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Summary Minutes:Regular City Commission Meeting December 18,2014 City of Sunny Isles Beach,Florida <br /> to ride from Bal Harbour to Hollywood, unless we have a clear designation throughout our <br /> City on how to traverse it,they are going to be on Collins Avenue taking their life into their <br /> hands.That is the issue,and he would agree to ask staff to look at our capability of doing that <br /> in a safe manner for folks that are not so familiar with the City. Clearly, when the bridge is <br /> done and the pedestrian bridge is up on 163rd Street,we have connected about 2/3rds of the <br /> City that way. North Bay Road is going to be problematic by the School until that lot gets <br /> developed and something goes through there. In the meantime, the question is could we <br /> reroute folks safely. His gut tells him it is tough because they drop us off at Lehman <br /> Causeway in the median for a reason because nobody wanted to mess with that planning <br /> from FDOT in the first place. <br /> Commissioner Gatto said she did some homework and she discovered that Bal Harbour and <br /> Coral Gables disallowed bikes in their business district area which she is assuming is where <br /> their commerce is. And so she called the Police Chief to see,because she knows that FDOT <br /> does not allow us to ban bicycles,and she was wondering how Bal Harbour got away with it. <br /> As it turns out,they had to modify that Ordinance and take it back,but in the meantime she <br /> was thinking that if we ban bicycles in the business district from Navarro to the gas station <br /> on 163rd Street,then she may be willing to expand the skateboard segway bicycle scooter rule <br /> to then allow that in the non-business areas which is down by Intracoastal Park and north of <br /> Navarro. But trying to figure out a way where we could avoid the sidewalk with bikes, and <br /> then making everything happen on the outside of the business district. Mayor Scholl said it <br /> is the function of enforceability,you change it from block to block and drive the staff nuts. <br /> He thinks what we are hearing is that staff should look at the possibility of creating a City <br /> Bike Path through the City and if that is feasible or not and if we can really get folks to <br /> traverse the City safely. <br /> Commissioner Levin said currently in the Code if somebody is going to build on Collins <br /> Avenue they have to put in a landscaping easement,etc. What if we take some or all of that <br /> landscaping easement, or somehow configure it so they will widen the sidewalk in certain <br /> areas? Mayor Scholl said that would have been good about 15 years ago, that would have <br /> taken some foresight years ago, in the early years we were extremely developer friendly and <br /> we were probably less focused on those issues from the quality of life standpoint. <br /> Commissioner Levin asked if there was any way we can construct it to make it work going <br /> forward? Mayor Scholl said the problem is that we don't have the contiguous properties,on <br /> a patch work basis it is much tougher. Our Master Plan has a consistency of the sidewalks <br /> the way they are laid out. <br /> Commissioner Levin asked the City Manager if we can get that report within the next 60 to <br /> 90 days, and Mayor Scholl said to give them 90 days because they have to get an expert to <br /> sort it out. If there is an issue with it staff will come back to the Commission in 90 days to <br /> let us know. <br /> 24 <br />