| PROJECT NAME: | Zebra Family® separators protect Venetian Causeway bike lane. |
| CITY: | Miami Beach, Florida. |
| LOCATION: | Venetian Causeway |
| INSTALLATION DATE: | December 2021. |
Venetian Causeway is one of the essential routes in Miami-Dade County, with approximately 1,500 cyclists crossing it daily. Due to this reason, the safety of these 2,5 miles that connect Miami and Miami Beach is at the forefront of both cities’ agendas.
Miami is one of the cities with the highest number of cyclist accidents in the United States. As a result, the protection and safety of the Venetian Causeway bike lane have become a top priority on the city’s agenda.
Need and objectives of the project.
After the different accidents in the area, it became evident that using only white paint to separate the bike lane from the traffic lane was insufficient, and the need for physical protection was paramount to ensure the safety of this bike lane.
At the same time, the narrow roadway, the large variety and number of users such as cyclists, motor vehicles, scooters, runners, pedestrians, and the limited buffer space available complicated the potential solution.
Furthermore, Venetian Causeway runs over a bridge, which meant that installing separators for the bike lane on the road required different technical specifications compared to a regular street.
The proposed solution.
The Miami Dade Department of Public Works (DTPW), in collaboration with the cities of Miami and Miami Beach and several bicycle advocacy associations like Transit Alliance Miami, decided to launch a pilot project to enhance the cycling infrastructure of Venetian Causeway. They chose to rely on one of ZICLA’s solutions to protect the bike lane.
The adopted solution involved installing Zebra 9 separators in parallel over the existing dividing line to protect the unidirectional bike lanes on each side of the roadway. They chose ZICLA’s separators because they matched their aesthetic, size, durability, safety, and ease of installation requirements for the project.
Other projects in Miami Dade where Zebra Family® separators can also be found.
The city of Miami Beach has taken advantage of the different dimensions of our Zebra Family® separators, as well as the various possible configurations when installing them, to adapt to each street’s specific characteristics and needs. We are honored that the city has repeatedly relied on ZICLA’s solutions to create a safe, comfortable, well-connected cycling infrastructure.
For example, other iconic streets in the city, such as Ocean Drive and Meridian Avenue, also have bike lanes protected with Zebra Family® bike lane separators. Using an oblique configuration, they opted for the Zebra 13 on both roads to protect unidirectional bike lanes.
