Many complaints about new bike/running path

There seems to be a major problem with the new surface being installed on the bike/running path in Kennedy Park. At first, it seemed like such a great new thing -- easy on the joints, bouncy to the touch, recycled material, but it's turning out to be a bad thing for most users.

The job cost $228,000 according to the City's Purchasing Department, but it may have to be removed and the old pavement may have to go back down. Bicycles, rollerbladers, skateboards, scooters and wheelchairs cannot use the surface, they sink in! It appears that the surface was intended to be a soft material for use under children's play equipment like swings and jungle gyms. The surface does not seem to be usable for other activities, except possibly running. But maybe not; one of the many complaints we received says, "My wife who likes to walk every day finds it really bothersome and the joggers I came across this morning were furious. It was like trying to run on sand!" He went on to talk about older people with walkers getting stuck, but we have not seen any, but the visual of the holes in the surface or abandoned walkers is quite funny.

According to District Commissioner Marc Sarnoff's office, the office behind the project, the surface is used in America's National Parks and is ADA compliant (complies with American Disabilities Act), but how? Wheelchairs sink into the surface and cannot roll easily.

The good part is that the surface is cool to the touch and not hot like the usual pavement, the bad part is that many don't like it and feel that they cannot use it, as you can see by the above photo taken at midday yesterday. People actually ride their bikes on the grass now. To be fair, the funds came from "Quality of Life" money earmarked for District 2 and the funds could only be used for quality of life projects, but there must have been some other project more deserving.

This project normally would have gone through the City Parks Department, but to save the City money, they were asked to step out of the procurement process and the City's Purchasing Department was asked to step in and take over. The Park Departments' long time vendors were left out of the process and the Purchasing Dept., who obviously has no clue on park improvement or maintenance, had this new surface installed.

A.C. from A.C. Icees is fielding complaints all day he tells me. There was nothing wrong with the original surface. Is this waste of government spending? We are not experts on this and only are reporting what people have been telling us. A.C. was at breakfast in the Center Grove one day and he brought up the subject then, we didn't approach him in the park, he was a mile away from the park, yet it was on his mind and he approached us. We also have received many emails and people have stopped us on the streets to talk about it.

I am told that various running groups will come to the Grove on Saturdays to try the surface out. Rather than go to Tropical Park and UM as they usually do. They may have a rude awakening. Maybe not. Many runners say they like the surface, while many say they don't.

Kennedy Park just won a Best of Miami Award from the New Times for Best Public Works Project, for the new gym equipment in the park. We are going to have to now give them the Award for Worst Public Works Project for the new unusable running path. We are calling it "The New Coke" award -- if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Join our Facebook discussion on the topic here.