- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Miami and help keep the future of New Times free.
Today is the last Friday in July, which means one of two things: You're a committed Masshole prepping for tonight's meandering ride through town, or you're dreading getting stuck for a half-hour on the Venetian Causeway because a parade of hooting Critical Mass bicyclists is streaming across the road.
Traffic-wise, tonight's route is a doozy: As always, the ride begins at Government Center at 7:15 p.m. and consists of a 20-mile loop — north through Wynwood and Little Haiti, east onto the JFK Causeway, and then south on Collins Avenue before looping back toward the Venetian Causeway. These are, of course, some of the most congested areas in the county on a good day:
Unlike some other Critical Mass rides, tonight's route won't have a police escort, so if you do take part in the action, use extra caution. That's not a suggestion to be taken lightly: Florida has been the most dangerous state in America for cyclists for many years and, in 2018, per the Orlando Sentinel, led the nation in bike deaths once again. In 2016, New Times published a long-form feature about the abysmal state of bike-safety regulations in Florida. In the years since, very little has changed.
Keep Miami New Times Free... Since we started Miami New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Miami with no paywalls.
