Following a series of meetings and seminars with the state and county to solve the long-running traffic problem and ease residents’ frustration of getting held up in gridlock for longer waiting periods, Miami Lakes officials were left deeply disappointed over the lack of commitment and decided to take matters into their own hands.
Councilmember Tony Lama was upset and vocal as the town’s recommendations and requests for solving the traffic problems to FDOT and the county have apparently fallen on deaf ears.
He said it’s crucial that Miami Lakes fix the roadway plight because of the addition of a new mega mall outside of the town’s boundaries and Lennar Corporation’s project to build 484 homes west of I-75 in Hialeah.
With no concrete plan in sight, Lama said the traffic would come to a complete standstill for hours and conceivably cause an exodus.
“People are talking about moving out of our town because of our traffic,” Lama said in a memo to his fellow council members that was discussed at the February 2 meeting. “If I were considering moving my business to Miami Lakes, I would not do it based on the situation today. Frankly, if I had to wait 20 to 30 minutes to leave my neighborhood, I’d be as angry as the residents that continue to rightfully e-mail and message us weekly.”
Lama said the town needs to push the issue until the agencies create a plan to preserve the residents' quality of life.
“We can send a firm and strong message to all of the respective agencies that we want a plan, that we want it soon, and that we will not have our quality of life taken from us in Miami Lakes,” Lama said. “I will no longer accept the answer that its a problem countywide and we have to accept the status quo. We need commitments, we need ownership of this issue, we need accountability, and we need a plan for resolution.”
Councilmember Ceasar Mestre, who shares Lama’s frustration, said Miami Lakes can’t afford to wait for the two agencies to resolve the traffic issues.
“We have identified it as a regional matter, however, if we continue waiting for third parties, they may be ongoing longer than necessary,” Mestre said in his memo that was also discussed at the regular meeting. “It’s obvious that we will not come up with a solution during one council meeting, but we can discuss this openly and try to explore options.”
Mestre suggested exploring “non-traditional” alternatives such as using reversible lanes during peak traffic hours at two major areas of concern: East/west on Miami Lakes Drive and north/south on N.W. 67 Avenue – Miami Lakes Drive between 87 and 79 avenues, and on 67 Avenue between 167 Street and Miami Lakeway North.
"We can think outside the box and possibly create a timeline of what to expect in the near future or a long term solutions," said Mestre.
The dialogues between town officials, FDOT and the county seemed to be a source of strength for fixing the traffic issue, including a Transportation Summit initiated by Lama and Councilmember Nelson Rodriguez last year and their subsequent meetings with the two agencies to explore more ways to alleviate the gridlock.
But Lama said FDOT and the county have yet to follow up on the town’s recommendations and requests in an effort to resolve the problem that included a transportation improvement plan as part of Miami Lakes’ new Strategic Plan.
The proposal offers solutions to the gridlock on the city’s busiest roadways: Traffic signal priority at intersections utilizing technology and more police; improvement of pedestrian connections across N.W. 67 Avenue within Town Center; pedestrian infrastructure improvements to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities ACT requirements for pedestrian facilities throughout Miami Lakes; facilitate carpooling of trips for drop-off and pick-up of school children; connect the existing and future greenways on N.W. 170 Street, N.W. 67 Avenue via N.W. 169 Street; and extend N.W. 59 Avenue south to Miami Lakes Drive.
Some Miami Lakes residents offered their versions of solving the traffic plight, including opening up the I-75 ramp on Miami Lakes Drive near N.W. 87 Avenue, and placing a No U-Turn sign with police presence on Miami Lakes Drive West.
Miami-Dade County is possibly working on plans to help enhance mobility throughout the 6.5 square-mile town.
Late last month, Mayor Michael Pizzi and town staff attended the “Safer Streets Public Officials Breakfast” seminar with national traffic experts, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and County Commissioner Esteban Bovo Jr. to discuss traffic improvement plans.
The goal was to gather information to implement a “Complete Streets” program in Miami Lakes that will reduce traffic, promote bike paths and ensure safer walkways for residents, Pizzi said.
“Our town’s priorities include reducing traffic congestion and ensuring public safety,” said Pizzi. “The ‘Complete Streets’ approach serves our town’s long term goals to implement a comprehensive solution to all our traffic and pedestrian safety issues.”
Guest speaker Gabe Klien, former Transportation Commissioner for Washington D.C. and Chicago and the author of Start-Up City, shared his experience of changing the transportation culture in the Nation’s Capitol and the Windy City.
But Lama wants to step up efforts and give some kind of “concrete” answers to residents who are uncertain about the town’s future.
“I don’t want to sit idly any longer,” he said. “I don’t want to continue to tell residents that we have ideas and no concrete plans. I am not going to assume that bureaucrats outside of Miami Lakes have our best interest at heart. I will not put our future in their hands and assume they will take care of us.”