TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020
TO: CITY MANAGER NORIEGA
CC: MAYOR SUAREZ & CITY OF MIAMI BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Dear City Manager Noriega,
The tragic death of a cyclist this weekend in Virginia Key is an infuriatingly stark reminder of how biking remains a dangerous, and sometimes fatal, experience in the City of Miami. We, as a City, have failed to protect cyclists by not delivering a safe and protected bicycle network.
The location of this weekend’s fatal accident (Sewage Plant Road) was slated to have bicycle lanes implemented in 2010. Instead, the area appears to have sharrows (also known as shared lane markings), an ineffective form of “infrastructure” that does not protect cyclists from vehicular traffic.
The City must complete its Miami Bicycle Master Plan, adopted over a decade ago, with a special focus on dangerous corridors that urgently need protected bike lanes.
Safe and protected cycling infrastructure is the only way to make biking safe and accessible to people of all ages and abilities – especially at a time when cycling is (or should be) safer than mass transit, and the economic strain of this crisis is forcing families to choose between rent, food – and their car payment.
We are attaching a list of the bicycle lane projects outlined in the 2009 Miami Bicycle Master Plan. The progress thus far has been a complete and abject failure. We are requesting a full response on why these projects have not been implemented, and what remedial actions will be taken to implement them, including the priority corridors that complete the core network.
We look forward to receiving your response and working together with your new administration to complete the overdue infrastructure in the Miami Master Bicycle Plan.
Sincerely,
Transit Alliance