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 (NQLC) 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 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 ride 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 from 5 Street to 14 Place.  Given that Washington Avenue has reverted to its original pre-pandemic configuration, green bike lanes are being implemented 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 within the next few weeks.

Incorporating bicycle lanes, particularly with buffers or protection, on our constrained streets often results in impacts to existing travel lanes and/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 vehicles off the road, help reduce traffic congestion and our carbon footprint, and help achieve the City’s goals of becoming less car-centric.

Below is a list of active protected bicycle projects in the City and their respective status:

• Pennsylvania Avenue Bike Lanes from 6 Street to 16 Street – construction
• Indian Creek Protected Bike Lane from 41 Street to 26 Street – construction
• West Avenue Protected Bike Lanes from 6 Street to Lincoln Road – design-build
• North Beach Neighborhood Greenways (various streets) - design
• Royal Palm Avenue Neighborhood Greenway from 28 Street to 42 Street - design
• 22/23 Street Protected Bike Lanes from Dade Boulevard/Pine Tree Drive to Collins Avenue - design
• Chase Avenue/34 Street Shared-Use Path from Alton Road to Prairie Avenue - design
• Alton Road Bi-Directional Bike Lanes (Mid-Beach) – design
• Collins Avenue Bike Lane from 26 Street to 41 Street (FDOT) – design
• West Avenue Protected Bike Lanes from Dade Boulevard to 20 Street – planning
• Pine Tree Drive Protected Bike Lanes from 23 Street to 63 Street - planning
• 10 Street Neighborhood Greenway from West Avenue to Washington Avenue - planning

At the March 7, 2022 Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life (PSNQLC) meeting, the Committee expressed concerns with the narrow width of the buffer and proximity of the protection devices (armadillos) recently installed along the Venetian Causeway bike lanes (Attachment).  In addition, the Committee requested that City staff review the current condition of the protected bike lanes and the feasibility of widening the bike lane and/or buffer in the short-term.  At the meeting, the Administration stated that the armadillos on the Venetian Causeway bike lanes were installed by Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) as a pilot project in response to the City’s and the bicycle community’s desire for protected bike lanes.  Furthermore, in February 2022, the Transportation and Mobility Department staff conducted a bike-through of the Venetian Causeway protected bicycle lanes and suggested the following modifications to DTPW for their consideration in order to improve safety along the bike lanes: 

• Create 100 ft. long passing zones (with no armadillos) at each island (between intersections) to facilitate passing and reduce conflicts

• Install “No Passing On Bike Lane” signs on the bridges, supplemented with signs that direct cyclists to the next passing zone (“Next Passing Zone In 300 Ft.”)

The County is currently in the data collection and input gathering stage of the pilot, and, as of this date, has not taken any action on the City’s suggested modifications above.