Archive for the ‘Transit Miami’ Category
I didn’t get in on the discussion about bicycle lanes in Bayshore Monday night, but I discussed the same subject at the Martin County Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting. A representative from the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) presented a plan for Indian River Drive in Jensen Beach that did not include bicycle lanes, and the Committee got very fired up about the lack thereof. I’m not going to recount the discussion here, but I will bring up some of the same points as I try to show how they can apply to other projects.
The project in question proposed a typical section with on-street parking on both sides, wide sidewalks, and two 10′ travel lanes, with a design speed of 25 mph. The intent was to integrate bicycles into the flow of traffic, as speeds of bicycles and motor vehicles would be similar. This makes sense because bicycle lanes are not a one-size-fits-all feature, but should only be installed on the right roadways.
Let’s ask ourselves why bicycle lanes exist in the first place. Sure, they create a designated space for bicyclists to use. But why do we need that? The primary purpose of bicycle lanes has been to maintain motorist travel speeds. Bicycle lanes get the slower-moving bicycle out of the way of the automobile. They also keep bicyclists from getting startled when impatient drivers come up behind them and lean on the horn or perform other road-rage fueled criminal acts.
Some people say that bicycle lanes provide extra safety. This is a debatable point that I won’t start into other than to say that a bicycle lane feels safer on high speed roadways. I think that our own recent experiences with the Rickenbacker Causeway and other roadways proves that bicycle lanes don’t necessarily equate with safety. Bicycle lanes provide a perceived safety benefit to the bicyclist, that much is true.
Perhaps having the symbols on the pavement encourages more cyclists to ride, but shared lane markings as found in the 2009 MUTCD provide similar pavement symbols. So we can’t really count that one. Can you think of anything else that bicycle lanes do for the cyclist? Check out some of the lists of advantages or benefits of bicycle lanes, such as this PDF, and most of the benefits are for automobiles. That particular list has 16 benefits, and only one or two apply to bicyclists. The CRA representative mentioned that in another published list of 21 benefits of bicycle lanes, only two applied to the bicyclists. So the motorists get most of the benefits out of the bicycle lanes.
Now, I’m still in favor of bicycle lanes on higher speed roadways. When automobile speeds are 30, 35 mph and up, the benefits listed above, while still few, are worthwhile. I think most of you would agree with that so I won’t argue that point. But what happens to those benefits when speeds go down to 25 mph or lower? Maybe the road rage can still occur, but if motorists are really going 20-25 mph or lower they are not as likely to be bothered by a bicyclist in front of them going 15 mph or so. Is there still a perceived safety benefit to bicycle lanes when motorist speeds are so similar to bicyclists speeds? If you’ve ever ridden in places such as Old Town Key West, you would probably agree that the roads are quite comfortable to ride on. My wife, who is not comfortable riding on the roads in Fort Lauderdale, had no problem riding in Key West in the same lanes as the cars.
There are other advantages to not having bicycle lanes, or disadvantages to bicycle lanes. If you are not familiar with the issues that arise with bicycle lanes, read some of them at Bicycle Driving or Bicycle Universe. One example is bicycle lanes next to on-street parking. The widest car doors can stick out 3.5′ into the bicycle lane, making riding in the bicycle lane clearly more dangerous than riding in the automobile lane. The crash rates of bicyclists getting”doored” are much higher and much more deadly than bicyclists getting hit from behind. Another example is bicycle
lanes getting used when they should not be, such as a bicyclist turning left. Lately I’ve been having several coworkers who see me riding to work ask if my making a left turn from the left vehicle lane was proper or legal. They and many others, motorists and bicyclists, are so stuck on the idea that bicyclists belong in the bicycle lane that they cannot fathom that someone would ride outside of it.
The lower the motorist speed, the more the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Some studies might be useful to determine at exactly what speed it is better to combine bicyclist and motorist traffic. Until those studies are performed, we can go on experience. In my experience, I am comfortable using the automobile lane when motor vehicle speeds are around 25 mph. At what automobile speeds are you comfortable using the same lane as the automobiles? Let us know in the comments.
I’m not familiar with the details of the roads in Bayshore that were under discussion on Monday. But for those of you who are, think about whether bicycle lanes are the appropriate treatment for those roadways. Don’t automatically assume that we need bicycle lanes on every road. Every project requires good, site-specific design. If we get set on one way of doing things and refuse to change for an appropriate situation, we are no better than the bureaucracies we so often fight against.
First picture by flickr user Willamor Media. Second by Richard Drdul.
The Miami Dade Police Department has provided Transit Miami with their Rickenbacker Causeway enforcement statistics for 2009 and January 2010. As you can see below the Miami Dade Police Department has been enforcing their jurisdiction on the Rickenbacker Causeway. They are issuing approximately 7 hazardous moving violations per day to motorists. Enforcement is clearly present. What we need is a roadway that is designed to discourage people from speeding. Even with police enforcement motorists continue to speed on the Rickenbacker Causeway. More enforcement may help, but is not the ultimate solution. Designing a roadway for all users is the answer.
| 2009 | ||||||
| Month | Hazardous 1 Moving Violations | Non-Hazardous2 Moving Violations | Verbal Warnings | Total | ||
| January | 136 | 97 | 67 | 300 | ||
| February | 227 | 142 | 108 | 477 | ||
| March | 252 | 76 | 117 | 445 | ||
| April | 257 | 102 | 97 | 456 | ||
| May | 257 | 138 | 151 | 546 | ||
| June | 218 | 119 | 83 | 420 | ||
| July | 203 | 75 | 93 | 371 | ||
| August | 147 | 85 | 86 | 318 | ||
| September | 174 | 89 | 153 | 416 | ||
| October | 216 | 168 | 112 | 496 | ||
| November | 222 | 90 | 97 | 409 | ||
| December | 115 | 99 | 113 | 327 | ||
| Total 2009 | 4,981 | |||||
| Total 2009 Hazardous Moving Violations | 2,424 | |||||
| Average 2009 Hazardous Moving Violations Issued Per Day | 6.64 | |||||
| 2010 | ||||||
| January | 270 | 120 | 120 | 510 | ||
| Average January 2010 Hazardous Moving Violations Issued Per Day | 8.71 | |||||
| 1. Hazardous violations are those which have the immediate potential for bodily injury | ||||||
| and property destruction; for example, running a red light or stop sign, or careless driving | ||||||
| 2. Non-hazardous violations are those not likely to expose persons to injury or result in property damage; | ||||||
| for example, expired tag or defective equipment. | ||||||
The following arrived via email in my Inbox this morning, from Gabrielle Redfern.
Dear Friends:
At today’s CIPOC meeting, (5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Commission Chambers, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach), the BAYSHORE neighborhood will argue for a change in their neighborhood BODR that will narrow streets and remove bike lanes in plan, (Meridian Avenue among others), and already on the ground (Prairie Avenue).
This could be a turning point in the administration’s attempt to build a bicycle-friendly City, and coming in the middle of Bicycle Month, the newest NIMBY assault to implementing a Master Plan makes my heart very heavy, as these fine folks in Bayshore are my neighbors and friends.
According to traffic experts and planners, a well-used bike lane is the best, natural traffic-calming device. My esteemed neighbors would rather force bikers and cars to share a 10-foot travel lane in hopes of slowing the cut through traffic in their ‘hood, rather than re-stripe wide streets and add dedicated bicycle facilities. Although we know their thinking this move will make the streets safer is wrong, their desires will be considered seriously by appointed and elected officials alike, placing the misguided views of a few residents ahead of the infrastructure needs of an entire community.
Until our City builds the required network of marked bicycle lanes that folks and families feel comfortable riding in, gridlock will continue to be our way of life here and less people will take advantage of the natural tropical mobility we are blessed with. Until we free the sidewalks of bikes, pedestrians will continue to walk in the streets, even in the dark of night. Until we say no to the continuing shifting of bike lanes to the next block and build them when we can, we will never live up to our potential of an urban and green tropical paradise.
I hate to argue with people I love, but it looks like a good fight is necessary to serve the greater good of advocating strongly to continue on the path to build an interconnected bicycle lane network in our City. I hope you will join me.
Gabrielle
It came with the following PDF attached: a copy of the Capital Improvement Project Oversight Committee Agenda.
Miami Beach is behind the curve as it is in regards to bicycle facilities; letting small groups dictate general city improvement decisions based on their short-range comfort should not only be avoided, but actively discouraged. We should be working for the betterment of the entire community.
If you are able to attend, please try to do so. If you can’t and are a resident of Miami Beach (especially if you are a resident of Bayshore and oppose this move), consider sending an email to the Mayor and all City Commissioners letting them know of your opposition to the proposed plan.
The Brickell Avenue bus stop between 14th and 15th Street burned to a crisp.
For what must be the 3rd or 4th time in the past year and a half the same Brickell bus stop on Brickell and 15th Street has been wiped out by a speeding car. The problem here is that the bus stop is located on a dangerous curve and when cars come barreling down Brickell Avenue at night they head straight for the bus stop. I’m pretty sure drunk driving has something to do with this problem, but speeding is certainly a major factor in these accidents. The way Brickell Avenue is designed encourages speeding; we need to design this road to discourage speeding. Moving the bus stop should also be considered. Sooner or later someone waiting for the bus will get struck. If you are familiar with the area please feel free to suggest other improvements in the comments section below.
A rendering of the proposed "34th Street Transitway"
The New York City Department of Transportation’s newest project brings the successful concept of Bus Rapid Transit to an important cross town bus route and showcases, once again, what a progressive DOT is capable of doing to improve quality of life and transportation options for its residents and visitors. As you can see in the rendering above, the idea is not only to improve an existing roadway and speed up bus service, but to also improve the pedestrian experience along the corridor.
Famously successful in cities like Bogota and Curitiba, the idea of dedicating lanes to buses has been successful here in Miami, as well. The South Miami-Dade Busway acts as a low-cost extension of the Metrorail for thousands of county residents. TransitMiami.com remains a strong proponent of Light Rail (or LRT over BRT), but as Miami looks to expand its transportation options, our leaders could learn a great deal from NYC – where they understand the importance of land-use in transportation planning.
The South Miami-Dade Busway
Look at the two pictures. What is missing on our Busway?
Commissioner Carollo wants you to know that he supports Bike Miami Days. At today’s meeting of the City Commission, Mayor Regalado presented a statement to commissioners on the scheduled April 25 event. Before he could move on to his next point, Commissioner Carollo asked to put on the record,
I was at the first Bike Miami Days and I will be there on April 25… Every once in a while, it’s good to leave your car at home and go for a bike ride.
The Mayor and Commissioner went on to comment that they both have sons who like to bicycle and that the new City Manager, Carlos A. Migoya, is a cyclist, as well. At this point, we can only hope that this means that Carollo will support bicyclists on the road, as well as on the record. As reported here earlier this week, the Commissioner has put all bicycle projects in his district on hold. This concerns residents and local business owners for a number of reasons. The SW 32nd Road project, which had already started, would connect the Vizcaya Metrorail Station/M-Path to Coral Way and its bike lanes. The project represents a significant connector route for cyclists and transit users, and promotes local businesses by connecting shops and restaurants with the highly residential neighborhoods of Coconut Grove, the Roads and anyone who lives along the M-Path. 
Last but not least, it is one of the first benchmark projects of the City’s Bicycle Master Plan. With this bicycle route up for reconsideration, what will that mean for the other projects cyclists are waiting for in District 3, such as SW 3rd Ave or Flagler to 5th? We encourage you to direct these questions yourself to the Commissioner and his Chief of Staff, Jude Faerron, and let us know if you get a response. If there is ever proof that they are listening to you, this is it.
You can watch the video from the Commission meeting on the City’s website here. The conversation took place around 11:40am.
I accidentally stumbled on this and realized that this is the future that our local elected officials want for us. From the conservative Reason Foundation:
Miami could significantly reduce severe congestion and have room for the incoming population growth by adding 3,400 new lane-miles by 2030 at an estimated cost of $30 billion, in today’s dollars. That’s a cost of $189 per resident each year. This investment would save 354 million hours each year that residents currently lose sitting in traffic. This does not account for the additional benefits not quantified in this study, including: lower fuel use, reduced accident rates and vehicle operating costs, lower shipping costs and truck travel time reductions, greater freight reliability, and a number of benefits associated with greater community accessibility, including an expanded labor pool for employers and new job choices for workers.
The $30 billion needed to significantly reduce severe congestion is 1.5 times the planned transportation spending under the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) long-range plans. Those plans call for $19.3 billion over the next 25 years — $6.0 billion on highway improvements and $13.3 billion on mass transit. While just 3.9 percent of Miami area workers now use mass transit to commute, transit accounts for 69 percent of the area’s planned transportation spending over the next 25 years.
Are you serious? While the sad statistic about transit usage is accurate, it is more an indictment of car-based land use planning, than it is a reason to abandon transit expansion. In spite of the huge investments we make in transit, our zoning laws, and lack of further expansion, keep it from succeeding. Instead of those investments being realized as increased ridership, we call transit a failure and push for more road funding (which will cause even more congestion).
The solution for congestion is giving people the option of not having a car, and you can’t do that until you provide a minimum level of service; a minimum threshold of people need to have access to premium transit for it to be successful. The proverbial ‘chicken and egg’ is not so bad in Miami’s situation – we already have a solid base to expand from in the form of metro-rail. Our challenge is in investing in rail transit lines that will reach the highest number of people (read: Douglas Road, Bay Link, 8th Street, Biscayne…etc), while using real BRT for other limited routes where demand needs to be built up (South Link, 27 avenue).
Commissioner Frank Carollo, District 3
At this week’s Bicycle Action Committee meeting, the regular updates given on the status of the Bicycle Master Plan were missing a few crucial projects, all of which are in Commissioner Frank Carollo’s district. I asked the Bicycle Coordinator, Collin Worth, what happened? Ever the diplomat, he informed us that they had been put on hold by the new Commissioner. “Does the Commissioner not understand that these projects are of crucial importance to the connectivity of our bicycle routes“, we asked.”…the safety of cyclists who use them to bypass busier streets and access the restaurants and shops of Coral Way?”
Mr. Worth would not speak for the Commissioner, who had sent no representation of his own to the meeting so… what can we do? Rumors (so far, just rumors) suggest Carollo is no fan of the Bicycle Master Plan (yet), that he thinks car parking is more important than bringing cyclists and pedestrians to stores, or that he simply doesn’t realize how important these projects are to us, the residents of Miami.
Of course, we cannot expect the new Commissioner to automatically support everything started in his district before he took office. We understand that it can take time to look at each project and that even if it is nearly completed, he will be held responsible if it is completed under his watch. So, we have reached out to the Commissioner and hope that you will, too. Let him know that you support road improvements that support the City’s Complete Streets Policy and/or Bicycle Master Plan and/or whatever you feel is important.
Each City of Miami Commissioner controls the dollars spent on capital improvements (including road projects) in his district. Have you emailed or called your commissioner to introduce yourself yet? He needs to hear from you. If you do not live in the City, you can still reach out to the commissioner of the district where you work, do your shopping or otherwise visit.
TransitMiami.com encourages our readers to engage with their local government and support moving Miami better.
I wonder how these folks feel about cuts in bus service?
(thanks to blackice3oh5 for the image, from yesterday’s rush hour)
