Traffic assessment update - field & recording work - Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Village Officials were back out along assessing village traffic issues on Wednesday, September 30, 2015.  This is a collaborative effort organized by the Village Manager, Ed Silva who is working with Miami-Dade County to address 87th Avenue and its spill out onto the neighborhood streets.  I attended on Wednesday, with Cornice Patterson, our Director of Public Works; Joe Corradino, our Village Traffic Consultant and our incoming Village Police Commander Lt. Serralta.  We went high tech on documenting the ongoing traffic issue with the use of a drone (pictures included below) operated by Hal Feldman.
 

Sunrise exposes huge volume of cut through traffic on 84

Traffic circle

 The traffic circle is pictured above.  Traffic is presently backing up along 168 street to the intersection at 82nd Avenue, backing up down to and through the circle.  

WAZE may have helped to create the cut through situation - now look

See prior posts regarding traffic (and WAZE), including: Is WAZE adversely impacting our local Palmetto Bay traffic, an individual's gain at expense of entire neighborhoods? Research is ongoing. (9/13/15); and additional online materials:
WAZE - reading update. links to articles regarding Waze and small neighborhoods (9/14/15) 

PLEASE NOTE: This is all part of an ongoing process and this is an interim update on what is happening.  Efforts continue on all fronts through the listed departments in cooperation with Miami-Dade County.  I will continue to keep you advised.

WAZE - reading update. links to articles regarding Waze and small neighborhoods

Additional online reading information concerning the WAZE and small neighborhoods:

Traffic:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/12/la-neighborhood-blames-waze-app-for-morning-traffic-jam/

http://sfvmedia.com/sfv/waze-app-pushing-valley-traffic-onto-narrow-canyon-roads-officials-say/
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-waze-traffic-app-neighborhoods-readers-20150506-story.html

Police Safety:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lapd-chief-concerned-waze-20150126-story.html
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-waze-google-lapd-response-20150127-story.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5d5ZZZdXYk

City Partnership with Waze to reduce cut-through traffic:
http://vnnc.org/2015/04/krekorian-wants-waze-to-reduce-cut-through-traffic/

City Partnership with Waze: (does nothing to reduce cut through traffic, but gives real time data to city)
http://www.lamayor.org/mayor_garcetti_details_agreement_with_waze_to_help_reduce_congestion_increase_safety_and_improve_driving_experience_around_l_a

DIY Reporting of Problems Doesn't work:
http://gizmodo.com/is-it-really-possible-to-trick-waze-to-keep-traffic-off-1660273215
http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/locals-upset-at-googles-waze-for-sending-traffic-to-their-streets/#!

Thank you to the many concerned neighbors who continue to research and participate in being part of the solution! 

This is why we live here - working together on issues important to our quality of life.

Eugene Flinn, Mayor
Village of Palmetto Bay

Is WAZE adversely impacting our local Palmetto Bay traffic, an individual's gain at expense of entire neighborhoods? Research is ongoing.

The week of September 6 through 12 may have been a short week due to the Labor Day holiday, but it was long on meetings.  Palmetto Bay officials held a regular council meeting, first budget hearing, special council meeting, manager's town hall meeting on traffic, as well as a zoning meeting. Attendance was a huge indicator on local priorities - traffic.  This was a very productive meeting that I opened with Councilman Tim Schaffer, held by our Manager Ed Silva.  We had officials from Miami-Dade County present as well as our Public Works, incoming Village Police Commander and our outsourced Traffic Engineer, Joe Corradino.  

Manager Silva presented some of the options being considered.  Mr. Corradino brought the community up to date on our efforts and his observations.  Many of this work was done in response to specific fact finding efforts that included myself and other members of the village council. 

I had noted some traffic updates on my Twitter feed referencing Palmetto Bay generated from a traffic app WAZE.  Discussion generated quite a buzz and research commenced from neighbors subsequent to that meeting.  I spoke with one neighborhood leader today, Sunday, September 13, 2015. 

I am now sharing some research to try to solicit more input on this issue.

See: L.A.'sLove/Hate Relationship With Waze Continues – The article talks about both the advances to the individual drivers and, more importantly, contrasts the BACKLASH onto the once quiet neighborhood as well as the local elected officials.

Sound familiar?
I am continuing to work with affected residents in all areas of Palmetto Bay.

Questions, comments, suggestions and research can forwarded to me via official e-mail, eflinn@palmettobay-fl.gov as well as the entire village council through a single e-mail: council@palmettobay-fl.gov.  I will keep the entire council up to date on the process and I request that I be copied on any e-mail you forward to a specific council member.

Please stay involved and look forward to/participate in both localized as well as larger town hall meetings  in the future.  This is but an interim update.   

Thank you again for working with me, us, on these important issues.  COMMUNICATION – is one of the reasons why we all live here.