Comments on: Walk Miami – Creating a Safer Pedestrian Experience

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:03:18 +0000

Great post Adam, and it’s a topic that hasn’t really been covered, but yet is very important to the overall scheme of things for Downtown. Crossing the streets in Downtown and Brickell should not be like playing a game of Frogger. Priority should always be given to the pedestrian and to the bicyclist over the car. I really hope this gets resolved, and it the meantime, again, great posts!

By: Adam Mizrahi

Adam Mizrahi — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:41:37 +0000

Thanks Felipe. I look forward to sheding light on small yet important changes needed to create a safer more walkable downtown. Many small changes could lead to big improvements in the way people perceive the street.

By: Felipe Azenha

Felipe Azenha — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:15:15 +0000

Great idea Adam. Transit Miami will certainly be contributing pictures to your effort. It’s great to see that the Miami DDA is taking the initiative and being proactive on this very important issue. This is a very encouraging sign for pedestrians.

By: Streetsblog New York City » The Perils of Cul-de-Sac Development

Streetsblog New York City » The Perils of Cul-de-Sac Development — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:28:15 +0000

[...] from around the network: Urban City Architecture launches a series of posts on the pressing issue of pedestrian safety in Miami. Bello Velo reports [...]

By: Javier Betancourt

Javier Betancourt — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:40:13 +0000

Excellent post, Adam. Please know that the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is focused on this very issue, and working hard to address it. A pedestrian oriented Downtown is a key goal of our recently adopted “Downtown Miami Master Plan” (www.miamidda.com/master_plan.asp), and will be the primary focus of the “Downtown Miami Bicycle/Pedestrian Mobility Plan” that will be produced in the coming months by the MPO at DDA’s request. We will be reaching out to the community as part of that effort, and certainly hope that you and other Downtown stakeholders will participate in helping us to identify problem areas and solutions.

While that process moves forward, we are also acting in the immediate-term to advocate for pedestrian improvements at the City, County, and State levels, and engaged in a number of projects ourselves. For instance, we are taking action to design crosswalks throughout Downtown, pursuing a “Signage & Wayfinding” plan that includes a strong pedestrian-focus, developing streetscape guidelines that will re-orient streets towards pedestrian activity, advocating for transit enhancements that support a walkable community, working to complete the Riverwalk/Baywalk, and continuing our ongoing efforts to line our streets with pedestrian oriented landscaping and street furniture.

We look forward to working with you and other DWNTWNrs on this Walk Miami initiative. Keep up the great work!

All the best,
Javier

Javier A. Betancourt, AICP, LEED-GA
Manager, Urban Planning & Transportation, Miami DDA
Board Member, MPO’s Bicycle / Pedestrian Advisory Committee