Streets for People / Rebuild of South Street Is Complete and Includes Brand New Bike Lane

A $3.5 million dollar City rebuild of South Street between Duval and Reynolds Streets is wrapping up as the first coat of paint has gone down on the newly repaved and well-traveled street. Prior to the fresh paving FKAA utilities work was done and then new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalks and curb ramps, better drainage facilities with new curb and gutter, and new street trees were all installed. And yes, another wider than usual, brand new bicycle lane where none had existed before was installed for the entire length of the project going south towards the Southernmost Point Buoy.

We say “another” because just last April the City completed a similar rebuild project on United Street with all the same amenities and a brand new bike lane where none had existed before going northbound. Together the new South and United Street bicycle lanes act similar to the Fleming and Southard Street bike lane pair in getting people into and out of downtown. They help create a more connected network of lanes that provide easier and safer riding for bicycles and cars. That’s good news that should be celebrated!

Wider Is Better and Safer and Bike Lanes, Even When Next to Parking Are Better Than Sharrows

Along South Street the new inbound bike lane is designed to be 4’ wide with 2’ feet of buffer space for a total of 6’. We’re told this is considered narrow for a door-zone bike lane by State minimum standards, but it’s larger than the 5’ width local bicyclists are familiar with along Southard and Fleming Streets.

The less than a year old United Street bike lane, where it is adjacent to on-street parking, is about to 7’ feet wide to provide some buffer space for bicyclists from car doors. The parking stalls are narrow to encourage motorists to park close to the curb. Along the rest of United, the bike lane is 5’ feet wide as there is no parking.

So wider is safer and that’s better.

For those that abhor any bike lanes next to parking we’d point out that 1. While dooring is a legitimate safety concern, bicycles always have the right to get out of the bicycle lane and “take the road” by moving into the traffic lane if they feel safer there. And 2. A bicycle lane next to parking – and again these are wider than those installed in the past – is still better than no lane at all.

We’ve interviewed lots of people on bicycles on the Southard and Fleming pair of bike lanes. And while people on bicycles would prefer no parking next to their lane, the reality is that this City doesn’t give up parking. So when asked to choose between a lane next to parking or Sharrows or no lane, nearly all bicyclists say please give us a lane.

So again, we consider these two new bicycle lanes, where none had existed before, progress, and we’d love to see more. Furthermore…

New Bike Lanes Enhance the Network Effect

There are many examples in Key West of pieces of bike trails and lanes that just end, leaving riders with no choice but to suddenly mix with cars, Southard Street being our most egregious example, often on our most crowded and busy streets. In surveys people say the lack of a connected network of safe bicycle facilities to get them to work, shop and play, is what inhibits many people from riding a bike for transportation. The new South United and Street bike lanes will help better connect with a growing network on this side of town.

The bike lanes map here shows the new bicycle lane pair connecting to the Reynolds Street bike lanes which take you to Higgs Beach and beyond that on the Atlantic Boulevard Trail to the Bertha Trail and onto the S. Roosevelt Promenade. So, this gets people safely from the beaches into downtown without having to mix with traffic. Similarly, those using the Crosstown Greenway from the top of the island at the Cow Key Channel will now be able to get downtown on a safe bike lane.

Better, Safer Bicycling = Better Key West

Key West is full of cars AND bikes and that’s different than most places. According to the U.S. Census 15% of Key West residents’ commute to work by bicycle. That’s a lot more than some of the top “bike” cities in the country. Key West bike rental companies continue to do a record business. So, there’s a lot of bikes and now e-bikes and e-scooters mixing with golf carts, scooters, and cars. As so many of these people on the street are visitors from car-centric mainland places, they aren’t used to this jumble of vehicle types and that’s a dangerous mix. And that is why we need a seamless, connected, and safe network of bike facilities. It also helps keep bikes off our crowded sidewalks.

The South and United Streets projects represents progress toward that end. To make our little island a bicycle paradise that will help us fight traffic and parking congestion, improve our environment, and make us healthier, more prosperous, and happier too. Let’s applaud the City staff for continuing to move the ball of progress forward

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Chris Hamilton is founder of the local advocacy group Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown. Subscribe to the blog. Follow on Facebook and Twitter. A native of the District of Columbia, where for a couple decades+ he led nationally renowned efforts promoting transit, bike, walk and smart growth for Arlington County, VA’s DOT. Chris has lived in Key West since 2015. He lives car-free downtown and works and volunteers for a couple non-profits. You can find all of KONK Life Streets for People column articles here and here.

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