Bicyclists - love them or hate them, no in between
Whenever groups of bicyclists are brought up, they are either loved or hated.
I showed a video on Facebook yesterday of bicyclists riding off from CocoWalk at 7 am on a Saturday morning and people commented with things like, "A bunch of menaces breaking the law," and "What is wrong with the Redlands where there’s no traffic?"
I showed a video on Facebook yesterday of bicyclists riding off from CocoWalk at 7 am on a Saturday morning and people commented with things like, "A bunch of menaces breaking the law," and "What is wrong with the Redlands where there’s no traffic?"
I don't like when the cyclists block traffic, and I've written here about that in the past, but at 7 am on a weekend morning, there is not much traffic.
There is a big discussion about it on our Facebook page. I like that people aren't anonymous there and they stand behind their comments.
I don't post the videos to start trouble, I just try to post content on the Grapevine social media sites to keep them current, but an interesting conversation is being had there. One of the cyclists in the video spoke up, too.
The cyclists the only life on the streets on weekend mornings. I'm sure places such as Starbucks, Greenstreet and Lulu appreciate their business and don't mind them spending time in the Grove.
By the way, many of these cyclists live in and around the Grove, why would they go to the Redland to ride? I had to laugh at that comment. But what does that mean anyway? Are they do drive down to the Redland alone in the dark on their bikes and meet up there or are they to put their bikes in their cars and drive down there and then ride around, defeating the whole purpose of the ride and going green?
One person suggested they ride around here because they want to be seen. I think it's because they live around here. Not many people live in the Redland, the majority of residents live in central Miami and we are sort of ground zero.
posted by Tom Falco at 7:00 AM
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2 Comments:
As a Grove resident and as a cyclist maybe I can help shed some light.
First, Coconut Grove used to host a bicycle circuit race that started in 1972 and was on & off again through the late 90's. The Grove has always been seen as a bike friendly community.
Second, Key Biscayne has always been one of the safest places to ride so C Grove is a good meeting place to start and offers decent parking. On the weekends you will see school parking lots in the area full of cycling enthusiasts since parking is ample.
Third, cycling is an endurance sport. Most cyclists ride more than 50 miles in order to achieve a good workout. 50 miles is more than most people drive their cars on a daily basis. This mileage is difficult to comprehend for the 'average' person. To achieve a good workout one must ride to Key Biscayne, circle for at least 2 full loops then ride home. That gets boring so on the weekends we like to "go south" to get a change of scenery.
Fourth, cycling is expensive. Most of the bikes you see on the road cost over $4000. That is why they get stolen. I see many comments by people who believe that cyclists don't own cars, think again. 95% of us own multiple cars and spend thousands of dollars a year on cycling related items. It is NOT a cheap sport.
Fifth, lots of cyclists break traffic laws. The traffic rule breaking goes for both drivers and cyclists. It is a problem that needs to be addressed is this City by it's residents. There is a pervasive mindset that the rules apply to everyone but me.
True, most cyclists are car drivers, so we tend to respect cars. Most of us, not all. Some rookie cyclists do make mistakes and or abuse their rights at times. However, you can bet that all drivers who hate bikes haven't ridden a bike in decades. Thus, the ignorance and the hate. Get off the couch, ride a bike, then talk about it.
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