Over the last few years, Downtown Miami begun a transformation into a 24 hour live/work center.  Only a couple years ago, Downtown/Brickell was dominated by a daytime office crowd that left most streets empty at night.  Today nevertheless, one can walk the streets of Brickell throughout the day and night to see mothers pushing strollers, people exercising on the streets, couples holding hands as they walk back from the market, tourists staying at new hotels, and groups of people going out to enjoy a night out in the town.

The problem today is that while dozens of towers have transformed Downtown/Brickell into a walkable center, the streets have done very little to accommodate the influx of new residents.  No new crosswalks, signage, or lighting devices have been added to create safer conditions for a growing pedestrian base.  No new pedestrian infrastructure has been put in place to accommodate incoming residents and their needs.  Large avenues remain decidedly uncrossable and unsafe.  Perfect examples of this conditions include main thoroughfares Brickell Avenue in Brickell and Biscayne Blvd in Downtown — throughout the day one can see people darting across the street in a dangerous fashion.  Many intersections lack the proper pedestrian crossings.  In fact, while buildings in the area have provided more responsive and walkable urban fabric, much of the streetscape of Brickell and Downtown remains autocentric.

While much attention has been paid in recent years to a a growing bicycle movement and the safety of riders in downtown with events such as Bike Miami and Critical Mass, it is my fear that an equally important pedestrian movement has been left out in the dark.   This in my opinion is unfortunate considering the fact that there are many more people walking than riding their bikes every day.  Overall, sidewalks and crosswalks in the City of Miami provide an inconsistent and unsafe pedestrian experience. 

Therefore, over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting some of these unsafe conditions in a series called Walk Miami.  Much like the Bike Miami movement that brought attention to cyclists, it is my hope that Walk Miami will shed light on some of the unsafe conditions present on the streets of Downtown.  It is my hope, that by highlighting some of these inconsistencies we can avoid unnecesary injuries and create a safer, more enjoyable pedestrian experience.  One that encourages people to walk – to feel safe as they cross the streets.

One of the big problems in Miami is that many of the streets were designed with drivers in mind.  The goal of streets through the years has been to facilitate cars at faster speeds and to minimize delays through uncontrolled intersections at the expense of non-existent pedestrians.  This of course made perfect sense in an autocentric Miami. 

Today nevertheless, as more and more people have taken to the streets by walking and biking, this dangerous equation has to change.  Drivers and pedestrians must be educated about rules and laws governing pedestrians and shared use of the road.  Signage must accommodate growing pedestrian crowds and traffic calming measures must be installed at important intersections to ensure pedestrian safety.

To begin this series, I would like to show you two pedestrians signs in downtown that I just happened to run into yesterday during a bike ride.  One can easily see why these “yield to pedestrian” signs are ignored by drivers.  There is blatant disregard for proper pedestrian signage and traffic calming measures throughout the city. 

In addition, I would also like to refer you to a letter written by a  new resident of Brickell, Olga Ramos, detailing her experience as a pedestrian in downtown.

This condition is a perfect example of the disregard for pedestrian safety present in Downtown Miami/Brickell.  Located at the intersection of South Miami Avenue and SW 9th St (north end of Mary Brickell Village), one can see (on the left side of this image) how a yellow pedestrian sign is being covered from drivers view by a no parking sign.  Drivers at this intersection therefore routinely blow right by pedestrians in the crosswalk. 

Considering that Mary Brickell Village is a new pedestrian mall that straddles both sides of this street and pedestrians are routinely crossing this intersection to get from one side of the mall to the other, this condition is unacceptable.  If an obvious pedestrian environment shows such disregard, one can only imagine what fast moving autocentric thoroughfares in Downtown are like. 

This sign warns drivers about pedestrians at an important intersection that leads drivers to the I-95 onramp from downtown.  Nevertheless, due to its proximity to the intersection (<3′), the speed of vehicles on this street, and the poor condition of the sign, drivers routinely speed past this intersection without any regard for pedestrians in the crosswalk.  Considering that Miami drivers are not used to pedestrians, it would really be a surprise if anyone actually ever stopped here for a pedestrian.

If you have a story or images you would like to share about your experiences as a pedestrian in Downtown Miami, please contact me.  I would love to hear from you!

Related posts:

1. Walk Miami – Cars and the Crosswalk
2. Walk Miami – Demand safer streets petition!
3. Walk Miami – The Crosswalk Zigzag on Biscayne
4. Walk Miami – Access to Brickell MetroRail
5. Walk Miami – More Visible Crosswalk Markings