City staff advise against banning bikes and skates on the Mid-Beach Promenade

Miami Beach police and transportation staff recommend against banning bicycles, skates, skateboards and other non-motorized wheeled devices on the Miami Beach Promenade, according to a city memo for the Nov. 9 meeting of the commission’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee.

The Promenade, formerly Miami Beach Drive, is a shared path between Collins Avenue and the beachwalk from 24th to 29th Street. Motorized vehicles are already banned there under city code. Commissioner Alex Fernandez asked in July for the committee to consider banning all wheeled devices.

After meeting in September and October, the two departments found no pattern of formal complaints from neighbors, according to the memo. They say the path is wide enough for mixed use and that a ban would cut into its long-standing use by families for leisurely biking and skating.

If the committee still wants a ban, staff suggest first hiring a consultant to count pedestrians, cyclists and other users over four days, Thursday through Sunday, at an estimated $12,000 to $15,000. That would need a budget amendment this year or money in the fiscal 2028 budget. Without a study, the city could instead run a pilot ban.

The memo adds that a ban could be revisited if the city rebuilds the Promenade under its master plan, which would narrow the path to about 15 feet.

The committee meets Monday, Nov. 9, at 9 a.m. at City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive.