Traffic alert: Driving in Miami or Miami Beach? What to know about Critical Mass delays
As if getting around Miami and Miami Beach by car isn’t headache enough, add hundreds of bicyclists rolling en masse along a 20-mile route just after rush hour Friday evening.
Miami Beach police calls it a “not sanctioned or permitted” event. Detractors have a more colorful epithet. Biking enthusiasts love it.
However you look at it, Critical Mass is a well-known and promoted event in South Florida’s biking community. Permits or no, the event rolls the last Friday of each month, as it has for about 10 years.
Cyclists are expected to ride through Miami on Friday, March 31. Drivers, take note for likely delays.
“To frustrated motorists, borrow a bicycle and try joining the ride sometime with some friends. You never know, you just may experience one of the most fun, free, and healthy social gatherings South Florida has to offer,” promoter Miami Bike Scene posted on its website.
The ride will roll through Historic Overtown, Wynwood, Little Haiti, Upper East Side, North Bay Village, North Beach, Miami Beach, Venetian Islands and downtown Miami, organizers say.
This ride starts near downtown’s Miami-Dade Government Center at 7:15 p.m., and circles Miami and Miami Beach for about 20 miles until it reaches the starting point at the conclusion.
Despite noting that Critical Mass has never been an approved event, Miami Beach police posted a map and alert on its social media pages. “In the interest of public safety MBPD will have officers at key intersections along the route.”
Miami police did not post on its social media pages or its website and did not return a Miami Herald email inquiry.
Here’s what cyclists and motorists need to know about the route.
Major streets affected
Downtown
▪ Government Center, 111 NW First St., is the meeting place at 6:30 p.m. After the 7:15 start, cyclists turn right onto ...
▪ Northwest Second Avenue. Cyclists turn left onto ...
▪ Northwest 11th Street. Cyclists turn right onto ...
Overtown
▪ Northwest Third Avenue. Cyclists turn left onto ...
Wynwood-Edgewater
▪ Northwest 22nd Street. Cyclists turn right onto ...
▪ Northwest Fifth Avenue. Cyclists turn left onto ...
▪ Northwest 36th Street. Cyclists turn left onto ...
Little Haiti
▪ Northwest Third Avenue. Cyclists turn right onto ...
▪ Northwest 54th Street. Cyclists turn left onto ...
Little River
▪ Biscayne Boulevard from Northeast 54th Street to Northeast 79th Street. Cyclists turn right onto ...
Miami Beach
▪ 79th Street Bridge
▪ Collins Avenue (from 71st to 41st streets)
▪ Pine Tree Drive
▪ Dade Boulevard
▪ Venetian Causeway. Cyclists head back to Miami and cross Biscayne Boulevard at Northeast 15th Street.
Miami Bike Scene urges riders to use extreme caution here because of the armadillo lane separators at this location. “The armadillos are spaced very close to each other and this can be very dangerous when riding in a group. It’s probably best to just ride on the road, as you will not be able to safely pass riders that are on the bike lane,” the group posted on its website.
READ MORE: Replacing the Venetian Causeway bridges will take years
Downtown
▪ North Miami Avenue from Northeast 15th Street to Northwest Third Street. Cyclists then turn left onto Northwest First Avenue and end at the Government Center where the ride began a couple hours earlier.
