At the January 20, 2022 City Commission meeting, Commissioner David Richardson referred an item regarding the safety of protected bike lanes to the Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee for discussion. 

According to the adopted 2016 Miami Beach Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan, approximately 60% of cyclists on our roadways are in the “interested but concerned” cycling category due to the lack of safe and/or protected bicycle facilities.  During the master planning process, the project team identified protected bicycle lanes as the most desirable facility for most bicyclists.  As such, the adopted 2016 Miami Beach Transportation Master Plan and Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan recommended protected bicycle lanes as the standard for bicycle lanes in the City.  A protected bicycle lane is typically separated from motor vehicle traffic by tubular delineators, modular devices, curbs, railings, plantings, parked cars, painted/striped buffer, and/or grade separation.

Protected bicycle lanes provide several benefits, including:

·         Provide dedicated and protected space for bicyclists to improve comfort and safety

·         Eliminate risk and stress of collisions with passing vehicles

·         Reduce the likelihood of vehicles parking or idling on the bicycle lanes

·         More attractive for bicyclists of all skill levels and ages

Consistent with the vision established in our adopted master plans, the City continues to work towards the goal of becoming less car-centric through planning, designing, and implementing an interconnected network of protected green bike lanes and shared-use paths (i.e. for bicyclists and pedestrians).  In fact, 35.8 miles of bike lanes and shared-use paths, including the beachwalk/cutwalk/baywalk, are currently in place and 24.5 additional miles of bicycle facilities are in the production pipeline.  The City recently implemented protected green bike lanes on Meridian Avenue from 16 Street to Dade Boulevard and on Ocean Drive as part of the recent reconfiguration in the Art Deco Cultural District.  Given that Washington Avenue is being reverted to its original pre-pandemic configuration, green bike lanes are underway on Pennsylvania Avenue from 5 Street to 16 Street as an alternative to Washington Avenue.  Buffered bike lanes on 72 and 73 streets were recently striped and, along with the existing buffered bike lanes on Euclid Avenue, will be painted green in the next few weeks. 

More often than not, incorporating bicycle lanes on our constrained streets results in impacts to existing travel lanes or on-street parking.  However, it is important to highlight that these facilities are widely used by residents, visitors, and commuters as an active and healthy mobility option which takes cars off the road, helps reduce congestion and our carbon footprint, and helps achieve our future mode shift goals.  

Below is a list of active protected bicycle projects and status:

·         Pennsylvania Avenue Bike Lanes - construction
·         North Beach Neighborhood Greenways - design
·         Pine Tree Drive Protected Bike Lanes - planning
·         Royal Palm Neighborhood Greenway - design
·         10 Street Neighborhood Greenway - planning
·         West Avenue Protected Bike Lanes – design-build
·         23 Street/22 Street Protected Bike Lanes - design
·         Chase Avenue/34 Street Shared-Use Path - design
·         Indian Creek Protected Bike Lane – construction
·         Alton Road Bi-Directional Bike Lanes - design

Given that protected bicycle lanes are considered the standard facility in the City’s adopted Transportation Master Plan and Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan, the City has implemented various temporary and permanent protected bicycle lanes.  The feasibility of implementing protected bicycle lanes, either on a permanent or temporary basis, depends on various factors such as roadway jurisdiction, available right-of-way, project scope and budget, number of travel lanes and lane widths, vehicular volume, on-street parking, sight visibility, intersection operation, and other design characteristics.  The type of protection device selected is also dependent on the roadway characteristics, project scope, and budget.  

While major roadway reconstruction projects present opportunities to alter roadway configurations and include bike lanes with permanent separation devices, such as concrete separators and planters, the more simple roadway resurfacing and re-striping projects typically do not alter the configuration of the road and rely on more modular or temporary protection devices such as striped/painted buffers, tubular delineators, armadillos, and rubber curbs.  

Attachment A includes photos of completed and planned protected bike lane projects in the City.  Attachment B depicts various types of available bicycle lane protection devices that may be utilized.