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Last Saturday, the Green Mobility Network held a ride to celebrate the completion of the M-Path Bridge in Miami-Dade County. The bridge, a part of the M-Path Extension, is the final 1.2 miles of a multi-use path that was begun in the 1980s, and stretches from downtown Miami to the county’s southern border.

Discussions about a plan to complete this path have been happening since before the Green Mobility Network was founded in 2007. Since the organization’s beginning, it has monitored and publicized these discussions. Using funds from the stimulus bill, the Metropolitan Planning Organization moved forward in the plans to complete the path.

The Green Mobility Network has worked to increase the use of this trail, and to designate it as a part of the East Coast Greenway. Thanks in part to a 2009 Advocacy Advance Grant, Green Mobility Network was able to advance their ‘Complete the M-Path’ campaign, and increase the ease of biking and walking in Miami-Dade County.

“Until now, anyone needing to walk or ride from one path to the other had to pass through the big Dadeland shopping center parking lot and a warehouse district,” John Hopkins, executive director of the Green Mobility Network, says. “It was discouraging to cyclists or walkers; the timid just stayed away.”

Now the path spans about 30 miles, passing through university campuses, neighborhoods, shopping centers, flea markets, and local shops. It’s an easy, safe, fun way to get around areas of the community. Now it is “a really practical facility for recreation and daily commuting,” Hopkins says.

The past weekend’s celebratory ride was another way to bring publicity and excitement to the newly completed trail. The 125 cyclists who participated in the ride showed their excitement as they cheered the completion. Even the construction foreman came out to see the celebratory ride down the trail, smiling as the riders went by. Click here to see a video of the event from the Miami Bike Scene.

Photo: M-Path celebration ride (credit: Green Mobility Network)

The title conjures the image of a Buddhist monk in meditation, or, better yet, a graceful Shaolin warrior.

Mindful Bicycling: It’s a strategy that Floridians hope will elevate bike safety to a new plane of consciousness.

In the works for more than a year now, the Cycling Savvy website went live just this week. The brainchild of the Florida Bicycle Association and Commute Orlando, the new safety course aims to change students’ mindsets about cycling, as well as impart physical tactics to stay safe on the road.

“What we’ve learned from years of teaching is that information alone does not create the shift for most people,” Keri Caffrey, of CommuteOrlando, says. “The barriers are far less about skill or lack of knowledge than beliefs. We have to remove the baggage of the car-centric culture. We have to empower cyclists to see themselves as both in control of their environment and legitimate to exercise that control.”

“So, while most of the course content covers strategy,” she adds, “we’ve built in key discussion elements designed to change their beliefs about the roads, their place on the road and the inherent safety of mindful cycling. It’s far safer than driving a car.”

The Mindful Bicycling discussion seems to be resonating with students, both novices and experienced commuters. Feedback has been enthusiastic, Caffrey says. Through before and after surveys, the advocates are getting hard data, too, that will chart whether students are using their bikes more — especially for practical trips around town. Those kinds of stats could help advocates gain support from other areas, like environmental agencies and health organizations. They’re also aiming for the Florida Safety Council to implement Cycling Savvy alongside drivers and motorcyclists education.

Before that, though, they’re changing opinions one mindful cyclist at a time. “We are literally setting people free to choose a bicycle as a viable option to access any destination,” Caffrey says.

Click here to check out the Cycling Savvy site.