Architect and cycling buff Bernard Zyscovich has a plan to turn the Rickenbacker Causeway into a "scenic road through a park" instead of the bicyclist-killing, highway-like strip of asphalt dotted with palm trees that it is now.
The proposal reduces the number of driving lanes from three to two, with the third becoming a separated and highly landscaped bicycle/pedestrian path that would begin at the junction of the causeway and US1, and extend all the way to the Village of Key Biscayne and its existing bike lane system. Although the project currently lacks funding ($20-30 million Zyscovich suggests) and any official backing besides a nod from the MPO, a much less expensive preliminary implementation could be installed using plastic poles similar to those found on the I-95 express lanes.
While Critical Mass and the recent death of a cyclist on the Causeway have heightened awareness of cyclist safety and prompted discussions, few large-scale improvements have yet to be made. Eventually, it would be nice to see bike lanes implemented along Bayshore Drive that could potentially connect the Key Biscayne Trail to the Commodore and Old Cutler Trail, creating almost 25 miles of continuous paths. And it would be a quick hop over to the M-Path, possible future location of its own linear park, the GreenLink.—Margina Demmer
· Architect proposes linear park for Rickenbacker Causeway [Miami Herald]