Dangerous Downtown; Discouraging Student Cyclists

Downtown Miami; Office execs speed walk with cell phones in tow, restaurant employees hustle 

as their “slow hour” is usually before closing, electronic store owners lean on long glass tables as 

salsa blasts with hopes of luring in tourists. Not your typical college town, downtown Miami is a financial 

district with no student housing and limited neighboring residencies. Therefore the schools located 

within are considered “commuter” schools.

A popular method of commuting to campus is by bicycle. It’s free and has the added benefits of a cardio workout. Downtown, however, is made up of narrow one-way streets that make riding through a serious hazard. While the city can’t reconfigure the roads they can take action. 

“The current signs have had little impact. It would be better if they blocked the lanes with cones or stand alone sticks to protect riders.” Jonathan Sauceda, New World School of the Arts student and cyclist says. Sauceda is referring to the traffic signs that hail a picture of a bicycle and can be found every few blocks in downtown, making people aware of the “sharrows” or roads meant for car and bicycle use. This being the city’s current effort to make Miami more bike friendly. 

Alessandro Perez, manager of The Scoot Skate and Bike shop thinks “there are fewer accidents, car drivers are forced to learn to share the road,” in response to the impact of the signage and sharrows. The city, however, can do more in the form of Public Service Announcements, “They need TV commercials, public forums or anything to let people know how to bike safely”, he says.

While the city has to take more initiative, some people feel that the cyclists, especially college age, could make themselves better equipped with safety gear and city rules. “It’s the personal responsibility of the student to learn how to ride bike along with traffic and obey traffic laws as well” Vanessa Rodriguez, bike patrol ambassador for downtown Miami says. 

Rodriguez has observed students riding on the opposite side of the street and other acts that disregard common sense law. Rodriguez thinks that if police officers wrote more citations to cyclists for breaking traffic laws it would greatly reduce future accident. 

Perez made it clear that young cyclists are partly to blame when he answered "People from the ages of 16-25, almost none" to how many young people were actually buying helmets or protective gear when purchasing a bicycle.

Cycling in Miami is increasing in popularity, as is evident by many local bike centered events, such as races to bar Wood Tavern or Miami’s Critical Mass. The city has been responding to this trend by creating bike lanes around Wynwood, Midtown and the design district but downtown, home to Miami Dade College and New World School of the Arts, seems to be a lesser priority. 

“I encounter like one accident every day riding to and from school”, Sauceda says “It’s ridiculous”. 

Miami does have a plan in motion, thanks to Street Plans, but it’s estimated to take at least another 16 years to complete. Hopefully with some more cost efficient actions, such as citations and P.S.A.’s, downtown can make moves now to keep its students safe. What does Perez want for the future? “Nicer people, share the road man.”

-Sarah Attias