How about a night ride?

July sun and afternoon thunderstorms tend to deter South Florida riders. But a bike ride is positively delicious between late afternoon and about 9 a.m. So when you head out to see the Fourth of July fireworks on Saturday, skilled riders may want to go by bike. Just be sure your lights and reflectors are working, and wear light-colored clothing.

Miami airport patrolled by bike

I spotted Miami-Dade officer Nelda Fonticella on patrol last week inside Miami International Airport. The place has grown so much that the police find bicycles very helpful, she said.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Transportation reform to the back burner?

You may wonder why it's taken me so long to comment on the new transportation bill in Congress. The reason is that Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood's statement was so out of sync with what I had heard House Transportation Chairman James Oberstar say when I was at the National Bicycle Summit. That disconnect needed some serious background, or a full-court press of reading and reporting, to understand. Now comes Colby Itkowitz with an insightful report in Congressional Quarterly that clears up many of my questions. I am grateful for the information but dismayed by what it is.

Oberstar, of course, has been a hero to the alternative transportation community because has tried to move pedestrian, bicycle and public transportation higher in national priorities. For about 60 years, ever since postwar suburbs and the interstate highway system appeared on the map, roads and motor cars have been the prime and central priorities for transportation policy and planning. It's Oberstar's dream to redirect federal dollars toward neglected policy objectives rather than merely dividing the Highway Trust Fund pro rata among the states. And I had thought, when I heard LaHood speak at the summit, that he and Oberstar agreed more than not. Well, I was wrong.

As Itkowitz put it in the CQ article linked above, the Obama administration cut Oberstar's legs out from under him. Rather than the comprehensive transportation reform the chairman wanted, the White House is going for a quick reauthorization, putting off reform until 2011 or later. The Highway Trust Fund is running out of money, you see, because fuel tax receipts plunged last summer as Americans cut back on driving. Imagine the alarm the plunging trust fund numbers must inspire among thousands of well-connected highway contractors around the country.

It may well be that the best Oberstar can achieve this year will be improvements at the margin of federal policy. We'll need to read carefully and be especially attentive to how our members of Congress vote.

For the full text of the 775-page bill, click here. This is the Oberstar version. I expect many attempted amendments.

Cyclists need Rickenbacker's toll booths

Managers of the Rickenbacker Causeway want to convert to SunPass toll collection, and how they carry out that change will have important safety implications for many of the thousands of bicyclists who ride the causeway.

Michael Bauman, the causeway division chief from Miami-Dade Public Works, reported to the county's Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee this week that two different proposals are going before the Transit and Infrastructure Committee of the County Commission on July 15.

One proposal, which Public Works has been asking to carry out for a number of years, is to keep the toll booths and simply convert from the homegrown CPass, used primarily by residents of Key Biscayne, to the SunPass, now in wide use on Florida's Turnpike and the MDX toll roads such as the Dolphin Expressway.

The other proposal is open-road tolling, a concept that's growing in popularity because it uses cameras and electronic sensors to identify which cars should be charged a toll. The new express lane on Interstate 95 would be an example. On the Rickenbacker, only one or two booths would remain, for drivers who lack a SunPass.

Hundreds of bicyclists do training rides out the causeway and back, and out again, every weekend and sometimes more often. The riders' turnaround is less than 100 yards from the toll booths. Riders come back from Key Biscayne, merge left as they near the mainland, then shoot through the causeway office parking lot and across the outbound lanes to regroup and start again.

If you think of the toll booths simply as fare-collection points, the choice for the county would seem to be easy. But toll booths here also serve as traffic-control measures, making drivers slow down a bit before they venture out past the beaches on that first island before the tall Powell Bridge. If you remove the booths, cars equipped with SunPass can be traveling at highway speeds as they pass the point where today they must pause and wait for a gate to open. Even from a full stop, it doesn't take many seconds for most cars to reach 45 mph, which is the top legal speed you'll see posted on the causeway.

"Open-road tolling is a great solution on the highway," Bauman said Wednesday night during his report to BPAC. "But the Rickenbacker is a shared road" -- one of South Florida's finest recreational areas. Last Saturday, Bauman's staff counted 950 riders making the circuit I described above between 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Two weeks earlier, the count was 650.

A photograph Bauman showed the advisory committee was more powerful than my words. Seen from the top of a toll booth, dozens of riders are crossing the causeway as two or three cars in the foreground pause to let them cross. Consider the implications of removing the toll booths. My next post, probably tomorrow, will relate how BPAC tried to address the issue.

Half measures at Bird Road crossing

Amended June 28
A consultant for the Florida Department of Transportation offered a proposed corrective tonight for the dangers that M-Path users encounter crossing Bird Road in Miami. The proposal is to carve out of Metrorail's green swale a new 400-foot turn lane on U.S. 1 for southbound drivers wanting to turn west onto Bird. The arrows on the current lane, which invite drivers to either turn or continue down U.S. 1, would be repainted to show only a "through" arrow. With just one lane of turning cars, the consultant asserted, walkers and bicyclists could more easily tell when it's safe to cross Bird.


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The cyclists hearing the presentation to the county's Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee were incredulous. For years we've been asking for signals and signs to give M-Path users an even break at that crossing, probably the most dangerous on the entire length of the path. What we saw in the drawings tonight was a seventh lane for a six-lane road -- a way to expedite the movement of cars from U.S. 1 onto Bird, where drivers already make that turn way too fast because the angle is something like 60 degrees instead of 90.

Congress tackles new highway funding concept

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Rep. James Oberstar are busy trying to refocus how federal aid to transportation is parceled out. The Surface Transportation Bill of 2009 is getting a hearing this morning. There's good background from McClatchy Newspapers.
Also, here's Oberstar's news conference last week about the bill. It runs 10 minutes.

Back to drawing board for Virginia Key plan

Catching up: Miami Mayor Manny Diaz has withdrawn his Virginia Key Master Plan from consideration. The plan ran into a huge wave of opposition from boaters and nature-lovers offended by the consultants' presentation that seemed to offer either playing fields or something built of concrete for just about every unused square foot of Virginia Key. The eight garages, with thousands of parking spaces, typified what angered Miamians who had hoped for a design closer to nature than to a festival concept. While the planners did work in bicycle paths and a multi-competency BMX course, things local bicyclists had asked for, the proposed shops, gym, conference center and lighted fields made many of us wonder what kind of auto traffic we'd have to contend with in getting to and from our rides.

The Miami Herald's Andres Viglucci got to the core of the matter:

City planners have said the city may have erred in asking [Fort Lauderdale landscape architects] EDSA to include in the blueprint the maximum number of facilities and improvements, such as athletic fields, the island could accommodate. The idea was to offer future administrations a broad menu of options as money becomes available, said city urban design chief Enrique Nuñez.

That, he said, appears to have ``scared some people to death.''

One alternative, Nuñez said, may be to break down the blueprint into a range of options that may prove more palatable to the public.

But he emphasizes that the plan would turn more than 200 acres of degraded or inaccessible areas, including an old landfill, into parks and open space in a city badly in need of both.

For a few more days, you can see Viglucci's full article at MiamiHerald.com.

Among the effective opponents to the EDSA proposal were members of the Urban Environment League of Greater Miami.

Letter from the road

Terry and Julie Connor, off on a European bike adventure, send news from their overnight stop:

We flew to Berlin last Thursday and had our first tour of that city through Saturday.

Sunday morning, we cycled out of Berlin weaving around streets closed off entirely for a race. The race was an enclosed event that drew thousands and ran from 09:00 to 2:00. We rode a 28-km route to Potsdam, where the Big Three met to talk about the post-war status of Germany and Europe.

Today we rode about 70 km on the R-1 that is a 3500-km route from St Petersburg to London. Overall excellent experience. Two remarkable conditions: in the cities there are well-marked cycling routes, in street and not. Cyclists have protected right of way at most intersections.

But the R-1 is most impressive. Some of it is paved; some is on the side of country and village roads; and some is dirt pack running through gorgeous fields of wheat and corn. I wonder if we could find support in DC and Tallahassee for an eminent domain.

Stitches, broken hand for triathlete

By now I hope you've read your Miami Herald and learned that Miguel Tellez wasn't badly hurt in that smashup with the pickup truck yesterday during the Key Biscayne Triathlon. If you missed it, here's Jim Varsallone's piece in the Sports pages.


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The collision happened at the point where cars enter Crandon Boulevard when leaving the Rusty Pelican and other waterfront businesses. A policeman was supposed to be posted at the crossing as racers came down the Powell Bridge toward Crandon Park, riding their bikes in the lanes normally used for traffic leaving Key Biscayne. I am told that Tellez, the lead cyclist until then, hit the truck -- so one may surmise that the driver didn't look to his right before starting to enter the road.

While Varsallone focused on the competition in his reporting, the Sun Sentinel's Sharon Robb told more about the injured rider. Ouch! You really have to feel for Tellez!

Hot racing at the Firecracker Criterium

There's a bike race planned at Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City on July 4. Details are in the Sun Sentinel.

Triathlete injured on Crandon Boulevard

A driver hit a bicyclist today during the Key Biscayne Triathlon. Early details are at The Miami Herald website. When I learn more I'll follow up.

The Herald identifies the cyclist as Miguel Tellez, 37, of Aventura. Tellez finished ninth for his age group in this year's ING Miami Marathon on Jan. 25.

Rider testing Twitter

Are there many cyclists out there using Twitter? Here's one you may run across: @MPathRider.

Causeway alert for Sunday

If you're riding to Key Biscayne on Sunday, be aware that the Mack Cycle Key Biscayne Triathlon will be taking place between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. on the Rickenbacker Causeway and in Crandon Park. I think it's the oldest triathlon in South Florida.

County moves toward toll road on Busway

A public hearing was set for July 23 on the scheme to convert the South Dade Busway into a toll road. Today's Herald advertisement from the Metropolitan Planning Organization describes the idea this way:

2030 Long Range Transportation Plan Amendment
This proposed amendment is to include the US-1 Express project as a Priority III in the 2030 LRTP Cost Feasible Plan. The US-1 Express project will incorporate managed (toll) lanes using the excess capacity along the South Dade Busway from Florida City to Dadeland South Metrorail Station.

The MPO hearing was to have been held next week but is being moved to Thursday, July 23, at 2 p.m. in the County Commission Chambers, 111 NW First St., Miami.

This scheme is the baby of Commission Chairman Dennis Moss, who floated it when the last leg of the Busway was dedicated in Florida City a couple of years ago. He presented it as a way to relieve traffic congestion on U.S. 1. That, of course, was what the Busway was built to do -- by making the bus service faster and more attractive. At that, it has succeeded quite well.

Bicyclists will be concerned about adding general traffic to the two-lane Busway, however. The South Dade Trail runs parallel to the Busway from Dadeland South and extends past Palm Drive in Florida City. Along the way it crosses the Busway a couple of times, an engineering feature that baffled cycling advocates when the extension was being planned. Now that the Moss plan is going forward, those crossings seem all the more puzzling.

Opposition builds against Virginia Key plan

The Virginia Key Master Plan has something for everyone -- and, it seems, too much of everything. Andres Viglucci reports in The Miami Herald today that the plan got a 9-0 "no" vote from Miami's Waterfront Advisory Board last week. Nature-lovers, boaters and park activists are upset because the plan for the neglected spoil island with a billion-dollar view of Miami anticipates heavy commercial use, thousands of parking spaces for cars, and several kinds of facilities for conferences, meetings and athletics. Despite the planners' mention of bicycling, bicycle trails, and a BMX course, the proposal certainly didn't look "green" to me. Next step on the plan's fast track is tonight at City Hall before the City of Miami's Planning Advisory Board.

Here's the Herald article. The plan itself is at www.virginiakeymasterplan.com (go to public presentation 4).

Miami road rage subsiding

New York City, I am told, has displaced Miami as the worst in the country for road rage. The Autovantage Road Rage Survey bumps Miami out of first place for the first time in four years. Good news for bicyclists, long accustomed to getting blown off Miami roads and blocked at crossings. The most frequent causes of road rage, according to the survey of drivers:

* Bad or careless driving, such as cutting others off, speeding, tailgating, talking on cell phones, making obscene gestures and not using proper signals
* People who are angry, stressed, frustrated, tired or had a bad day
* People being in a hurry, impatient or running late
* Traffic problems, accidents, poor road conditions or construction
* Inconsiderate, disrespectful, selfish drivers who think they own the road

You can read all about the survey and Autovantage by clicking here.

Beach considers a bike ban in park

Our Miami Beach friends at BASIC pass the word that the city is considering a proposal to prohibit bicycle riding on the serpentine walkway at the new South Pointe Park. The City Commission's Neighborhoods and Community Affairs Committee has tentatively accepted the city administration's recommendation to that effect and has it at the top of its agenda for a meeting tomorrow -- Wednesday, June 17 -- at 2 p.m. If you want to be heard on this matter you should be at the city manager's large conference room, on the 4th floor of Miami Beach City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive.

City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez's memo on this and other proposals about the park may be read here. The pdf document is long, but this section is in pages 5-14.

Miami bike plans rolling nicely

Nearly 100 people turned out last night to meet Miami's bicycle planners, hear what they're up to and make suggestions for the city's emerging Bicycle Master Plan. The crowd filling a room at Jose Marti Park community center was a rough cross-section of middle-class urban South Florida -- a mix of professionals in business suits, avid riders in jeans or colorful riding clothes, and some of the young bike-culture crowd you'll see at the unsanctioned alley cat races around town.

The event was announced as the city's first bicycle summit, but with one exception the official representation consisted of people who carry out policy, not make it. The exception was City Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who set the tone for the evening with a call to make the whole city safe and inviting for cyclists.

Mike Lydon of the Street Plans Collaborative, the planning consultant most involved with the Bicycle Master Plan, presented a slide show with examples of some of the street treatments he expects to recommend when the plan is presented in late summer. Some examples are bicycle boulevards on NE 81st Street and a residential street in Buena Vista West, a shared lane marked with "sharrows" on NW 2nd Avenue in Wynwood, and bike lanes on NW 14th Street in the Grapeland neighborhood. There were many more but I couldn't see the screen well enough to make notes.

Lydon, a cross-Miami bike commuter who canvassed the city by bike as part of this project, described the paradox the master plan will have to deal with: "You have all these roads designed and dedicated to moving cars, but they are also where all the people are." Calle Ocho comes to mind -- a relatively narrow street in Little Havana with parking on both sides. So many people ride bikes in the neighborhood that merchants got the city to prohibit riding on the sidewalk. It will not be a small thing to redesign streets to serve the people, but the City Commission took a step in the right direction this spring by embracing Complete Streets as a matter of policy.

In the last hour of the meeting, large city maps were spread out on four tables so that riders could mark them up with colorful lines to show where they'd like to ride but find the streets inadequate. Red dots were pasted down at points riders find especially dangerous, such as the M-Path crossing of Bird Road and the intersection of SW 27th Avenue and U.S. 1.

Look for a follow-up meeting in August. Meanwhile, you can check in on the emerging plan anytime you like at the city's new bicycle website.

A night for bicycle visions

If you ride a bicycle in Miami, or want to, I encourage you to show up Monday night, June 15, at Jose Marti Community Center, 351 SW 4th St., to see the emerging plans for making Miami a truly bicycle-friendly city. City bicycle coordinator Collin Worth, planning consultant Mike Lydon and all the key Miami officials involved will be there from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to show what they're up to, answer questions and listen carefully to riders' comments. See you there?

Bicycling rooster's famous now

The Los Angeles Times, with Hollywood at its doorstep no stranger to eccentricity, picks up on the plight of our town's bike-riding rooster, Mr. Clucky. For their take on the fabulous fowl, click here. By the way, Mr. Clucky has his own website.

Biking Texas governor breaks collarbone

Gov. Rick Perry took a spill on his mountain bike yesterday evening. Scant details in the Austin Statesman:
Perry breaks collarbone in bike accident

Expressway along a bike trail?

In today's Miami Herald, Al Chardy describes a scheme to route general traffic onto the South Dade Busway, the two-lane road that for several years now has helped buses and emergency vehicles make speedy trips between Dadeland and Homestead. I follow the Busway with great interest, because both friends and family use those buses regularly and because I and other bicyclists find the South Dade Trail, close beside the busway, a glorious way to travel. You can read Chardy's report by clicking here.

Virginia Key Master Plan on a fast track

That development-intensive plan for Virginia Key gets a quick pair of airings this month before a likely Miami City Commission vote on June 25. The preview a couple of weeks ago showed acres of facilities designed for people to drive to in their cars, with thousands of parking spaces in multi-story garages. Yes, there were mountain bike trails and a small BMX course in the plan -- but if you think you would be riding with nature all around, you should take a close look at the drawings at www.virginiakeymasterplan.com (go to public presentation 4).

The first of the June meetings is Tuesday, June 9, before the Miami Waterfront Advisory Board, 6:30 p.m., at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, FL 33133.

Then there is a presentation to the city's Planning Advisory Board at City Hall on Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m., and finally the City Commission meeting Thursday morning, June 25.

Bike-riding rooster faces eviction

Miami Beach authorities have ticketed the owner of bike-riding rooster Mr. Clucky and told him to get rid of the rooster or move out of the city. Full details are in The Miami Herald. The photo of Mark Buckley and his feathered friend is from the Miami River Day in April 2008.

Bikely may help you know where to go

The number and quality of route listings at Bikely have grown since I last checked in a year or two ago. Miamians will find several contributed by Miami Bike Scene blogger Rydee, for instance. Also check out the proposed circuit for a Bike Sunday up the road in Hollywood, where Neil Fritz has compiled a fascinating cue sheet. That little city is filled with interesting things. I continue to like Map My Ride, though its slow servers have seriously annoyed me the last few times I visited.

For the summer, Bike Miami Days is morphing into Bike Miami Rides. The first will be held on Sunday, June 21. It's to be a 10-mile ride from Bayfront Park into Little Havana and back, with stops at city parks along the way. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Tina Hills Pavilion and plan on getting back about noon. Streets will NOT be closed. There's more information at the Bike Miami Days Blog.

South Miami hopefuls on bicycle issues

With interest growing in bicycling and walking in South Miami, Green Mobility Network put three questions to the three candidates for an open seat on the SoMi City Commission. Their complete answers are below. Green Mobility takes no position on the relative merits of any candidate.

If you were elected to the City Commission, what would you do to facilitate bicycle and pedestrian movement in South Miami?

Rene Guim: Fortunately, bicycle usage is on the rise and we need to find ways to foster and encourage the cycling activities. Whether the bicycle enthusiasts are geared towards transportation or exercise, they both need dedicated paths that are continuous and safe. I will work as a commissioner to ensure that :

1. We have adequate and sufficient bike paths throughout the city.
2. That there is ample safe bike parking in the business and downtown areas.
3. I will work with surrounding cities and the county government to ensure that bike paths are continuous and seamless wherever possible.
   

Alec Rosen: I would promote bicycle paths within the city. Bicycle safety programs for citizens of all ages, bicycle campaign to get people to ride their bikes to the metro or the downtown area as well as having secure bike racks in strategic places within the city. If the city can’t afford the bike racks, I would seek private funds from local businesses to be bike-friendly with sponsored racks by their establishments.

Lew Sellars: I will always be interested in making the lives of South Miami residents better. It accomplishes two goals in my opinion. First, it is a healthy way to travel and secondly, it will cut down on green house gases emitted by our motor vehicles. To me that is a win-win. If I am not mistaken, there is a bicycle path improvements planned for 80th Street in the current five year Capital Improvements Plan. The project, though currently unfunded, is scheduled for the two fiscal year period of 2009 through 2011. Additionally, there is $1.5 million in the current budget year for a pedestrian friendly initiative at the US-1 intersections located in the City. This project is funded by the State. I am not sure whether Federal or State grant money would be available to help fund any other projects, but I am willing to work with you to find out.


Do you see the bicycle as primarily a toy, a recreational vehicle or a means of transportation?

Rene Guim: I see the bicycle as both a means of transportation and as a great source of recreation and exercise. It has become increasingly popular to travel around South Miami, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove via bicycle. I meet people everyday who tell me that it is their primary or at least frequent mode of transportation. Bicycle usage is an excellent method to improve our green initiatives and safeguard our environment and should be invested in and promoted.

Alec Rosen: All of the above. Depending on the age and use of the bicycle for the person. I’ve always owned bikes as a kid and now as an adult. I taught my children how to ride a bicycle and bike safety. I also taught my wife how to ride a bicycle when we lived in New York, so we could go riding in Central Park and Prospect Park.

For small kids and teens a bike means freedom, a set of wheels for the park or the neighborhood, to meet and gather with friends and have fun and experience freedom.

For adults a bike is a complex relationship between recreational, sports and transportation. I use my bicycle for recreation as well as transportation. About once a week or so, I use my bicycle to commute to work and to go to yoga classes on the weekends.

Lew Sellars: I consider all three.


When did you last ride a bicycle?

Rene Guim: I rode my bicycle this weekend while visiting residents in South Miami to solicit their support for my campaign. My 13 year old son and I often take our bikes to Matheson Hammock on weekends and ride to Cutler Bay along Old Cutler Road. Beautiful scenery and an excellent opportunity to bond with my son, not to mention the health benefits.

Alec Rosen: I ride at least once per week. I own an Electra Amsterdam Classic, in forest green, great for city riding and commuting the 1.5 miles from my home to my office or to yoga class. I also ride with my family throughout South Miami and area parks. I love my bike's classic look, fenders, rack and the little bell!

Lew Sellars: It probably has been about four years. I have a bike, but it always seems to have a flat tire or being used by my son. My children ride their bikes all the time. My son, Trey rides his bike throughout the City. It is his primary form of transportation. And yes, I am concerned because he crosses US-1 almost daily.

With road signs, context counts

This sign for bicyclists has been attributed to both Louisiana and Florida. Whichever it is, the photo's too good not to share.