By Coral Gables Gazette staff

The possibility of having a scramble crosswalk – a crosswalk that includes a diagonal pathway as well as regular ones between streets where all pedestrians cross from all direction while traffic is stopped – at the city’s signature intersection of Miracle Mile and Ponce de Leon took a step closer to becoming a reality with the city’s Transportation Advisory Board calling for an official study on the matter.

The board voted 4-1 to recommend the study to the Coral Gables Commission, which would have to take definitive action in order for the necessary allocation of funds to move forward with further research.

The vote and more discussion unfolded at the board’s December 16 meeting with growing interest from residents and some board members who say the busy intersection would benefit from a pedestrian-focused redesign. A pedestrian scramble crosswalk, also known as a Barnes Dance, allows pedestrians to cross in all directions, including diagonally, during a dedicated signal phase when all vehicle traffic is stopped.

Resident Roberta Neway, who lives in the 1200 Alhambra Circle and previously served on a city advisory board, spoke passionately in favor of the idea, drawing on her personal experience with a scramble intersection at the intersection of Red Road and Sunset Drive at the border of Coral Gables and South Miami.

“I’ve been crossing the intersection of Red Road and Sunset Drive on my own since I was eight or nine years old,” Neway told the board. “That’s an awful lot of years now — like a lifetime. And with the diagonal crossing, it’s the first time I feel safe. I feel comfortable crossing at that intersection.”

Neway said she walks and drives regularly and understands the frustration of traffic delays, but argued that safety should come first. “I don’t like waiting either,” she said. “But I know it’s for a good reason. If you want to welcome pedestrians into our downtown and have people walking, shopping and eating out instead of just driving through, this is one of the ways to do it.”

Assistant Transportation Director Melissa De Zayas provided key context, explaining that when staff reached out to Miami-Dade County about the process for approving scramble crosswalks, they discovered there essentially is none.

“There currently is no process for it because they don’t typically recommend them for intersections,” De Zayas said. She added that despite previous mentions of the idea, the board had never given clear direction on whether it wanted staff to formally pursue it. “We kind of need to determine whether the TAB is in favor of moving forward with this type of recommendation,” she said.

Transportation Advisory Board Chairperson Roland Rodriguez said he supported commissioning a study, pointing to successful examples elsewhere. “I’ve seen it work on Sunset and 57th, and there’s one in Brickell as well,” he said. “I think it’s an effective and safe way for pedestrians to cross, especially at a busy intersection like this.”

Board member Ed Santamaria described himself as “agnostic,” but said data would help guide a decision. “I’d like to see a study that looks at pedestrian safety and the impact on traffic, because ultimately Miami-Dade County is going to weigh in, and they’re very protective of their (roads).”

Board Member Henry Pino again voiced opposition, citing concerns about congestion and a lack of supporting data. “I don’t think we have the pedestrian density, and I’ve not seen any accident data to suggest there’s an imminent safety need,” he said. Pino questioned whether spending “tens of thousands of dollars” on a study was justified.

Rodriguez responded that the vote was not for implementation, but simply to gather facts. “This would be a full traffic study — vehicles per day, pedestrian counts, backups in each direction,” he said. “Then the commission would decide whether it makes sense.”

Neway urged the board to consider quality of life. “A minute or half a minute of extra waiting is not too long for people to feel safe crossing a main intersection in a downtown,” she said. “The purpose of this board is to represent everyone.”

With most members expressing interest in learning more, the board ultimately voted to recommend a study to the City Commission, keeping the debate alive and placing the future of a scramble crosswalk at Miracle Mile and Ponce de Leon squarely in the commission’s hands.

Bike and pedestrian Master Plan and rideshare updates

Attending his first meeting, recently appointed board member Thomas Snook expressed concerns over safety of cyclists in the city – adding that he himself had been hit by a car near the entrance of the University of Miami in the past.

The board discussed updating the city’s Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan created in 2014. After entertaining a notion that individual board members would review the plan and how it pertained to their districts, the board agreed to have staff give them a brief update on the master plan to see what aspects of it had been implemented and whether other parts were still relevant.

The board also continued its discussion on effects of rideshare services both for deliveries and rider transport. With regard to the delivery pick ups on Miracle Mile and nearby alleys – where drivers sometimes wait for the deliveries – a police department representative said there shouldn’t be an issue if drivers don’t block or obstruct traffic in the back of restaurants.

“It’s not too much of an issue if they don’t abandon their vehicles,” Rodriguez said.

The officer also said that the police department couldn’t do much to discourage rideshare drivers of parking in certain parts of the city, including next to Cartagena Plaza (Coco Plum Circle) because parking was free there.