ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Bicyclists are riding in silence in St. Petersburg and cities across Florida and the nation Wednesday evening. They're doing this to honor cyclists and pedestrians injured or killed in traffic accidents.
John Sinibaldi with the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club says the message is safety. "For motorists and cyclists and pedestrians to understand that we're all trying to use the same space, the same pavement."
More than a thousand bicyclists and pedestrians died in crashes in Florida last year. Sinibaldi says Florida's climate allows year-round cycling is a factor in the state's fatality and injury rates. Others point to the state's infrastructure, which is often cited as a factor in both bicycle and pedestrian fatalities.
The St. Petersburg event starts at 6 p.m. at North Shore Pool. The silent ride goes south on Beach Drive, west on 2nd Avenue North, north on Martin Luther King Street, east on 30th Avenue North, south on 1st Street, east on 4th Avenue North and south on North Shore Drive. Other events are being held in Miami, Tampa, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Jacksonville and other Florida cities.
For more information about Florida events please go to this link:
Photo: Canva