PARKING THAT BLOCKS THE SIDEWALK IS MORE THAN AN INCONVENIENCE

IT PUSHES DISABLED PEOPLE AND PEDESTRIANS INTO TRAFFIC

MIAMI TRAFFIC, EVEN ON A SIDE STREET, CAN EQUAL A DEATH SENTENCE

Blocking sidewalks is a serious matter.

This is Andrew Loretta, a beloved father of 2 children.

He was killed in a hit-and-run crash while jogging in the street in Shenandoah a year ago.

People run and walk in the street when sidewalks are broken, missing or obstructed.

Cars frequently block the sidewalk on the south side of historic William Jennings Bryan Park in the Shenandoah section of Miami.

This destroys wheelchair access and safe pedestrian mobility.

Violators MUST be ticketed and towed.

But 99% of Miami police walk around pleading with people to move.

This inspires lawbreaking.

Heavy fines and towing would stop illegal sidewalk parking.

Those who block the sidewalk with their cars are a prime example of selfish, dangerous Car Brain.

I point out the danger to people with disabilities.

They say "I have nowhere else to park."

Mind you, most violators are driving less than 10 blocks--a distance they could walk.

Deplorable.

VIRTUALLY EVERY MAJOR CITY FACILITATES LARGE SCALE CONSTRUCTION WHILE MAINTAINING SIDEWALK SAFETY DURING DEVELOPMENT

MIAMI CLOSE SIDEWALKS FOR YEARS WHILE PEDESTRIANS, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, RISK THEIR LIVES CROSSING THE STREET TO CONTINUE THERE JOURNEY

Is there something Miami’s water in that turns big developers & major construction firms into incompetent fools?

Because every city I have lived in + every city I have visited — does not close sidewalks for 3 years of work.

How is it that gigantic, 50-story buildings can be built everywhere else while maintaining sidewalks – but in Miami our development community is incapable of this simple task?

In Miami, we kill pedestrian safety for no reason.

There are 100s of American cities that require developers to maintain sidewalks during construction.

Simple scaffolding preserves safe mobility for pedestrians and independence for people with disabilities.

DANGEROUS DRIVING KILLS

BUT MIAMI DOES NEXT TO NOTHING TO STOP IT

An innocent person lost their life in my Miami neighborhood.

Their crime -- being a pedestrian in a city that tolerates people driving up to double the speed limit on otherwise quiet, residential streets.

Enough of the BS rhetoric about right wing this, left wing that -- it's all a distraction while our elected and appointed "leaders" get rich in office while not protecting us.

Every commissioner, mayor, city manager, police chief, road designer, planner, etc. -- is 100% failing us when it is a death defying act to simply walk around one of our wonderful parks.

PLUS URBIA DESIGN PRESENTS FRANCIS SUAREZ FOR MAYOR OF MIAMI

GREAT TO WELCOME OUR DEAR FRIEND FRANCIS SUAREZ INTO THE HOME OF JUAN MULLERAT AND MEGAN MCLAUGHLIN -- CO-HOSTED BY STEVE WRIGHT AND HEIDI JOHNSON-WRIGHT TO HELP LAUNCH HIS CAMPAIGN FOR THE ELECTION IN 2017

Francis grew up just blocks from Juan & Megan's restored historic home in Miami's incomparable Shenandoah neighborhood.

We live in a restored 1920 Spanish Mission style on historic William Jennings Bryan Park.

Francis, when he was a rookie commissioner for District 4, spearheaded a compromise that brought a properly-scaled park office, mini community center and ADA-compliant restrooms to the developed side of Bryan Park.

The park, once in peril of being completely paved over for a competition tennis center that would have destroyed the neighborhood with noise, cars and lack of green space, survives.

Francis showed his leadership by preserving the western half of the 2-acre park as green space in perpetuity.

Each day, we look out our huge front windows and see dozens upon dozens of children and families playing on the green grass that almost became a sea of concrete.

We look forward to Francis' leadership -- on parks, job creation, affordable housing, safety, crime reduction, corridor enhancements, the arts, attracting innovative companies, historic preservation and reinventing Calle8 as a livable main street with 2-way, calmed traffic -- as mayor of Miami.