The Miami Springs Police Department shared the results of a recent speeding study conducted at six Miami Springs school zones. The results were not encouraging. Here were the top areas of concern:
1 – Miami Springs Senior High at 1000 Lenape Drive
According to the study, 80% of the vehicles that drove past 1000 Lenape Drive near Miami Springs Senior High exceeded the 15 MPH Speed Limit by 10 Miles Per Hour or greater. In other words, out of the 509 vehicles that drove through this section during the 15 MPH School Zone time frame, 409 vehicles were recorded at speeds of 26 MPH or greater. What makes this worse is that the majority of the drivers on Lenape Drive are likely Miami Springs residents. Ouch!
2 – Miami Springs Montessori at 600 Ludlam Drive
The Miami Springs Montessori School also saw a ridiculous amount of speeding during school zone hours. The study showed 429 out of 602 vehicles hitting 26MPH or higher during the 15 MPH school zone hours. That’s 70% of the vehicles speeding by 10 MPH or higher next to a pre-school! I know some will say we need more traffic enforcement, but I’m going to say that we, the residents of Miami Springs, need to look in the mirror. This is not acceptable. And let’s be honest. This speeding is mostly from Miami Springs residents.
3 – Springview Elementary at 1900 Ludlam Drive
During the three days of the speed study (April 16 – April 18, 2024), drivers along the 1900 block of Ludlam Drive near Springview Elementary were recorded exceeding 26 MPH in the 15 MPH school zone 631 times out of the 1,100 vehicles recorded. That represents 57% of the drivers exceeding the speed limit by over 10 mph during the 15 MPH school zone period. This is totally unacceptable in a school zone, especially an elementary school zone in Miami Springs.
4 – Miami Springs Middle School 100 S Royal Poinciana
Drivers seemed to be more aware of the school zone along the 100 block of South Royal Poinciana Boulevard near Miami Springs Middle School. While still significant, the infractions drop from 57% at Springview to 18% at Miami Springs Middle School. We’re talking 630 vehicles recorded at 26 MPH or greater in a 15 MPH school zone out of 3,453 vehicles. That begs the question, why do drivers pay more attention to the school zones at Miami Springs Middle than at Springview, the Montessori, or MSSH?
5 – AIE Charter School at East Drive
AIE Charter School recorded 394 potential school zone violations out of 3200 vehicles or 12% of drivers exceeding the school zone by over 10 MPH along southbound East Drive.
6 – Miami Springs Elementary
Miami Springs Elementary on busy North Royal Poinciana Elementary only saw 257 vehicles exceed 10 MPH during the 15 MPH school zone out of a total of 3,293 vehicles recorded. That’s just 8% of the traffic. While still not good, that’s much better than the percentages we’re seeing from some of the other schools.
School Zone Speeding Scorecard:
- Miami Springs Senior High at 1000 Lenape Drive: 80% speeding
- Miami Springs Montessori at 600 Ludlam Drive: 70% speeding
- Springview Elementary at 1900 Ludlam Drive: 57% speeding
- Miami Springs Middle School at 100 S Royal Poinciana Blvd: 18% speeding
- AIE Charter School at 401 East Drive: 12% speeding
- Miami Springs Elementary at 300 N Royal Poinciana Blvd: 8% speeding
Why such a big difference from 80% to 8%?
In reviewing the numbers, we wondered why is there such a big difference in the number of speeders along Lenape Drive near Miami Springs Senior High at 80% to just 8% along North Royal Poinciana Boulevard at Miami Springs Elementary? It helps when you visualize the difference. You see, North Royal Poinciana Boulevard has the flashing yellow sign to alert drivers that they are entering an active 15 MPH school zone.
Guess what? So does Miami Springs Middle School at South Royal Poinciana Boulevard which recorded an 18% school zone speeding rate. Again, we shouldn’t be proud of an 18% speeding rate. That’s one out of every five cars speeding. However, it’s still much better than an 80% speeding rate.
East Drive also has the flashing traffic signal to indicate you’re actively driving through a 15 MPH school zone.
On the other hand, there aren’t any flashing signs along the worst offending areas like Lenape or Ludlam. It seems clear that the flashing traffic signals help to alert drivers of the school zone AND that it’s an active time to slow down.
Why don’t we have traffic signals at all our school zones?
Two reasons. (1) They’re expensive. It’s not free. (2) They’re ugly.
They might be ugly, but they are effective.
Automatic Speeding Tickets
As a result of the study, the city council unanimously approved the following ordinance on first reading:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI SPRINGS, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 70 “TRAFFIC REGULATIONS,” TO CREATE SECTION 70-03 OF THE CITY CODE OF ORDINANCES TO AUTHORIZE THE PLACEMENT, INSTALLATION, AND OPERATION OF SPEED DETECTION SYSTEMS ON ROADWAYS MAINTAINED AS SCHOOL ZONES, ESTABLISH TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES WHEN SPEED DETECTION SYSTEMS ARE UTILIZED FOR SCHOOL ZONE SPEED LIMIT VIOLATIONS, AND CREATE HEARING PROCEDURES RELATING TO SUCH SCHOOL ZONE SPEED LIMIT VIOLATIONS; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
The ordinance will allow the city to install and operate Speed Detection Systems (SDS) to enforce school zone speed limit violations. In other words, up to 80% of drivers may receive a ticket in the mail for speeding through an active school zone.
We applaud Chief Jimmy Deal’s efforts to cut down on speeding within our school zones. The SDS system will serve both as a deterrent and a new revenue system for the city. Furthermore, the SDS system will include an Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR). These have been used in the past to alert officers of stolen vehicles and drivers who are wanted for a criminal offense.
What do you think?
Let us know in the comments section below or via social media.
Below are additional reports gathered in the study presented at Tuesday’s City Council Meeting:
More MSSH Traffic reports: 
More AIE Traffic Study Reports:
More Miami Springs traffic reports:
More Springview Elementary reports:
More Miami Springs Elementary reports:
More Miami Springs Montessori report:
