency’s presence.
But just because there’s a decoy car parked in a neighborhood doesn’t mean a patrol won’t be watching.
“They know we’re going to be checking on that car, they know we’re going to be driving by,” Ruiz said. “[But] most citizens in the Town of Miami Lakes are law-abiding and driving within the speed limit.”
Nancy Rogers, chair of the Miami Lakes Public Safety Committee, says she has heard complaints.
“There are problems with speeding on Fairway [Drive], on [Northwest] 67th Avenue when it’s not back-to-back with traffic, just any of the straightaways,” Rogers said.
Rogers lives near Fairway Drive and says that speeding is common throughout the day and during late evening hours.
She feels that there are not enough officers in town to help patrol, especially during the evening shift.
The speed limit through much of town is 30 mph. Exceptions include 40 mph on Northwest 67 Avenue; Northwest 87 Avenue is 15 mph in the school zone, 35 mph in some stretches and 40 mph south of Miami Lakes Drive. The western stretch of Miami Lakes Drive past the Palmetto Expressway overpass is 35 mph.
Ruiz said speeding drivers will remain a priority, especially as the school year commences this month.
“Officers will continue to be at each of the schools during morning drop off and afternoon pick up in order to assist in traffic flow in and out of the schools,” he said.