Florida has one of the worst pedestrian and bicycle fatality rates in the nation, so it's no surprise that a transportation conference focused on making our roads safer is now being held in Miami.
Participants, including transportation officials from various cities, rode their bicycles from downtown across the Rickenbacker Causeway Bridge and back again.
Of course, Rickenbacker is a mecca for cyclists and joggers, and it can be dangerous. From 2018 to 2022, there were 21 collisions between cars and bicycles, of which 16 resulted in serious injuries and two people died. The county has made safety enhancements, including more visible bike lanes and lower speed limits.
Cyclists love Rickenbackers, but they also fear them. NBC6 asked one cyclist if he felt safe there.
“No, I'm just riding inside,” Juan Hernandez explained, pointing to an off-road path rather than a causeway bike lane. “Well, I used to drive it all the way to the end on public roads, but I don't ride it there anymore because there were so many accidents, including fatalities.”
“I feel as safe here in Miami as I do anywhere else, but Miami is not very safe,” said cyclist Tom Sanchez.
Sanchez was asked if he thought the county had done everything it could to make Rickenbacker safe for bicyclists.
“They made a change, but after people died, right? It was necessary for that to happen,” Sanchez said.
Thanks to a grant from the federal government, pedestrian and bicyclist safety is further enhanced at some of the county's most dangerous intersections and roadways. Among the group cycling from downtown to Virginia Key was Polly Trottenberg, the U.S. deputy secretary of transportation.
“We have very beautiful cities, we're on the water, we have beautiful parks, but it's often very difficult to get between them on foot or by bike. If we just made more of those connections, this city would become more… I think it's going to be a nice place to live,''' Trottenberg said.
As part of Biden's infrastructure law, the federal government is contributing $16 million to Miami-Dade County for security improvements.
“Thanks to the federal funds we received, we are rebuilding some of our most dangerous areas where we have the most accidents,” said Mayor Daniela Levin-Cava.
Some of that money will go toward driver education.
“We want people to understand that they need to be more aware of pedestrians and cyclists and just slow down,” said Europa Cleckley, the county's transportation director.
