Page 18 - Layout 1

HB1219_Layout 1 11/24/19 10:19 AM Page 16

Community continued

of Southeast 17th Street. The bypass road would follow the a network of cameras and sensors to the road network that
fringes of the Port and avoid the Port’s security checkpoints. will quickly adjust traffic signals to reduce delays as
These plans are included in the proposal for expanding the changing traffic patterns are detected. It’s using that
Broward County Convention Center and building a new information along with different traffic apps such as Waze
con-vention center hotel. Since 17th Street is one of the most and putting that information into computer programs that will
traffic-clogged arteries in the city, Fort Lauderdale officials help traffic planners improve traffic flow. The cameras and
have demanded that a bypass road be part of the plans to sensors will record everything that is happening at an
expand the Convention Center. intersection and adjust signals based on demand. The
Since there is very little room to widen roadways and the system will have information from other intersections
need to reduce congestion is immediate, Broward County is enabling it to make changes to improve overall traffic flow.
turning to Artificial Intelligence. The County will be adding These programs are being paid for with money from the
30-year sales tax increase county voters approved in 2018
for transportation projects. According to Lenny Vialpondo,
Broward County’s chief innovation officer, “When you look
at these sensors, you start to be able to determine where
people are coming from, where they are going, and how
they are using our roadways.” Despite the amount of
information being collected by the cameras and sensors, it
will not identify people or vehicles. According to Vialpondo,
“It’ll turn a person into a dot of a certain color and a bicycle
into a dot of a certain color. You’ll never be able to see a
person’s face or a license plate.”
Also, with heavy traffic being a fact of life in the area,
Virgin Trains is also an alternative when commuting
between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. The
connectivity provided by this rail system has already
influenced where developers are building new apartments,
condominiums and commercial office space. By avoiding
the roads and reducing commute times, Virgin Trains
becomes an attractive and viable commuting option.
We live in Fort Lauderdale because of the great weather,
the beautiful beaches, the ocean, the proximity to two major
airports and seaports, and a dynamic business environment.
More and more people are moving here for these same
reasons and it’s up to our elected officials to reduce gridlock
and to make life more enjoyable for every-one. HB

Brian Hero is a Vice President and licensed real estate broker
with ONE Sotheby’s Interna-tional Realty and is consistently
ranked as one of the top real estate agents in South Florida.
A resident of Fort Lauderdale since 1995, Brian is well-known
and highly re-spected for his professionalism and is active in
our community on many charitable and civic fronts.

For more information on the Convention Center and Hotel
expansion project, please see https://www.broward.org/
CCExpansion/Pages

16 HARBOR BEACH Magazine | www.harborbeach.org