š„ Hereās Who Weāre Voting for in the Local Elections!
After you vote, read all about what's happening with Washington Ave
Weāve made our choice and will be casting our ballots for these candidatesā¦
MAYOR ā¢ Dan Gelber
GROUP 1 ā¢ Kristen Rosen Gonzalez
GROUP 2 ā¢ Mark Samuelian
GROUP 3 ā¢ Mike Barrineau
Wondering why them? Email us! But also, click here to read their answers to our candidate questionnaire!
RECAP ā¢ Ocean Drive and Washington Avenue Workshop
Two weeks ago, we recapped the discussion regarding Ocean Drive at September 23rdās special commission workshop, today we will focus on Washington Ave.
Watch the whole meeting here, Washington Ave begins at 2:56.
The Quick Summary
Washington Aveās protected bike lane pilot moves over 1000 cyclists a day (A 465% increase vs. before!) with virtually no impact on the roadās car capacity. However, the bike lanes are in jeopardy ā the transportation department did not propose a single long-term plan that retains them.
The Hard Truth about Modal Change
Our city needs fewer cars on the road, and the only way to get to a less car-dependent future is by promoting modal change ā turning a would-be car trip into a walking, biking, or bus trip.
How can Miami Beach do this? By prioritizing pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders, and deprioritizing cars. Sure, driving will be inconvenient, but thatās the freaking point! Especially when the change conveniences more sustainable transit modes and gets people to switch the ways they move around our city. The data shows, clearly, that the Washington Avenue pilot project was successful in doing just that, which begs the question, why is our city pulling the trigger on the bike lanes?
What Was Suggested in Place of the Current Configuration?
OPTION 1 ā BUS/BIKE HYBRID LANES
This idea isā¦ Okay.
Bike/Bus lanes have been implemented successfully in other cities and would speed up public transit on Washington Ave. However, there are significant concerns about how the city plans to keep drivers out of the lanes. Enforcement could be tough and, ultimately, people will stop biking if they donāt feel safe.
Portions of Washington Ave will have dedicated bike lanes on the northern sections of the street. If we have to choose between Option 1 and Option 2, this is the superior choice.
OPTION 2 ā BUS ONLY LANES, NO BIKE FACILITIES (WITH SUPERFLUOUS BIKE LANES IN PENNSYLVANIA AVE)
This idea, wellā¦ Sucks.
Part of what makes the Washington Avenue bike lane so popular is that it connects people to commerce. Segregating cyclists to a separate street without businesses or services is misguided, Pennsylvania Ave isnāt a through street and provides limited connectivity to the rest of the bike lane network, proposing it as a āsolutionā continues to perpetuate the sentiment that cyclists are second class citizens of this city.
Further action on Washington Ave will be taken during an upcoming commission meeting, considerable advocacy will be needed to make sure the bike lanes donāt get removed!
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