Sidewalk safety concerns rise in Miami Beach over speedy bicycles, scooters

MIAMI BEACH – Business owners in Miami Beach are raising concerns about sidewalk safety as bicycles and scooters speed through busy pedestrian areas.

Fabiola Trujillo, the owner of Sobe Tan in Miami Beach, has firsthand experience with the risks.

Trujillo, who has been in the spray tan business for 25 years, said one of her clients was left bruised last week after a bicyclist crashed into her outside the shop.

Two months earlier, another client and her young daughter had a close call with a speeding bike.

“She almost got hit by an inch by a bicycle that was going – I don’t know what kind of speed – just went like swoosh,” said Trujillo.

Trujillo said she has posted signs both inside and outside her business and warns customers verbally before they step outside, but the speed of bikes and scooters often leaves little time to react.

“People don’t pay attention,” Trujillo said. “I have to look both sides because bicycles, motorized scooters, they storm – they go at those high speeds.”

Under Florida law, bicycles and scooters are allowed on sidewalks.

The Florida Department of Transportation requires that riders follow pedestrian rules and yield to pedestrians.

“What I beg is that they just slow down,” said Trujillo.

Other local business owners share her concerns. One, who spoke off-camera, said bikes and scooters regularly race down the sidewalks, prompting them to warn customers as they leave their stores.

Trujillo and others are hoping that raising awareness will encourage riders to be more mindful of pedestrians and avoid accidents.