At Monday’s Miami Springs City Council Meeting, the council agreed to move forward and approve red light camera enforcement on northbound Le Jeune Road at NW 36th Street.
I know you might be thinking, “Don’t they already have traffic cameras at this intersection?”
You would be right there are traffic cameras at this intersection. In fact, the traffic cameras recorded this fiery wreck back in 2021:
However, northbound Le Jeune Road (aka NW 42 Avenue) is not currently being captured. Before the Miami Springs Police Department could begin enforcement along NW 42nd Avenue and NW 36th Street, the department required authorization by the City of Miami Springs. Here’s the memo from Miami Springs Police Chief Matthew Castillo:
Recommendation:
Recommendation by the Police Department that Council authorize approval to support the amendment of our city ordinance approving the addition of a Red Light Camera (RLC) enforcement approach at the intersection of NW 42 Avenue and NW 36 Street. This intersection is already an authorized and active location under the City’s Traffic Infraction Detector Program, with enforcement currently in place for other directions of travel. However, violations occurring northbound on NW 42 Avenue are not currently captured, creating a gap in enforcement coverage. Advancements in technology now allow the City to expand enforcement capabilities to include this approach.
Background and Justification:
In accordance with Section 316.0083, Florida Statutes (Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program), the City of Miami Springs conducted a traffic study on March 18 (6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) to evaluate conditions at this intersection. The study identified a substantial number of violations, including:
- 867 stop bar violations
- 751 red light violations
These findings provide clear, data-driven evidence that this intersection—specifically the northbound approach—constitutes a heightened safety risk, as required by statute. The volume and frequency of violations indicate a pattern of non-compliance that significantly increases the likelihood of angle crashes and high-speed collisions, which are among the most dangerous types of roadway incidents. The absence of enforcement in this direction further exacerbates this risk.
Final Note:
Although this intersection is already included in the City’s program, the addition of a new enforcement approach (northbound) requires formal authorization to ensure compliance with statutory requirements and to formally designate this approach within the City’s ordinance. Based on the traffic study results and the demonstrated heightened safety risk, it is recommended that the Mayor and City Council approve the ordinance authorizing the addition of a northbound Red Light Camera enforcement approach at NW 42 Avenue and NW 36 Street.
