The Rickenbacker is the heart of South Florida’s recreational bicycle scene. Indeed, a recent Saturday morning count found 950 bicyclists entering the Causeway from the hours of 6:30am – 9:00am.
And while recent bicycle lane improvements have done much to improve safety along the Causeway, it’s entrance/exit at the Miami Avenue-Brickell-Avenue-South Dixie Highway-Southeast 26th Road intersections remain perilous for almost all users. The diagram that I made below reveals just how complex the environment is for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicle drivers. If you know the area’s traffic patterns, many of the necessary maneuvers forced upon bicylists and pedestrians, or taken by choice, are illegal and unsafe.
We now know the County is looking to improve traffic flow so that there is less automobile congestion. Yet, any “improvements” in motor vehicle flow will have to be met with a commensurate improvement in pedestrian and bicycle safety. Otherwise, it will be one step forward, and two steps back.
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I never understood why there isn’t a traffic circle there… It would make for a great entrance to Key Biscayne and Virginia Key from the west and Brickell Ave. from the South. Add a sculpture or some sort of art (not Brito please, he’s kinda saturated here) as a focal piece in the center and you have yourself a traffic calming/beautifying project in one step. You can then have cyclists and pedesrians cross in a much safer way as well as improve traffic flows.
How does a traffic circle help pedestrians and cyclists? Have you ever tried to cross lejeune, or sunset, or old cutler at the CocoPlum Circle?
Pardon me, I meant roundabout (there is a significant difference: A roundabout is a type of road junction or intersection at which traffic is slowed down and enters a one-way stream around a central island. Technically these intersections sometimes are called modern roundabouts, in order to emphasize the distinction from older circular intersection types which had different design characteristics and rules of operation. In the United States those older designs commonly are referred to as “rotaries” or “traffic circles”.)
Anyway, help yourself:
http://portlandtransport.com/archives/2005/11/traffic_circles.html
Juan,
thanks for the link and the eye opener. I didn’t realize there was anything different than what I’ve been dealing with at CocoPlum. I honestly don’t know how there aren’t more accidents at that circle. It’s so dangerous to navigate by car, much less on bike or foot.
That design from Netherland and Portland does like it would work.
Eddie