Just saw this today at the Delray Beach Trirail Amtrak station. Those new bike racks they installed? Looks like a good wrench is all that’s needed to remove the rack from the ground and steal a bike. Too bad. Got to park your bike? Either get a bike locker (they have those too) or take it with you on the train.
My favorite road strikes again. An accident at an extremely busy intersection leading to Trirail Amtrak station from Congress. Palm Tran guy directing traffic around the mess says they get at least 2 a day. BUILD A LIGHT AND SIDEWALK HERE, ALREADY, DELRAY BEACH!
Holy crap. Today it poured, and as is usual this horrid little road filled with puddles. The entire street was a river. The driest spots were in the middle. Which is where I saw this mother and children. One was a baby in a stroller. A train had just left the station, and it looks like this family were passengers on their way home. As they navigated through the wet street, train passengers parked at the station left in droves, trying to get around this poor family who were trying to move fast, and without getting wet. Some cars did slow down to avoid splashing them, some did not. As I’ve said before – THERE ARE NO SIDEWALKS. It is completely unsafe for people on foot on a dry day, let alone a wet one. Buses, taxi cabs, lost drivers all come down this road and most are not looking out for you. This family was walking right on the street where big buses come careening in from Congress all the time.
Come on, Palm Beach County. Build a sidewalk already before someone gets hurt.
So, they build a parking lot, but still no side walk for pedest rians going to and from the Delray Beach Amtrak Tri-rail station…this road leading from Congress Blvd. is too dangerous.
So yeah, I’ve been bringing a camera with me as I walk from the station to Congress Ave lately. I’ve taken some decent shots of traffic coming in and out of the deadly little road where an angry little Haitian pretended like he was going to run me over the other day.
As I said before, there are no sidewalks and no crosswalks at all on this road, or the intersection at its head, and Congress Blvd. itself has sidewalks and no crosswalks except for at major intersections miles apart. This road was not built for foot or bike traffic. Which may seem odd, seeing that it leads to and from a public train, bus stop and taxi stop.
In these photos you’ll see what I see everyday. Big buses whipping around the corner from Congress Ave. Cars with drivers not paying attention to pedestrians because they are either looking for county offices, the train station, or are distracted by their digitalia. Cop cars on the way to the Sheriff’s Office that drive, like well, cops. I try to walk on the grass to avoid the traffic, but you can see from these shots we have a large tire tread indentation in the mud from a bus or truck that ran over the cement curbing, so I need to walk further up on the landscaping.
Do I really need to start driving 60 round-trip miles on the hell that is I95 to work in order to avoid getting hit on this tiny, unnamed road to the train station? Or should I walk the mile down the road to the crosswalk at Atlantic, and a mile back to my place of employment directly across from this road?
The curb where the road meets Congress, notice the tracks in the mud that ran over the curb? Notice the big bus? People walk here!
Close-up of vehicle tracks and oncoming car. I used to walk here to avoid the cars, but now since seeing this I walk way up on the mulch.
A bus coming down at ya....time to jump up on the nice county landscaping!
Both sides of the road. No sidewalks. Now imagine it filled with a giant puddle and some angry dope in a truck faking to run you down.
My ride to work!
Here’s a quick way to email your support for Tri-Rail/SunRail during this week’s Special Session of the Florida Legislature – do it today!
Mr. Neil Fritz of Hollywood is doing a lot of good work spreading the word about public transportation in Florida. Please visit his blog to send a comprehensive email blast to important Florida decision-makers (like Crist) asking for their support for rail travel in Florida. Federal dollars won’t come our way if Florida fails to support commuter rail. Rail will bring economic growth, jobs and attract businesses, and entice drivers to leave their cars at home for safer roads and cleaner air.
Thank you!