Drivers Keep Blowing Through This Miami Gardens Stop Sign. A Visually Impaired Resident Fears for His Life Every Morning.
Five drivers blew through this stop sign in a single Monday morning while CBS Miami cameras were rolling. Residents say it happens every day.
Mamon Tisol has lived in Miami Gardens for 30 years. He's visually impaired and uses a cane to navigate. Every morning, he crosses NW 12th Avenue at NW 170th Terrace to catch his bus. And every morning, he stands at the curb listening for cars that are supposed to stop but don't.
"It's just aggravating," Tisol told CBS Miami. "They do it all the time. That's an everyday thing."
CBS News Miami set up cameras at the intersection on a recent Monday morning. In a single observation window, they recorded five drivers rolling through the stop sign without stopping. Not California rolling stops. Not slow-and-go. Cars passing through as if the sign wasn't there.
For Tisol, who can't see the cars coming and relies entirely on the sound of them slowing down, every crossing is a calculation he shouldn't have to make. Until the city implements a solution, he said crossing NW 12th Avenue remains "a daily fear."
What the city says
A spokesperson for Mayor Rodney Harris's office confirmed awareness of the problem. "Our public safety division is aware of that concern," the spokesperson told CBS Miami. "Our public works department is in communication with the county to see how that corridor can be better addressed. It's ongoing."
"In communication with the county" and "ongoing" are words that acknowledge the problem without committing to a timeline or a specific fix. For Tisol and the other residents who cross NW 12th Avenue on foot every day, "ongoing" isn't a solution. It's a holding pattern.
The challenge is partly jurisdictional. NW 12th Avenue is a county road maintained by Miami-Dade, not a city street. That means the City of Miami Gardens can request changes (traffic signals, speed bumps, enhanced signage, enforcement cameras), but the county makes the final decisions on implementation and funding. Multi-jurisdictional coordination on road safety is notoriously slow everywhere, and Miami-Dade is no exception.
This isn't an isolated intersection
NW 12th Avenue and 170th Terrace is one problem spot in a broader pattern of pedestrian safety concerns across Miami Gardens. The data tells a story that residents already know from experience.
In previous years, CBS Miami has reported on:
A pedestrian struck and killed on NW 27th Avenue near NW 207th Street while crossing the road. A witness leaving Jazz in the Gardens described being detoured past the scene. Another witness said the crosswalk signal doesn't always work and never gives pedestrians enough time to cross. "They don't hit their brakes, they don't do nothing," a resident named Leonard Goldfield said.
A child struck by a car while walking to school. Johnny Baptiste Jr.'s family said the boy could have lost his life. The intersection details differed, but the root cause was the same: drivers not yielding to pedestrians on residential streets.
A fatal crash at NW 199th Street and NW 7th Avenue involving a Miami-Dade County bus and a civilian vehicle, killing one person.
Intersection takeovers on NE 183rd Street where drivers performed donuts and drove aggressively toward a police vehicle, damaging civilian cars in the process.
Miami Gardens' street grid was designed for car throughput, not pedestrian safety. Most intersections lack protected crossing signals. Sidewalk coverage is inconsistent. Speed limits on arterial roads (NW 27th Avenue, NW 2nd Avenue, NW 199th Street) are technically 35-40 mph, but actual driving speeds frequently exceed 50. For residents who walk, bike, or use wheelchairs to get around, the roads feel built for cars and borrowed by people.
What could actually fix this intersection
Traffic engineers have a standard toolkit for intersections where drivers routinely ignore stop signs. None of these solutions are exotic or expensive. They're deployed across Miami-Dade at similar problem spots.
A raised crosswalk physically forces drivers to slow down. The raised surface acts as a speed table, making it uncomfortable to drive through at 30+ mph. Cost: approximately $5,000-$15,000 per crosswalk.
A flashing beacon (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon, or RRFB) activates when a pedestrian pushes a button, alerting approaching drivers with bright flashing lights. These are already installed at several school zone crossings across the county. Cost: approximately $15,000-$25,000 per installation.
A traffic signal would be the most effective solution but also the most expensive and slowest to implement. County traffic studies are required to justify signal installation, and the review process can take 12-24 months.
Speed bumps or rumble strips on the approach to the intersection would alert drivers and physically slow them before they reach the stop sign. These can be installed relatively quickly.
Increased enforcement is the fastest short-term response. A police officer stationed at the intersection during peak pedestrian hours (6:30-8:30 AM, when Tisol crosses to catch his bus) would change driver behavior immediately, but it requires ongoing staffing that the department may not be able to sustain.
A bigger conversation Miami Gardens needs to have
With the World Cup bringing hundreds of thousands of pedestrians to the stadium area starting June 15, and the Dolphins adding 10 more event days in the fall, foot traffic in Miami Gardens is going to increase dramatically. Visitors unfamiliar with local traffic patterns will be crossing streets they've never walked on, in neighborhoods where drivers have established habits of ignoring stop signs and crosswalks.
NW 12th Avenue and 170th Terrace isn't just a local inconvenience. It's a symptom of a city that was built for cars and is now hosting events that bring walkers, cyclists, and transit riders in numbers the street design was never built to protect.
Mamon Tisol shouldn't have to fear for his life crossing the street to catch a bus. He's lived in this city for three decades. He pays taxes. He shows up every day. The least the road in front of his house can do is stop the cars.
We'll update this article when the city or county announces a specific plan for this intersection. If you've witnessed incidents here or at other dangerous crossings in Miami Gardens, contact us at david@miamigardens.com. We're tracking these locations.
Frequently asked questions
Which intersection in Miami Gardens is dangerous for pedestrians?
NW 12th Avenue and NW 170th Terrace has been flagged by residents and CBS Miami for repeated stop sign violations. CBS cameras recorded five drivers running the stop sign in a single Monday morning. The intersection is on a county road, and the city says its public works department is in communication with Miami-Dade County about solutions.
How do I report a dangerous intersection in Miami Gardens?
Contact the Miami Gardens Public Works Department at (305) 622-8000 for city streets or Miami-Dade County's Traffic Engineering Division at (305) 476-5301 for county roads (like NW 12th Avenue). You can also submit a report through the city's 311 system. Document the problem with photos or video if you can safely do so.
Is NW 12th Avenue a city road or a county road?
NW 12th Avenue is a Miami-Dade County road, meaning the county controls maintenance, signage, traffic signals, and safety improvements. The City of Miami Gardens can request changes, but the county makes final decisions on implementation and funding. This jurisdictional split is a common source of delays in addressing traffic safety issues.
Sources: CBS News Miami (May 2026), Mayor Rodney Harris office statement. For safety resources, see our safety guide and living in Miami Gardens. If you've witnessed incidents at this or other dangerous intersections, contact us at david@miamigardens.com. Published: May 21, 2026.
