The theme for today’s party, Saturday, January 12, 2013 was “Alert today, alive tomorrow”. Held in downtown Fort Lauderdale at 290 NE 3rd. Avenue, the street was closed off to allow easy attendance also encouraging of course, safety.
As part of a program with Florida Department of Transportation to teach street safety launched in 2012, with a catchy logo of a crosswalk with a pedestrian in potential danger from an aggressive car, “Safety doesn’t happen by accident” is a fitting caption as Florida has been designated as one of the worst states in the country for bicycle safety. In a 2011 report by Transportation for America, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area ranked 4th. as one of the most dangerous for pedestrian safety.
According to a recent survey by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Health, at least 57 million people, about 27% of the population ages 16 and up are riding bicycles for exercise, health 41% and recreation 37%.
There is also a perhaps little known rule that requires cars to stay at least three feet away from a bicyclist or a pedestrian on the road. With more people taking to healthier, more environmentally friendly modes of getting around, we need to remember that cars should no longer be the king of the road. There is an ever increasing awareness that roads support many forms of transportation and sharing is key.
The TOUCH grant, administered through the Urban Health Partnerships, is promoting healthy living which includes the Broward Complete Streets Initiative aimed at educating and sharing information regarding healthy, more sustainable communities; something we can all benefit from.
To get more information:
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
Florida Department of Transportation
University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance, mini grants available
Broward County, includes a link to mapping a bike route, BIKEBroward
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