SW 136th Street Project update. Time for an honest discussion – the project designed by Palmetto Bay officials is hardly a bikeability project. It is comparable to the shared path along Old Cutler Road (OCR). I have several points to make here in this post.

The shared path designed for SW 136 Street by the present Palmetto Bay mayor and council is not a protected bike lane; it will function to the same extent that the Old Cutler Trail (OCR) is not a protected bike lane (OCR is a "Sharrow"). The 136 Street path will not be safe for cyclists who travel at fast speeds. Many of the cyclists who ride the road (as opposed to the share path) are travelling at speeds averaging 17 to greater than 25 MPH. Those speeds to not mix well with joggers, pedestrians, children, dogs or golf carts that will also be using a shared path (hence the name - "shared path")

Too few are willing to acknowledge that the bicycle is legally defined as a vehicle and the bicyclist is a driver under the Laws of the State of Florida (see Florida Statutes, Chapter 316.2065 Bicycle regulations.—). Bicyclists have the same rights to the roadways, and must obey the same traffic laws as the drivers of other vehicles. These laws include stopping for stop signs and red lights, riding with the flow of traffic, using lights at night, yielding the right-of-way when entering a roadway and yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks. 

Please note that this post is a bit technical, but it needs discussion as there are big issues that I see when looking at the current rendering for the SW 136th Street project is where does Palmetto Bay account for the cyclist on the roadway? The cyclists are missing. Why? Are Palmetto Bay officials wishing them away? These needs to be room for the cyclists and, more important, proper room for allowing safe passage around cyclists as the law is clear, 3 foot buffer required when passing:

The driver of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle, or an electric bicycle, must pass the bicycle, other nonmotorized vehicle, or electric bicycle at a safe distance of not less than 3 feet between the vehicle and the bicycle, other nonmotorized vehicle, or electric bicycle.
See: Florida Statutes 316.083 (1) (Bold emphasis added)

Issues that I have found with shared paths: Predictability is a huge factor in preventing accidents. Drivers look for the oncoming motor vehicles before they make turns. Cyclists on a multi-path are often far from the focused field of vision for motor vehicle drivers, especially if the cyclist is riding on a multi-path in a direction that is counter to the direction of the lane it is adjacent to (e.g. riding southbound on the Old Cutler Path, which is adjacent to the north bound lane of traffic on Old Cutler Road). Cyclists are often obscured by these vehicles and have moved into the path of the vehicle by the time the oncoming traffic has cleared.

The bottom line is that a multi-path is not a protected bike lane and anyone who thinks these paths are “safer” than bike lanes are fooling themselves (and putting people at risk). 

The sad part is that I can already hear the angst by motorists, yelling in frustration at these cyclists to ‘get onto the sidewalk that taxpayers paid $$$ millions for, but that cyclists refuse to use.” Facts are facts. Cyclists are legally allowed to use the road (Florida Statutes, Chapter 316.2065) and motorists are legally required to pass cyclists allowing for a 3 foot buffer.

It is too bad that current Palmetto Bay officials have failed to hold a public, open and frank discussion of these issues. Unrealistic expectations may have been set. 

SPECIAL NOTE: Look to the 3 areas I have circled in red (photo above). Moving from left to right, the first two circled areas are missing the anticipated cyclists. Will there be room for vehicles to pass safely, providing for the legally required 3 foot buffer? The 3rd area circled is equally concerning. 8-10 feet of shared path is alleged, but there does not appear to be sufficient room for cyclists and pedestrians to co-exist. Is this official rendering not to scale?