NO TO BOAT RAMP

On Feb. 25, 2021, with an update on March 1, Miami Herald reporter Linda Robertson alerted Miami’s public with an excellent piece: “Faster cars, more people on Rickenbacker revive call to redesign road. ‘It’s wild out there.’”

This past Sunday, two cyclists were killed on the Rickenbacker Causeway on Virginia Key, joining the growing list of cyclists fatally hit by cars. The fast and dangerous traffic has been well documented. And yet, there is a proposal already in the permitting process to increase traffic on the Rickenbacker with lines of vehicles pulling boat trailers. A boat ramp is being planned next to the Miami Marine Stadium.

To access planned trailer parking and the boat ramp, mainland traffic will have to turn left across the causeway, causing congestion. No traffic study has been done. No plans for traffic regulation have been made. Due to vehicle size plus trailers, weekend back-ups are a certainty, adding to the already dangerous conditions.

The Virginia Key Advisory Board has publicly opposed the boat ramp and trailer parking from the get-go, clearly understanding the hazardous environment that would be created. The Virginia Key Alliance also has been against the boat ramp and trailer parking lot from the beginning.

No one in authority, it seems, is listening to concerns raised by the public regarding safety and traffic.

Robertson’s article ends with this: “Let’s stop waiting for another tragedy. [We] need to be more civilized about our shared public spaces. We must make this the signature recreational route of our city rather than a scary death trap that’s designed for speeding cars instead of people.”

Well, another tragedy just happened.

When is enough enough?

– Sunny McLean,

Coconut Grove