M-Path Bicycle and Pedestrian Path

Depending on what you’re using the M-​Path for, it can be pretty great or kind of craptastic. If you’re looking for a relatively safe, direct bike route to get from point A to point B along US 1, then the M-​Path is a great option for you. If you’re looking for a jogging or bike trail for some serious workouts, you will be greatly disappointed in the M-​Path.
Here’s why it sucks for leisure and exercise: It crosses many busy intersections, you may «lose» the trail in one or two sections due to poor signage, south of the South Dadeland metrorail stop it gets pretty sketchy (i.e. Don’t go there after dark. Ever.), lots of bums doing their bum-​thing along the trail even in the fancy areas of Coral Gables, you’re right on US1 so you’re pumping your lungs full of car exhaust, cars honking, running through the metrorail stations because that is where the path goes.
Here’s why it’s not so bad:
Someone commented on an intersection that had no crosswalk or walk indicator for pedestrians/​cyclists. Every single intersection I’ve come across has been well-​marked and safe, so maybe they fixed this recently. Also, the pedestrian walk/don’t walk lights are automatic, so I like that you don’t have to push each one and wait for it (yes, I’m the only person in Miami that actually follows them). The trail is very wide and generally well-​maintained. Surprisingly, drivers are slightly more cognizant of pedestrians along this trail than in most other parts of Miami. The areas north of the South Dadeland metrorail stop are relatively pretty (for being along a major roadway) and seem quite safe. Using the trail very early in the morning (or perhaps very late at night) will allow you to avoid a lot of the car-​related issues and the awkwardness of running/​biking through the metrorail stations. Even if you lose the trail for a quarter mile or so, it is pretty easy to pick up again after you get around whatever obstruction it was that diverted the trail (like the South Dadeland metrorail station).

I tried riding a bike around Miami last time I visited my family — and it was pretty clear pretty fast why Miami was voted one of America’s worst bicycling cities.
This trail is no exception. I gave up after just 15 minutes, upon reaching a FIVE LANE FREEWAY INTERSECTION with NO TRAFFIC LIGHT OR or other support. WHATSOEVER. Seriously?
Wasn’t a surprise that the trail was completely empty. Who would actually ride such a thing?

We’ve all seen this path that snakes underneath the MetroRail from Downtown, passing next to The U on the way down to Dadeland and then it STOPS Well now that they have built a bridge to mind the gap, you can somewhat continuously ride your bike all the way down to Florida City My only wish is that they would have built bridges over all the intersections on US-​1 when they built the MetroRail so you wouldn’t have to stop at all That would be a magical ride My Old Man would LOVE it
Let’s see what some of our bike community leaders have to say
«Including three cities and a county park in this ride is symbolic of how the M-​Path ties our community together,» said Dario Gonzalez of Emerge Miami, one of three groups putting the ride together. The M-​Path Extension officially opens sometime in February. That will mark the closure of the Dadeland Gap, the 1.2-mile section that was left out of the M-​Path when it was built along with the Metrorail guideway on the former route of the Florida East Coast Railway. «The M-​Path is a priceless asset for active, healthy living,» said John Hopkins, executive director of Green Mobility Network, which has made M-​Path improvement a key goal of its advocacy program for the past four years. «We are thrilled to see it completed.»
At the Dadeland South Station, the path connects with the South Dade Trail — and from there you can ride beside the Busway all the way to Florida City. They combine to make a 31-​mile, offroad route all the way to downtown Miami. Think what that means for walkers, joggers, and cyclists in omestead, in Goulds, in Pinecrest and so on, right up to the Miami River. «May the Snapper expressway bridge show that locally and statewide, we aggresively pursue and improve all types of green mobility which promote walking, biking, and transit,» said Maricé Chael, an architect and co-​founder of Bike SoMi.
History Lesson
The M-​Path was built 28 years ago as a service road for the Miami Metrorail, the elevated commuter railroad between Dadeland and downtown Miami’s Brickell financial district. Joggers, cyclists and everyday strollers soon adopted it. Today it’s a popular commuter path for cyclists in Coral Gables and points south who enjoy breezing past the rush-​hour drivers on South Dixie Highway. While Miami-​Dade Transit owns the M-​Path, the M-​Path Extension was constructed under a contract managed by the Florida Department of Transportation. The project includes new pathway at each end and north of North Kendall Drive, seven signalized crossings, and the 200-​foot bridge across the mouth of the Snapper Creek Expressway. There’s also an attractive stretch along the C-​2 canal at the Dadeland North Station.
Surveyors started driving stakes to outline the new path in January 2011. The budgeted cost was $ 4.5 million. Initial financing came through Florida’s share of federal Transportation Enhancement funding, augmented by stimulus money after planners decided that adding a bridge to the initial plan would make for safer travel. The county’s M-​Path Master Plan outlines a series of safety enhancements to include lighting, signed and signalized crossings, and some path realignment. Plans for the first of those are underway.