This is all the result of a groundswell of bike-activism, led by small grass-roots groups -- Emerge Miami, TransitMiami.com and the Green Mobility Network -- pining for more space for cycling and walking as an alternative to cars. Activists got Diaz's buy-in at a meeting in February after delivering a briefing paper and a big binder with examples of other cities' bike plans and ordinances.

The activists say they are impressed by city staffers' follow-through, but acknowledge that making Miami bike-friendly will require far more than slapping stripes on asphalt.

The city, they say, has agreed to supplement the mapping with public campaigns to educate motorists and cyclists alike on how to safely share roadways. (Bicycles are vehicles under state law, meaning cyclists have the right to use roadways, as well as the obligation to observe traffic laws.)

''This is an uphill battle, because Miami grew up around the automobile.'' said Hank Sanchez-Resnik, a member of Green Mobility's board and Diaz's new Bicycle Action Committee. ``The entire street grid, the buildings, it's all designed for cars to move quickly. It's a city for cars, not for people.

``We have an awful lot of catching up to do, but at least it's happening.''

The city's goal is ambitious: to earn a designation as a bike-friendly city from the League of American Bicyclists by 2012.

That would be quite a turnaround. In its June issue this year, Bicycling magazine named Miami one of the worst cities for cyclists in the country.

The action plan is meant as a precursor to a more-comprehensive bike master plan the city pledges to develop within five years. In time, the idea is to have a network of safe, mostly on-street bike routes linking major corridors, neighborhoods, parks and schools, supplemented by widely available bike racks and covered parking.

The routes would include not just bike lanes but also ''bike boulevards'' -- side streets made safe for bikes through traffic-calming approaches such as narrower lanes.

The plan would require all city-sponsored events to provide bike parking. It would also seek ways to encourage developers to include showers and lockers in new or renovated buildings for bike commuters.

Routes would be coordinated with Miami-Dade County, which has an existing bike program. Miami-Dade planners are working on plans for commuter bikeways as well as greenways that would link neighborhoods and the county's far-flung parks.

The aim, activists say, is to allay the average Miamian's fears about cycling, not the Lycra lizards who already brave the city's mean streets.

Thus Bike Miami, which is designed to both gauge and stoke interest in cycling in the city. And, not incidentally, to show off the gradually revitalizing downtown.

Plans are still coming together, but the city and its supporters hope to create a family-friendly, fair-like atmosphere.

They encourage attendees to take public transit and visit new restaurants and shops, Bayfront Park and the new art-filled baywalk at the mouth of the Miami River. Free bike-valet parking will be available at Bayfront Park and Mary Brickell Village.

'We hope people will say, `Hey, it's safe, it sounds good, I'll bring the kids and the family,' '' Sanchez-Resnik said. ``It has great potential to galvanize the community and let people know Miami is doing something to promote bicycling.''

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