Like any reasonable human being, I was shocked and saddened
by the recent traffic fatalities on my street over the holiday weekend. In
typical fashion, I was nose-down in a home maintenance project with my earbuds
blasting rock'n'roll for motivation, so even though this was all happening
three blocks away, I had no idea until my wife and child came home and gave me
the news.
We still don't know everything that happened that day, and all of the factors that led up to the incident, but in typical Biscayne Park fashion, we will likely now demand some change to try and prevent it from happening again. I recall about 16 years ago, I was one of the first people on the scene of that horrific accident where a child was dragged four blocks by a drunk driver and barely escaped with his life. I will never forget seeing the father's reaction when he first laid eyes on his bleeding/dying child. After this accident, we lowered the speed limit from 30 to 25 on most streets in the park, but as some people very astutely pointed out later, this accident was not caused by speed, but rather by a non-resident cutting through our village while drunk. And that leads me to the point of this post.
Certainly, there's going to be some demand for a reaction at the village government level to this incident. Some may demand more police, a traffic light or two in the right places, perhaps even the approach that Miami shores took with barriers on certain parts of their border. It’s unlikely that any of those things would have prevented this accident, but something certainly would have helped – SPEED TABLES! Police can’t be everywhere, all at once, all of the time, but strategically placed speed tables can work 24/7, including holidays. And we don’t have to pay $10K for a traffic study to tell us where they’re needed – 8th and 9th Avenues, 119th Street (the ONLY street that connects the furthest points in the village from East/West), and Griffing Boulevard. (Not that the study wouldn’t yield other benefits, but this one is a no-brainer).
It is my sincere hope that our reaction is on point and effective, and not merely symbolic. I have lived here for 20 years, but I have lived in the area for most of my 50 years on this blue dot in space, and not speeding in Biscayne park was practically on the exam to get my driver’s license! It was just something that people in the area knew - you speed in our village, you will pay the price eventually. In recent years I have heard others acknowledge that this reputation is no longer applicable to the village, and that is probably true. Times have changed, the areas around us have grown more populated and new residents/generations continue to use our village as a cut through in order to avoid the intersection of West Dixie / 6th Avenue / 125th Street. And I can’t blame them.
I’m aware that only a handful of people will see this post, so I intend to read it aloud at the next commission meeting, and hopefully spur the conversations around strategically placed speed tables in our village.
John, I was about half way through doing this for you when you wrote back to say you did, in fact, do it yourself. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI wrote that this is a complicated situation. As you recapitulate, the Perez-Pinon matter (BOTH kids) was reflexly/mindlessly reacted to with lowering the speed limit, when the intoxicated driver likely wouldn't have known nor cared what the speed limit was. But, as you rightly say, there will be a reaction that something must be done now, too. It would be great, as you conclude, if the something would be effective.
As I now understand it from someone else today, the accident happened at the corner of 119th and 5th, and the driver drove into a house. We're not talking here about someone who was simply going a little too fast. We're talking about someone very intoxicated, or already dead from a heart attack or stroke. I would ask you to consider that speed bumps/tables aren't going to help us with situations like those.
Also, we already have speed bumps/tables in the Village. And they're faulty. They're so high that even though the speed limit is 25, if you hit those bumps/tables going any faster than 10, you'll destroy your car. I don't know whose advice it was to install bumps/tables that much too big, but I'd be wary of trusting advice. (The temporary manager then was David Hernandez, and the Commission was essentially Tracy Truppman, neither of whom could be trusted.)
So, I totally get it: car accident, fatalities (2), something-needs-to-be-done reaction. But we have to be careful and sensible, possibly lacking enough information, before we seize upon an imagined solution.
By the way, I thought there were some very good things about Heidi Siegel. But it was she who decided we didn't need the "Don't Even Think About Speeding" signs any more. And as much as I've agitated for it, they've never been put back. Which doesn't matter if our recent driver was very intoxicated or dead.
Another update from yet someone else. From the news. The same car/drivers were involved in an earlier accident the same day. They wanted to know where Hell was. It appears they found out.
ReplyDeleteSpeed bumps/tables?
Hi Fred! I agree that I'm not sure speed tables would have prevented this particular accident, but certainly we can agree that properly installed tables (i.e. ones that won't destroy your car) would certainly help slow down most people? To your point, most people like their cars and don't want them destroyed, and would likely slow down to avoid scraping the underside, etc. I don't think it's a panacea, but probably more effective than just spending money on more police!
ReplyDeleteThat said, in regards to this accident, if there were proper/functioning speed tables on Griffing, I have to think they would have been going at least a little slower when they rounded the corner onto our street. Maybe so, maybe no....
John,
DeleteRight, we agree that speed tables would not have prevented this collision. I also agree with you that in theory, speed tables/bumps would slow down most people. But I have encountered way too often (and not just here) devises like these that cannot be handled at the prevailing legal speed limit. Maybe you would say that's the problem: the prevailing legal speed limits are too high, even for responsible drivers. Maybe you would say that a respectable limit in BP, which has pedestrians, but no sidewalks, would be 15 MPH, or 10 MPH, or 5 MPH. The only response I have to that is that when the speed limit is low enough, I'm more attentive to my dashboard than I am to people, etc, in the street. Another intervention that has been talked around, but never instituted in BP, is rotaries, also to disrupt straight shots. And they do a version of the same thing: they cause drivers to worry more about the rotaries than about other cars, etc.
I didn't fail to catch your original point, and you're not entirely wrong (by definition): we can't have 100 police cruisers on our roads all the time. Frankly, it would be nice if we made better use of the few we have. (You can tell Luis Cabrera that, and that I said it. That opinion of mine won't be news to anyone.) If we had patrolling, and more effective patrolling (not two cruisers facing in opposite directions in Griffing Park, with the officers making chit-chat with each other), we could put back the "Don't Even Think About Speeding" signs, and everyone would know we mean it. Just as they did in the old days, when the speed limit was 30, and there were no speed tables/bumps.
By the way, I met with one of the managers -- it could have been David Hernandez -- and took him for a ride on 10th Avenue, to demonstrate how dysfunctional were the speed tables. The tables were temporarily removed until (I'm guessing) Tracy Truppman found out who was complaining, and they were put back.
But in any case, it sounds as if you and I agree that nothing was going to prevent the crash from a few days ago. Well, a gated community might, and there have been Villagers who have suggested that, too. It's been mostly for the reason you suggested: to keep non-Villagers out. I myself don't at all mind non-Villagers. The streets are public, drivers are welcome to use them, and it's almost always non-Villagers who buy houses for sale here, and become Villagers. If they like what they see here, I welcome them.
For some reason I can’t sign in this is Andrew Olis. Living in our first house on 119th and seventh from 2003 to 2006 from 2006 to 2019 Live fifth Avenue near 119th my mom lives 119th between fifth and six. The crash was next-door to my mother where I’m staying for four months, taking care of her. I also develop two properties on 119th for my client so I spend a lot of time on 119 th. Street A stoplight or a speed bump wouldn’t have made a difference here this week as there were two speeding cars involved and many factors and macabref details, not being discussed in news but as reported by many eyewitnesses and video from peoples homes and peoples devices. That incident was unfortunate HOWEVER… 119th St. is a racetrack. You would not believe the speeds on a regular basis for years the cars fly by my mothers house, flooring it from Griffing hitting the brakes, hard at 6 Ave only if there’s cars in the way. . 6 Ave and119th is notorious for many many car crashes. How many did I run to from my house and fifth Avenue hearing it the worst being the boys from Miami country Day who’s car was hit going southbound by a northbound car that was out of control crossing the median hitting them, and they escape the car just before it blew up. That had to be 10 years ago and the marks are still there I agree with my friend John that there are traffic measures that are needed to calm the traffic on 119th St., and some of the avenues. Why do we have to wait for a death or for a pedestrian to be hit for action. There’s no reason why there shouldn’t be a three way stop at the intersection of fifth and 119th. That alone will make a huge difference. As it is crossing from 119th into fifth is a crapshoot in the daytime, not knowing if there’s a car coming because of the huge trees in the median. I thought I heard that the last traffic study done on sixth Avenue and 119 was going to result in traffic lights which would prevent so many accidents and cut down on speeding. Anyway, I just wanted to clarify the difference between what happened with the fiery car crash versus the every day race track on 119th.
ReplyDeletePs. One of the reasons we moved from the house in the corner of 119 and 7th was the speeders blowing past the stop signs. I once saw our former neighbor, Michele, walking her dogs , get clipped by a speeding car mirror. no injury, but scary. We can do better!!!
we need to have Miami Dade police officers patrol, the village of Biscayne Park. It is now proven that these volunteer Biscayne Park police officers cannot do this job of keeping the residence in the rules in the village. They’re only volunteers. The village of Biscayne Park does not have an official police department. It’s a part-time Department, we need a full-time police department,
ReplyDeleteBasically with the village of Biscayne Park has a just security guards acting as police officers when they’re really not police officers they’re only volunteers and they’re not gonna take the risks of traditional police officers. They are only to keep their certification so they go work and Real police departments this program should be immediately stopped And be put on the agenda of the next meeting for the commissioners to eliminate this volunteer security guards/wannabe, police, officers,
ReplyDeleteWhat happened with this car crash it is because of the volunteer Police Department of the village of Biscayne Park not doing their job and not being visible within the community. You could hardly find any of them and if you do they usually under a tree, resting sleeping, eating, and not patrolling
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI noticed again two things, among others, you said in your post. You pointed out that MSV capped some streets, and you talked about the mess (that was recently made worse) at the confluence of W Dixie, 6th, and 125th. I feel sure your point was that impositions like these stop people from driving uninterrupted through an area, or down a street. You also cited cut-throughs, so adjustments like these would make it a lot of trouble to cut through an area.
What happens when the street pattern is changed like this is that drivers have to figure out some other way to get from point A to point B. Either they snake through side streets, or they just go somewhere else. (Like not BP, in the case at hand.)
So, setting aside the problem this creates if BP, for example, is where they want to go, because they're visiting someone here, or they live here, the other consequence is that some other place is burdened with what we tell ourselves we don't want. And since the population of drivers and traffic can no longer go here or there, but only there, then whatever is the other place is overburdened. They have their traffic, and now, they also have our traffic.
The method doesn't matter, whether it's unreasonably low speed limits, an unbearable profusion of STOP signs, speed tables, or anything else. It causes trouble for everyone: even for us.
You said in your post that "we still don't know what happened that day, and all the factors that led up to the incident, but in typical BP fashion, we will likely now demand some change to try and (sic) prevent it from happening again." In my field, I face that very frequently: people want a solution to something without a clear understanding of the problem. What pill, for example, should I prescribe if I don't know the diagnosis?
So, again, I fully understand your reflex here. And maybe what you're sort of saying is that the diagnosis, or the problem, doesn't have to matter to us, if we can make some street adjustment that results in this becoming someone else's problem, and not ours. Maybe we have the level of cut-throughs which you recognize as a problem to us BECAUSE MSV and CNM made it harder to negotiate their streets. That's what we want to do, further compounded, to someone else? I still want better patrolling, and I want those signs back, in a way that everyone always knew we meant it. Would all of that have prevented a few days ago? Maybe/probably not. Sometimes, shit happens. If we got rid of all private cars, and made everyone take the bus, still something would happen on occasion.
As the surrounding areas develop more and more people move into this area inevitably this will happen again. The commission should be held responsible for allowing this volunteer police department to exist. Personally, I blame the volunteer police department for this happening because they’re not visible at all and they’re not here in the best interest of the residence. They are here only to keep the certifications so they can get jobs at other police departments It’s a fake and improper program and the commissioners should be held responsible what happened with this accident and the village manager as well and if this volunteer police department is not dismantled immediately we should see a special election election for all the commissioners and higher new, elected officials to run the village
ReplyDeleteI hope somebody is reading this just like the code compliance are able to view everyone’s backyard via map Google and take pictures of peoples swimming pools that are green and cite them. We’re not entering the property we should be able to do the same the day of the accident Via Google maps where were these security guards/volunteer police officers where were they parked? What were they doing the time of the accident? How many of them are on duty just like the just like the shooting that happened 20 months ago in Texas all those police officers are all going to be indicted And the federal system lack of doing their official duty keeping the students safe but again code compliance is able to take pictures via Google Maps able to snap pictures I think that the FBI should be called in so they can take these Google maps pictures the day of the accident and figure out where these volunteers/security guard police officers waiting for other jobs. Where were they parked? What were they doing create a timetable and then have the people of the village of this Biscayne park vote on this to eliminate this volunteer police department
ReplyDeleteSomeone sent me a text message describing events as recorded on a home video security camera, and eye witnesses. But the person who sent this was not an eye witness, and does not want to enter a comment here, because the information feels "second" or even "third" hand.
ReplyDeleteReportedly, there was a car chase on 6th Avenue, and it entered 119th going west. At the end of the block (at Griffing), the lead car made a U turn to come back east on 119th. The description given to me was that the cars were "going full speed, and this is why the car went out of control. It was a car chase." Witnesses report that people got out of the second car, poked the bodies in the street from the first car (to see if they were dead?), "and then screamed 'let's get out of here,' and they took off west on 119th, where an eye witness filmed the getaway and their license plate." An apprehension has been made, and the plate was fake, and not registered to the driver, who had a suspended license. The person who sent this to me also attached two photographs of the destroyed car.
Clearly, we do not want this kind of activity in BP, but no one wants it anywhere. And whatever was going on among these people was not going to be mollified by speed tables. I use 119th every time I get in the car, and 6th almost every time. I'm not sure I could ever get where I wanted to go if they were blocked. We could solve at least parts of this (maybe not the event of a few days ago) by converting BP to a gated community (maybe the car chase from a few days ago would have crashed the gate), which the state would not permit for 6th, and the county might or might not permit for Griffing, but we would have to raise taxes enough to cover construction of the guard house and to pay the guards. I have in the past, especially when I was a Commissioner, advocated to raise taxes high enough to meet our needs, but it was always me against everyone else. So that's not going to happen.
How is it that Genny Anderson is able to command the code department to use Google Maps and take aerial pictures of residence backyards looking for green swimming pools, and then site the village residence with violations and yet the commission cannot look into aerial photographs via Google maps as to exactly where our volunteer/security guard police officers were doing that day why isn’t that being done? Why is it silent what are we afraid of seeing what they’re afraid of seeing is the lack of police work in the village of Biscayne Park and I’m sure those Google maps are going to be kept secret only to the commission and not the residence of Biscayne Park, which is a violation of the disclosure laws in the state of Florida people died in this accident and the commission should be held responsible and make changes to this volunteer/security guard police officer department that’s a fake these are not real police officers they’re not getting paid and they’re not gonna do their jobs as police officers that are getting paid, why can’t this commission understand that
ReplyDeleteJust like as of yesterday the department of justice is looking into the police officers that were guarding the Texas school 20 months ago when the children was shot the department of Justice should look into this practice of using volunteer police officers, giving them the responsibility of real police officers that are being paid the department of justice needs to look into the village of Biscayne Park police department immediately this volunteer police department/volunteer security guards should not be allowed
ReplyDeleteat the last commission meeting if you watch it on YouTube it’s clear the representative said that the PBA, the police benevolent association does not recognize these volunteer/security guard/waiting to be appointed to regular police department holds no liability to these acting volunteers and then the contrary, it’s costing the village of Biscayne money to have these volunteers drive around using gas wear and tear on the police vehicles. It should be discontinued immediately the representative of the PBA came in person to explain to the commissioners that they are responsible for these acting volunteer/security guard police patrolling the village of Biscayne Park
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