Bike advocates keep working for better paths
BY CHELSEA SOLMO
Citizen Staff
North and South Roosevelt
boulevards have long been the bane of many bike riders' existence in Key
West. Although designated the "official bike path" in the city's code
book, the roads have not undergone significant improvements in more than
three decades.
"A whole generation of
bicyclists has known nothing but potholes," said Judi Bradford, a
representative from the organization Pathfinders, which has been
fighting for better bike paths for more than 10 years.
According to the Florida
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Monroe County has seen
an average of 86 bike-related injuries and two fatalities per year since
1990.
Named "the most dangerous
city for cycling" by Bicycling magazine in 1995, Florida Bike
Coordinator Dan Burden writes, "Bike-Fatality statistics show that it's
19 times more dangerous to ride in Key West (pop. 24,832) than anywhere
else in the nation."
Poinciana
Elementary School
teacher Seana Cameron said North Roosevelt is particularly dangerous.
"It is unpaved and
unsafe," said Cameron. "Cyclists are dodging each other. When I ride on
North Roosevelt,
my rims get bent and I get flats. It definitely discourages me from
using those means of travel and so I ride my car more."
According to the city of
Key West survey conducted for the city's strategic plan, 40.8 percent of
respondents thought it was very important to have better management
programs to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution and noise. Despite
the conditions that make the island ideal for bicycling, 95.4 percent
said they have driven an automobile in the last three months and 62.1
percent said parking downtown is usually a problem.
"If North Roosevelt were
improved and maintained, it would act as a promotion for tourism and
connect Old Town to New Town as well," said Cameron. "It would enrich
the stay of the people here. Once North Roosevelt is really a bike path,
tourists would have the opportunity to really explore the island and
have more reason to come back."
csolmo@keysnews.com |
