In what seems like their never-ending quest to remain the most auto-centric government institution in the state of Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation continues to live up to their unspoken promise of neglecting the non-motorized transportation components of their projects.
You might have noticed that over the past month or so, FDOT has been resurfacing the Julia Tuttle Causeway. Although the asphalt looks great, they failed to consider pedestrians and bicyclists during the planning and implementation process of this project.
Miami Beach is connected to Miami through a network of four causeways. Unfortunately, the only legal means in which pedestrians and bicyclists can traverse Biscayne Bay is via the MacArthur Causeway, the Venetian Causeway or the 79th Street Causeway. The fourth causeway is the Julia Tuttle Causeway, and because it is considered part of the interstate highway system, bicyclists and pedestrians are prohibited from utilizing one of the main connectors between the mainland and Miami Beach.
All four causeways should, and can accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians safely. This is not debatable, since all forms of transportation converge at the causeways for connectivity between Miami and Miami Beach. It is much more difficult for a bicyclist or pedestrian to go 5-6 miles out of their way to arrive to their destination, then it is for a motor vehicle. Bicyclists and pedestrians should not be forced to choose an alternative route when there are so few options. The MacArthur, Julia Tuttle, and 79th Street Causeway should have a designated and protected bicycle facility due to the high speed and volumes of motor vehicle traffic. The Venetian Causeway, with lower speed limits, can accommodate bicyclists more safely with clearly marked bicycle lanes. Regardless, every causeway should be evaluated independently since each one could have a contextually appropriate facility.
The recent resurfacing was another lost opportunity for FDOT to prove to that they understand the “complete streets” approach to engineering roads for motorized and non-motorized vehicles as well as pedestrians. Although there is real difference between street resurfacing projects and larger infrastructure, the assertion could be made that at present, the Julia Tuttle has a long stretch of mostly unused greenspace that could serve perfectly as a bike path on either side, allowing access to the water, recreation etc. along the highway’s trajectory. In any case, here we are in the 21st century, and FDOT is not taking the initiative and considering non-motorized transportation in many of their projects. The fact remains that it is still illegal for bicycle and pedestrians to use the Julia Tuttle Causeway.
Rumor has it that the MacArthur Causeway is due for an overhaul soon, and that Bicycle Lanes are to be part of the project. Let’s hope that FDOT follows through, and adds contextually appropriate, physically protected bikeways.
Related posts:
5 Responses to Oops, FDOT did it again…
Leave a Reply
Contact Us!
Planetizen – Urban Planning, Design and Development Network- Toward a Universal Subway Typology May 16, 2012Brandon Keim explores the fascinating findings detailed in a new paper, which shows that the world’s major subway systems appear to be organically converging on an ideal form.read more […]
- Should the Bay Area Have Four Million More Residents? May 16, 2012Noting the Bay Area's relatively slow growth rate over the past two decades, Timothy B. Lee argues that the area's "bad housing policies" are harming business growth and investment opportunities in Silicon Valley.read more […]
- What Does "Creative Placemaking" Look Like? May 16, 2012Launched one year ago, ArtPlace works to accelerate creative placemaking by making grants and loans. So what does that actually look like on the ground? A new video from ArtPlace gives a glimpse of what they've accomplished so far. read more […]
- Cities Fight Over Shrinking Convention Pie May 16, 2012Despite a dramatic decline in the number of, and attendance at, conventions nationwide, cities across America are investing their limited resources in building and upgrading convention centers. Fred A. Bernstein explores the irony.read more […]
- What Are (Realistic) Options For Federal Transportation Funding? May 16, 2012With the unlikely possibility of the Congressional conference committee agreeing to a new transportation bill, much less an agreement to address the decreasing gas tax revenues to the Highway Trust Fund, Kathryn Wolfe looks at the remaining options.read more […]
- The Dangers of Walking While Poor May 16, 2012Low income people are more likely to get hit by cars. Kate Hinds reports on the social and infrastructural factors responsible for the disparity.read more […]
- Sprucing Things Up on the Wrong Side of the Tracks May 16, 2012Will French takes a look at the success of Birmingham's downtown revitalization, which – in the absence of a waterfront – embraced its historic railroads, instead.read more […]
- New York's Killer Trees May 16, 2012It sounds like the plot out of a bad B movie, but to the families of those killed and injured by falling limbs and branches from trees in New York's parks and public spaces, it's a real-life horror story that raises questions of municipal liability.read more […]
- Television Series Tackles Weighty Issue May 16, 2012Sarah Henry spotlights "The Weight of the Nation," a new series airing this week on HBO that explores obesity and its enormous economic, emotional, social, and health costs.read more […]
- What's Left for Venice in Its Golden Years? May 16, 2012Josh Stephens muses on the modern state of an erstwhile global capital that has kept its aesthetic charms, but lost its anima. read more […]
- Toward a Universal Subway Typology May 16, 2012
- John.Hopkins's blog
- Curds 'n' waves at Cabot ride sendoff May 13, 2012A few intrepid bicylists pedaled out from Miami's Bicentennial Park on Saturday to start the Cabot Community Tour, a 2,300-mile journey up the East Coast Greenway to Portland, Me. In this pre-ride photo by Suzanne Kores, the long-distance riders are in white jerseys. Cabot, the Vermont farmers' cheese cooperative, held a little fair for them on the […]
- Cyclists ride in Rocafort's memory May 7, 2012Hundreds of cyclists turned out on Sunday to honor cyclist Miguel Rocafort and appeal for the driver who struck him down on March 31 to surrender to police. "We'd like to encourage the guy who hit Miguel to turn himself in," said Eli Stiers, chairman of SafeStreetsMiami, a traffic safety campaign of Green Mobility Network. "It […]
- Ride for Miguel on May 6 April 26, 2012As you probably heard, our memorial ride for Miguel Angel Rocafort was postponed because of Sunday's hard rain Rocafort, of course, was the cyclist who was fatally injured March 31 at SW 137th Avenue and Eureka Drive. The hit-and-run driver who ran him down still hasn't been identified, but there's probably someone out there who knows who it i […]
- Curds 'n' waves at Cabot ride sendoff May 13, 2012
[...] DOT Has a Cars-Only Fixation Too (Transit Miami via [...]
[...] DOT Has a Cars-Only Fixation Too (Transit Miami via [...]
The thing is FDOT District 6 has this idea that Miami is too dangerous to ride a bike, so they don’t design their roadways safer to make it less dangerous to ride a bike.
This is not just cyclists that are excluded but pedestrians too. Some real effort should be raised to get them to seriously take them and their needs into consideration.
It looks like they prefer campers to bikers, pedestrians or runners … the number of tents along the causeway is growing everyday ! Very nice and clean in the middle of the city. However, what a terrific view they have.
[...] choice by FDOT not to include appropriate bicycle facilities on bridges and causeways (i.e. Julia Tuttle and MacArthur Causeway). FDOT needs to understand that they have an obligation to consider the [...]