Well, its crazy that the Rickenbacker Toll has been in operation for so long (judging by the photo above). Ever since I could remember, that damn toll always pissed me and my family off. Well now, bikers may also feel the wrath of the epic tolling system and a wall separator of sorts for bicyclist planning on crossing the Rickenbacker Causeway onwards to Virginia Key and then to Key Biscayne. Cars are currently being charged $1.50, so if this Bike Toll passes, it might be half or near that.
While the Key Biscayne officials point to safety and future road and park developments, bicyclists and other county residents are pointing towards Key Biscayne’s continued effort to drive unwanted bike traffic away from the area and to further isolate Key Biscayne away from the general County population.
“This ‘wall’ is laughable at best,” wrote Miami Bike Scene on Facebook. “This is not about cyclists’ safety, this is about [Key Biscayne] residents wanting to no longer be inconvenienced by cyclists.”
Key Biscayne Vice-Mayor Michael Kelly, who said he bikes 4-5 days a week on the causeway, told HuffPost the council wants the Rickenbacker to be a “cycling-positive” road — but above all, a safe one.
“That’s the first and foremost concern,” he said. “There’s a lot of fear on the causeway. Our focus is trying to make it safer for everyone.”
He emphasized that the council’s proposal didn’t specify what type of barrier should be built on the Rickenbacker. Ideas have ranged from 6-inch tall rubber barriers to the tall plastic spokes used on I-95 express lanes or even grass, but Kelly said the intention of the resolution wasn’t to request “the Great Wall of China” and purposefully left out such details.
“The toll concept…was only one component of how this would be funded,” he added, noting that with the roadway paid for, toll revenue now covers other improvements like re-paving parking lots and adding trees. Kelly said any toll contributions asked of bikers would be “in proportion to their numbers” and in addition to funds collected from automobiles.
Click here to read the original story in The Islander News.
Source: Huffington Post
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rook
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about time
