Anti-Miami 21 Activist Richard Strell has penned an ill-informed screed citing that Miami 21 is anti-bicycling. This is a clear attempt to rouse confusion and anger amongst an interest group that has gained a considerable voice in the past two years. As a professional urban planner who specializes in bicycle planning, I must weigh in.
The crux of Strell’s argument seems to fall upon the issue of street width and pedestrian accommodation, claiming that the provision of narrower streets and wider sidewalks is inherently bicycle-unfriendly. This is not true, and a crude simplification of how street design happens in Miami.
First, Miami 21 is a zoning code that primarily regulates land use and the form and relationships of buildings. It is not a street design manual. It is not a pedestrian master plan. It is not a bicycle master plan. Rather, Miami 21 sets out to ensure that those buildings, and the land uses housed within them, relate better to each other. In doing so, Miami 21 is concerned with creating and supporting a better public realm, one that is more conducive to walking and bicycling. The current zoning code does this miserably and does nothing to support the needs and interests of bicyclists and pedestrians. All one has to do is try to walk or bicycle through the city to witness this.
Because Miami 21 does not set forth street design provisions, the City decided instead to pursue its own Complete Streets legislation, which was adopted earlier this year. The Public Works and Planning department are currently writing these standards so that all future roadway projects include the interests of bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and yes, motor vehicles. Balancing all of these needs is not easy, but the policy will be in place so that Miami’s street design matches up with the proposed improvements to land use regulation under Miami 21. The two, are therefore intended to maximize the mobility and accessibility for all Miami’s residents and to be mutually supportive. You can’t have great streets without good land use, and vice-versa.
Furthermore, the City of Miami does not have jurisdiction over a large percentage of the streets appropriate for bicycle facilities. Indeed, the major streets and avenues within the city are regulated, designed, and maintained by FDOT and the County. What the above Complete Streets legislation does do is give the city an official policy to use when working with FDOT and the County to ensure that wider sidewalks and bicycle facilities get included in projects where they previously were not.
So what about the claim that pedestrians needs will taken into account before bicyclists?
Well, they should be! Every trip starts off by walking, and the vast majority of people in this city are able to walk with their own two feet. If we don’t allow that to happen safely, then we certainly shouldn’t expect to get transit or bicycling to work either. And since the city has control over the neighborhood streets, I think its wise to keep those streets narrow, add adequate sidewalks (so many still don’t have them!) and let proper, contextually sensitive bicycle facilities work within the framework of a walkable city. Indeed, in most of the residential neighborhoods, widening the streets to accommodate bicycle lanes would mean either taking sidewalks away, or taking property from private land owners. I am guessing that Mr. Strell would not want either, especially in his own Edgewater neighborhood.
Finally, the city is taking great strides to improve bicycle conditions within the city limits. If anything, I have chronicled those efforts extensively on this blog. The current master plan, which was actually recommended in Miami 21, is part of that effort and will work well, and in parrallel with Miami 21 as both are implemented. Bicycle parking is expanding, safety signs are being placed around the city in cooperation with the County (Anyone been on 14th Street in Park West lately?!), and new bicycle facilities are either being planned or are under construction. I have full confidence that the City will continue to support bicycling after Miami 21 is adopted. Both go hand in hand, and both will help Miami become a healthier and more sustainable city.
So, the question remains, if Richard is so concerned about bicycling, why have I never seen him at a single bicycle event, meeting, or rally? Why aren’t all of the bicycle activists who forwarded his email on to me familiar with him? Don’t be fooled, Richard does not care about bicyclists so much as he cares about derailing Miami 21.
Desperation is a stinky cologne and Richard Strell’s anti-Miami 21 screed is as odoriferous as it gets.
Related posts: