On Saturday, October 19th, the City held and on-site field visit at the direction of City Manager Peter Iglesias as part of the process to implement the Complete Streets concept on Alhambra Circle, south of Coral Way to San Amaro Drive. The purpose of the field visit was to provide traffic calming and multi-modal transportation options and discuss affected area resident’s concerns. A Federal grant was secured in 2015 for the project and a public meeting was held on September 25th at the youth center to gather community input.
Leading the field visit was Assistant City Manager Ed Santamaria along with Public Works Director Hermes Diaz and Assistant Public Works Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Division Jessica Keller.
A group of residents opposed to the project organized and made yard signs and posters to let the city know how they felt. Yard signs read “NO Bike Paths On Alhambra Circle” and other hand-made signs lined the trees and fences up and down the signature street.
You can view the full walk-through courtesy of the City of Coral Gables by clicking on the following links and see first hand the sentiment of the most affected property owners.
Hi gablesinsider.com admin, Your posts are always informative and well-explained.
Shame on Coral Gables for scrapping the Alhambra Circle project for sidewalks, crosswalks, bike paths and more. The modern way of planning streets is to make them accessible for all users. Hopefully, Rhonda Anderson can work with others to promote needed improvements.
Now residents are against bike paths?
It seems like some want to turn the clock back to a time before we realized how much better cities that had bike paths and sidewalks are for health, wellness, safety, climate change, beauty.
It like the sidewalk debates from decades ago. Have some perspective think of the past debates and look towards the future. Please reconsider for all of us in the community.
Please and thank you.
Dear Cathy
What do you know, bigotry alive and well in city beautiful.
Marti,
You are right, there is reason to be sorry! Let me start by apologizing to anyone reading these posts. How insulting to hear about “uncivilized upbringing …..endured prior to arriving in this country.” Uncivilized? This statement reminds me of the saying, the pot calling the kettle black.
The previous post is a perfect example of how prejudiced people talk and act. I have never heard a civilized, well educated person speak about human beings been bred. Once again, I apologize for what has been said. Let’s take it from whence it comes!
Marti,
No need to be sorry. I just chalk it up to the uncivilized upbringing many of these residents endured prior to arriving in this country. It’s no fault of their own; they’re bred that way.
Cathy do you currently live in the gables? I’m so sorry you live in a city of animals and ignorance. Contact Jeannet Slesnick she can help you move out ASAP she’s excellent!
The irony is that these residents do not want to kill the trees, yet they nail signs to them in protest. I have lived in many places but I think Gables residents are some of the most ignorant people I have come across. Many of them acted like animals last Saturday.
This is the email message that I sent to all the elected officials after the Walk Through
Sent: Sun, Oct 20, 2019 5:06 pm
Subject: Alhambra Complete Streets On-site Walk Through
The much publicized (Alhambra Complete Streets) On-Site Walk Through took place as advertised yesterday! Once again the residents learned that our bicycle enthusiast city employees, the ones that are pushing very hard to get all of us to ride bicycles, want us to do what they say, not what they do. All of them showed up at the assigned place driving CARS! Not even Jessica Keller came by bicycle.I’ve been told she lives less than a mile from the location! Please see the attached picture.
There were around 12 city employees, including an Assistant City Manager, Director and Assistant Directors, arborist, Gables TV personnel, consultants, designers, engineer, etc., etc. I hope they were not on the clock! We also had several police officers, one major and at least two lieutenants. What a waste of time and money!
Very few bicyclists, most not residents of the area, and some residents. Once again, the employees were not respectful of those residents that asked questions and pressed for answers. Disrespect by employees, or anyone should not be tolerated by elected officials and, or the administration!! Several of the employees, simply turned their backs and walked away under the pretense that they had to move on.
Some questions were answered completely different by different employees. Are the property owners responsible for the new sidewalks, or are they not? Are the property owners paying for the sidewalks, or are they not? Are there going to be circles on every other street from Bird to Miller, or not?
Are the trees going to be affected, or are they not? Are the roots going to be pruned, or are they not? Who decides about root pruning, arborists or landscape architects? Are we going to get bike paths or shared use sidewalks? Is this an ADA issue, or is it not?
How can all these promises be fulfilled with $600,000? Or are the taxpayers going to cough up the difference?
Please advise if any of the copied elected officials are going to bring up this issue on Tuesday, or do the residents need to show up to get it discussed?
Thank you!!
Update: The topic was not discussed at the Commission Meeting yesterday. As of today there is no indication that it will be on the Agenda for the next meeting! All that we know is that the Administration is bent on forging ahead as planned: continue planning, continue designing, have another walk through, etc. Why do they keep spending money on something that the most affected DO NOT want? Who is going to end up paying all these expenses when the grant money has to be returned to the state? Enough is enough!