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Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) has installed a new diagonal crosswalk to better enhance the pedestrian experience in Downtown Miami.
“It’s critical that we make all our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists in order to create a more walkable, livable community,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
“This new scramble crosswalk in the heart of Miami’s downtown is a major step forward in making our Vision Zero goal a reality by eliminating traffic-related deaths and injuries, and a model that we will seek to build on countywide.”
The diagonal crosswalk, also known as a scramble crosswalk, is located at the intersection of NE First Avenue and Second Street in Downtown near Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus and New World School of the Arts. The intersection was selected for this inaugural crosswalk due to its high pedestrian volumes and its proximity to various public transportation options.
A scramble crosswalk allows pedestrians to cross the street both perpendicularly and diagonally through the intersection. All vehicles, including right lane turns, are stopped until pedestrians safely cross the street in whichever direction they please. This unique crosswalk design allows for pedestrians to be given the right-of-way at an intersection and helps to enhance foot traffic flow.
“We are continuously working to implement improvements that prioritize pedestrian and bicyclist movements in a safe manner to ensure that all can safely enjoy and use our streets,” said Alice N. Bravo, DTPW director.
The downtown scramble crosswalk — the first of its kind in Miami-Dade County — includes new pavement markings, signage, and pedestrian signal heads. It is important to note that not all intersections are suited to be converted into scramble crosswalks; therefore, by marking this first diagonal crosswalk, the department will be able to analyze and identify which other intersections in the county can be converted to scramble crosswalks.
“As a resident of Downtown Miami, I have firsthand experience of the challenges pedestrians face in navigating through busy streets. I am thrilled that DTPW has moved forward with adding scramble crosswalks to its toolbox of strategies that improve the pedestrian experience – getting our residents out of their cars and into their sneakers,” said District 5 Commissioner Eileen Higgins, who represents the urban core.
In addition, DTPW has 353 signalized intersections working with an all-exclusive pedestrian phase prioritizing pedestrian crossings. An all-exclusive pedestrian phase is a timed period within the signal cycle that is allocated exclusively to pedestrians crossing the street; however, unlike a scramble crosswalk, pedestrians can only cross the street perpendicularly during an all exclusive pedestrian phase.
