This morning, an unidentified man was killed while riding his bicycle in a bicycle lane here in South Florida. We don’t know who the victim was, but we do know a little about his alleged killer.
The Miami Herald and MiamiBikeScene report that he is Carlos Bertonatti, a young twenty-something independent musician and Key Biscayne resident. Whoever it is, let’s take a moment to understand that despite his horrific actions this morning, this man has a family, friends, and a future that will never be the same again. There is no reason to believe he killed our cyclist friend intentionally. With the glaring exception of his behavior immediately following the murder, he could be just about anybody we know. Anyone who drives a car is driving a deadly weapon and a simple mistake can mean more than an accident – whether one drives ‘recklessly’ or not. The Rickenbacker is designed to handle traffic moving much faster than the posted speed limit, and so it does. This is because most of our roads are not designed to move people, but to move motor traffic as quickly as possible.
I hope that the motorist is punished to the full extent possible under law – which could mean life in prison. However, the end of his future does not bring the victim back. It does not make our roads safer or automatically elevate the discussion between those who feel making healthy, sustainable life choices is important and those who feel it is just stupidly unsafe. That is up to us.
- Why do our roadway builders and public works departments not utilize simple measures like increased signage, education campaigns, painted and/or separated bicycle/pedestrian facilities?
- What does it say about our culture that driving recklessly and intoxicated does not shock us? Did someone let him get in that car? Why was he not stopped for speeding?
- When will the State of Florida implement and enforce its own Complete Streets policy?
You can make a difference in honor of the man we lost today. Write to your commissioners and FDOT representatives and tell them you want to know what they are doing to make our roads safer. Follow up with them regularly. Get involved. Let us know if we can help.
Kathryn Moore is TransitMiami.com’s newest blogger. She will be writing on policy and politics related to mobility in our community.
NOTE: Monday 1/18/10 at 8am. Moment of Silence on Bear Cut Bridge, Rickenbacker Causeway. All are welcome.
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