City of Coral Gables Traffic Advisory Board First Class

Presort
c/o Coral Gables Public Works Department U.S. Postage
P.O. Box 141549 PAID
Miami, FL
Coral Gables, Florida 33114-1549 Permit No. 6264
www.coralgables.com

Permanent Traffic Circle

Traffic Calming
CITY OF CORAL GABLES

Citizen GuideTo

March 2003

What is Traffic Calming?
Coral Gables is known far beyond Miami-
Dade County as a garden city with beautiful
houses, tree-lined streets, historic
architecture and quaint shops. The City
Beautiful also is a regional center for
culture, arts, education and commerce.
These world-class amenities create traffic.
Fortunately, there are ways of calming
traffic. Traffic calming has worked in Europe
for decades. In the U.S., traffic calming has
ranged from major city projects that have
replaced freeways with grand boulevards to
small town features such as roundabouts
and traffic circles that slow down drivers
while adding a landscaped amenity.
The City of Coral Gables has a procedure
for residents to get involved in the process
of slowing down cars and making streets
more friendly for pedestrians and bicyclists.
But first, let’s look at traffic calming
strategies and devices. Controlling traffic is
a complex procedure, but it can be dealt
with in simple terms.
The purpose of this brochure, produced by
the City’s Traffic Advisory Board, is to
provide a glimpse into the procedures and
methodology involved in the traffic calming
effort. The key to traffic calming success,
as with any municipal project, is an active
and informed citizenry. Resident
involvement is valued and appreciated.
Traffic Problems and Solutions
It seems that everyone is pressed for time these days.
While everyone is under the gun to rush to work, then
rush back home at the end of a long day, Greater
Miami’s traffic problems are getting worse. Coral
Gables is in the center of a region, meaning drivers
cut through the city on their way east, west, north and
south. Major routes traverse the city, adding to its
traffic burden. One way to stop dangerous commuters
is to step up enforcement. Citizens are encouraged to
contact the Coral Gables Police Department to report
problem areas, so officers can be assigned to stop
and ticket speeders: 305-442-1600. Education can also
help ease the tension. Traffic planners and police
forces often note that when a neighborhood asks for a
zero tolerance policy on speeding, a good percentage
of those ticketed are residents of that very
neighborhood. Civic association and other
neighborhood newsletters should remind residents
that good neighbors obey speed limits, stop signs,
traffic signals and other rules of the road – including
watching out for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Traffic Calming Basics
Traffic calming is the installation of physical devices to
retrofit existing streets to reduce negative traffic
impacts such as speeding and excessive volume.
Effective traffic calming makes streets safer – for
motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians – and becomes
an amenity for the neighborhood.
There are two kinds of traffic control measures:
passive and active. Both can help manage the speed
or volume of traffic.
Passive controls: regulatory signs such as stop signs,
speed limit reductions and turn prohibitions.
Active controls: devices that physically restrict drivers
from making a certain movement and force them to
change their travel path. They create the impression
that the street is not meant for through traffic. These
controls also alert drivers that other roadway users –
pedestrians, bicyclists and children – have as much
right to use the street as automobiles. Active control
measures include both speed control measures and
volume control measures.
1
Speed Control Measures

Speed Humps and Speed Tables are gradually
raised sections across the width of the roadway.
Speed humps reduce speeds because vehicle
occupants experience an uncomfortable sensation
when their vehicle speeds over the hump. Speed
tables are long raised speed humps with a flat section
in the middle and ramps on the ends.
Speed Table
Advantages: reduces speed at the location of the
device, discourages through traffic, doesn’t restrict
on-street parking and has no effect on access.
Disadvantages: increases the noise level due to the
acceleration and deceleration in areas adjacent to the
humps, may effect emergency response, has negative
effect on the aesthetic quality of the area and can
cause traffic to shift to adjacent residential areas.

Traffic Circles and Roundabouts are raised
islands installed at the intersection of two or more
connecting streets, at which vehicles travel in a
counterclockwise direction around the inner circle.
Vehicles approaching the roundabout have to yield to
pedestrians crossing the approaches and vehicles
within the circle.
Advantages: reduces speed,
reduces accident potential
and severity, provides
orderly and continuous
traffic flow and is
aesthetically appealing with
landscaping.
Disadvantages: may be
restrictive for some large
Temporary Traffic Circle service vehicles, may cause
2 3
Median/Road Narrowing
the loss of some parking spaces near the intersection,
is not applicable for many residential street
intersections due to space requirements.

Mid-Block Medians separate two-way traffic
with a raised, landscaped area that narrows the
roadway, making it easier for pedestrians to cross.
Advantages: provides refuge for pedestrians and
bicyclists, reduces cut-through traffic and visually
enhances residential street with landscaping.
Disadvantages: has minor effect on speed, may
restrict driveway accessibility and generates extra
maintenance cost when landscaped.

Narrowings at Mid-Blocks and Intersections
reduce the width of the roadway with wider
sidewalks or landscaped strips.
Advantages: may reduce speeds, shortens pedestrian
crossing distance, creates added street landscaping
area and discourages truck entry.
Disadvantages: may affect bicycle mobility/safety,
and may cause loss of some curbside parking.

Brick Pavers create a coarse, bumpy texture to
alert motorists and reduce the speed at mid-block or
intersection locations.
Advantages: slows down drivers and reduces
accidents when pavers are installed before stop
signs.
Disadvantages: produces a relatively high level of
noise and requires high maintenance cost.

Horizontal Alignment Changes redesign
straight roadway sections into narrow wavy sections
by adding landscaping or physical barriers. These
create the perception of a narrow street and break
the driver’s line of sight.
Advantages: reduces vehicle speed, may reduce
through traffic volumes and landscaping enhances
aesthetics.
Disadvantages: causes loss of on-street parking, may
affect driveway accessibility and affects emergency
vehicles’ speed.

Landscaping at Road Edge simply involves
planting of vegetation adjacent to the edge of the
roadway to create the perception of a narrow width.
Advantages: reduces vehicle speed if the width of the
lanes is reduced and enhances the beauty of the
neighborhood.
Disadvantages: requires extra maintenance cost for
landscaping and can affect sight distance.
Volume Control Measures

Forced Turn Channelization uses islands to
prevent traffic from making specific movements at an
intersection. In areas with high pedestrian volume, it
shortens the crossing distance and allows pedestrians
to deal with one traffic direction at a time.
Advantages: reduces traffic volume, reduces vehicle
speed of entering and exiting traffic, improves
pedestrian safety and discourages through traffic.
Disadvantages: causes minor inconvenience to local
users, can be hazardous for vehicular traffic and may
cause some confusion regarding intersection priority
if not correctly designed.

Diagonal Diverters are barriers installed
diagonally across standard, four-way intersections to
convert them into two unconnected streets. They are
considered to be a type of street closure.
Advantages: significantly reduces the number of
accidents, reduces traffic volumes and increases
pedestrian safety.
Disadvantages: may be inconvenient to residents
trying to gain access to their properties, can shift
4 5
traffic volumes to adjacent streets and increases
noise due to acceleration and deceleration of
vehicles.

Semi-Diverters at Intersections involve a
physical barrier or curb extension that restricts
vehicular movement into a street. They are
constructed by extending the curb to approximately
the center of the street, effectively obstructing one
direction of traffic.
Advantages: reduces cut-through traffic, reduces
crossing distance for pedestrians, and in emergency
situations, emergency vehicles can travel in the
restricted direction.
Disadvantages: may divert traffic to parallel streets
without traffic calming measures, may increase trip
length for some residents and curbside parking must
be prohibited adjacent to the device.

Right-in, Right-out Diverters are traffic islands
installed at the intersection to allow only right-in and
right-out movements.
Advantages: reduces cut-through traffic, reduces
rear-end and left-turn accidents and reduces
crossing distance for pedestrians.
Disadvantages: may divert traffic onto adjacent
streets without traffic calming measures, may
increase trip length for some residents and may
increase emergency response time due to
maneuvering around the semi-diverter.

Street Closures use physical barriers installed
across the street to close it completely to through
traffic, while leaving an opening for sidewalk and
bicycle lanes. Barriers may consist of landscaped
islands, walls, gates, or side-by-side bollards.
Advantages: reduces non-local and speeding traffic
and improves traffic safety.
Disadvantages: increases trip length and travel time
for some local users, heavily impacts adjacent streets
and restricts emergency and service vehicle access
and increases their travel time.
Criteria and Effectiveness of
Traffic Calming
Cut-through traffic and speeding are closely related,
and measures which have an impact on travel speed
may also reduce cut-through travel. Street Closures,
Forced Turn Channelization, Diagonal Diverters,
Right-in Right-out Diverters, and Semi-Diverters are
primarily used to deter cut-through traffic, while
Horizontal Alignment Changes, Speed Humps/Tables,
and Mid-Block Medians typically are designed to
reduce speeds along a corridor.
Traffic calming alternatives used to reduce cut-
through traffic generally create an unfavorable travel
path, which discourage motorists from using a
particular roadway for a through trip. Street Closures
impose a physical barrier which eliminates all
possible turning movements into and out of the closed
roadway. They are the most restrictive measures.
While reducing the amount of traffic using the
roadway, such closures also reduce access, and
require emergency vehicles to use a more circuitous
route to provide services. They also have the effect of
increasing volumes on the adjacent roadways that
are not closed which subsequently carry the diverted
traffic.
Forced Turn Channelization, Diagonal Diverters, Semi-
diverters, and Right-in Right-out Diverters are
essentially less restrictive variations of Street
Closures. Each of these alternatives eliminates some
turning movement options. Diagonal Diverters
implemented at an intersection eliminate the through
movements, and channel motorists in one direction.
Forced Turn Channelization, Right-in Right-out
Diverter and Semi-Diverter can be implemented either
at one side or both sides of an approach to an
intersection. In most cases they eliminate the through
movement for this approach, and typically create a
right-turn in, right-turn out turning path.
Horizontal Alignment Changes involve the redesign of
roadway segments to create a winding travel path. In
concert with landscaping along the edge of the
roadway, the perception of a narrow roadway can
also be fostered which contributes to speed
reduction. If properly implemented, this can be an
effective and aesthetically appealing solution.
6 7
Mid-Block Medians physically separate two-way
traffic at strategic locations to create a narrow travel
path. With proper design and landscaping, they can
enhance the aesthetic quality of the roadway in the
vicinity of the device while reducing speeding.
Traffic Control Devices, such as stop signs, have
historically been used to calm traffic in residential
neighborhoods. All-way stop controlled intersections
typically reduce speeds immediately upstream and
downstream of the intersection. However, mid-block
speeds are usually not affected. Excessive
implementation of such traffic control devices
typically leads to a lack of adherence and an erosion
of their overall effectiveness. They can also result in
an increase in exhaust emissions and noise due to
the increase in deceleration and acceleration.
My street could benefit from
traffic calming. How do I get my
neighbors and the city involved?
The first step for a resident is to complete a “Traffic
Calming Request” form available online
(www.coralgables.com) or by phone (305-460-5018.)
This form helps the resident describe traffic concerns
in writing. It is important that the document be also
signed by other neighbors on the block who share
similar concerns. The traffic calming request should
be submitted to the Coral Gables Public Works
Department. 285 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: 305 460-5018 Fax: 305 460-5080
A city representative will contact residents and
forward their concerns to the city’s traffic consultant.
The traffic consultant will study the traffic issue. If no
calming measure is merited, the process will stop. If
traffic calming is needed, a plan will be presented to
the Traffic Advisory Board.
The Traffic Advisory Board is comprised of nine
members who represent nine City Traffic Zones. Each
of five City Commission members appoints a person to
the board, two board members are appointed by the
Commission as a whole, one is appointed by the City
Manager and one is appointed by the board as a
whole. All appointments, which are for two-year
terms, are confirmed by the Commission. The board
meets monthly in the City Commission Chambers in Traffic
City Hall. (For the name of the Traffic Advisory Board Calming
Zone Representative from your area, log on to
Zone Map
www.coralgables.com or call 305-460-5018.)
Representatives of the city’s police and fire
departments and other affected agencies will then
meet with area residents to examine existing traffic
problems, present a preliminary traffic calming plan
and hear input from residents. The Traffic Advisory
Board reviews the traffic calming plan drafted by the
city traffic consultant, then the board’s recommenda-
tions are forwarded to the City Commission.
The plan, if it impacts a county or state road, would
then be submitted to Miami-Dade County and/or the
Florida Department of Transportation for approval.
Once approved by all agencies, a temporary traffic
calming device would be installed.
The city and its traffic consultant would collect data
to measure the effectiveness of the traffic calming
device. If the temporary device proves effective, then
residents in the affected area would be notified and
the city would proceed with installing a permanent
traffic calming device.

Traffic Calming and Quality of Life

Traffic calming can lead to a balance between the
needs of busy commuters and the safety and quality
of neighborhood streets. Streets should serve
motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians equally. In Coral
Gables, traffic calming measures are tested by the
police and fire departments for safety before being
installed. Residents must weigh the benefits of safer
streets against the possible noise and inconvenience
caused by some traffic calming devices. Because
some traffic calming measures are quite expensive,
the city would welcome neighborhood donations that
could help beautify traffic calming devices with
fountains, landscaping and other enhancements.
Together with education and enforcement, traffic
calming helps residents to “take back their streets.”

8 9