Coral Gables will crack down on use of bikes, skateboards and electric scooters on sidewalks
Coral Gables wants to increase fines for people who ride bicycles, skateboards and motorized scooters on sidewalks in an effort to crack down on repeat offenders who endanger pedestrians.
“We are trying to harmonize pedestrians, scooters, bicyclists, cars, tractor trailers — all in the same downtown district area,” Police Chief Ed Hudak said at last month’s City Commission meeting.
“If everybody stays in their lane — no pun intended — we would be fine,” he added.
Riding bikes, electric scooters and skateboards is currently prohibited on sidewalks on Miracle Mile, which is the city’s upscale shopping district, as well as on Giralda Avenue and parts of Ponce de Leon Boulevard, and punishable by a $35 fine. But after receiving “several complaints,” Coral Gables plans to increase the penalty to $100 for the second offense, and $200 for the third and subsequent offenses.
“We don’t want another incident where we have pedestrians coming out, coffee in hand, not seeing the scooter or the bicyclist coming down Miracle Mile, and getting a serious injury,” said Commissioner Rhonda Anderson.
The current proposal does not apply specifically to electric bicycles, which other Miami-Dade cities have struggled to regulate. In December, Key Biscayne proposed a total ban on electric bikes, which the police chief had described as a “huge safety issue.” But the Village Council withdrew the proposed ordinance in January after some council members said it might be overreaching.
In Coral Gables, cyclists are generally allowed on sidewalks when there isn’t a designated bike lane, Hudak said. But Miracle Mile is an exception.
“The City should provide safe infrastructure for bicycle riders, considering opportunities that would accommodate the most vulnerable riders, particularly children, elderly and timid riders,” Deborah Swain, chair of the nonprofit cyclist organization Bike Walk Coral Gables, wrote in a letter to the city. “Unfortunately, the City of Coral Gables has taken actions that discourage this form of transportation.”
Swain said her group “strenuously urged” the city to create a bike path on Miracle Mile, which she said “may be the most auto-congested street in Coral Gables.”
Another cyclist, Christine Rupp, wrote that the sidewalk is “the only safe zone” in the downtown area.
“It makes no sense to punish cyclists when, due to lack of bike infrastructure, the sidewalk is the only option,” Rupp said. “... The City should be encouraging the use of bikes for their numerous benefits and ensuring the safety of cyclists instead of punishing them.”
Vice Mayor Mike Mena said he understands residents’ concerns over the lack of bike infrastructure.
“OK, I hear you,” Mena said. “That’s probably fair on some level, and we’re going to try to do better with that as we move forward. But that has nothing to do with allowing bicycles on the sidewalk in our highest pedestrian traffic areas . ... That’s a recipe for an accident.”
He added that the proposal is not supposed to be “anti-bicycle,” but that it’s a safety issue for everyone — cyclists included.
The City Commission will vote on increasing the fines at its Feb. 14 meeting.