Its official, Miami has a plan for bicycles. The Miami Bicycle Master Plan was approved unanimously (4-0) by commissioners today. This is fantastic news and is praiseworthy; however, the victory speaks more about a vocal, passionate, and diverse bicycling constituency that has made great strides over the course of the past year and a half.
Today’s victory for bicyclists is their second triumph in the past two months. A couple of months ago, this very same bicycling community, came out to speak in favor of the Miami 21 zoning code. Coincidentally, these advocates happened to be one of the strongest supporters of the transformative form based code that is now set to guide Miami’s future development.
It’s important that the bicycling community maintain pressure on elected officials to ensure that the plan is actually implemented. I have no doubt that it can be done. This was reinforced to me this past weekend by the thousands of bicyclists that attended Bike Miami Days. Momentum is certainly on our side and seems to be increasing. Last month’s critical mass ride set a Miami record with nearly 200 bicyclists. This month’s Halloween ride should easily supersede that number.
Bicycling is now in vogue in Miami, and this fad isn’t going away anytime soon. If you don’t have a set wheels you better get some soon. All the cool kids got them.
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Also a motion to build asap moutain bike trails on the Key.
BY ANDRES VIGLUCCI
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/1273637.html
“The commission did, however, endorse a proposal by Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, whose district includes the publicly owned Key, to immediately start work on two pieces of the plan: a mountain bike course on the island’s north point and an evaluation and cleanup of a toxic old dump, which is now capped, at its center.
Cycling groups have offered to build and maintain the course at no cost to the city.”
You made a mistake, there weren’t 200 bicyclists, there were 2,000!