I hope that this page will offer you the information you seek regarding transportation in our region, giving you the opportunity to get around so that you can move in our community with understanding and ease!
This includes the opportunity to learn about roadway ownership, jurisdiction, 'How To Ride' videos to help you navigate rail, buses, and other modes of transport, details on road projects, as well as the latest updates on regulations concerning e-bikes, e-scooters, golf carts, traffic, and local projects.
Scroll down to check out news in mobility, the opportunity to share your suggestions on transportation, find helpful links and seamlessly engage in our community.
Numerous concerns have been expressed about traffic in the western part of the Northlake Boulevard corridor. The City of Palm Beach Gardens has created an informational page about the FDOT project, roadway jurisdiction & planned projects to provide residents with details and points of contact.
JURISDICTION ON NORTHLAKE BOULEVARD
The City of Palm Beach Gardens has been in contact with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Palm Beach County Management, Palm Beach County Traffic Engineering Department, and the City of West Palm Beach for several years now.
We will continue to express our concerns and recommendations to all of these agencies and jurisdictions. All of Northlake Blvd. is a county road, NOT a City of Palm Beach Gardens road, and the construction, number of lanes, and speed limits, along with traffic signals & timing cycles, are all controlled by Palm Beach County.
For much more information, please go to: https://www.pbgfl.gov/1434/Western-Northlake-Boulevard-Traffic-Conc
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Roadway Ownership:
Discerning roadway ownership across our county is a daunting task as we are the locus of a grid of state, county and local roads. Which means, even if you are driving in the City of Palm Beach Gardens, you may not be traveling on a roadway within the City's jurisdiction.
CLICK HERE for the Transportation Planning Agency's mapping page for multiple sources of data, including Roadway Ownership.
Zoom into Palm Beach Gardens.
Click on "Roadway Ownership" where you will see our City roadways in green. These are the locations we can actually improve.
Palm Beach Gardens roadways are easy to spot, because of the abundance of trees, lack of weeds, clean vistas, bike lanes, sidewalks, etc, which are all buoyed by the fact that our City is 50% green space in perpetuity.
The City of Palm Beach Gardens does not manage Traffic Signals - Palm Beach County's Traffic Division is responsible for the functions of all traffic signal systems in municipalities and unincorporated areas. To report a traffic problem, you can contact the Traffic Division by email or phone:
Traffic Signal Timing Concerns or Questions:
Email: ENG-Timing@pbc.gov
Phone: 561-684-4030
Damaged or Malfunctioning Traffic Signal
Email: ENG-FixTrafficSignal@pbc.gov Phone: 561-683-6885
Happenings in Mobility:
Countywide Transportation Master Plan (CMTP)
The last few months, Palm Beach County Commissioners met with municipal Mayors, City Managers, and respective planning and engineering staff in order to collaborate on a proposed Countywide Transportation Master Plan (CMTP).
This intergovernmental coordination has become a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a consultant to provide direction and a countywide vision for mobility, safe streets, roadways, transit systems, a map for the future of transportation and more. The intention is to develop long-term and collaborative strategies for managing, operating, and maintaining our shared transportation system.
Responses to the RFP are due by February, and from there, the Board of County Commissioners will select the consultant at their public BCC meeting. The CTMP RFP can be accessed this by clicking on “view published solicitations” and typing in 'countywide transportation master plan' in the keyword search box:
VSSPRD - Welcome to Palm Beach County’s Vendor Self-Service (VSS) Registration System
Route 10 - Introducing service from the Gardens Mall to the Alton Community.
Commuter Bus from St. Lucie to West Palm Beach - beginning in September.
Roadway Projects and Helpful Links
How do you get around the City to live, learn, work, and play? Mobility means...
having ACCESS and OPTIONS to get around by integrating a mix of land uses and transportation
combining local data with safe and creative solutions
getting cars off the road
grant funding opportunities and developer-funded improvements
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Florida Statue FSS 316.2128 specifies that the operator of micromobility devices and motorized scooters have all the rights and duties applicable to the rider of a bicycle under FSS 316.2065 which gives riders the choice to ride on the roadways and sidewalks.
Do you know how to High Five?By following a few safety tips, you can make e-biking safe for you and others!
Watch the videos HERE.
1. Know the Facts: No City streets are designated as golf cart roadways. Reminder: Even if registered, a golf cart is not allowed on the roadway or sidewalk. Statute Violation 316.212: Moving Violation.
2. Know the Facts: Traffic laws apply to street-legal golf carts and low speed vehicles (LSVs) and are only allowed on roads with a maximum speed limit of 35 mph or below. They are not considered street-legal for roads with speed limits exceeding 35 mph and are prohibited from driving on sidewalks. Statute 316.1995: Moving Violation.
3. Know the Specs: LSVs, including modified golf carts, are regulated by Statute 316.2122. They are treated like regular vehicles and must be equipped with the following: seatbelts, tags, turn signals, parking brake, headlights, taillights, & cannot exceed 25 mph
*Important Note for Parents - Drivers under 18 must be at least 15 years old with a learner's permit (learners permit rules apply) or 16 with a valid driver's license. In addition, anyone 18 or older must carry a valid government-issued photo ID to operate a golf cart. If someone permits an unlicensed driver, such as a child, to operate a registered vehicle (including a Low-Speed Vehicle), it violates Statute 322.36: Permitting Unauthorized Operator to Drive.
For a detailed review of these statutes visit the official Florida Legislature’s webpage under TITLE XXIII
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Growing up in Palm Beach Gardens, the sound of the train horn was something I could always count on as a morning wake up call, as well as a good night whistle. With continued growth in South Florida, freight trains are a regular occurrence, and passenger trains will increase delays in traffic crossing the rails.
The FEC and Brightline have reported that at max capacity, trains could travel across Palm Beach Gardens crossings up to 32 times per day. With quiet zones, which are added safety measures, trains do not sound their horns at a crossing unless they are approaching an unsafe condition.
The City of Palm Beach Gardens has a dedicated Quiet Zone Webpage.
To learn more about FRA's rules and requirements for quiet zones, visit their website.
The City of Palm Beach Gardens is working with the FRA to receive credit for the quiet zone establishment for projects already undertaken by Palm Beach Gardens.
Diagnostic walk-through with stakeholders has been completed
Preparing the application for the Alternative safety measures submitted
Review of Alternative Safety Measure application by the Federal Rail Administration – The review date for the application began on 7/23/2024. The City is still waiting for the Federal Railway Administration to complete their review.
Quiet Zone is established – TBD
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Check out the Palm Beach TPA's Comment Map to share your insights and suggestions about transportation in Palm Beach County.! Where do you think enhancements are necessary? What suggestions would you propose for improvements? In what ways can transportation investments enhance the quality of life in our region?
For any immediate requests, visit Palm Beach County’s Get It Fixed! webpage.
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Last, but not least, information about AVENIR!
After years of careful planning, the Avenir community is now bustling! Avenir Town Center is expected to reopen by the end of next year when Publix is demolished and rebuilt after Hurricane Milton. The City has waived fees and offering expedited permitting to get the residents affected by Milton back on their feet. This will also count for the developers of the Publix as they rebuild to – as soon as safe and possible – include several other desirable tenants that will add to the vibrancy of the Town Center.
This integral town center is a major component of Avenir’s internal trip capture strategy that aims to give residents all they need right there within the development - easily accessed by bike, golf cart or short walk.
Statistics show most trips, on all modes of transportation, are less than three miles. By providing a true mixture of uses and safe multimodal travel options, Avenir is able to decrease the overall vehicle miles traveled on the external road network by reducing the need for residents to drive into town for services. That also means less traffic on Northlake Boulevard as all Western residents will utilize the commercial center in Avenir, not having to drive East for daily needs.
In addition to internal trip capture helping to ease traffic on Northlake, is the vital connection of Coconut Boulevard to the Beeline Highway which officially in the permitting phase with the goal for completion by the end of 2025. This improvement will serve the residents of this community well, but those benefits will be felt by the many, many people across Palm Beach County who work, play, commute, and soon shop in this area. The Coconut Boulevard Extension will be a 2.5-mile, 4-lane, divided road extension that will create a major thoroughfare connecting Northlake Boulevard to State Road 710 (Beeline Highway). The stretch will feature medians, curbing, drainage, critter crossing tunnels, and emergency vehicle staging.
Through our great relationship with Avenir Development, the City was recently granted an easement to begin overseeing the 2,400-acre Avenir Conservation Area upon the completion of the remaining mitigation work. These restored natural lands feature over 10 miles of trails open to for public access and the city is exploring ways to further enhance the amenities for the general public to enjoy historical nature. The area provides refuge for over one-hundred different plant and animal species in several different native habitat types. These lands are the ecological keystone connecting a path of public lands that run from the Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area and Grassy Waters Preserve to the East and South, all the way to Lake Okeechobee, and North to Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
