Streetsblog New York City

Via BikeBlogNYC, the Miami Bike Scene recently posted this post-game clip of Dwyane Wade in which the All-Star Heat guard shares his fondness for going on bike rides with thousands of other people. On Friday, it seems, Wade and teammates LeBron James and Mario Chalmers warmed up for the next day’s match against the Brooklyn Nets by going on a 20-mile Critical Mass jaunt through the streets of Miami.

Transit Miami’s Craig Chester snapped a group shot:

That’s 60 percent of a championship starting line-up right there, and the Heat won 102-89 on Saturday. Might a new training regimen for Deron Williams be in the offing?

We knew James likes to ride his bike to the arena on occasion. Turns out D-Wade is getting to be a regular on the last Friday of every month. Here’s a short clip of him from September’s ride:

If these Heat stars ever make the leap from group rides to advocating for safe streets, Miami could sure use the help. And we know a few good bloggers who’d be happy to show them the ropes.

Hat tip to reader Stephen Arthur for sending along the news.

The horrific death of a 44-year-old resident of South Miami has enraged cyclists across South Florida, igniting a debate over street safety in a region historically dominated by devil-may-care drivers.

On January 17, Christophe Le Canne was out for a Sunday morning ride on the Rickenbacker Causeway, which connects the city of Miami with Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, when he was hit from behind and knocked from his bike by Carlos Bertonatti, a 28-year-old aspiring musician with a long history of traffic offenses. Bertonatti drove for miles with Le Canne's blue Cannondale wedged beneath his Volkswagen Jetta. Le Canne died before paramedics arrived on the scene.

Bertonatti was arrested outside his Key Biscayne apartment after a police officer observed him dragging Le Canne's bike. He was charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, resisting arrest, driving without a license and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. 

This could have been written off as an isolated incident -- another drunk driver with a checkered driving record takes another life. But for several possible reasons, that didn't happen. Consider the arrogance of the killer. Bertonatti's website, according to the Miami Herald, "had boasted of his poor driving record." Police had to strap him to a fire department backer board in order to extract a blood sample. After the crash, Bertonatti issued regrets through his publicist. He is currently out on bail.

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Down in balmy South Florida, D-Day is approaching for riders of the the popular Tri-Rail transit system. A looming $18 million shortfall has forced the Tri-Rail board to approve a budget that slices daily service and stops all trains by 2011 -- although ridership has doubled since 2005.

Tri-Rail's troubles are largely attributable to the bad economy, which has clipped the amount that the network's three participating counties can contribute to the transit system by an estimated $9 million. Making matters worse, the county aid must be matched dollar for dollar by the state DOT, doubling the size of that gap and forcing Tri-Rail to the brink.

As the Palm Beach Post noted yesterday, Tri-Rail's request that state legislators okay a $2 rental car tax to save transit service is hardly a politically extraordinary one. But the Post's editorial also reveals Washington's role in perversely perpetuating the funding crisis.

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Yesterday Miami became the latest American city to pull off a big car-free event, when an estimated 2,000 people (including mayor Manny Diaz) took to the streets for Bike Miami. Mike Lydon at Transit Miami reports:

South Miami Avenue was much more like an urban plaza than a street. Did you notice how the cafe seating and active retail edges allowed people to watch the active participants promenade through what became more a stage than a street? It was a beautiful event and instructive. Indeed, I have never seen such an exercise of urbanism within downtown Miami. The event clearly demonstrates the wonderful potential of downtown Miami and I think the event's organizers and participants now understand what livable streets can mean for the health of downtown Miami.

Clarence Eckerson and the Streetfilms crew have been all over the wave of Ciclovía-inspired events this year, filing reports from Chicago,  New York, Portland and San Francisco. As for videos of Bike Miami, some hand-held footage has surfaced on YouTube, and after the jump we've got the introductory remarks from Mayor Diaz and local district commissioner Joe Sanchez.

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