TPO honors student bike-safety PSA winners as board approves micromobility items and appointments

The Miami‑Dade County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) recognized student winners of a bicycle‑safety public service announcement contest and moved forward on two mobility agenda items while deferring a third during its meeting.

The TPO opened the meeting by recognizing PSA contest winners developed under the direction of Aileen Boucle, TPO executive director, in collaboration with Miami‑Dade County Public Schools Career Technical Education. Students from Hialeah Gardens High School, Young Men’s Prep Academy and Felix Varela Senior High School received first, second and third place honors; the board and staff posed for group photos with students and school staff.

The recognition highlighted the meeting’s immediate safety focus and preceded public comment and formal board action on mobility items. The board accepted public testimony calling for more protected bike lanes in historically underserved neighborhoods and then approved agenda items 6‑81 and 6‑83 by voice vote; item 6‑82 was deferred.

During public comment, Robert Worthammer, a resident, urged the TPO to “prioritize putting bike lanes or mobility lanes” on roadways serving schools in Wynwood and Liberty City, saying recent development and road projects have not produced continuous bike lanes. “We really need to implement this, get the continuous network happening,” Worthammer said, citing a recent bicycle crash in Liberty City and noting that bike lanes stop on some stretches of major corridors.

Board discussion on items 6‑81 and 6‑83 included remarks about micro‑mobility and first‑/last‑mile strategies. Commissioner Regalado noted the county’s Dadeland scooter project and argued scooters can help meet state standards for first‑ and last‑mile service without the recurring costs associated with other shared‑vehicle programs. “You can meet the FDOT requirements for first and last mile with scooters and you can do scooters the correct way,” Regalado said, adding that scooters have been sustained “year round” in Dadeland and can be a lower‑cost option.

Procedural and board actions taken at the meeting included: - A motion to set the agenda, moved by Commissioner Koeniggan and seconded by Commissioner Steinberg, which passed by voice vote. - A motion by Vice Chair Diaz Padron, seconded by Commissioner Regalado, to defer item 6‑82; the motion was recorded as nine ayes and the item was deferred. - A motion to consider items 6‑81 and 6‑83 together, moved by Commissioner Cohan Higgins and seconded by Commissioner Regalado; both items were reported as passed by voice vote.

The board also read into the record two advisory‑committee appointment requests: board member Pages nominated Rafael Alejandro Sanchez and board member Alonso nominated Anthony Valenzuela for the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee. Board member Alonso moved to confirm both nominations, seconded by Commissioner Cohen Higgins; the appointments were approved by voice vote. The board then approved the minutes of the Jan. 30 meeting on a motion by the vice chair, seconded by board member Regalado.

The PSA videos shown before the public‑comment period included student messaging such as “Remember to always wear your helmet,” underscoring the meeting’s emphasis on bicycle safety alongside policy discussion.

While the board approved the two agenda items, several speakers noted that implementing continuous, protected bike lanes across municipal boundaries will require coordination with local governments and other agencies. Commissioner Regalado specifically urged municipal partners to consider the county’s Dadeland approach as it evaluates micro‑mobility for Tri‑Rail and first/last‑mile connectivity.

The meeting record shows 12 board members present at roll call; the chair and vice chair presided over the session. No specific funding sources or detailed implementation timelines for the approved items were stated on the record.