Florida’s Ciclovias and Potential for Transformation of the Right-of-Way

Stephanie Striefel, AICP

May is National Bicycle Month.  Florida and its largest city similarly honor bicycling and its important role in the health, welfare and mobility of many residents during the month of March.  The Governor’s proclamation declared “the bicycle plays an important role in the lives of many Floridians” for transportation, health and wellness, and helping reduce vehicle traffic and greenhouse gas emissions.  Mayor Manny Diaz of the City of Miami, followed up this proclamation with one of his own, for the City to recognize March as Bicycle Action Month, and encourages everyone to get out and ride.

Nevertheless, cyclists in Florida may find that to be a difficult endeavor.  In 2008, the League of American Bicyclists ranked Florida the 20^th Most Bicycle Friendly State in the nation.  In the report they indicated, “Florida has an excellent complete streets policy. However, the state has no cell phone use restrictions [for drivers] and high crash and fatality rates.” [1]

Figures from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from the years 1994-2007 show that Florida has consistently ranked number one in bicyclist fatalities per 1 million state residents.  Other states may occasionally have a higher number of absolute fatalities, but our rate is far higher.  This is not a statistic to be proud of.

*1996 rankings not available.

One essential finding from the transportation literature is that as more people use bicycling for transportation and consume space in the right of way, the more likely other cyclists are to also use that right-of-way (decrease in perception of risk).  As a result, more cyclists will begin to use the right-of-way, more drivers will become aware of their presence, and may be more likely to respect a cyclist’s right to be there.  This, in turn, ultimately increases the comfort level of all cyclists on the roadway, encouraging even more cyclists.  This concept of “comfort” in the right-of-way also happens to be one of the foundations of the bicycle level and quality of service developed by FDOT.

Engineering solutions are great, but it will clearly take more than striped bicycle lanes to change the State’s record on fatalities.  Motorists, and all other users of the right-of-way, need to be more mindful of each other’s presence, and respect each other’s rights.  For many of us, bicycling is more than just getting from place to place; it is a way to more closely connect to our communities and surroundings. 

Enter the Ciclovia.  Started in Bogota, Colombia in the mid-1990s, this “cycle way” is a special community event held every Sunday in that City, and involves the closure of major streets and thoroughfares to all motorized traffic within the heart of the City. 

Sometimes known as “Car-Free-Sundays”, ciclovias transform rights-of-way into true extensions of plazas and other public spaces.  The community interacts in a free-flowing mass of bicycles, pedestrians, and skaters.  This kind of weekend event has spread around the world, and in the last few months, has found a home in Florida.

Cyclists and pedestrians enjoying a Sunday ciclovia in Bogota, Colombia. Photo Credit: Author (2007).

 Communities as varied as Clearwater, Miramar, and Miami have hosted ciclovias.  Bike Miami Days has received national attention and has been held more than five times since its inception in November 2008.  As with Bogota, Miami’s event was the mayor’s idea and is coordinated through Mayor Manny Diaz’s Office.  On designated Saturdays, crowds of cyclists and pedestrians flood the streets of downtown Miami and ride a route from Brickell Village, north over the Miami River to City Hall in downtown, east to Bayfront Park and back.  Music, food vendors, and basic bicycle mechanic lessons are available for all participants.  The event itself is free, provides a forum for community interaction, gets people outside and exercising, and provides much needed visitation and an economic boost for local businesses on what might otherwise be a quiet Saturday downtown.

Besides the camaraderie and lifting of community spirit associated with a downtown bicycle festival, ciclovias and similar events have the benefit of raising the profile of cyclists, and also perhaps, their place in the right-of-way.  As a civic-based and public event usually accompanied by police support, a ciclovia presents a direct contrast to more informal, action-oriented gatherings.  Ciclovias raise the consciousness of recreational cyclist participants, most of who are otherwise not bound by circumstance to be cyclists for everyday travel needs.  Participants are also more likely to develop a better appreciation for riding in the right-of-way, an experience that will hopefully translate to a greater respect for the transportation disadvantaged when the participants are behind the wheel of an automobile.

For some, bicycling is not a lifestyle choice and a fun way to get around, it is the only transportation choice.  Bicycles provide a very low-cost transportation solution for transportation disadvantaged individuals. Bicycles have low capital costs, do not require fuel (beyond food for the rider), and have low maintenance costs.  One set of tube patches costs less than a gallon of gasoline.  For many of the poorest members of a community, a bicycle is the only way to move around efficiently.  These bicyclists, who are often already the “unseen” members of a community, need the recognition of belonging on the roadway.  To be sure, cyclist safety education is as much a part of the fatality problem as anything else, but bicycling safety is often a self-selected curriculum, and those who most need it may be the least likely to receive the information.  Planners can help by reaching out specifically to these communities.

If cities are willing to give bicyclists and pedestrians the entire right-of-way on special occasions, they may be more willing to provide facilities within the right-of-way for everyday use and for full integration of bicycles into the transportation system.  Reducing the perceived risks of cycling, whether through engineering measures to secure facilities for bicyclists in the right-of-way or by educating all transportation users of other users’ rights, as well as the actual risks of cycling through greater safety awareness, should be principal among the strategies for transportation planners in Florida. 

Bicycling is often viewed as a form of recreation or as a quirky, niche form of transportation.  These views discount the impact bicycling has on the lives of many Floridians and the role it plays, not only in everyday transportation, but as a tool for healthy lifestyles and healthy communities.  The temporary repurposing of the right-of-way has the potential to inform a number of changes for bicyclists, and pedestrians, and the perception of cycling as a legitimate and essential form of transportation.   Policies and strategies that do not compel a local government to take action will not create results.  Yes, funding is more of a challenge now than ever before, but change is in the air these days.  As planners in Florida, we need to capitalize on this movement, embrace it, and work to create a safer environment for cyclists statewide.