Miami Bicycle Master PlanOne part of urban design that is important in Miami is the maintenance and development of bicycle friendly streets and infrastructure. As the popularity of bicycling grew as an efficient and enjoyable mode of transportation and exercise, the city adopted the Bicycle Action Plan in 2008 to plan for its future growth. The Miami Bicycle Master Plan was completed in 2009 which was intended to work collaboratively with the Miami 21 Zoning Ordinance. This plan projected the next 20 years of bicycle infrastructure development. [1]
First, the existing bike paths up until 2009 were all mapped out and evaluated. At this time, only 1.6% of the city streets had bicycle lanes. In order to get full support in building new paths, the city reached out to the public and surveyed residents who often bike. Surveys showed that over 80% of responders bike at least once a week, mainly for recreational purposes or as a mode to work. A large portion of the survey showed that people are skeptical and avoid biking because of a lack of facilities and safety. [1] The plan came up with a number of different types of lanes that could be safe and friendly to those who choose to bike. For example, one is a very simple bicycle lane painted on the street along the edge to dedicate an area for bikes only. Another is to pave bike and pedestrian only paths through green areas and parks and also to connected neighborhoods or down scenic routes around the city. Figure 1 shows many of these different types of new bicycle infrastructures, some seeming more effective and safe than others. With the new plan proposed until 2030, the end result is an increase from 1.6% to 33% of city streets with bikeways. [1] A heavy focus of the Miami 21 Zoning Code, being developed greatly influenced by New Urbanism and Smart Growth, pertains to the development of bicycle infrastructure. This ranges anywhere from lanes, paths, and parking spaces for bikes. The codes also focus on developments of streets and public areas to be bicycle friendly. For example, Code 3.6.10 sets very specific requirements for where and how many bicycle parking spaces there must be and their accessibility to the rider. Although Miami 21 was adopted after the completion of the bicycle plan, it was still written in accord with the zoning code. The code also offers more guidance in the direction and requirements that the bicycle plan will have to accomplish to meet their goals. [1] [2] One of the many districts of Miami that is set for development in the bicycle plan is Little Havana. This area is full of mixed-use areas with community buildings, commercial space, schools, parks, and open space. The area is separated almost into a grid format with many perpendicular, one-way streets, which are not bicycle and pedestrian friendly. However, biking is still a relatively popular mode of transportation in this area for its simplicity and efficiency. Unfortunately, for this reason, between the years 2005 and 2007, 30 bicycle crashes were recorded, the majority on intersections of high traffic volume, and many more were likely undocumented. The plan wants to be able to connect the many areas of Little Havana through an effective and safe active transportation system. One solution is to turn some of the smaller streets that run parallel to major streets into designated, dual directional, bicycle routes. The streets, regardless of size, can also be turned into shared-use paths, as seen in Figure 1. [1] |
Sources:
[1] The Street Plans Collaborative. Miami Bicycle Master Plan. http://miamigov.com/bicycleInitiatives/docs/20111012_Final_MBMP.pdf. Revised October 2010.
[2] Miami 21 Code: Volume I. http://www.miami21.org/PDFs/May2015-VolumeI.pdf. Amended May 19, 2015.
Images:
Figure 1: The Street Plans Collaborative. Miami Bicycle Master Plan. pg. 6-4. http://miamigov.com/bicycleInitiatives/docs/20111012_Final_MBMP.pdf. Revised October 2010.
Figure 2: The Street Plans Collaborative. Miami Bicycle Master Plan. pg. 19. http://miamigov.com/bicycleInitiatives/docs/20111012_Final_MBMP.pdf. Revised October 2010.
[1] The Street Plans Collaborative. Miami Bicycle Master Plan. http://miamigov.com/bicycleInitiatives/docs/20111012_Final_MBMP.pdf. Revised October 2010.
[2] Miami 21 Code: Volume I. http://www.miami21.org/PDFs/May2015-VolumeI.pdf. Amended May 19, 2015.
Images:
Figure 1: The Street Plans Collaborative. Miami Bicycle Master Plan. pg. 6-4. http://miamigov.com/bicycleInitiatives/docs/20111012_Final_MBMP.pdf. Revised October 2010.
Figure 2: The Street Plans Collaborative. Miami Bicycle Master Plan. pg. 19. http://miamigov.com/bicycleInitiatives/docs/20111012_Final_MBMP.pdf. Revised October 2010.