To protest the fragmented and incomplete state of the bicycle lane networks in modern American cities, the Washington Post created a map of every bike lane in Washington D.C. and other American cities (starting with just a few, but then mapping many more). The city that came in the dead worst was, well, Miami, with a map that looks like it was drawn with a pen that had already run out of ink but occasionally left a scratch mark.
Okay, so we all know why Miami fared so poorly here. Admittedly, this wasn't a comprehensive look at bicycle networks in every American city, so there's probably some city somewhere that's even worse. Of course thats no excuse, particularly considering Miami's notoriously bad drivers. The Washington Post may have missed a couple of the newer lanes here or there, being reliant on data published online, but that probably didn't make too much of a difference. Miami lacks lanes because we just don't have it together, like Portland (At least we don't have their weather though).
First of all, although we have one of the best bicycle-sharing systems in the country, we just don't have very many bike lanes and, besides occasional new additions, neither do we have much of a plan to add more. Bicycles are also expressly prohibited in a few areas where they might make some sense, at least during certain times of the day, like the Miami Beach Boardwalk. Bicyclists who ride down Lincoln Road are also actively ticketed. And, well that's basically it. The Cities of Miami, Miami Beach, and the other municipalities of Greater Miami have don't have bicycle networks because they just haven't gotten their shit together about it. Come on guys!
Oh, and even though those 'bike lanes' across the Julia Tuttle Causeway are on this map, they're scary as shit and shouldn't count. Seriously?
· How Hard it is to Get Across U.S. Cities Using Only Bike Lanes [Washington Post]
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