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Article Courtesy of The Kendall
Gazette
By Richard Yager
Published February 20, 2016
Kendall’s worsening traffic has resulted in a
formal resolution requesting that M i a m i – D a d e Commissioners place a
moratorium on development throughout the unincorporated area west of Florida’s
Turnpike. The resolution was unanimously approved by the 10-member board of
Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations on Jan. 28.
The moratorium would ban all building west of
Florida’s Turnpike from SW 40th Street (Bird Road) south to SW 152nd Street
(Coral Reef Drive).
Traffic congestion that
causes “increased travel times such as 30 to 40 minutes to
access Florida’s Turnpike and the Palmetto Expressway” was the
key reason cited by the KFHA board, as well as concerns for lost
time and attendant costs.
Terming Kendall traffic as “unbearable” during peak and off-peak
hours as well as weekends, the resolution specified lost time,
safety problems and frustration of community residents as major
complaints.
KFHA board members who voted for the moratorium included Michael
Rosenberg, president; Doug Smith, internal vice president; David
Iglesias, external vice president; Nancy Pearlmutter, secretary;
Dan Cowan, treasurer; Sherry Maer, alternate secretary, and
members Jeff Dorn, Les Gerson, Miles Moss, Peter Nefsky and
Marvin P. Stein.
“Our quality of life is so seriously impacted, that we are
demanding no more development until the traffic problems are
fixed,” Rosenberg said. “I can’t imagine anyone who lives in
Kendall disagreeing with this resolution. About 400,000 people
will end up spending 20 percent of their lives sitting in
traffic. It’s enough already!” |
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Traffic gridlock seems to be in order on SW 117th Avenue
during a recent afternoon. It was backed up in both directions from
Sunset Drive to Kendall Drive at 5 p.m. This photo was taken at SW 78th
Street. In light of the traffic congestion here and throughout West
Kendall, the Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations is calling for
a moratorium on future development.
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The ban on building would remain in
effect until service reaches a “D” rating or better on east-to-west roads within
four miles of the turnpike, based upon signal light timing at SW 40th Street, SW
88th Street, SW 120th Street and SW 152nd Street, and within the same distance
from the Palmetto Expressway for signals at SW 40th Street, SW 56th Street, SW
72nd Street, SW 88th Street and SW 104th Street.
A “D” rating (in part) describes traffic as “approaching unstable flow. Speeds
slightly decrease as traffic volume slightly increases. Freedom to maneuver
within the traffic stream is much more limited and drivers comfort levels
decrease.”
The A (best) to F (worst) traffic flow ratings are part of a federal code
utilizing a North American Level of Service published in the Highway Capacity
Manual and adopted by local governments to standardize classification of traffic
conditions.
Moss, a traffic engineering expert formerly with Miami-Dade County Public Works,
said “concurrency remains the real problem” to control compatibility of future
Kendall growth with local roadway traffic.
“The current standard for even the highest ‘green city’ development must satisfy
standards only within four miles of its boundaries for county approval,” he
said. “That fails to take into consideration how severe large-scale developments
with regional impact can create on already existing lineups of cars on
connecting arterials outside a four-mile distance,” he stated.
As president of the Winston Park Homeowners Association, Moss noted that the
community has approved special payments for private policing to control excess
of traffic on local streets, mostly caused by commuting motorists seeking
shortcuts to stopped-up traffic at West Kendall major intersections.
Michael Hernandez, Miami-Dade director of communications, resonded on behalf of
Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
“Mayor Gimenez has consistently supported smart growth and remains committed to
holding the line on developing beyond the Urban Development Boundary. As he
stated on Jan. 11 during his last community meeting with the Kendall Federation
of Homeowner Associations, Miami-Dade County is taking a global approach to
improving mass transit and mobility in our community. That approach includes
doing more to reduce traffic congestion on our roads and promote smoother
traffic flow, especially in Kendall. The development moratorium that the KFHA is
requesting is not a silver bullet and may have other unintended economic
consequences in the community.”
Truly Burton, executive vice president, Builders Association of South Florida,
echoed the opposition to a moratorium.
“A building moratorium is not the answer. Implementing a county-wide transit
program is the answer. Our local economy is continuing to recover from the worst
recession since the Great Depression. A self-imposed recession in the form of a
moratorium will put people out of work who (are now) just getting back on their
feet.” |
