2016 Ride of Silence May 18, 2016, Key Biscayne, Florida

It was my honor - and responsibility to participate in the 2016 Ride of Silence held on Key Biscayne.

This is a local event of a worldwide movement designed to raise awareness of cycling deaths, injuries and remembering those no longer with us, killed while riding. I was inspired by Maribel Reyes (who lost her husband one year earlier near the starting point) & the bike community leaders that I'm proud to call my friends. I join the, in hoping there are no new reasons to do a Ride of Silence.  Thank you to all the organizers and sponsors who worked hard to make this event possible.

See NCB6 report - Ride of Silence Held in Key Biscayne, Stephanie Bertini reports

I am in a unique position on this issue, however, and ask my fellow council members to work with me to move bike safety off the planning stage and onto the implementation stage.  Bikes are a fact of life on our road.  They need room to be safe.  Drivers need room to pass them safely as well as to operate their vehicles.  See the 2006 law (as contained in a 2015 amendment) -  The driver of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle must pass the bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle at a safe distance of not less than 3 feet between the vehicle and the bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle.

Don’t drivers want, require, more room along our roads to operate?

It is time to focus on an issue long overdue for completion – the bicycle lanes in Palmetto Bay.

I am working with neighboring municipalities and Daniella Levine Cava, our County Commissioner, but it requires the support of a majority of our own village council to make it a reality. 

Palmetto Bay is a municipal partner of Miami-Dade County Bike305, and this will continue under my leadership. I will continue to support and work with groups such as the Green Mobility Network.

Let's all continue to work together and make biking even more accessible, more fun and most of all, safer for all involved.

Above: I am photographed with Maribel Reyes Frankie Ruiz, 

Sue Kawalerski, Eli Stiers and Ralph Rosado

Pictured above:  Libia Casas, Eugene Flinn, Ana Rivas Logan, 

Belen Valladares, Guillermo Cremati, and Mercy Maturrano