Advocacy & Safety - 10 Cyclists Struck by a Taxi on the Causeway to Miami Beach

Sadly, further proof of Miami's unfriendliness to cyclists:

http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2008/08/24/11/933-bike.embedded.prod_affiliate.56.JPG

From the Miami Herald:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/655723.html

"Police said it is unclear why the Yellow Cab driver, also eastbound on the causeway, struck the riders from behind. He did not have any passengers onboard at the time."

Eastbound at 8 a.m. = morning sun in his face - which may be one factor aside from gross negligence.

Cycling on a six-lane highway? You'll never find me trying that.

From the Palm Beach Post:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/08/24/0824bikeshooting.html

The most savage state in the country. Build a wall around Florida, not Mexico.

No doubt the cyclists "swerved." :rolleyes:

BTW the article is followed by the usual idiot comments.

Now for some good.
I guess it(something good) had to happen eventually :

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_UM_Freshman_Car_Ban.html

Read the Comments!

http://pod01.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=55020.76&nav=messages&webtag=kr-miamitm

BTW....they said the cyclists were "plowed down" by the taxi. Bad writing. You plow things UP. The cyclists were actually mowed down.

I hate sloppy journalism.

I have lived/stayd/visited a lot of places but South Florida is unequivocally
the worst driving I have ever seen. It goes into the realm of criminal negligence.
As I ponder some of the stuff that can be done I really, truly believe the Right-Turn-on-Red
Should be done away with for one thing. It has ceased to even be a brake tapping event.
Here in Waste Palm, drivers really think that the right turn rollers have right-a-way
over left turning, green lighters. Its absolutely insane. To even try to cross Rt. 1 as a
ped can turn into a 10 minute affair. Really. Left turn lanes that require a U-turns into
oncoming traffic get to neighborhoods and stores on the opposite side of the road.
South Florida should be a mandatory study for any urban planner on what not to do.

Cycling on a six-lane highway? You'll never find me trying that.

If it's the only way from A to B... guess you aren't going to B, ever.

If it's the only way from A to B... guess you aren't going to B, ever.

Nah. I'll take a motor vehicle, like 99.9% of the other people on the interstate. Somehow they manage to get across without bicycles.

There is a causeway -- with much slower traffic -- VERY close to the causeway where the cyclists were hit -- they choose the 6 lane one because it has a couple of high bridges (the other one, the venetian causeway, does not) and because there is some room to the outside of the lanes (the other has very little). That being said - it's also a causeway known for the speed of the cars -- I got caught between two cars that were racing each other one night -- they swerved in and out and around me (and I was probably doing 70) -- then swerved back into each other further up the causeway -- wiping out.

And for a group ride at 8AM on a Sunday, it shouldn't be a big deal... Cab company is going to **** their pants when they find out the cost to repair/replace those bikes at least triples the cost to fix that PoS Crown Vic.

Nah. I'll take a motor vehicle, like 99.9% of the other people on the interstate. Somehow they manage to get across without bicycles.

Not everyone owns a car.

Now for some good.
I guess it(something good) had to happen eventually :

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_UM_Freshman_Car_Ban.html

I feel that a lot of campuses do that. Reading the comments for that article it just reminds me how easy it is to be a tough guy behind a monitor.

If you are going to ride on the street be careful of your choice of streets and on top of that don't give motorists any reason to think that you do not belong on the road and in the middle of the lane. If you ride on the very edge of the road motorists will know you aren't used to riding on the street. If you ride in the right tire track I find motorists give me more room except for the occasional moron who still decides that going into the other lane is too much work for him. The law in most places (if not all) is that cyclists need to be as far to the right as THEY deem safe.

Riding on such a busy road is never a good idea though, but if it has a wide shoulder and they were on it more power to them. Either way the taxi driver is at fault, he rear ended someone going slower than him. If it was another car that he rear ended he would be paying up right away, but since he hit bicycles it's a whole different story...

Either way the taxi driver is at fault, he rear ended someone going slower than him. If it was another car that he rear ended he would be paying up right away, but since he hit bicycles it's a whole different story...

Like I said... "the cyclists swerved." :rolleyes:

Not everyone owns a car.

But I wasn't talking about what most people did, was I? I made a direct statement that I wouldn't ride on six lane highways on a bicycle, and you turned that into an implication that I would never be able to travel anywhere. That assumption has since been proven to be incorrect.

If you want to discuss why other people ride on the interstate, go right ahead. But I'm referring to what I am and am not willing to do, and for me, there are a long list of alternative means of transportation I am willing to pursue that don't require the use of a bicycle on the interstate. I can drive myself, carpool, rent a car, take the bus, call a cab, and so forth. I will not ride a bicycle under such conditions.

If you ride in the right tire track I find motorists give me more room except for the occasional moron who still decides that going into the other lane is too much work for him.

Mostly true where I ride, but I find cranking 20+ mph gets me more respect than lane position alone. And motorists have a bit more leisure to time their merge into the next lane if I am going faster than 20. So everyone wins.

...that don't require the use of a bicycle on the interstate.

Is the roadway in the OP story and interstate highway?

Like I said... "the cyclists swerved." :rolleyes:

yeah probably. Maybe they even appeared out of thin air.

as I continue to read some of those comments it makes me wish all online threats were treated as real threats and that the police would track you down by the IP address from which the threat was posted. This would really shine light on all those morons who think they are so tough behind their monitors and if they were posers it might actually save a life.

Is the roadway in the OP story and interstate highway?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Causeway It's technically an intrastate waterway.

And for a group ride at 8AM on a Sunday, it shouldn't be a big deal... Cab company is going to **** their pants when they find out the cost to repair/replace those bikes at least triples the cost to fix that PoS Crown Vic.

That's nothing compared to the civil suit they and the driver should have coming.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Causeway It's technically an intrastate waterway.

An interstate highway has nothing to do with intrastate waterways. County roads cross intrastate waterways. I was just asking 'cause I imagine it to be illegal in Florida to bike on Interstate Highways. Is the road in question a State Highway?

But I wasn't talking about what most people did, was I? I made a direct statement that I wouldn't ride on six lane highways on a bicycle, and you turned that into an implication that I would never be able to travel anywhere. That assumption has since been proven to be incorrect.

If you want to discuss why other people ride on the interstate, go right ahead. But I'm referring to what I am and am not willing to do, and for me, there are a long list of alternative means of transportation I am willing to pursue that don't require the use of a bicycle on the interstate. I can drive myself, carpool, rent a car, take the bus, call a cab, and so forth. I will not ride a bicycle under such conditions.

No, my point is that this is an autocentric society and provisions are not made for those that do not drive, for whatever reason. That issue is what makes us addicted to oil.

I made no assumptions. Just a statement based on your comments and your presence at a BICYCLE forum.

Oh and apparently you are "talking about what most people did," as most drive... for now.

Check the wiki link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Road_A1A_(Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Road_A1A_%28Florida))

It is a State Road. Perfectly legal to ride a bike upon, unless otherwise restricted and signed accordingly. I am imagining the two "humps" are the attraction for cycling and no doubt Sunday morning cyclists attacking the fake hills is a common occurrence.

I make no claims as to if it is a smart or a safe way to spend a Sunday morning. There are similar roadways in my community that the roadies attack on weekend mornings. I do not care to add that kind of danger to my day but understand the attraction to such things.

I made no assumptions. Just a statement based on your comments and your presence at a BICYCLE forum.

The majority of members on this site, from the polls I've seen, own or live with significant others who own motor vehicles. The only subforum where this might not be the case is the CF forum, and even there, I think more people are car-light than car free.

I don't really mind what others do on the highway, but I wouldn't bike under such circumstances.


Is the road in question a State Highway?

Check the wiki link.

The comments on the Miami Herald article are among the most vicious I have ever seen. Lem in Pa, unfortunately, may be correct in his assessment of south Florida drivers. I can safely say that while it's bad elsewhere in the state, it's not as bad as in S. Florida.

The comments on the Miami Herald article are among the most vicious I have ever seen. Lem in Pa, unfortunately, may be correct in his assessment of south Florida drivers. I can safely say that while it's bad elsewhere in the state, it's not as bad as in S. Florida.

1 out of 3 drivers here really wouldn't care if they killed someone. It's that bad and there is next to no bike-friendly infrastructure. The whole "Scarface Complex" thing doesn't help much, either.

Updated article here (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/655951.html) says the cabbie admitted faliing asleep.

Jesus, I'm pretty sure I saw this group this morning right before it happened! I was in a big group when I broke a spoke and had to stop. When I was stopped, I waved at group that went by that I have ridden with on many occassions that goes to Miami Beach! Damn I hope it wasn't them.

Yes, those comments are beyond stupid, they are the most hateful and vile I have read in a long time.

I have been accused on A and S of exaggerating how horrible drivers are towards cyclists in Miami, so if the comments don't prove it, I don't know what will.

1 out of 3 drivers here really wouldn't care if they killed someone. It's that bad and there is next to no bike-friendly infrastructure. The whole "Scarface Complex" thing doesn't help much, either.

There is definitely a cultural aspect to how motorists feel about cyclists and how cyclists react to that situation. I live in New Orleans, LA. Cycling here can be mayhem. Cyclists adjust by obeying their own set of laws regarding traffic.

New Orleans has no special provisions for commuting cyclists - i.e., separate paths. We do have bike racks on public buses. People use the racks too.

I am sad that more cyclists have been HBC. The silver lining here is yet another community has piped up about horrendous cycling conditions in general, something that seems totally foreign to many on A&S.

Updated article here (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/655951.html) says the cabbie admitted faliing asleep.

That's what my lawyer would have told me to say too.

That's what my lawyer would have told me to say too.

No, your lawyer would have told you to keep your mouth shut. Admitting to falling asleep at least admits to simple negligence, and potentially to culpable negligence. Some of the comments to the article indicated they thought the sun might have been in the driver's eyes, as he was heading due east at 8:00 a.m.

No, your lawyer would have told you to keep your mouth shut...sun might have been in the driver's eyes, as he was heading due east at 8:00 a.m.

Well, now everyone here knows I am not a lawyer.

F.Y.I.: The road in question is six lane only in terms of both directions of travel. Otherwise, it is three lanes in either direction, separated by a large median with foliage and palm trees.

Also has quite a wide outer lane, if you're into those sorts of things, though the WOL is usually littered with parked cars with cruise-ship watchers. Far right lane is also known for slow drivers pacing the ships.

-Kurt

F.Y.I.: The road in question is six lane only in terms of both directions of travel. Otherwise, it is three lanes in either direction, separated by a large median with foliage and palm trees.

Also has quite a wide outer lane, if you're into those sorts of things, though the WOL is usually littered with parked cars with cruise-ship watchers. Far right lane is also known for slow drivers pacing the ships.

-Kurt

All accurate information, but it is important to note that there are a few areas where the so-called WOL disappears entirely into the far right lane of traffic. Speaking of traffic, anyone who regularly drives through this area would not deny that its flow blasts down this stretch. Well above the posted speed limit of 50 mph.

In fact, the Miami Beach Police Department regularly parks "dummy" cars in the WOL to try to deter speeders in this area during the day. It is a remarkably bad place to ride considering the Venetian has lanes and much slower traffic. I'm not saying the Venetian is perfect, but the Macarthur is a death trap.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/Hec332/IMG000291.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/Hec332/IMG000311.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/Hec332/IMG000301.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/Hec332/IMG000321.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/Hec332/IMG000331.jpg

All accurate information, but it is important to note that there are a few areas where the so-called WOL disappears entirely into the far right lane of traffic. Speaking of traffic, anyone who regularly drives through this area would not deny that its flow blasts down this stretch. Well above the posted speed limit of 50 mph.

In fact, the Miami Beach Police Department regularly parks "dummy" cars in the WOL to try to deter speeders in this area during the day. It is a remarkably bad place to ride considering the Venetian has lanes and much slower traffic. I'm not saying the Venetian is perfect, but the Macarthur is a death trap.

Hey this looks just like the California arterials I ride all the time... same freeway like setting, same "shoulder"/bike lane, same excessive speeders...

Yup real bike friendly. So much for 10 cyclists being "conspicuous" enough...

"dem cyclists musta swerved... " :rolleyes:

The odd thing is.. that taxi seems pretty centered in the middle lane with no skid marks ... he hit them then veered back into the lane if the reports of the cyclists being in the southernmost (far right) lane are accurate,

That looks like more like a movie set than an accident scene. Man, what a mess.

Last year I witnessed a horrible accident between a car and a single rider. Judging by the damage to the bikes in the photos above, it is miraculous that they all survived. They must have 'swerved' at just the right time.

There was a similar incident here in Sydney during May.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2008/sydney_crash08

1 out of 3 drivers here really wouldn't care if they killed someone. It's that bad and there is next to no bike-friendly infrastructure. The whole "Scarface Complex" thing doesn't help much, either.

This is far from the truth. From what I've read on this board we are relatively lucky here in SoFla. I rarely have problems with cars. Today I had much bigger issues with other riders including some genius who doing 35 mph coming off the Key Biscayne bridge whistled loudly instead of saying "on your left" when he came up on a slower rider which caused the other rider to almost take out his buddy and me. Another problem is the following group who doing 30 or so will pass riders on both sides. While very unfortunate you can understand some of the riduculous and outrageous comments made about bicyclists as these idiots will do equally stupid things around cars.

Back on point, this was an absolutely unnecessary tragedy. I will not ride the McArthur Causeway because of the glass on the side of the road and the fact that cars fly here. The next causeway up is a pretty nice ride and except for the bridge work - which I get by doing Key Biscayne after Miami Beach - there is no reason to be on McArthur Causeway. Of course they should be able to ride it without risk and this should never have happened.

No one mentioned that Saturday morning a runner got killed by a car crossing US 1. Absolutely no reason that should have happened although many runners do not make themselves as visible as they should.

We have a lot of work to do here.

The odd thing is.. that taxi seems pretty centered in the middle lane with no skid marks ... he hit them then veered back into the lane if the reports of the cyclists being in the southernmost (far right) lane are accurate,

The "no skid marks" line is a red herring. Anti-lock brakes don't leave skid marks, no matter how hard you hit them. The taxi in the center lane is disturbing - you've got to hope the taxi swerved into that lane.

Those pictures are truly painful.

:notamused:I have never seen a cop here enforcing the steer clear 3ft law, I was pulled over while riding in a quiet suburban road because I was fixing my hear rate band and I almost got a ticket for wreckless driving. I wanted to send the cop to hell but you know you cant, at the end he let me go. Yes this city is crazy, I feel sorry for the guys of Team Paisa and there famous sunday ride! There is alwayds the risk of some AH driving high or sleeping like the cab driver in this case...:mad:

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI95087/

Lots of work to do here,local government could care less, we should organize and get gov and law enforcement to do something, how about a few hundred riders going at 10 miles northbound on US 1 at 7:30 am?:mad:

That is the team Paisa sunday ride, from kendall to SOBE Key biscayne back to kendall. Nice group for some reason it was pretty small today. No sure if the Paisa met them, i saw a few uniforms on the news..

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI95087/

The comments are brutal. Glad I don't live there :crash::crash::crash:

Best Comment:
"Road cycling is a European activity; this is Miami, Florida USA; I believe there are SOME differences in traditions and mentalities between the two regions. "

I'd say there are, judging from the comments.

This is far from the truth. From what I've read on this board we are relatively lucky here in SoFla.

I don't want to jack this thread and turn it into an argument, but are we driving/riding the same roads? After living in other large cities there is no question in my mind that, by and large, drivers here are recklessly aggressive and ignorant, road rage is rampant and so less of a value is placed on life that it is hardly a wonder that Miami routinely ranks as the #1 city with the "rudest" drivers. In hindsight, the 1 out of 3 figure I threw out there might have been a gross underestimate.

But I'm referring to what I am and am not willing to do, and for me, there are a long list of alternative means of transportation I am willing to pursue that don't require the use of a bicycle on the interstate. I can drive myself, carpool, rent a car, take the bus, call a cab, and so forth. I will not ride a bicycle under such conditions.

I'm not entirely sure that I care about that. I'm certainly glad you feel you can use all those options, but why it would matter to anyone else on this forum is a little obscure.

I'm not entirely sure that I care about that. I'm certainly glad you feel you can use all those options, but why it would matter to anyone else on this forum is a little obscure.

I don't really care if you care or not. I was responding to the insinuation that, without a bicycle, I would be unable to travel from point A to point B. Perhaps next time you could try reading the rest of the comment you selectively quoted, instead of taking the comment out of context to pipe in with how little you cared to read it.

where the cop cars are parked at the intersection is where the collision took place. he dragged the bikes for quite away, 150+ feet