Unscientific Transit Miami research says “yes”. On my morning ride today, I decided to count cyclists and cars during 5 minute periods. If you may recall, I shot a five minute video a few weeks ago and I counted about 180 cyclists. Here are the results of today’s handle bar research:
| Number of Bikes and Cars Counted in 5 Minutes on the Rickenbacker Causeway | |
| Bike count #1 | 124 |
| Bike count #2 | 153 |
| Bike count #3 | 87 |
| Average # of bikes in 5 minute period |
121 |
| Car count #1 | 87 |
| Car count #2 | 128 |
| Car Count #3 | 101 |
| Average # of cars in 5 minute period | 105 |
It seems that bicycles alone outnumber cars. I did not count pedestrians, but there were a lot of them out there. I think it would be fair to assume that pedestrians and bicyclists outnumber cars on the Rickenbacker Causeway on weekend mornings.
So when is the county going to start closing down a lane of traffic on the weekends for pedestrians and cyclists to exercise safely? I don’t have the answer to that question, but I can say with all confidence, this initiative is long overdue.
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14 Responses to Do bicyclists and pedestrians outnumber cars on the Rickenbacker Causeway on weekend mornings?
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Hey, leave Key Biscayne alone. There is only ONE road in and out, you don’t have to block it to vehicular traffic. Even on the weekend, if there is an emergency, with one less lane you jeopardize everyone.
Why don’t you take your little bikes and go back to suburbia? Go tell the County to put bike lanes on Kendall and 567th avenue!
The road belongs to Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami, NOT to the Village of Key Biscayne. Get that into your head. Residents of Key Biscayne, once you go past “La Carreta” you’re entering unincorporated Miami-Dade County. Kendall is also part of said unincorporated Miami-Dade County. The causeway is ours.
Thank you.
Exactly, this is why I am going to put a bike path that leads directly to your driveway, Kendall Drive is ours too!
I have a better solution, lets close the whole causeway to vehicular traffic and ferry the residents through the bay, Like the do in the affluent village of Fisher Island!
Oh the back and fourth is ridiculous. This doesn’t have to be an either or question. There is plenty of room for both motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.
The current plan for the Rickenbacker is fair to all off the above. If this is not enough for you GBK you can move off the Key and get everywhere you want to go by car. Unfortunately, there still are not enough places to ride safely around the county, which is why so many flock to the Key.
Enjoy what you have, maybe all the time sitting in your car and in traffic has made you grumpy, maybe you too should try riding or walking the Key.
“Unfortunately, there still are not enough places to ride safely around the county, which is why so many flock to the Key.”
Great observation!
So why not go bitch and tell the County to make the rest of the County “bike friendly.”
I bet a bike path along Krome Avenue would be awesome! What about 297th street and 857th avenue?
It’s sad to admit it, but the Rickenbacker is perhaps one the safest places to bike in Miami. That being said, we have averaged about a fatality every couple of years during the past 5 years. Numerous serious injuries have also occurred which have gone unreported. (Check out my post on the history of accidents on the Rickenbacker below). This is not good enough; the Rickenbacker should be much safer than it is.
If we can’t the make the most popular cycling destination in South Florida safe, I don’t have much hope for the rest of the county. A precedent needs to be set on the Rickenbacker Causeway. Taking appropriate action on the Rickenbacker would send a clear message to the cycling community that the county is taking pedestrians and cyclists seriously.
http://www.transitmiami.com/2010/04/16/a-brief-history-of-accidents-on-the-rickenbacker-causeway/
The main problem with the Rickenbacker is that it is THE ONLY way in and out of Key Biscayne, with a population of over 10,000 (caused by the crazy County zoning laws that governed back in the day).
Limiting the access in and out of the Key by closing off or narrowing roadways will be disastrous in emergencies and natural disasters.
Much in the same way most of Dade County makes no sense in terms of planning, it makes no sense to limit access to a population of 10,000 by tinkering with their only access road in and out of where they live.
This isn’t talking about closing down the lane all day, or at least it shouldn’t be. It’s only during the early morning when the cyclists are out riding/training and the residents are having breakfast or sleeping. At that time it doesn’t really affect traffic much since traffic is minimal. The problem is that since traffic is minimal, the drivers feel the urge to speed. Putting the most distance with speeding drivers and cyclists is good for everyone.
Another thing is that a lot of cyclists are on the key every weekday morning at 6 am. Sometimes a single group will have 100 riders. At 6:00-7:30AM, the times when the largest groups are out during the week, motorist traffic is nearly non-existent, but the ones that are there tend to buzz us, honk for no reason and just be angry. At that time a lane should also be closed. We had a flat in a small group of 8 bikes a few weeks ago and a few of the riders went down, a few landing on the road and being narrowly missed by a county bus. The narrow, bumpy, gravelly bike lane doesn’t make it very safe for cyclists to ride when a bus passes by you at 50 mph with only a couple of feet to spare.
Closing a lane in the morning will no negatively impact 99% of the people on key biscayne, also having a lane designated as closed will no have any effect on emergency vehicles.
Sorry Key Rat, but closing a lane of traffic on weekend morning from 6-10am will have little to no effect on Key Biscayne residents.
Designing a Rickenbacker Causeway so that the design speed does not exceed 40 mph will have little effect on Key Biscayne residents as well. On the other hand, it would make it much safer for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists.
Your hyperbole regarding emergencies and natural disasters ain’t gonna fly here. You make it sound like any tweaking of the roadway will bring transportation Armageddon to the Key; this simply is not true.
Thanks for telling a Key Biscayne resident what Key Biscayne needs. Typical Dade County mentality.
I am going to go hang out in your neighborhood (wherever that is), block your ingress and egress, weave in and out of traffic while you drive, and then I am going to make demands as to how your neighborhood should operate.
Better yet, I would love to build a skate park right next to your suburban McMansion. Skaters have rights too!
Rat,
Read my comments and post again. I’m not telling a Key Biscayne resident what they need; I’m just letting Miami Dade county residents (Key Biscayne residents too) know that they deserve a safe place to bike, walk, and run . Please stop with your gross exaggerations, slowing down traffic and closing a lane of traffic for a few hours on weekend mornings does not equate to blocking the ingress and egress of Key Biscayne residents.
I welcome you with open arms to Belle Meade where I live. While you are visiting, please tell FDOT to slow down traffic on Biscayne Blvd to make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Last I checked, this post has nothing to do with skate parks. If you would like to discuss skate parks, please allow me to direct you to the below link:
http://www.transitmiami.com/2010/07/02/biscayne-skate-park-dead-on-arrival/
I wouldnt mind the bycicles if it wasnt because they cant remain within their bike path…they invade the vehicular normal flow and stress out traffic by staggering and cutting in front of other vehicles without even looking. Im not generalizing but some are like that and its pretty disturbing. Some want to ride along with their partners and ride out of the bike path and that is very selfish. If they know they are going to do that they should consider riding somewhere else where they dont disturb normal flow of traffic.
@ A Driver or teresara
how can you say you don’t generalize when you just finished saying this on the Miami Herald site?
“YOU bycicle people need to relocate you and your intruse sport some where else like homestead or florida city…or better…rent a stadium and go in circles in groups of 20+ or as many as you wish!! LOL… and thanks for your attention…I love it!”
that’s exactly what generalizing and stereotyping is. I can generalize as well and say that anybody that can’t spell bicycle shouldn’t be trying to debate anything on a text based forum.