Key West Improving Infrastructure for Pedestrian Safety

Posted on March 1, 2024     Leave a Comment

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on March 1, 2024.  Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

Perhaps you’ve seen the Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons recently installed along Northside Dr. near the Clayton Sterling Baseball Complex and along Eaton Street at Frances Street. Or maybe you’ve come across the new high visibility stamped brick pattern crosswalks near Horace O’Bryant (HOB) School along Pearl Street at Virginia Street and on Catherine Street at Leon Street. And if you’ve been in the Seaport neighborhood, in a car or on foot, you’ve likely noticed a bunch of new crosswalks on Eaton and Fleming Streets that in multiple locations on Eaton also include in-street signs saying, “State Law – Stop for Pedestrians Within Crosswalk.” And low and behold we’ve actually witnessed cars stopping and yielding to pedestrians.

These small safety projects, along with major upgrades coming soon to pedestrian and bicycle facilities included in the current rebuilds of United and South Streets downtown are part of the City Engineering Department’s increased focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety. In a town that for decades has slavishly catered to the whims of car-convenience and car-parking above all else and has often believed safety meant the police educating bicyclists and pedestrians on how to properly adhere to vehicular rules, these infrastructure efforts are a little bit of progress that’s better and safer for everyone, whether on two-feet, two-wheels or behind the wheel.

Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons or RRFBs

In the last year the City has installed two Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, called RRFBs, within Key West. The first was installed along Northside Dr. near the Clayton Sterling Baseball Complex. The second was installed along Eaton Street at Frances Street. Ryan Stachurski the City’s Multimodal Transportation Coordinator says:

“These are great because studies have shown they’re really effective at reducing pedestrian crashes. Since they’re solar powered, they’re also very affordable. It’s important for pedestrians to understand that the beacons won’t stop traffic, but the signals will call attention to make sure the pedestrians are visible. Motorists must remember that Florida statute requires drivers to stop for pedestrians within a crosswalk.”

High Visibility Stamped Brick Pattern Sidewalks

The City of Key West is testing two new crosswalks near Horace O’Bryant School. One is along Pearl Street at the intersection with Virginia Street and the other is on Catherine Street at Leon Street. The new installation technique makes use of a high visibility stamped brick pattern Ryan tells us is: “both stylish and safe.” He adds: “High-visibility crosswalks constructed from thermoplastic have been shown to reduce pedestrian injury crashes.”

In-Street Pedestrian Crossing Signs

Crosswalks have been installed during the last year along the one-way, busy, and fast moving Fleming Street at William, Margaret, Grinnell, and Frances Streets. On the even busier, two-way, and hard to cross Eaton Street, all the same cross streets and Elizabeth have received upgrades. Says Mr. Stachurski:

“The City has also been testing in-street pedestrian crossing signs to call attention to pedestrians using unsignalized crossings. Oftentimes used temporarily in school zones, permanent signs are being tested at various intersections along Eaton Street and White Street. These crossings can be especially difficult for pedestrians because there may be uneven gaps in approaching traffic and motorists may not be expecting pedestrians. The in-street signs call attention to the crosswalks and offer a safer and easier crossing. Preliminary results show a reduction in injury crashes and collisions overall at these intersections.”

Of all of these projects Ryan says: “These one-off improvements have largely been called for by resident requests and supported with crash data. We would like to develop a plan to identify pedestrian improvement priorities across the City and have begun discussing how best to do this.”

Better Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Coming With the Rebuilds of United and South Streets

The perfect time to add or improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities is when a street is rebuilt or repaved. And that’s just what is happening on United and then South Streets, both of which are in different stages of street rebuilds between Whitehead and Grinnell Streets downtown. After utility work is done, there will be new curb and gutter and sidewalks that include narrower pedestrians crossings at intersections, lots of new trees and a brand spanking new, extra-width bike lane where none existed before (see our story on these improvements here). Mr. Stachurski told us:

“When larger project areas are being installed, as a number of blocks of United Street are right now, they get designed with updated safety features. United Street will include a number of new high-visibility crosswalks to help ease crossings. Every step helps us get closer to our Vision Zero goal of zero serious injuries or fatalities by 2035. It’s important to remember that we’re all pedestrians at some time, and we all want to be able to get to our destination safely.”

Key West Is Different Than Most of The Mainland – So Our Street Hierarchy Should Reflect That

Key West is full of pedestrians and cars AND bikes and that’s different than most places. According to the U.S. Census 15% of Key West residents’ commute to work by bicycle and another 8% walk to work. Bike shops are selling out of rentals and if you’ve been downtown, you’ve seen pedestrians crowding our narrow sidewalks. There’s a lot of bikes and e-bikes and e-scooters mixing with golf carts, scooters, pedestrians, and cars. As so many of these people on the street are visitors from car-centric mainland places, they aren’t used to these hordes of pedestrians and jumble of vehicle types and that’s a dangerous mix. And it is why our downtown streets should prioritize pedestrians and then bikes and other small vehicles like scooters and then cars.

And while we’ve yet to see any street parking taken away for wider sidewalks or bike lanes, yet, these projects are a start in the right direction. So, kudos to Engineering Director Gary Volenec and Multimodal Coordinator Ryan Stachurski for the new and progressive focus and to Mayor Teri Johnston who’s been egging them on. Doing more of this will make our little island paradise better for everyone.

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There Goes The Key West Gayborhood?

Posted on February 16, 2024     3 Comments

Streets for People  |  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown  |  Chris Hamilton  |  February 16, 2024

On February 5 the Equator Resort – the Male-Only – Clothing Optional hotel at 822 Fleming Street announced that after 27 years in business as the Equator, their last day of operation would be January 8, 2025, saying: “The company has not sold, however there are new shareholders that have expanded their view of the corporations future plans.” The “expanded view” means the 34 room hotel with beautiful grounds and two gorgeous pools will no longer be for gay men but rather be “welcome to all.” Insiders tell us the new name will be “Bishop Key West” and will not be clothing optional. And just like that Key West has lost one of the few remaining “Gay” hotels.

Is our gayborhood disappearing? Is Key West becoming less gay? What does the loss of gay spaces mean for gay businesses and our island LGBTQ+ community? Our downtown business district and our Key West community in general? Do proprietors of gay establishments have a responsibility to carry on and ensure their traditions? And what are some things we can do to Keep Key West Gay?

To try to answer these questions, we did some research on the waxing and waning of Key West and other cities’ experiences with gayborhoods and reached out to locals in the know and asked them their thoughts in light of the Equator Resort’s announcement. We received some heartfelt and thoughtful responses and are sharing them along with a little bit of historical context in hopes of sparking further conversation about the future.

Note that since we published this story the owners revealed their new website BishopKeyWest.com on February 20 with nary a whisper about the hotel’s past nor any explicit welcoming messages to its old customer base. Their slogan “Experience Key West from a different perspective” would have been more appropriate to The Equator Resort because the new offering seems generic and like every other corporate hotel on the island. Sigh…

“Is Key West Going Straight?”

That’s the title of a New York Times article that begins:

“FOR decades, the remote Florida town of Key West has been a refuge for gay tourists, a kind of Southern bookend to Provincetown, Mass. — a place where drag shows, all-male guest houses (complete with communal hot tubs) and a spirit of unbridled hedonism attracted everyone from closeted Midwest accountants to Tennessee Williams.

But recently, soaring real estate prices and the popularity of events like Fantasy Fest — an annual bacchanal of parades, masquerade balls and celebrity look-alike contests that began in 1979 as an effort by businesses to promote tourism and has since evolved into a drunken open-air party that would be right at home on fraternity row — have begun to attract a more heterogenous crowd, one that can at times make Key West look like any other tourist town getting ready for Spring Break.

You can feel the change… for many longtime gay visitors to this 5.9-square-mile island, located about 150 miles southwest of Miami, there is a growing sense that Key West is no longer the gay destination it once was.”

For many, this seems to ring true. Perhaps for you too.

Oh, the date of this article? November 18, 2005. Yes, 2005. So, people have been saying Key West isn’t what it once was, for a couple decades now. Here’s how Laura Zequeira -Smith, Manager of Alexander’s Guesthouse puts it:

“People have been saying for a long time that Key West isn’t as Gay as it once was. I don’t agree with that entirely, as there are many gay people who live and work in town. Do they go to or open exclusively LGBTQ businesses? Do LGBTQ visitors only visit LGBTQ businesses? Not so much anymore, as the younger generation enjoys the fruits of the fight of older generations. Fighting for equality and the fight against discrimination has brought so many wonderful changes, that are still evolving, merging minority groups with larger groups…creating our One Human Family.”

Gayborhoods and the Places We Hang Out In, Rise and Fall

In his groundbreaking, amply researched and much followed-up 2014 book, There Goes the Gayborhood? Professor Amin Ghaziani discussed how legendary gay neighborhoods such as the Castro in San Francisco, Greenwich Village in New York City, Boystown in Chicago and so many more long provided sexual minorities with safe havens. But as society increasingly accepts our LGBTQ+ community into the mainstream the book explores the question: Are gayborhoods destined to disappear? Smaller places like Key West, Provincetown, Ogunquit, Fire Island/The Pines, and Rehoboth Beach have similar histories to gayborhoods in the larger cities but on a city-wide scale.

Local entrepreneur Larry Ketron, Manager of the “gayest store in Key West” the In Touch gift shop at 706 Duval Street echoes Ghaziani saying: “From the days when the “mob” saw the money potential of creating “safe spaces” for the homosexual crowd to the vision of gay business owners things have been profit driven. Once the safe haven for young coming out and “closeted” men, things have changed. As clientele grew older, the younger generation didn’t feel the need for “safe havens” and have chosen to go anywhere they feel welcome. That and the changing dynamics of “sex hookups” via internet sites have left bathhouses, guest houses, and gay bars to decline. Check out the age of the clientele of most gay bars and bathhouses and the age is not the twenty somethings of the 70’s. Today, if you want to hookup, just grab your phone.” 

This isn’t just an academic exercise as even the front page of the Key West Business Guild’s gaykeywestfl.com visitors website feels the need to address the issue right up front with the headline: “IS KEY WEST STILL “GAY?” and goes on to say:

“Please, girlfriend. We’re still here. We’re still queer. Now come visit us! Seriously. Just like Provincetown, Palm Springs, Ft. Lauderdale and West Hollywood we’ve all heard the same question: “Where did the gays go?”

The site goes on to explain that back in the day Key West was one of the few truly accepting places and it still is as evidenced by the city’s official “One Human Family” motto.

The Business Guild’s Executive Director Rob Dougherty adds:

“In the late 60’s and 70’s, the focus of the movement was to be seen, to be heard, and to be afforded equal rights the right to live with dignity. The 1980’s should have been a time of great celebration; however, those of us who lived through the time, and buried so many of our own, know there was no celebration. We were literally fighting for our lives. In the 90’s, our community focused on political reform. The right to marry, to adopt children, and to change laws that made discrimination legal. In short, we fought for equality under the law. We deserved and demanded equality under the law. We made such amazing progress; however, that did not come without cost. We saw the shift from celebrating what made our culture so unique, to “we are just like you”. The problem is, as with any culture striving for assimilation, we may have lost the very core of our culture.”

That “cost” is the loss of gay businesses and gayborhoods.

Ghaziani’s book puts the changing face of gayborhoods into a larger urban planning context by pointing out that cities aren’t static places that stay the same. Gayborhoods are just like any other neighborhood and are organic and continually evolving places. Constant population change or turnover is a regular feature of most neighborhoods.

Ghaziani discusses how gayborhoods developed after WWII as men and women returned home and realized the coastal port cities they were discharged to, were places they could find others like themselves. This accelerated in the 1960’s and 70’s as a gay identity and liberation emerged and more and more people gravitated to these burgeoning gayborhoods that were centered on the presence of gay bars and businesses. But that was seemingly the heyday.

Ghaziani’s research tells us that between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of same-sex couples living in key traditional gayborhoods declined as gays realized they could live safely in many more places. It isn’t just that gay people are spreading out but that many of the places gay people hang out in (think bars, cabarets, discos, sex clubs, inns/resorts and the third places around them) have also disappeared. In a story in the Seattle Times last year asking the question Is Seattle Still An LGBTQ-Friendly City? they say “Nationally, the Washington Post reported that 45% of gay bars have closed since 2002.”

In the book I just started reading, Who Needs Gay Bars? Bar-Hopping Through America’s Endangered LGBTQ+ Places, May 2023 author Greggor Mattson says right up front “By my count 37 percent of gay bars closed between 2007 and 2019, and that was before COVID-19, brought the nation’s nightlife to its knees and shuttered an additional 16% by 2021. Fully 50 percent of gay bars closed in the nineteen years between 2012 and 2021.“

In Jeremy Atherton Lin’s engrossing book Gay Bar: Why We Went Out, February 2021 it is pointed out that gay bars are closing at an alarming rate and in the context of his personal story he explores what’s being lost as a result. I just finished Lucas Hildebrand’s November 2023 book The Bars Are Ours – Histories and Cultures of Gay Bars in America, 1960 and After and came away impressed by the depth and breadth of the cultural significance of having safe places to gather and the wonderful gaybhorhoods that often built up around them. It is a comprehensively researched and vividly written account that depicts how bars reflected the LGBTQ+ communities they attracted and, in many cases, at least in urban settings, helped solidify gayborhoods. So, when gay bars or gay businesses like the Equator Resort disappear it is fair to ask the question what’s happening? While it is undeniable based upon the research that the number of gay bars and places has been dwindling, the book leaves one hopeful that our places aren’t entirely disappearing but evolving in light of new technologies, marriage equality and a new generations’ increasing ability to be free to be.

Flaming and South Hard Streets And Gay Key West’s History

The books and research indicate that Key West’s experience is illustrative of what’s going on across most of the country with a few notable exceptions like the explosive growth of LGBTQ+ people and businesses in places like Wilton Manors in Fort Lauderdale.

An article on gaykeywestfl.com How The Gays Saved Key West by Guy Ross traces how Tennessee Williams and Leonard Bernstein’s, among other artists visits to Key West in the 1940’s, sparked word among newly forming gayborhoods in major east coast cities that Key West was an easy, live-and-let-live sanctuary. He goes on to say that “By the 1970s the stream of gay visitors to the island had turned into a torrent with more than 30 same sex guest houses on the small island catering to gay men.”

Peter Arnow, the Key West Business Guild’s longtime community liaison and photographer said of that time period when the Guild first formed: “The gay community has always sought out safe havens near the water “at the end of the line.” Establishment of earlier communities before Key West included Provincetown and Fired Island. At the time, Key West was economically depressed, which enabled visitors to locate year-round to the warm-weather environment at a low cost – and, in the process help to fix up the infrastructure.”

“When I first arrived in Key West in 1976, older queens were complaining that the island was no fun anymore because all the drunken sailors needing a blowjob were gone.” says Richard McGarry co-author of the recently expanded 2^nd edition of the book Gay Key West – A History in the context of people always complaining the past was better, when I asked him about the demise of the Equator. He goes on:

“The trend of gay guest houses switching to “all welcome” seems to have started in the 1990s and I think that Peter Arno of the Business Guild told me that there was something like 38 gay guest houses in Key West in the late 1980s. Many were a single old Conch house with maybe a half-dozen rooms and run by a gay couple. 

A week’s vacation in Key West was very affordable back then. As I noted in Gay Key West – A History, “the rooms were small and the bathroom was down the hall, but for less than $100 you could spend a whole week at ‘Big Ruby’s.’” It was the first gay guest house on the island in the early 1970s. 

The cost of a Key West vacation now prices out the kind of young gay men that filled lower Duval Street after dark in the era when the Village People were singing “I’m heading for Key-ey-ey West, the key to happiness.”  

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council (TDC)’s website The Florida Keys & Key West says “The Key West Business Guild and its LGBT Visitor Center first opened their doors in 1978 to support the community and promote tourism. Some of the founding business members included La Te Da and Coconut Grove accommodations, the Copa and Monster clubs and the fabled Atlantic Shores hotel.” Today, only La Te Da still exists. The Coconut Grove, which use to be at 815 Fleming Street across from the Equator Resort and the Oasis Guest House at 823 Fleming were both all-male clothing-optional resorts that are now part of the “all welcome” NYAH Hotel complex.

On Real Estate agent Gary Thomas’ blog that’s full of fun Key West history, in a 2013 post about the sale of a condo at the Seafoam building next door to the Equator, he says: “One of the most interesting condos in Key West is offered for sale at the asking price of $400,000. It is Unit #6 located on the top floor at 812 Fleming Street and has a front balcony that overlooks the gayest street in Key West. If you are a gay man or woman, of if you are just hip and love to be part of the action, this pied-a-terre may be the home of your dream or just the vacation getaway place you have been searching for.”

In younger days I recall visiting friends in Key West beginning in the mid-1990’s and being introduced to the gayborhood with the locals explaining that Fleming Street was to be called “Flaming Street” and Southard Street was to be called “South Hard Street” because of all the gay places and people. When my best friends Kenny and Steven got married in Key West in 2004, they put up the wedding party at the Coconut Grove and Oasis. And while I haven’t heard people use that terminology in years, the loss of the Coconut Grove, Oasis and now Equator Resort does seem to dim the flame of Flaming/Fleming Street’s lore.

What Does the Loss of Gay Places Mean for Downtown and Gay Key West?

To place the loss of the Equator Resort in the context of what it means for downtown and our local LGBTQ+ community we asked some local stakeholders:

Here’s what Neil Chamberlain, owner of Graffiti Key West retail shop at 721 Duval Street and publisher of Q Magazine – the monthly guide to Gay Key West says: “That’s tough to say. LGBTQ+ visitors are already very much welcome anywhere in Key West. It’s not as if gay men aren’t welcome elsewhere and this takes away hotel rooms. The number of rooms is not changing in the city. However, what we don’t know is how many guests of Equator were only coming because of what the Equator offered. If these guests were coming for Key West primarily and for an LGBTQ+ property secondarily, they may still visit so the impact would be minimal. If these guests primary reason for visiting was the ability to be in the company of other LGBTQ+ men primarily and visit Key West secondarily, those visitors will likely look elsewhere, such as Fort Lauderdale or Puerta Vallarta for their vacation. Only time will tell what the long term implications will be.”

Jeffrey Smead, General Manager, Island House Resort says: “Island House is especially saddened that Equator has decided to rebrand and no longer be a gay establishment. They have been one of the Key West strongholds with 34 rooms dedicated to serving gay patrons seeking that kind of unique experience. When shifts like this happen, it makes it a lot harder to defend the destination to those who say, “Key West isn’t gay anymore” for the last 20 years.”

Laura Zequeira-Smith of Alexanders added: “When the Equator closes, some visitors may not come back to Key West, while others will continue to come.”

Cori Convertito, PhD, Curator & Historian, Key West Art & Historical Society and Key West Business Guild Board of Directors answered the question this way “The closure of Equator Resort is a loss for the gay community. Historically, Key West has been a safe haven for those in the gay community and having institutions like Equator Resort strengthened that safety and security for travelers.”

Larry Ketron of In-Touch gift shop chimes in that “People say that Key West is still a “gay” town. Yes, it is but the age of the gay residents is often over the age of 60. The results of the changes we fought for in the sixties, seventies and eighties were achieved at our loss. As a community, we have allowed our world to shrink, because of our own blindness. Soon, there will be fewer bars and guesthouses. It’s all about money not family.”

And Rob Dougherty of the Key West Business Guild says: “I’m not too sure what it will mean for downtown Key West as a whole; however, it will certainly impact the visibility of our thriving LGBTQ+ community. The absence of the Equator as a destination will absolutely impact our ability to promote our island as a welcoming place for Gay men to travel. That means less LGBTQ dollars being spent in businesses. It means existing LGBTQ and friendly businesses will have to examine their strategy to remain viable. In whole, this means there is the potential of the LGBTQ community having less of an influence in a city that at one time, relied on LGBTQ dollars to remain strong.” 

The consensus seems to be unsure what the loss of gay places means for the economics of our downtown but that losing gay places does have an impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Nearly everyone we talked to or researched voice some variation on theme that the loss of gay places or gay neighborhoods is in part due the acceptance of our community by the mainstream over the last couple of decades, and that that part at least is a good thing. “We’re a victim of our own success” multiple people have said.

Do Gay Proprietors Have a Responsibility to Their Communities?

I’ve always admired Neil Chamberlain’s thoughtful and reasoned approaches on issues of the day in Key West, so I was particularly taken with his notion that gay proprietors are stewards who have a responsibility to try to continue their businesses’ traditions. Here’s how Neil explains it:

“Obviously, I’m disappointed. (In the Equator Resort closing.) I would have preferred that they either continued on as it always has or potentially sold to someone that would have respected its history. I feel that owners of LGBTQ+ businesses are “stewards” of the business more than “owners.” I believe we have a responsibility to honor those that built these businesses and continue in those traditions. Ultimately, businesses are here to make money. If that’s the only agenda, then buy a generic business that doesn’t have a specific history that someone built from the ground up.”

He goes on to add his personal story in this regard:

“Almost 8 years ago, I purchased Graffitti, a primarily LGBTQ+ men’s clothing store. I wasn’t looking to buy a clothing store. I was very much enjoying my simple life as a DJ and publisher.  I walked in one day and saw that there was a lot of missing inventory. After a conversation with the owner, he told me he was starting to close the store to focus more on his own life. I was saddened that Key West was losing another long-term LGBTQ+ business. We spoke in great deal and over the next month, we negotiated a deal for me to buy the store and continue the tradition. I was fortunate I had the time and the ability to purchase the store, because I thought it was important to try to save another LGBTQ+ business. At the time there were two other stores that were similar to Graffitti. Sadly, both are also gone, but I have done everything to make sure Graffitti continues on, and it’s my intention to continue to do so for as long as I can. If there comes a time for me to hand over the reins, I will do everything I can to make sure the new owner continues on with this tradition. I know I can’t enforce that, but I will try to instill the importance of the history into a new owner one day.”

Neil’s thoughts and story touched a chord with me as Amin Ghaziani, Lucas Hilderbrand and Jeremy Atherton’s books each discussed the often revered status of gay establishments in their individual communities and how their owners were often beloved and vital cogs in their gayborhoods. I think that Christopher Rounds and Patrick Hegarty owners of La Te Da, Joey Schroeder owner of Bourbon Street Pub and New Orleans House, Bobi Lore owner of Island House and now Jonathan and Michael Barrett the new owners of the Aqqua Plex are all held in the same very high regard by the community.

To reach for a metaphor, think about sports teams owners. While for nearly every business the bottom line is profits, for iconic institutions that represent their community, like sports teams, most people say the owners have an additional responsibility to do right by their community too. Owners who move teams out of cities are thus justly vilified. While the Equator Resort certainly isn’t an institution, wouldn’t it have been better for our community had Equator Resort owner Richard Hoy sought the advice, counsel and help of the community to keep the establishment in gay hands?

So, to answer our own question, yes, we agree with Neil and think gay proprietors do have a responsibility to our community. Especially as it is our community that helped build them up. And Mr. Hoy should have thought the same way too. And like a sports team that moves away we can all rightly feel like we were let down by what he’s doing. (Note we did reach out to the owner and management of the Equator Resort and didn’t receive any responses to our inquires.)

So How Does the Community Move Forward?

In thinking about Key West’s future Neil says: “Our community doesn’t have the need to seek out these safe havens anymore, but Key West still has a lot to offer. It’s important that we continue to educate people on the history of the LGBTQ+ community and how places such as Key West served as a safe outlet to be ourselves. We can’t do that if we keep pushing our own people away.”

Jeffrey adds: “What hasn’t changed (and won’t), is that Key West remains a tropical domestic destination that is safe for gay people to visit, and still has all the ingredients for a vacation that gay people really love. World class food & drinks, warm weather, gorgeous water, unique accommodations, art, history, and endless party options. What’s important for us to remember, is the reason Island House was founded in 1976 to begin with, is exactly why it’s still relevant in 2024. A gay men’s resort like this is not just selling lodging- it sells an experience. So long as gay people still seek out gay experiences, and Island House keeps raising the bar of what a unique property like us can accomplish, we’re going to keep this place gay AF.”  

Laura says: “People still feel a natural pull to find other like-minded souls to connect with. So now, we try to find ways to gather, without excluding others. That is the balance the world is now trying to achieve, which I have faith we will… I think it is still important to have LGBTQA businesses where each of us can gather with those who understand us, to receive the support we need.

The Key West Business Guild is doing a wonderful job at launching a great Gay Key West campaign this year. We still have our Gayborhood down on Duval St. with the fun bars, fabulous drag shows and rainbow sidewalks. While Gay Key West may not look like it once did, it is evolving with its people, but always filled with colorful diversity and love.”

And Rob concludes: “I believe the issue is to address preserving the core of our culture. Gay bars are almost a thing of the past except for larger metro areas. While we have the strong support of Key West, from our local police to places of worship, LGBTQ businesses are the ones that will need to stand up. If there is to be any progress in preserving the core of our culture from fully disappearing, we must act as a unified community. Preserving and honoring our history matters if we are to move forward.”

In Key West, the most visible LGBTQ+ businesses are the foundation of the Key West Business Guild. Without their support, there would be no mission statement, no vision, and no resources to carry us forward. Without the LGBTQ+ community, one can make the argument, there would be no Key West, as we know it. While strong, it could be stronger. I believe that there have been political and social currents that have threatened progress our community has made over the last 5-decades. These currents are seen everywhere, and we cannot allow them to continue to dismantle the legacy of those who have fought, and have died, so that we can celebrate the freedom afforded to everyone in a Democracy.”

Things We Might Do To Continue and Forward a Gay Key West

In a book review and chat with the There Goes The Gayborhood? author Amin Ghaziani, VOX writer Matthew Yglesais and he talk about a couple of solutions for cities that want to shore up their gayborhoods. Those giving us feedback hit on a third.

1 – Commemorations

The first is called civic commemorations saying: “Chicago became the first city in the world to use tax funded dollars to municipally mark its gayborhood — Boystown. They installed art deco styled rainbow colored pylons along North Halsted Street, which is a main clear artery of the commercial and night life district in the city. We’ve seen versions of this in many cities across North America.

Philadelphia installed rainbow flags underneath the street signs that demarcate a portion of the Washington Square West neighborhood. Toronto did the same thing by installing rainbow flags underneath its street signs in the gayborhood. In Vancouver, recently, the city installed permanent rainbow colored crosswalks in the heart of the Davie Village gayborhood. West Hollywood has done the same thing.”

Here in Key West the City installed the Rainbow Crosswalks at the intersection of Duval and Petronia Streets. They’ve adopted the “One Human Family” motto and officially fly the Rainbow flag at City Hall and City events. I’ve always wondered why, during Pride week or month each year, Rainbow flags are only installed on the street poles in the few blocks of our gayborhood and not the entirety of Duval Street. Or maybe also along N. Roosevelt Boulevard as you come into the City or at the Historic Seaport and many more places? What other things could be done during Pride week or month and what permanent commemorations could be installed?

2 – Anchor Institutions

The second measure that they discussed was promotion of “anchor institutions” saying of them: “These are particular organizations or non-profit community centers, businesses that have particular importance or significance for the LGBTQ community. This could be something like the community center on Halsted in Chicago. It could be a particular bar that may have existed for a while that has special significance to the community. These anchor institutions will continually inspire people to visit and spend time in the neighborhood even if they no longer live there.” In his book there’s also talk about gay newspapers and periodicals and of providing subsidies to anchor institutions.

One of the recent bright spots in our gayborhood was when the recently deceased and much beloved gay Key West icon Michael Ingram sold the local gay institution, his Aqua Plex property, which include Aqua Bar & Nightclub, 22&Co, Back Bar, and the newly minted (formerly Sidebar) Birdcage Cabaret, at 711 Duval Street last May to Jonathan and Michael Barrett, a gay couple from Michigan. To his everlasting credit, Michael Ingram “wanted to keep its drag bar tradition.”

So how do we help other anchors/institutions thrive and continue and help their owners do what Michael Ingram did and not what Richard Hoy is doing?

3 – History

Many of our responders talked about the importance of “preserving and honoring our history” or “educating people about the history of our community” and “the need for our history and personal stories to be shared.”

There are many ways to keep the Key West LGBTQ+ history alive. How about a Rainbow Museum right here in Key West? The first gay museum opened in 2011 in San Francisco’s Castro District and many more since then. Here’s “The Top 10 LGBTQ+ Museums in the U.S.” An interesting museum spinoff idea is Chicago’s Legacy Walk with outdoor installations dedicated to highlighting world-changing members of the LGBTQ+ community. Given Key West’s vibrant history, either of these ideas would have much material to work with.

What else could we do?

The Key West Gayborhood and Its Anchor Institutions Are Important for Key West – Let’s Find a Way to Ensure That Continues

In writing about the There Goes The Gayborhood? book Matthew Yglesias says:

“Areas of concentrated minorities groups have been crucibles to cultural innovation,” Ghaziani observes, and they have inspired expressions from music to fashion, poetry and literature.” Preservation strategies can help us hang on to some of those valuable gayborhood contributions, as well as perhaps retaining a critical mass that’s necessary for political mobilization.”

What Ghaziani notes here about gayborhoods contributions all over the country, is true right here on our little island home. One can’t really imagine the history of Key West since WWII, without acknowledging the LBGTQ+ community’s input. Key West is a wonderful and magical place because of this. It is part of Key West’s very fiber. So, how do we as a community, the entire community, ensure that we don’t lose our gay spaces and gayborhood and that we KEEP KEY WEST GAY? We’re rightly looking at the Key West Business Guild, our anchor institutions, and our community to further the discussion. If we succeed, Key West will be all the better for it. I’d like to end with this wonderful quote from Laura:

“While Gay Key West may not look like it once did, it is evolving with its people, but always filled with colorful diversity and love.  Many LGBTQA ++ have families now, are in long term relationships, while there are club hoppers out there too, many that come to Key West aren’t all going to the late night bars, they are going to dinner at 6pm instead and a drag show at 8pm. They DO still LOVE a good Tea Dance on a Sunday!  Can I get an Amen on that one, LOL!  May the Tea Dance live on FOREVER.  Gay Key West is evolving with the times, and I believe, will survive because we, the LGBTQA community are everywhere in Key West. It will naturally and organically evolve, as it changes to meet our present LGBTQA+ needs.”

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My personal story about why I love Key West. Key West Ruins Everything Or Why I’m Grateful To Call Key West Home, November 23, 2023.

Below is an Addendum that includes the verbatim transcripts of everyone who responded to our inquiries about this story. Below that are links to sources and resources used for this story.

Addendum to the Story

The following are the verbatim responses I received. As people took care and time to provide responses, I thought our readers would appreciate seeing everything these wonderful stakeholders in our community had to say:

Neil Chamberlain, Owner, Graffiti Key West; Publisher, Q Magazine

What do you think about Equator Resort’s decision? 

“Obviously, I’m disappointed.  I would have preferred that they either continued on as it always has or potentially sold to someone that would have respected its history.  I feel that owners of LGBTQ+ businesses are “stewards” of the business more than “owners.”  I believe we have a responsibility to honor those that built these businesses and continue in those traditions.  Ultimately, businesses are here to make money.  If that’s the only agenda, then buy a generic business that doesn’t have a specific history that someone built from the ground up.  Of course, businesses need to evolve and if the demographic that supported the business in the past was no longer supporting the business, then I can understand having to adapt, but I have no indication that was an issue here.”

What do you think it means for downtown Key West? 

“That’s tough to say.  LGBTQ+ visitors are already very much welcome anywhere in Key West.  It’s not as if gay men aren’t welcome elsewhere and this takes away hotel rooms.  The number of rooms is not changing in the city.  However, what we don’t know is how many guests of Equator were only coming because of what the Equator offered.  If these guests were coming for Key West primarily and for an LGBTQ+ property secondarily, they may still visit so the impact would be minimal.  If these guests primary reason for visiting was the ability to be in the company of other LGBTQ+ men primarily and visit Key West secondarily, those visitors will likely look elsewhere, such as Fort Lauderdale or Puerta Vallarta for their vacation.  Only time will tell what the long term implications will be.”

What do you think it means for our future to lose gay places of any kind for the gay business community and for gay Key West in general?

“As I mentioned above, we really don’t know the impact at this time.  I certainly believe there are people in the second group that we will lose.  How many is what we don’t know.  Key West has changed a lot over the last 30 years, mostly because LGBTQ+ visitors now feel safe visiting many other destinations.  Key West was a “safe haven” for the LGBTQ+ community for decades when people didn’t feel safe being open where they live.  We’re a victim of our own success.  Our community doesn’t have the need to seek out these safe havens anymore, but Key West still has a lot to offer. It’s important that we continue to educate people on the history of the LGBTQ+ community and how places such as Key West served as a safe outlet to be ourselves.  We can’t do that if we keep pushing our own people away. 

          As a final note, almost 8 years ago, I purchased Graffitti, a primarily LGBTQ+ men’s clothing store.  I wasn’t looking to buy a clothing store.  I was very much enjoying my simple life as a DJ and publisher.  I walked in one day and saw that there was a lot of missing inventory.  After a conversation with the owner, he told me he was starting to close the store to focus more on his own life.  I was saddened that Key West was losing another long-term LGBTQ+ business.  We spoke in great deal and over the next month, we negotiated a deal for me to buy the store and continue the tradition.  I was fortunate I had the time and the ability to purchase the store, because I thought it was important to try to save another LGBTQ+ business.  At the time there were two other stores that were similar to Graffitti.  Sadly, both are also gone, but I have done everything to make sure Graffitti continues on, and it’s my intention to continue to do so for as long as I can.  If there comes a time for me to hand over the reins, I will do everything I can to make sure the new owner continues on with this tradition.  I know I can’t enforce that, but I will try to instill the importance of the history into a new owner one day.”

Laura Zequeira-Smith, General Manager, Alexander’s Guesthouse

“What do I think about Equator’s decision?  I can respect it and understand it.  As owners of these gay businesses get older and pass the businesses on to the family, if there isn’t someone there to continue flying the Pride flag, it will eventually turn to what the family knows. 

I am so glad, however, that Anthony the manager, will still stay on. 

I have been at Alexander’s for 18 years and it has always been the 3 of us along Fleming Street.  Over the years, it has always been about supporting one another in business, when it felt stressful, sending each other business when one of us was sold out, sharing staff with one another, asking each other how to do something when we were lost and so much more.

The 3 of us, Equator, Island House, and Alexander’s were never competitors, as we all represented a different part of the LGBTQA community, but mostly, we have all felt, like there was plenty to go around.  

People have been saying for a long time that Key West isn’t as Gay as it once was.  I don’t agree with that entirely, as there are many gay people who live and work in town.  Do they go to or open exclusively LGBTQ businesses?  Do LGBTQ visitors only visit LGBTQ businesses?  Not so much anymore, as the younger generation enjoys the fruits of the fight of older generations.  Fighting for equality and the fight against discrimination has brought so many wonderful changes, that are still evolving, merging minority groups with larger groups…creating our One Human Family. 

 I think, however, that people still feel a natural pull to find other like-minded souls to connect with.   So now, we try to find ways to gather, without excluding others.  That is the balance the world is now trying to achieve, which I have faith we will.  Humans are so amazing.

I can only speak for Alexander’s, but since I have been the General Manager, that’s what we have always done. We have created a place where like-minded people can gather, inclusive, not exclusive.  We have always welcomed everyone, gay, straight, lesbian, trans and the list goes on.  We just set a tone of mutual respect, given, and required.  We have always been open and upfront to all of our guests, that all groups are represented here.  All are aware of where they are coming to stay, and the guests are always respectful and kind to one another.  It is beautiful to see.  It gives us, the staff, hope for the future, as we see these beautiful humans arrive on our doorstep.

We hug them and hope they find healing while with us, so they can go out into the world to slay another day.  

 I think it is still important to have LGBTQA businesses where each of us can gather with those who understand us, to receive the support we need.  One reason is that there are still those who do not walk openly in their communities.  Another reason, even within the LGBTQ community, we are still learning about ourselves and one another, the young people need support, the history and personal stories need to be shared. 

For the future of Gay Key West?  When Equator closes, some visitors may not come back to Key West, while others will continue to come. 

The Key West Business Guild is doing a wonderful job at launching a great Gay Key West campaign this year.  We still have our Gayborhood down on Duval St. with the fun bars, fabulous drag shows and rainbow sidewalks.  

While Gay Key West may not look like it once did, it is evolving with its people, but always filled with colorful diversity and love.  Many LGBTQA ++ have families now, are in long term relationships, while there are club hoppers out there too, many that come to Key West aren’t all going to the late night bars, they are going to dinner at 6pm instead and a drag show at 8pm.  They DO still LOVE a good Tea Dance on a Sunday!  Can I get an Amen on that one, LOL!  May the Tea Dance live on FOREVER. 

Gay Key West is evolving with the times, and I believe, will survive because we, the LGBTQA community are everywhere in Key West.  It will naturally and organically evolve, as it changes to meet our present LGBTQA+ needs.”

Richard McGarry, co-author Gay Key West A History – Stories of the famous, infamous and forgotten gay men who transformed the island. Expanded 2^nd edition February 1, 2024

“The funny thing about Key West is that, if you ask any older gay man when the island was at its speak, they will name a year that coincides with when they were between 20 to 30 years old—and also at their peak. When I first arrived in Key West in 1976, older queens were complaining that the island was no fun anymore because all the drunken sailors needing a blowjob were gone. 

The trend of gay guest houses switching to “all welcome” seems to have started in the 1990s and I think that Peter Arno of the Business Guild told me that there was something like 38 gay guest houses in Key West in the late 1980s. Many were a single old Conch house with maybe a half-dozen rooms and run by a gay couple. 

A week’s vacation in Key West was very affordable back then. As I noted in Gay Key West – A History, “the rooms were small and the bathroom was down the hall, but for less than $100 you could spend a whole week at ‘Big Ruby’s.’” It was the first gay guest house on the island in the early 1970s. 

The cost of a Key West vacation now prices out the kind of young gay men that filled lower Duval Street after dark in the era when the Village People were singing “I’m heading for Key-ey-ey West, the key to happiness.”  

Cori Convertito, PhD, Curator & Historian, Key West Art & Historical Society and Key West Business Guild Board of Directors

What do you think about Equator Resort’s decision?

“As a privately owned business, I feel that they need to make the decision that best suits their situation.”

What do you think it means for downtown Key West? 

“The closure of Equator Resort is a loss for the gay community.  Historically, Key West has been a safe haven for those in the gay community and having institutions like Equator Resort strengthened that safety and security for travelers.”

What do you think it means for our future to lose gay places of any kind for the gay business community and for gay Key West in general?

“With the loss of the Equator Resort, after the loss of other gay resorts (Atlantic Shores, the Lighthouse Hotel, Pearl’s, etc.), now more than ever, our Key West Business Guild becomes more critical for gay tourists and residents.  Having a recognized institution that can share information on gay-friendly resorts and businesses can absorb some of the ‘unknown’ for those looking to visit our island and feel safe.”

Larry Ketron, Manager, In Touch – “Key West’s gayest, most fun store.” Gift Shop at 706 Duval St.

“The changes of things at Equator are merely the continuation of a trend. It’s called follow the money.

From the days when the “mob” saw the money potential of creating “safe spaces” for the homosexual crowd to the vision of gay business owners things have been profit driven.  Once the safe haven for young coming out and “closeted” men, things have changed.  As clientele grew older, the younger generation didn’t feel the need for “safe havens” and have chosen to go anywhere they feel welcome. That and the changing dynamics of “sex hookups” via internet sites have left bathhouses, guest houses, and gay bars to decline.  Check out the age of the clientele of most gay bars and bathhouses and the age is not the twenty somethings of the 70’s.  Today, if you want to hookup, just grab your phone.  

Yes, there are still customers of the few bars and guest house, but as they die off the younger generation does not seem to fill the gap.  People say that Key West is still a “gay” town.  Yes, it is but the age of the gay residents is often over the age of 60. The results of the changes we fought for in the sixties, seventies and eighties were achieved at our loss. As a community, we have allowed our world to shrink, because of our own blindness.

Soon, there will be fewer bars and guesthouses.  It’s all about money not family.”

Rob Dougherty, Executive Director, Key West Business Guild

What do you think about Equator Resort’s decision? 
Although I am deeply disappointed, their decision is their own. In a perfect world, the amazing thing about freedom, is that it is shared by all, and not just a lucky few. 

What do you think it means for downtown Key West? 
I’m not too sure what it will mean for downtown Key West as a whole; however, it will certainly impact the visibility of our thriving LGBTQ+ community. The absence of the Equator as a destination will absolutely impact our ability to promote our island as a welcoming place for Gay men to travel. That means less LGBTQ dollars being spent in businesses. It means existing LGBTQ and friendly businesses will have to examine their strategy to remain viable. In whole, this means there is the potential of the LGBTQ community having less of an influence in a city that at one time, relied on LGBTQ dollars to remain strong. 

What do you think it means for our future to lose gay places of any kind for the gay business community and for gay Key West in general?

This is a difficult question to answer in one paragraph and requires an historical understanding of how our community has evolved, specifically over the last five-decades. In the late 60’s and 70’s, the focus of the movement was to be seen, to be heard, and to be afforded equal rights the right to live with dignity. The 1980’s should have been a time of great celebration; however, those of us who lived through the time, and buried so many of our own, know there was no celebration. We were literally fighting for our lives. In the 90’s, our community focused on political reform. The right to marry, to adopt children, and to change laws that made discrimination legal. In short, we fought for equality under the law. We deserved and demanded equality under the law. We made such amazing progress; however, that did not come without cost. We saw the shift from celebrating what made our culture so unique, to “we are just like you”. The problem is, as with any culture striving for assimilation, we may have lost the very core of our culture.

I believe the bigger issue is to address preserving the core of our culture. Gay bars are almost a thing of the past except for larger metro areas. Last count, there were just 21-bars that are primarily for our Lesbian sisters in the nation. That is less than one bar for every two states. While we have the strong support of Key West, from our local police to places of worship, LGBTQ businesses are the ones that will need to stand up. If there is to be any progress in preserving the core of our culture from fully disappearing, we must act as a unified community.  Preserving and honoring our history matters if we are to move forward.

In Key West, the most visible LGBTQ+ businesses are the foundation of the Key West Business Guild. Without their support, there would be no mission statement, no vision, and no resources to carry us forward. Without the LGBTQ+ community, one can make the argument, there would be no Key West, as we know it. While strong, it could be stronger. I believe that there have been political and social currents that have threatened progress our community has made over the last 5-decades. These currents are seen everywhere, and we cannot allow them to continue to dismantle the legacy of those who have fought, and have died, so that we can celebrate the freedom afforded to everyone in a Democracy. While I hate the fact the Equator will no longer be an exclusive resort, I know those invested in their business understand the amazing impact they have had over the years. I am confident they will continue to support us as an LGBTQ+ friendly establishment.”

Jeffrey Smead, General Manager, Island House Resort

“Indeed, Island House is especially saddened that Equator has decided to rebrand and no longer be a gay establishment. They have been one of the Key West strongholds with 34 rooms dedicated to serving gay patrons seeking that kind of unique experience. When shifts like this happen, it makes it a lot harder to defend the destination to those who say “Key West isn’t gay anymore” for the last 20 years. The reality is: this was a real estate move, just like the ones before. And of course, that fact will never change. But what hasn’t changed (and won’t), is that Key West remains a tropical domestic destination that is safe for gay people to visit, and still has all the ingredients for a vacation that gay people really love. World class food & drinks, warm weather, gorgeous water, unique accommodations, art, history, and endless party options. What’s important for us to remember, is the reason Island House was founded in 1976 to begin with, is exactly why it’s still relevant in 2024. A gay men’s resort like this is not just selling lodging- it sells an experience. So long as gay people still seek out gay experiences, and Island House keeps raising the bar of what a unique property like us can accomplish, we’re going to keep this place gay AF.”  

February 5, 2024, Announcement by Equator Resort on Facebook

“Important Announcement!

Since 1997 Equator Resort and its team have been proud to have developed so many long term friendships and memories with our guests from all over the world. Operating Equator Resort has been a truly rewarding experience, and we have cherished the relationships we’ve built with our guests. Your loyalty has been the cornerstone of our success, and we are truly thankful for the trust you placed in us. However, a new partnership has developed in our corporation that brings a new vision to our operation moving forward. 

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Equator Resort as of January 9th 2025. Our last day of operation will be January 8th 2025.We understand this news may be disappointing, but at the same time the team is excited to take on a new project with the company that offers a sense of new adventure for the property. The company has not sold, however there are new shareholders that have expanded their view of the corporations future plans.

If you have an existing reservation, do not worry, Equator will operate as normal until the closure date, and all reservations affected beyond the closure date have already been contacted and adjusted.

Once again, we thank you for all the wonderful years we have spent together. 

The Equator Resort Team”

Sources and Resources

The following are some sources used in this article and resources to help you dive into the subject further:

• There Goes The Gayborhood? by Amin Ghaziani, 2014
• Gay Bar – Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin, 2021
• The Bars Are Ours – Histories and Cultures of Gay Bars in America, 1960 and After by Lucas Hilderbrand, 2023
• Stonewall National Museum & Archives, Fort Lauderdale, FL website
• “Is Key West Going Straight?” by Robert Andrew Powell, November 18, 2005, New York Times
• U.S. Census Bureau Pride June 2022 Pride Month exploration of statistics: https://www.census.gov/library/spotlights/by-the-numbers/june/
• U.S. Census Bureau 2021 Data Summit Series – Census Data for the LGBTQ Community PowerPoint, June 24, 2021
• As Seattle Changes Is It Still an LGBTQ-Friendly City? By Naomi Ishisaka, Seattle Times, June 23, 2023
• The Gayborhood – From Sexual Liberation to Cosmopolitan Spectacle, book by Christopher T. Conner, March, 2021
• Gay Enclaves Face Prospect of Being Passe’ by Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, October 30, 2007
• How The Gays Saved Key West, by Guy Ross, Gay Key West website
• The Rise and Fall of American Gayborhoods by Matthew Yglesias, August 8, 2014, VOX (he also interviews Amin Ghaziani)
• There Goes The Gayborhood, article by Scott James in the New York Times, June 21, 2017
• Who Are the People in Your Gayborhood? Understanding Population Change and Cultural Shifts in LGBTQ+ Neighborhoods, by Daniel Baldwin Hess & Alex Bitterman, March 20, 2021
• Gayborhood Resource Guide, Amber Graham, July 10, 2016
• Gay Bars Are Disappearing. Their Past Holds a Key To Their Future, article by Greggor Mattson, Washington Post, June 2, 2023
• Are Gay Neighborhoods Really Disappearing? Princeton University Press paper
• Oxford Academic Journal abstract of There Goes The Gayborhood – summary of each chapter, August 2014
• Who Needs Gay Bars? Bar-Hopping through America’s Endangered LGBTQ+ Places book by Greggor Mattson, May 2023
• The Number of Gay Bars Has Dwindled. A New Generation Plans to Bring Them Back by Casey Parks, December 10, 2021, Washington Post
• What Happens When a Gay Bar Becomes Just a Bar? By Lisa Bonos, July 8, 2016, Washington Post
• New Book Chronicles History of Gay Key West by David Beckwith, October 21, 2023, Keys Citizen newspaper
• LGBT Adults in Large U.S. Metropolitan Areas, March 2021 (great charts and graphs and rankings)
• Buffet Erased Gay Margaritaville? By Guy Ross, September 14, 2023, Mattachine Society of Washington, DC
• What A Drag! The Tradition of Men In Skirts Goes Back Decades In Key West by Laura Richardson, June 17, 2021 The Florida Weekly Key West
• Florida’s Anything-Goes Gay Getaway by Ed Walsh, November 21, 2006 Bay Area Reporter (SF) – stories of the guest houses at the time
• U.S. States Where the Highest and Lowest Shares of LGBTQ+ Adults Live, Axios, February 15, 2024
• The 10 Best LGBTQ-Friendly Small Towns in the U.S. by John Garry, Aril 26, 2022; 22 Small LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S. by John A. Hernandez, January 4, 2022; The Best LGBTQ+ Friendly Small Towns in the USA by Mark Williams U Erika Mailman, May 16, 2023; Most LGBTQ-Friendly Small Towns In America by Mariana Zapata, November 17, 2023; Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index ratings for 506 cities but not Key West (KWBG needs to self apply) These stories all include Ptown, Ogunquit, Rehoboth, New Hope, Lost River and more but not Key West? Okay Key West IS included in this one The Gayest Cities in America, Stefan Arestis, January 4, 2024
• Map of Advertisers in Q Magazine as placeholder for current gay businesses https://www.keywestgayrag.com

Streets for People Improves Our Environment, Affordable Housing, Health, and Safety. It Boosts a Local’s Economy and Makes Us Happier Too

Posted on February 9, 2024     Leave a Comment

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on February 9, 2024. Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

Think about some of today’s big problems in Key West and cities across the country. A degrading environment, rising seas and threatening weather events. A lack of affordable housing. Climbing obesity and depression rates. Pedestrian deaths at 40-year high. Did you ever think that by using our streets and sidewalks just a bit differently they could be part of the solution to these problems? And even Improve our downtown local’s economy and make us happier? Well, yes, they certainly can.

We started writing about these issues here at Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown during the COVID shutdown on April 22, 2020, with this popular article. With this being our 100^th article since then, we’re going back to our origin story about why our streets are so important that we named this column “Streets for People.”

Our Streets and Sidewalks, An Asset In Plain Sight

Streets and sidewalks take up 25 to 50 percent of a typical U.S. city’s land. New York City, for example, is on the lower end of that scale at 28 percent and Chicago (42 percent), Washington D.C. (43) and Portland, Oregon (47) are at the higher end. Key West City staff estimated our number to be about 26% which is in line with older cities.

As former New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan says:

“Streets are some of the most valuable resources that a city has, and yet it’s an asset that’s largely hidden in plain sight.”

How does using this asset help us tackle these problems and improve our lives?

By designing our streets and sidewalks to prioritize people, not cars.

And since streets and sidewalks represent space that’s largely under control of our local government, that means we the people can do something about it and take responsibility to improve our own lives.

What the Research Says About These Issues and Car-Centric Cities

Emerging research over the last two decades tells us that using our streets more efficiently by prioritizing walking, bicycling and transit and using cars less addresses all of these problems. Here’s just a very small sampling:

On Our Environment

Says the non-profit America Walks: “When we design cities for cars, we’re actively making them more hostile for the planet as well as people who get around without driving. This hostility leads to negative outcomes in the areas of climate and public health.”

Yale Climate Connections says: “Transportation is the largest source of planet-warming gases in the United Sates, and passenger vehicles are the top emitters within the sector, to reduce car emissions, authorities ranging from the UN to the U.S. EPA and Department of Transportation say that people need to drive less.”

“Our transportation system is making us – and the planet – sick, and the problem lies in the fossil fuel-powered automobile which has taken over how we live an and use space. Thankfully, solid urban planning + new technology has opened the door for us to bring our cities back from the brink, but we need to act quickly to ensure our communities will be places we want to live.” Gabe Klein, Citifi in the “Cars Almost Killed Our Cities, But Here’s How We Can Bring Them Back” TED Talk.

On Affordable Housing

“Living in areas with limited transportation options can lead to higher transportation costs. Households in car-dependent neighborhoods spend up to 25% of their income on transportation, compared to just 9% in more walkable neighborhoods with more transit options.” From the Impact of Transportation on Access to Affordable Housing, Rajiv Desai.

“Three of the nation’s poorest cities are actually the most expensive places to live – when you factor in how much it costs to get around, and not how much it costs to pay the rent.” Says Kea Wilson in her article Car-Dependency Makes City-Life Too Expensive

On a Downtown’s Local’s Economy

“Street projects that improve safety and design and that welcome pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders see higher retail sales.” From The Economic Benefits of Sustainable Streets

Twelve different studies in 12 different cities “And they all reach a similar conclusion: replacing on-street parking with a bike lane has little to no impact on local business, and in some cases might even increase business. While cyclists tend to spend less per shopping trips than drivers, they also tend to make more trips, pumping more total money into the local economy over time.” From the article The Complete Business Case for Converting Street Parking Into Bike Lanes

“We’ve got data unequivocally showing that people-oriented streets are more economically productive than auto-oriented streets.” From “Why Walkable Streets are More Economically Productive”

On Safety

“We should always be designing our roadways for people, not cars. Safety for pedestrians comes down to street design.” From Dangerous by Design? Why Planning for People Not Cars Creates Safer Roads by the Center for Planning Excellence

“The study found the main reason for this was the traffic calming effect protected bike lanes have on all road users. With protected bike lane street designs, traffic speeds are lowered, so when collisions do occur, they are far less likely to be fatal, and this protects everyone. Let’s face it, people make mistakes, but designing streets for slower speeds means fewer of those mistakes result in people dying.” From the article A Reminder that Protected Bike Lanes Can Make Streets Safer for Everyone

“New York City found that with protected bike lanes, serious injuries and accidents to all users – not just cyclists but drier too – dropped.” From Jeff Speck on Why Bikes Make Streets Safer for All

On Physical and Mental Health

Research brought to light by The Happy City author Charles Montgomery shows how car-centric places do bad things to our physical and mental health:

• They add unhealthy pounds to our bodies. They make us more likely to have heart and respiratory issues. They shorten our lives.
• Their streets are made for cars and to speed cars through. This is unsafe, not just for those who bike and walk but for those who drive too.
• They cause us more stress. That stress exacerbates physical and mental-health issues.
• They make us, especially those with longer car commutes, more likely to experience rage, fear, depression and even get divorced, more than people who walk, bike, or use transit to get to work.
• They make us feel isolated and less connected to one another, which causes us to feel less trusting, and ultimately less happy.

He goes on to say: “If you build the road space, the cars come. But if you build a city for pedestrians, for people, then you can actually create a more social city, a more connected city, and a happier city. And this is now happening in cities around the world.”

Addressing Today’s Problems By Prioritizing Streets for People over Cars

So, what can our local City of Key West and Monroe County governments do to address these problems via our streets and sidewalks?  Lots, especially by thinking creatively and fixing our car-centric infrastructure one street or one corridor or one project at a time.

Streets for People means prioritizing people who WALK over cars. 
It looks like skinny streets that are nine or 10 feet instead of the standard 12 feet per lane. Usually two-way, not one-way streets. Narrow crosswalks, including bulb outs. Mid-block crosswalks. Shortcuts. Paths. Places to rest and for refuge.

Streets for People means prioritizing people who BIKE over cars. 
It looks like more than just bike lanes, but protected and buffered bikeways. Not isolated projects but whole networks that connect us all over town. For example, finishing the Southard Street bike lane. It means taking car parking and converting it to bikeways and bike-corral parking in retail and dense residential areas.

Streets for People means prioritizing people who use TRANSIT over cars. 
It looks like we care about people who use transit because we provide amenities like benches, shelters, lighting, and trash cans. Real-time arrival signs. Maps and schedules. Branded and clean buses. And it most importantly means frequent and easy to understand service.

Streets for People means prioritizing people who want to shop, eat, sit, chat, socialize, and watch each other rather than prioritizing on-street car parking. 
It looks like the parklets made from parking spaces or reclaimed streets turned into pedestrian plazas with benches and tables and chairs. It means promoting retailers and restaurants to reclaim street space and even food trucks and pop-up retail in other places. It means street trees, trash cans, water fountains and public restrooms like are envisioned in the Duval Street Resiliency Plan.

Streets for People

If a city speaks of “balancing transportation choices” rather than prioritizing walking, biking, and transit, it’s still car centered. So, in Key West we need to turn upside down the prevailing car-centric mindset and even push back on those calling for balance.

If we make our streets and sidewalks more people centered, and if we help make it easy and safer for more people to walk, bike, and take transit, our little island paradise will be greener. More prosperous. More affordable. More physically healthy. And yes, more mentally healthy, and happy too.

# # #

Featured photo at the top is from the Keys Weekly Newspaper.

Streets for People / Project Seeks To Make Duval Street Resilient in Face of Sea Level Rise

Posted on February 2, 2024     Leave a Comment

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on February 2, 2024. Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

Imagine maybe a hundred people waiting in line to get into a City meeting in Key West. I know, hard to picture right? But that’s what happened on Wednesday evening January 31out in front of the San Carlos Institute at 516 Duval as downtown business owners, retail workers and residents from all over Key West patiently lined up and signed in before they opened the doors to the Duval Street Revitalization & Resiliency project Open House at 5:00 pm. Officials estimated that a couple hundred people in all attended the two-hour event. The big crowd is good news and a reflection of the pent up excitement for a project that has been five years in the making and is near and dear to the hearts of those who love our island’s historic main street.

Attendees Got a Glimpse Of and Discussed the Future

Participants snaked their way through an exhibit that started in the lobby and made its way through the auditorium, examining story boards depicting elevations along the corridor, impacts on flooding of the street infrastructure, and strategies for saving historic buildings. Locals got to talk one on one with about a dozen City staffers and Stantec engineering and planning consultants and participated in an exercise indicating which samples they liked and disliked on street furniture (benches, bike racks, planters, water fountains – even doggie water fountains), art, landscaping, lighting, and signage. Everyone I talked to was excited that future vulnerabilities were finally being addressed.

Making Duval Street Resilient In the Face of Sea Level Rise, Climate Change and Weather Events

And that’s the impetus of the Duval Street project. The City and County are well into planning for what we need to do to help our low level island chain combat sea level rise and become resilient in the face of climate change and weather events (see our stories here and here).  LiDAR data is finished in the County and almost finished at the City. Based on the data, engineering analysis and plans are already underway to find resiliency solutions on how to deal with the increasing water in our city and throughout the Keys. As Duval Street is our main street and a critically important economic and social part of our community, it especially needs to be protected for decades to come.

Leveraging Resiliency Construction Projects for Revitalizing Duval

So as money is spent hardening Duval Street and the infrastructure below and around it (think water, sewer, stormwater, utilities, and roadbeds), it is the perfect time to address any enhancements to the street above (think benches, trees, sidewalks, water fountains, art, signage, safety for pedestrians) as these are pennies on the dollar when doing the big work. Leveraging available Federal and State grant dollars aimed at making Duval Street more resilient over the next decade enables the City to fold in revitalizing Duval Street at a minimal cost and THAT’S GOOD NEWS!

Mayor Teri Johnston Keeps Duval Street Project Moving Forward

We’ll end this story with a thank you to Mayor Teri Johnston. Mayor Johnston ran on a platform of revitalizing and making Duval Street resilient in 2018. She initiated a Mall on Duval pilot project in 2019 and that begat the first attempt at a plan later that year. A community survey in early 2021 backed the Mayor up by saying that our #2 issue, after affordable housing was combating sea level rise and that of all the potential projects needed, the Revitalization of Duval Street was #1. Mayor Johnston then ensured the project would get done as it was enshrined in the Key West Forward Strategic Plan. After a couple of fits and starts, Stantec was hired, and the process has started.

None of it would have happened without the Mayor’s pushing it forward. And we’re lucky to have such a capable Planning Director in Katie Halloran in overseeing the project. Our beloved little historic downtown will be all the better for us participating in and making the Duval Street Revitalization & Resiliency Project a success.

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More Information and Duval Street Revitalization Project History

For more information on the current planning effort visit https://duval4all.com/. If you want to dive into the background and history of this project, here’s 10 stories we’ve done on it over the last four years:

1. Duval Street Revitalization Moves Forward, June 10, 2020

2. Duval Street Revitalization Help Sought Via RFQ, December 10, 2020

3. Duval Street Revitalization Project Brings Hope to Downtown, December 28, 2020

4. The Wee Donkey, Whataboutism, Bathwater and Duval Street’s Future, February 19, 2021

5. Eight Things We Can Do to Pedestrianize Duval and Still Allow Cars, March 6, 2021

6. Do Key West Commercial Areas Need Business Improvement Districts (BIDS)? – Part 2: What BIDS in Key West Might Look Like, April 23, 2021

7. With the Duval Street Revitalization Plan Way Behind Schedule, Here’s 3 Quick Wins for Pedestrianizing Duval Street Now, July 16, 2021

8. Mallory Sq., Diesel Plant, Duval Street and Bahama Village Housing Projects Create Synergy to Bolster Downtown, January 14, 2022

9. Duval Street Revitalization Back on Track, October 1, 2021

10. Progress on Five Historic District Projects Means More Life, Locals, Prosperity, and Resiliency for Our Downtown , October 21, 2022

Key West Ruins Everything Or Why I’m Grateful to Call Key West Home

Posted on November 23, 2023     1 Comment

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on November 23, 2023. Support ($) our local journalism here. Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

December 1 marks Mikey and my 9^th anniversary of arriving to live in Key West. And for that decision we are very thankful this holiday. We left a good life in the District. Jobs we loved, family and friends developed over decades, season tickets to the Nationals and Redskins, a cute condo in a hip and thriving neighborhood near the trendy U Street Corridor, favorite café’s, an unparalleled ethnic food scene that we readily took advantage of, and a cool bikeshare and pervasive transit system that made it easy and inexpensive to hop about town without a car. Life was good. But here we are getting ready to celebrate our 9^th holiday season on the island. Key West has that kind of effect on people. It draws visitors in and makes them dream of, well, as the book says quitting your job and moving to Key West.

Which we did. And never for a moment have we regretted making the decision to uproot all we had going in D.C. and take a chance on life where we didn’t know a soul and had no work. Boy, do we love it here and consider ourselves fortunate to be residents and workers on this island.

Everyone who calls Key West home, and I’m including snowbirds, part-timers, and regular visitors because we love and need them all, have their own reasons to be thankful, but for us it starts with the fact that we’re urban rats and prefer a city-life where you can bike and walk to all of life’s needs. (Walkscore 94 and Bike Score 100) And living in Key West makes that easy. Being able to live car-free keeps life simple and more connected to our glorious surroundings. Oh, and it certainly helps us better afford the high cost of living in a sought after vacation destination.

We are grateful to live smack dab in the middle of North America’s largest historic district of wooden structures. Old Town is simply beautiful and reminds us of our old historic neighborhoods in D.C. and Old Town Alexandria – although those were brick. And our balcony overlooking Fleming Street provides us with ideal 12-months-a-year outdoor living while allowing us “front porch” viewing of a vibrant city life below.

Wearing shorts and t-shirts and being able to swim 12 months a year is an amazing plus. And saves money on wardrobe. It keeps us healthy too as we’re more apt to get out and about for exercise. And for my friends and family up north, yes, we have changing seasons, they’re just a lot more subtle.

It’s an easy, breezy, simple, and relaxed life because well, we’re all on Key West time. And everywhere we turn there’s the ocean, the gulf, or the seaport. Oh, and unlike in D.C., where we were often the oldest people wherever we went, now we seem to be the median age. It’s nice to live in a place that accepts us as we are. Which leads me to the main reason we are so gratified to live here. THE PEOPLE!

Maybe it’s because we’re such a small town so you get to know everyone. Wherever you go there’s a hello or a hug. Or maybe it’s because Key West attracts the best of humanity. We’re an island of misfits, and people on their second and third lives. We’re known to attract artists and creative types. And dreamers. And dropouts. And people who love to party and cut loose. And people who like to quietly paint, write or curl up with a good book. There’s always something to do and there’s always the option just to waste away. Everyone’s free to be you and me.

We live and let live and are willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt. We’re generous to a fault – witness there’s a fundraiser every single week of the year, and resilient in the face of obstacles. We’re just too small a town not to include everyone and that spirit is embodied in our One Human Family slogan. It’s uplifting and hopeful and fun to live in a place with this kind of spirit and love. As a result, we’re blessed with amazing co-workers and lovely friends. I’ve never witnessed and felt this kind of close-knit and connected community.

So, you can have your mainland and your mainland ways of life. As Mikey said to me a few years ago, “Key West ruins everything!” And it does. Because living anywhere else just pales in comparison and so ruins anyplace else for us. I’m just so very thankful and grateful to live here.

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Streets for People / Is It Really Too Late For Bike Lanes on S. Roosevelt Boulevard?

Posted on August 4, 2023     1 Comment

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on August 4, 2023. Support ($) our local journalism here. Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

Since FDOT first held public hearings in 2016 on rebuilding S. Roosevelt Boulevard between Bertha Street and the end of Smathers Beach to address sea level rise, locals, the City and FDOT have been going back and forth on what the road should look like when finished. The $24 million dollar 800-day project finally began at the height of season on January 30 this year. Like magic, overnight, with some paint and barriers, FDOT converted the 4-lane road to 2-lanes and construction commenced within days. Ever since the conversion, the 2-lane road has functioned smoothly. Traffic is flowing. No delays. No backups. No issues.  

So, if the road is functioning well and we’ve got another almost two years to get use to the two-lane configuration, why in the world are we going back to four and three lanes like it was before, when the project is completed in the spring of 2025? It makes no sense. Especially in light of the fact that with much public support and local and State traffic experts agreeing, in May of 2021 City Commissioners voted 6-1 to reduce the four lanes to two, add protected bike lanes to provide separation from pedestrians accessing the beach along the promenade and to put in a middle turn lane for the condos. Well, because soon after the vote, the City’s Engineering Department told elected officials it would cost the City some money and was too risky because FDOT had deadlines that couldn’t not be met by more planning. So, no changes for you. That was that. Four lanes it is!  

But that was 18 months ago. Since then, we’ve witnessed the 2-lane road functions just fine; we have a new bike-friendly Engineering Department; and the proliferation of fast moving e-bikes has prompted growing calls for separate facilities for bikes to protect pedestrians on the promenades. We’ve got almost two years until final striping on a newly completed roadbed will start. The City Manager should task his Engineering Department to spend a little money in designing some simple, low-cost, mostly paint potential alternatives to give the citizens and Commissioners what they asked for. I mean if FDOT could transform the road from four to two lanes in a day or so, how hard can this be? Let’s take another look at the history of this project, make the case for a bike facilities option, and discuss why it really might not be too late to make South Roosevelt safer for bikes, pedestrians, and vehicles.

The Project Will Make S. Roosevelt More Resilient

This is a much needed resiliency project. We’ve all seen how the road retains water after a hard rain. And with sea levels rising the road is getting more and more vulnerable every year. The road is being raised up to 17.5 inches in some places. FDOT is repairing and closing retaining wall gaps, installing a water pump station system, and upgrading drainage for mitigation of tidal flooding. The existing promenade is being completely rebuilt as are the curbs and ramps. Three Pedestrian Beacons (like the HAWKS on N. Roosevelt) are being installed in front the Key West By the Sea, Margaritaville Beach House, and La Brisa. They’ll be repaving and then restriping the roadway (this is where the opportunity for change comes in) and installing new signage and markings.

From 2 Lanes Today to Four and Three Lanes When Done

Here’s the plans FDOT shared in January. Prior to construction S. Roosevelt Boulevard was mostly four lanes for its entire length. Going southbound as you approached the La Brisa condos the two southbound lanes merged into one for the eventual merge onto the two-lane Bertha. Going north from Bertha the road opened up almost immediately into two travel lanes plus parking. Plans call for the northbound lanes to be almost the exact same. But southbound the two travel lanes will turn into one lane before you get to Key West By the Sea. In the new four lane configuration the lanes will be 11 ft wide. When there are 3 lanes (about half the project) the northbound lanes will be 11 feetwide, and the one southbound lane will vary between 12-14 feet. When there are four lanes all lanes will be 11 feet wide.  

History of the Project Pits Car-Speed Vs. Safety

In 2016 FDOT held public workshops on their “Lane Repurposing Corridor Study” where they proposed options that included no change (4 travel lanes) and various alternatives for wide bike lanes and a middle turning lane. From the beginning FDOT and then City Engineer Jim Bouquet all recommended picking an alternative to the 4 travel lanes. FDOT studies showed the capacity wasn’t needed, speed wouldn’t be affected and that it would be safer for vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians. Most of the workshop participants agreed (see this story for details).

But there was a very vocal contingent of people that didn’t want any change. Just leave it alone they said. These people also cited not wanting to get stuck behind slow moving rubber necking tourists and beach goers and wanting extra capacity for fire trucks as reasons too. Alas the then City Commission in 2017 voted against their City Engineer, FDOT and the workshop participants and told FDOT to keep the road the same. Only Commissioners Weekley and Kaufman voted for the safer alternatives. Mayor Cates and Commissioners Romero, Payne, Wardlow and Lopez voted for the status quo.  

Fast forward to May of 2021 and a new Mayor and City Commission voted 6-1 on a resolution rescinding the previous decision and asking for two travel lanes, a turn lane and protected bike lanes. Only Commissioner Wardlow dissented. Safety seemed to win. But the resolution had a poison pill embedded in it. The Commissioners said that they wanted this as long as the change in plans wouldn’t cost the City more money nor interfere with FDOT’s timeline for the project. Not surprisingly when then City Engineering Department Director Steven McAlearney and City Engineer Kelly Crowe got back to them a few months later, they lamented that yes, it would cost more money and it might jeopardize FDOT’s timeline and funding. So, they recommended no changes and that’s where we stand.  

The Case – Is All That Capacity In Travel Lanes Necessary? No! And Separate Is Safer

Here’s what City Engineering Director Jim Bouquet said in 2017:

“Choosing a two-lane option for South Roosevelt will better support a transportation system which is aesthetically attractive, functional, efficient, safe and environmentally sensitive.”  

That hasn’t changed. Nor has the fact that FDOT’s analysis shows there isn’t a need for three or four lanes and that capacity and speed would not be affected. And the reality on the ground after six months of just one lane in each direction bears this out.  

Here’s something else to consider. In response to the increasing number of complaints of fast moving e-bikes wreaking havoc on pedestrians, the City held an e-bike public workshop on March 2. Lots of people attended. Over and over, citizens recommended creating separate facilities on the N. and S. Roosevelt Boulevard Promenades for these vehicles. Here’s how Commissioner Sam Kaufman put it at the meeting:

“Why don’t we have dedicated bike lanes all over the city, so pedestrians and bicycles don’t have to mix. I recently visited Boston and NYC and they do this. Why isn’t there a lane next to the multi-use paths (promenades) because it doesn’t make sense to put them (bikes and e-bikes) in the highway either. In addition to car lanes there should be a dedicated lane for pedestrians and a dedicated lane for other vehicles – bikes and e-bikes. It’s a pretty wide space so why not separate?”

At the January 18 City Commission meeting when FDOT presented their construction plans Mayor Teri Johnston questioned this picture…

…depicting a bicyclist in the travel lane. She said the presentation showed sharrows and asked if anyone ever uses the sharrows on North Roosevelt and then lamented there weren’t five foot bike lanes here, saying it was a major mistake to do this project without bicycle lanes. The Mayor said because vehicles are going 35 miles per hour no one on bikes or e-bikes are going to use the road as depicted in the picture because it isn’t safe and so they are going to ride on the sidewalk instead.  

Commissioner Kaufman jumped in and said he agreed 100% but that it wasn’t FDOT’s fault because of the history we discussed above. The Mayor and Commissioner Kaufman are both right. And S. Roosevelt Boulevard’s rebuilding is golden opportunity to do just that.  

What Some Alternatives Might Look Like

Here are some alternatives that FDOT presented in 2016. I’ll admit that my favorite version is one with a two-way bike facility next to the beach promenade (sidewalk). I think something like this is more likely to be used than expecting bikes going southbound to cross traffic to get into a bike lane. It would also more easily connect up with the two-way multi-use path on Bertha Street.

Given almost seven years have passed and that there are likely some additional constraints, alternatives drawn up today might be a little different. For example, in order to accommodate both a bike facility and a turn lane for the condos and hotel, maybe some beach parking needs to be moved from next to the sidewalk to the bridle path. But we won’t know until we sketch out some new ideas.

Tangent – The Mysterious Missing Sidewalk

Plans call for FDOT to build a sidewalk in front of the La Brisa condos and the Margaritaville Beach House hotel. When this is done, the City plans to construct a sidewalk on the La Brisa side of Bertha Street so that the South Roosevelt sidewalk connects up with the sidewalk that currently ends near the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard. But the Key West By the Sea residents objected to a sidewalk on their side of S. Roosevelt. Come on man, what gives? If Key West By the Sea wants a turn lane, they should allow FDOT to build a sidewalk in front of their building. That way, one could walk all the way from La Brisa or the hotel to the Airport or Benihana and La Trattoria Oceanside restaurants without crossing the highway.  

Why It Isn’t Really Too Late

This is a quote from the February, 24 Key West Citizen Voice:  

“Peak season and traffic on the South Roosevelt Boulevard section that is now only two lanes because of construction is moving along nicely! Our former city manager (Greg Veliz) and a few long term commissioners recommended against FDOT beautifying and redoing (at no cost) this area to make it pedestrian and cyclist friendly because it would impede automobiles. They voted for automobiles, traffic, speed, no changes, and they were wrong. We are stuck with the current plan; remember who voted against these improvements.”  

But are we really stuck? The question is, if two lanes work, why do we need extra travel lanes? And if we don’t, can we, using mostly paint, fashion a two-lane road that can then also accommodate a bike facility – you’d need at least 8-10 feet, maybe more, out of those reduced lanes? And then is there also enough room for a turn lane for the condo’s? If you walk or ride your bike out there today, there sure seems like plenty of space where you could have separate facilities for vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians.  And that would be safer for everyone.

We’d ask the City Manager to task his bicycle friendly, current Engineering Department staff to meet the spirit of the Commission’s May 2021 resolution and to give us some low-cost options for using paint to make the road safer by reducing it to two travel lanes instead of the planned four/three, add in a two-way bicycle facility on the beachside and to see if those turn lanes for the condos and hotel can be accommodated too. We have faith in the new Engineering Department team that includes Director Gary Volenec and Multi-Modal Coordinator Ryan Stachurski to come up with some ideas as they’ve demonstrated progress on bicycle issues here, here, here, here and here.  

A Safer S. Roosevelt and Smathers Beach Is Better for Everyone

The City needs to give this one last try before it really is too late. And this time, everyone involved should concede that it is okay if it costs us some money. Being penny wise and pound foolish on a project that will last a generation is nuts. Building a safer S. Roosevelt for vehicles, bicycles, e-bikes, pedestrians, and beach goers along Smathers Beach, one of our prime tourist attractions, will be good for everyone. Hey, maybe the City can get the TDC to kick in some money for the changes.  

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Hunting for Parking: Making the Case to End Free Parking for Visitors In Downtown Key West

Posted on July 21, 2023     2 Comments

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on July 21, 2023. Support ($) our local journalism here. Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet. I’m hunting for a parking space. But for the first time in a few years, lo and behold there seem to be a lot of these wascawwy spots available downtown. So, maybe our seasons are indeed back. Enjoy the abundance while you can, because once the fall comes, so do the complaints by historic district residents of not being able to find parking in front of their home or by locals not being able to shop, dine or play downtown. I was reminded that hunting for parking isn’t a uniquely Key West problem, but plagues popular downtowns the world over, when reading a recent article by business and economics columnist Peter Coy.

With extensive research Mr. Coy makes The Case for Ending Free Parking ($) saying the origin of the “parking problem is that on-street parking is free or underpriced and the solution therefore is to charge or charge more.” Sounds simple enough. How does this apply to Key West? In the heart of downtown there are about 3,000 on-street parking spaces. 1/3 of these are metered. 1/3 are marked for use by Resident Permit only. They aren’t the problem. But the final third are unmarked and FREE. Open to anyone, including visitors, for up to 72 hours or 3 days. And like a moth to a flame, everyone is attracted to these precious few free spaces. Why feed a meter or pay to park in a lot or garage if you can find a free one. The lure of these free spaces are causing the problems.  

When visitors in an effort to save a few bucks on an already expensive trip, grab one of these for a few days instead of parking in a long-term lot, it means less available space for nearby residents and Key West locals to park and enjoy downtown. The solution as Peter Coy and parking experts point out is simple. Eliminate free on-street parking. Or in our case, free on-street parking for visitors. Let’s look at how this can be done and how it helps create a more locals-friendly and Shop Mom and Pop downtown.

The Allure of Free Parking Undercuts Efforts to Have Visitors Park In Long-Term Lots

We’ve all been there. Peter Coy writes, that his wife insists on cruising for a free spot on the street while he prefers to give up and park in a garage. In one of the most popular Seinfeld episodes of all time, The Parking Space, Elaine tells George to just put the car in a garage because he’s never going to find a free on-street parking space. But George, like most Americans, is loath to pay for parking and keeps hunting saying, “Why should I pay, when if I apply myself, maybe I could get it for free?”  

Visitors to Key West are like George. If they think there’s a possibility of a free space, even if it is difficult to find at certain times of the year, they are going to resist efforts to park the car in a paid lot and they’ll hunt for that elusive free spot.

Small Inns and AirBnB’s Contribute to the Problem

The TDC says that 77% of our million plus visitors arrive by car. While many downtown hotels have parking lots, most smaller inns and B&Bs do not. You know who else doesn’t provide parking? All those historic district homes converted to daily, weekly, and monthly rentals. Guess where most of these people park? You got it, those free unmarked spaces.

I worked at a small inn (less than 30 rooms) by the Seaport a few years ago. It doesn’t have a parking lot. And while it was only a couple blocks away from a bunch of public and private lots and garages, most of the guests who arrived by car chose to hunt for a free parking spot on the street for 72 hours rather than pay for the garage. In fact, we had a little chart at the front desk showing them this unmarked spot is what you want to look for and to avoid the Resident Permit spaces. If we eliminated the free spaces, these visitors would have no choice but to park their car in a long-term lot.  

The Allure of Free Parking Causes Cruising that Congests Downtown

Research indicates in some congested downtowns up to 1/3 of vehicles are cruising for underpriced curb parking. This cruising or hunting causes congestion and pollution. “A surprising amount of traffic isn’t caused by people who are on their way somewhere. Rather it is caused by people who have already arrived but are cruising around looking for a place to park.” Says Parking Guru and UCLA Professor Donald Shoup in this article: Cruising for Parking.

Free Parking Discourages Turnover for Retail

If close-in unmarked free spaces are taken by visitors to store their vehicles for up to 72 hours, this discourages their use by short-term users for frequenting local Mom and Pop shops, restaurants, and attractions. Yes, these out-of-town visitors may also be shopping, eating, and playing, but by storing their vehicle on the street, instead of a long-term lot, they are potentially preventing a local from using a close-in space. And we’ve all heard long-time locals complain they don’t go downtown. Congestion and lack of parking being one of the reasons. If the chances of finding parking were increased that would attract more locals downtown.

Free Parking Competes With Residents Ability to Park in Front of Their Homes

Over 10,000 Resident Permits are issued annually. There’s about 1,000 Resident Permit parking spaces downtown. So historic district residents often lament they can’t find parking in front of their home or even on their own block. So, the backup is to park in one of those unmarked spaces. However, if those spaces are filled with out-of-towners storing their vehicle…

Three Simple Things We Can Do to Fix This

1 – Convert Some Free Spaces to Meters and Resident Permit Spaces

Take a portion of the 1,000 unmarked free spaces downtown and simply make them into either metered parking or Resident Permit parking spaces.

2 – Put Hourly Limits on the Remaining Unmarked Free Spaces and Exempt Resident Permit Holders

The case can be made that some amount of limited and short-term “free” parking is needed. Most cities provide this kind of parking by putting hourly limits, maybe four to six to eight hours between the hours of 8 am and midnight for example on these spaces and then exempting Resident Permit holders. The hourly limits allows downtown residents to have guests or allows locals to attend functions and such. What it really does is discourage visitors from storing their vehicles for up to 3 days on the street and instead encourages them to park in a long-term lot – otherwise they’ll get a ticket. And locals, whether they live downtown or in New Town who have Resident Permits now have twice as many places to park!

3 – Direct Overnight and Day Visitors to Long-Term Lots, Park It and Forget It

Marketing by the TDC and the lodging industry needs to make visitors aware there is no free parking in Key West well before they get here and to share with them where there is available long-term parking. Set the expectation before they arrive so as to reduce complaints.  

As people reach Stock Island, go through the Triangle and scatter along the few routes into the City, wayfinding should direct people to available garages. Better yet this should be real-time information that’s also available online and by your phone. Messaging should educate people to Park It and Forget It – and once their car is in a long-term lot to walk, bike and use the Duval Loop and other transit to get around.

Everybody Wins When We End the Hunt for Free Parking

We need to end the incentive to hunt for free parking in downtown Key West by doing what the experts and common sense tell us to do. Simply eliminate free on-street parking for visitors. If we do these three simple things:  

1. convert some of the 1,000 unmarked free spaces to meters and Resident Permits
2. put hourly limits on the remaining spaces and exempt Resident Permit holders, and
3. direct visitors to long-term lots

we’ll get more meter and parking lot revenue. We’ll have more spaces for historic district residents to park near their home. And we’ll provide more spaces for all local residents to park downtown and enjoy the wonderful Mom and Pop shops, restaurants, and attractions – thus making our commercial districts more Locals’ Friendly. And we’ll have less congestion as visitors aren’t hunting for parking. Win, Win, Win, Win!

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Streets for People / PeopleforBikes Says Key West Is a “Great” Bicycling City and Ranks It #17 in U.S.A.

Posted on June 29, 2023     Leave a Comment

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on June 29, 2023. Support ($) our local journalism here. Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

For the sixth year in a row, on June 27 PeopleForBikes, the U.S. bicycling industry’s trade association and a national advocacy nonprofit, released its 2023 City Ratings, a comprehensive ranking of cities based on the quality of their bike networks. 1,484 U.S. cities and 249 international places in Canada, Europe, and the U.K were rated. This is the sixth year Key West has been scored and the fourth year we’ve done stories analyzing the Key West data (2022, 2021, 2020).

Key West scored 66 on a 100-point scale earning it 68th place overall and #20 among 946 Small Cities (less than 50,000 population). In 2022 Key West scored 61 and in 2020 scored 58. Of Small Cities, Provincetown, Massachusetts with a score of 88 ranked #1 again for the second year in a row. In 2019, only 35 U.S. cities scored above a 50. In 2022, that number grew to 78 cities. This year, 97 U.S. cities, including Key West were rated as Great Places to Bike with a score above 50. Only 16 U.S. cities, regardless of size, ranked higher than Key West and only 12 U.S. cities made it into the ratings’ Top Fifty overall.

This is good news for our little island paradise. Especially as our score has gone up over each of the last few years. That shows progress. Analysis of the data and discussions with Key West leaders and bicycle advocates reveals that much of our score and excellent ranking has a lot to do with natural factors. We’re compact, flat, and have good weather, so lots of people bike year-round, despite a lack of safe bike facilities in some places – N. Roosevelt Boulevard and Flagler Avenue we’re looking at you. We’ve documented recent progress here, here, here, and here, but in the grand scheme of things these are mostly small investments. We have to ask the question, given our natural advantages, what would Key West’s score and ranking be if we really tried.

If the City can spend $5M annually on public transit operations, what if we spent a similar amount on bicycling every year for a decade? Key West becoming a recognized top bicycle city in North America would enhance our residents’ quality of life, reduce our beleaguered work force’s transportation costs, and could serve as a visitor calling card for an ecotourist demographic that values such things. Let’s dive into the data, hear what some leaders are saying and discuss what this means for bicycling’s future in Key West.

The PeopleForBikes Annual City Ratings = Tough Standards

Each year PeopleForBikes has rated more and more cities, so there’s more competition between places in the rankings. Each city receives a City Ratings score on a scale of 0-100. A low score (0-20) indicates a weak bike network, meaning the city lacks safe bikeways or there are gaps in the network. A high score (80-100) indicates that most common destinations are accessible by safe, comfortable bike routes that serve people of all ages and abilities. Only 18 cities overall scored better than 80. The average score for all cities was 27. Tough standards!

PeopleForBikes says a score of 50 is the tipping point to becoming a great place to bike. But the vast majority of U.S. cities haven’t scored more than 50 points.

“While cities may differ in their paths to becoming great places to bike, the foundation is to build safe, connected, and comfortable bike networks.” said Rebecca Davies, PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings program director. “Every city needs more protected bike lanes, safer intersection crossings, and a modernized approach to street design that works better for everyone, no matter how they choose to travel.”

Bicycle Network Analysis Score

City ratings are based on the Bicycle Network Analysis (BNA) Score, which measures the quality of a city’s bicycle network. A bike network is defined as the system of paths, trails, and streets that someone riding a bike can use to get to everyday destinations. High-scoring cities often perform well across six factors captured in the acronym SPRINT: safe speeds, protected bike lanes, reallocated space for biking and walking, intersection treatments, network connections, and trusted data.

You can read more about SPRINT at How to Improve Your City’s Score. For more granular detail on how the BNA works, read the full methodology. For historical data and details on the software, visit their BNA Mechanics website.

Key West’s BNA Scorecard – Slower Speeds Downtown Fuel Rise In Score

Key West has a BNA Network Score of 66. The essence of the score uses mapping data software to figure out if people can get to places from where they live or “neighborhoods” to jobs, schools, core services, recreation, retail, and transit safely by bike. The safely part is measured by street speeds. If 20 mph or lower that’s good. If the street has higher speeds, does it have protected bike lanes and intersection treatments to get people around to counteract the higher speeds? Are these facilities connected?

As Key West is so compact, it isn’t surprising that people can find a way to get to most places in a safe manner. Here’s this year’s detailed score compared to 2022 and 2021. Access from neighborhoods to jobs, recreation and most things seems good. The only category that isn’t is “Core Services” or places like hospitals and grocery stores. When you realize that both Publix’ and Winn Dixie are on N. Roosevelt and the hospital is on College Road where there are no bike lanes, you understand the low score of 49.

Overall access is visually apparent looking at the BNA Score Stress Map. And it confirms what everyone who lives here already knows. The dangerous streets, those PeopleForBikes depicts in red, are N. Roosevelt Boulevard, Truman Avenue, Flagler Avenue, Palm Avenue, Eaton Street, Kennedy Avenue and College Avenue. Mostly places where the speeds are above 20 mph. Most don’t have bike lanes either.

If we compare the previous year’s Stress Map with this year’s, one can’t help but notice the number of high stress (red) streets downtown has gone down versus last year. As the City hasn’t done a lot of new bike infrastructure in Old Town, we think it might have something to do with the mapping data acknowledging the City’s lowering the speed limit city-wide to 20 mph on most streets. When we talked with the City’s Multi-Modal Coordinator Ryan Stachurski, he verified that yes, he and his team of interns “corrected the speed limits available to the algorithm at OpenStreetMaps” which is the street mapping data that PeopleForBikes uses in the BNA. Ryan added that the City Commission lowered the city-wide speed limits in 2020 on the recommendation of the Parking and Alternative Transportation Group.

So, the improved score, going from 61 to 66, now accurately reflects the slower speeds on the ground downtown and that’s a good thing. It also reflects better, more accurate data, one of the six principles of SPRINT. So good on Ryan and and his team for correcting the data.

What People Are Saying About Key West’s City Ratings

We asked our Mayor and some bicycle advocates what they thought of Key West’s score and ranking. Opinions were mixed. Here are some of their thoughts:

Key West Mayor Teri Johnston:

“To reduce our congestion, noise, and pollution, we asked our residents and guests to consider an alternate mode of transportation in Key West. They have overwhelmingly supported this “ask” by walking and biking around our incredible island. Now it is our responsibility to provide safe paths for pedestrians and bicyclists by keeping our sidewalks for walkers/joggers and a dedicated bicycle lane for cyclists whether motorized or human powered.”

Tom “The Bike Man” Theisen, Owner, Bike Man Bike Rental Key West:

“I’ve lived here for almost 40 years, bike 10 to 20 miles daily around town and have a bicycle business. I’ve watched the degradation of the Key West cycling experience over the past few years, mostly caused by reckless electric vehicle drivers on our bike paths and additional traffic caused by workers relocating out of Key West.

The city continues to add bike racks and paint lines on the streets to give the appearance of doing something but overall, there have been no significant changes and continued lost opportunities. (Jr. College Rd., First Street and South Roosevelt). The Staples bike bridge is being replaced but I see that as more of a maintenance project rather than an improvement. There is a bike plan, I don’t see any of it being implemented. 

 There are possibilities to improve biking infrastructure, a path from Salt Ponds to the Government Road, opening additional routes through the cemetery etc. but in most instances removing parking spaces is the only option if Key West wants to improve its bike infrastructure. 

The current city commissioners seem to have no interest in improving cycling infrastructure probably because none of them cycle. They represent mostly people who don’t cycle and are more concerned about having cheap, easily accessible parking rather than bike infrastructure. There are a few voting cyclists but generally they don’t vote in Key West because they live on Stock Island, don’t speak English, aren’t citizens, are too young to vote or are here on vacation. 

When I hear how well we are doing I shake my head because you could pick any town in the whole, snowy, province of Quebec and they would be kilometers ahead of us as are most U.S. cities when it comes to actually making it safer to bike.”

Roger McVeigh, City of Key West Parks and Recreation Advisory Board:

“The score and rating are very encouraging! This reflects highly on the Mayor, City Commissioners and City Staff, particularly Multimodal Coordinator Ryan Stachurski and Director of Engineering Gary Volenec, for their recent efforts and willingness to move more aggressively forward with change to facilitate safer streets.

That being said, there is so much more that can be done without significant dollars if our leaders are willing to truly invest in public safety and changes in the best interest of all residents and safety, in spite of the predictable outcry of the NIMBYS and the anti-change folks.”

What Do We Need to Do to Improve Key West’s Score and Ranking?

We’ve gotten the low hanging fruit or points out of our natural advantages of being small, flat, great weather and good bones (compact street grid). To significantly improve our score, Key West needs to look to the data, as visualized in the Stress Map, which makes it clear what facilities need to be made safer. Just follow the red streets. One can also look to the recommendations in this article here: Two Bike Crashes This Week Are Two Too Many. Here’s 10 Things to Make Bicycling Safer, November 12, 2022, or look at this quick list:

• Bike lanes on College Road
• Separated paths for bikes on N. Roosevelt and S. Roosevelt
• Building the Wickers Trail segment of the Crosstown Greenway
• Fixing the intersections and driveways on N. Roosevelt
• Making Kennedy Street 2 lanes with a middle turn and protected bike lanes
• Protected bike lanes on the First and Bertha Street Corridor
• Continuing the bike lanes, the length of White Street
• Finishing the Southard Street bike lane into the 300 block
• Installing bike corrals throughout the downtown in the street
• Continuing bike lanes through intersections and installing bike boxes
• Putting a light at Duck Avenue and S. Roosevelt
• Widening the sidewalk on the outbound side of the Triangle
• Educate visitors to slow down and watch out for bikes
• Upgrade the Crosstown Greenway with signage and paint
• Giving bike and e-scooter share a fair shot instead of making it hard to start
• Asking developers to put in less car parking and more bike parking
• Widening sidewalks with parklets
• Build the Salt Ponds and Smathers Beach Bike Trails
• Finish the United and South Street bike lanes
• Connect up all the bike lane and path segments around town
• Reconsider removing parking and installing protected bike lanes throughout downtown including on Whitehead and Simonton
• Make Duval Street more pedestrian and bike friendly

There’s obviously lots of ideas on how to make biking safer and easier. What are we forgetting in this list and article above? As Tom Theisen points out, in order to go beyond simply replacing the facilities we have now and put in new/additional infrastructure like protected bike lanes, separated paths or even just to connect up all the disjointed regular bike lanes, we are going to need to take some car parking out and that’s going to take some political will and spending dollars that we have heretofore not witnessed.

Key West’s Bicycling Future

Key West’s score and ranking in the PeopleForBikes City Ratings are great. But rather than pat ourselves on the back for a job well done, especially when much of that score is because of our natural advantages, we should use this news as a catalyst to spur us on to even higher heights. Imagine Key West being mentioned as one of the greatest bike cities, not just on the continent, but the world. With a little bit of elbow grease and money, it is indeed possible.

Doing this will make life better for our own citizens as we lessen our traffic and downtown parking congestion, clean our air, make ourselves happier and make our Mom-and-Pop shops more prosperous. We can also bring down the cost of living for our beleaguered workforce by allowing more of them to go car-free. When we make it safer and easier to bike we all win!

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Streets for People / New Staples Avenue Bike/Ped Bridge Coming This Fall

Posted on June 23, 2023     Leave a Comment

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on June 23, 2023. Support ($) our local journalism here. Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

As the Salt Run Channel and extension of the Riviera canal crosses the middle of the island in New Town, it leaves only three places cars can get across or up and down the island. N. Roosevelt Boulevard, Flagler Avenue and South Roosevelt Boulevard. But bicycles and pedestrians have a fourth and safer option to cut across the City. The Staples Avenue Bike and Pedestrian Bridge. It’s a key segment in the Crosstown Greenway bike trail, with over 7,000 people crossing it each week.

Three years ago, alerted by Tom “The Bike Man” Theisen who had been canoeing under it and took a bunch of pictures of rotting metal, we did a story asking the question, “Is The Staples Avenue Bike Bridge Safe?” The City’s Engineering Department said the bridge was structurally sound for non-motorized traffic but was nearing the end of its useful life. So, with planning and engineering now complete, the City expects construction bids to come in during the first week of July. Once a contract is in place at the end of the summer, a grand re-opening should take place before Christmas.

Best of all the new bridge will be wider. At 15 feet the replacement structure will accommodate two-way bicycle traffic and a separated pedestrian walkway. No more pesky bollards in the middle to crash into. No more bikes vs. pedestrian incidents. Easier to cross. Safer for everyone. Kudos to the City. When we make it safer and easier for more people to bicycle, we all win. Let’s look at the history of the bridge and some other projects of the time, check out the details of the new and improved span and look at what’s happening today along the Crosstown Greenway.

Days of Yore: 25 Years Ago, Creation of the Locals Secret Bridge Leads to Today’s Crosstown Greenway

The Staples Avenue Bridge dates back to the late 1990’s. Here’s how Tom “The Bike Man” Theisen remembers it:

“I think the bridge was installed about 25 years ago. There was a very contentious community and commission meeting preceding it with many young kids in the audience. (How can you vote against a bunch of young kids?) The residents were worried about scooter traffic, so bike traffic was routed onto the sidewalks instead of being a straight run like the city engineer recommended and bollards were installed on the bridge. The biking community wanted a straight approach but was tired of fighting the neighbors at that point.”

During that same period, Tom and then Bicycle Coordinator Jim Malcom initiated a few projects including the bike/ped only path from 12^th Street to Kennedy Street along the edge of the Housing Authority’s property and a path through the parking lots at the Wickers Sports Complex, that along with the Staples Avenue Bridge created a safe “Locals” bikeway through the middle of the island so people didn’t need to use the speedy, unsafe and heavily car-trafficked  Flagler Avenue or N. Roosevelt Boulevard. The path is now officially known as the Crosstown Greenway.

With the adoption of a comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in 2019, the City has embarked on investing in improving the Crosstown Greenway. We’ve done stories on it here and here and here. Those improvements include an upcoming multi-million dollar project to construct a safer and separated path through the Wickers Sports Complex and construction just started on putting in brand new bike lanes on United and South Streets at the downtown end of the Crosstown Greenway. So, the new Staples Avenue Bridge is part of this continuing investment.

Our Mayor, Teri Johnston on the Project

For years Mayor Teri Johnston consistently asks staff to find ways to put in more bike facilities and we’ve documented some of that here, here, here, here, here, and here. She was understandably pleased when we asked her about this project, saying:

“I want to congratulate our Multimodal Coordinator, Ryan Stachurski, and our engineering team for this thoughtful plan to improve safe passage for pedestrians and bicycles across our Staples Avenue Bridge. Over 7,000 bikes and pedestrians depend on this bridge to get to and from Key West each week.”

Wider Is Better

The current bridge is 10’8” wide, with bollards down the middle to prevent larger vehicles from trying to cross it. Those of us who use it regularly can attest that it takes some effort to cross it without falling off of your bike. And if there’s anyone else on the bridge at the same time, well, everyone just takes a deep breath and navigates with extreme caution. It just isn’t safe for multiple users.

The new replacement bridge will be 15-feet wide. Allowing for a 4-feet wide pedestrian crossing and a 9-feet wide, two-way bicycle path with no bollards, just a stripe down the middle. There will be a guardrail separating the bikes and pedestrians. Easy to navigate. Safer for everyone. Wider is indeed better. Here’s what the City’s Multi-Modal Coordinator Ryan Stachurski says of the project:

“Staples Bridge has been around for a couple decades, providing a safe and comfortable route for bicyclists and pedestrians avoiding the noise and exhaust of the auto-centric Flagler Ave or North Roosevelt Blvd. Hundreds of Key West bicyclists likely rely on Staples Bridge for their daily commute. As the existing steel bridge reaches the end of its useful life, we hope to replace it with an aluminum version that includes some safety upgrades for those who may be mobility impaired. Though we look forward to the improvements, the construction will cause some temporary inconveniences. Non-motorized traffic will be temporarily diverted to Flagler Ave during this time.”

While plans are still being finalized by the City’s Urban Forestry Manager, it is anticipated that the trees in the middle of the approach on both sides of the bridge will be relocated to the sides. About $10,000 has been set aside for landscaping.

When We Make It Easier and Safer to Bike, We All Win

The City should be commended for continuing to invest in the Crosstown Greenway and the new and improved Staples Avenue Bike/Ped Bridge will make it easier and safer for more of us to use bicycles to get from one end of town to the other. That’s a good thing because more of us biking helps our little island paradise fight traffic and parking congestion, improves our environment and makes us healthier, more prosperous and happier too.

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New Garden View Apartments Residents Being Provided Bus and Bike Incentives to Go Car-Free

Posted on June 16, 2023     Leave a Comment

By Chris Hamilton. Story is cross posted at KONK Life on June 16, 2023. Support ($) our local journalism here. Follow us at  Friends of Car-Free Key West & Duval Street/Historic Downtown on Facebook.

Tenants are just starting to move into the 103 units at the Key West Housing Authority’s new Garden View Apartments at 5220 College Road. That’ great news as it makes a dent in our critical need for affordable workforce housing. New residents are expected to receive some kind of Key West transit pass, providing them with free bus service on the new “Key West Rides” on demand service for Key West and Stock Island. To promote bicycling, the projects’ developers, with the City’s advice, have installed proper bicycle parking throughout the property in weather-protected areas under the buildings and near stairwells.

As the new development is only about 4 miles from the center of Duval Street and our Historic Seaport, it’s possible many residents can ride a bike the twenty-minutes or so to work, shop and play downtown. Treating bicycle parking as a bonafide transportation method signals residents without cars that they are valued too. Providing them with free transit encourages them to take the bus. The transit and bicycle incentives taken together will make it possible that residents can live car-free, saving thousands of dollars a year on the high cost of owning and operating a car. This brings overall livability costs down for our beleaguered work force and helps all of us as it alleviates traffic and parking congestion.

This is in stark contrast to the non-industry standard bike racks installed outside in the weather and the lack of any transit incentives or shuttle bus that the County approved at the recently occupied 240 units at Wreckers Cay on the other side of Stock Island. So, good for the City and the Housing Authority on getting it right. Let’s hope A.H. Monroe and the City do something similarly appropriate at The Lofts workforce housing project.

Research shows that the best time to get someone to change a commute habit is when they move into a new home or change jobs. So, the combination of proper bicycle parking at the home end, a relatively short distance to downtown and the potential for free transit passes help set the stage for more people ditching the car and using bikes and the bus to get from Garden View to downtown. Let’s take a look at the new bicycle parking, what we know about the bus passes and a few things we can do to make it even safer and easier for those wishing to bike between this new development and Old Town.

Free Transit

The details aren’t all fleshed out yet, but in the near future the City’s Sustainability Coordinator Alison Higgins hopes to reveal a special pass provided to new residents that will allow them to ride Key West Transit buses for free. As there is no more fixed-route service, that means residents will be able to use the new “Key West Rides” on-demand service. There are bus stops in each direction directly in front of the new buildings. If the Garden View pass is modeled on the current $25 31-Day Pass, that’s a $300 annual savings to Garden View Apartments residents and quite the incentive to try the new Key West Rides service.

Compare this to the County’s oversight of the new 240-unit Wreckers Cay housing complex. The County required a bus stop but didn’t require the developer to incentivize people to use the bus. No transit passes. No shuttle bus either. And this complex is larger than the Perry Hotel and Oceans Edge Resort, each of which provide free shuttle buses. So good on the City for trying to do something at Garden View.

Proper Bicycle Parking

We were very disappointed in the bicycle parking installed at Wreckers Cay in the fall and wrote about it here (Wreckers Cay and County Need to Do Better By New Residents Who Want to Bikes Between Stock island and Key West, September 2, 2022). The developers used non-industry standard wave bike racks that don’t support the frame of a bicycle and they installed them outside and exposed to the weather instead of under the cover of the building so they could get more cars parked there. And the County approved all of this.

In contrast, the City’s Multi-Modal Transportation Coordinator Ryan Stachurski worked with the Housing Authority throughout the process to ensure the Garden View Apartments had quality, industry standard racks and that they were put under the cover of the buildings to protect them from weather. Going even further and putting them in prime locations near the stairwells. If we’ add one more thing, it would be electric outlets for e-bikes and e-scooters. As we discussed in the September story, you get the transportation you build for. If you treat bicycles as an afterthought instead of as an essential mode of transportation, you’ll get people driving cars. If you provide suitable bike parking at both ends of the trips and a safe bicycle network, you’ll get more people biking. It’s that simple.

Four Miles or Twenty Minutes By Bike to Downtown

If we had our druthers, all new affordable workforce housing would be built downtown or at least on the Island of Key West in order to make it easy and thus maximize the potential for already cashed strapped workers to go car-free. But the Garden View Apartments is on the very edge of Stock Island and just 4 to 4.5 miles, depending on the route and destination to most of downtown. That’s just 20 to 24 minutes or doable for many able-bodied people. Put these folks on an electric assist bike and it is even quicker. Google Maps says the same drive in a car – without traffic – is 13 to 16 minutes. That doesn’t include time to find parking either. So, people on bicycles are not at much of a disadvantage timewise in comparison.

4 Things to Make It Safer and Easier to Bike Between the Garden View Apartments on Stock Island and Downtown

1 – We Need Bike Lanes on College Road

The County has done a nice job on their side of Stock Island by putting wide, often green bicycle lanes on the major streets of Maloney Avenue, 5^th Street, 5^th Avenue and Cross Street. On the City’s side of Stock Island, where the Garden View Apartments are located, College Road lacks any bicycle infrastructure. This is evident in the Stress Map. There seems ample room to rectify this. When I asked Mayor Johnston about this she said:

“Just drove down College road and was amazed that we resurface this road without consideration of a dedicated bicycle lane. This road is a major pedestrian and bicycle route that could have been made so much more efficient with a little more forethought. And yes, you may quote me. I am also grateful for the bicycle parking and convenient bus stop at the Garden View Apartments. And the fact that they are pet friendly.”

2 – We Need to Address N. Roosevelt Boulevard

For residents of the new Garden View Apartments, the shortest distance downtown is via N. Roosevelt Boulevard. While the wide Promenade that makes its way along the water much of the way can be beautiful, the many retail driveways make for a stressful and sometimes dangerous commute (Stress Map again), especially if drivers who aren’t accustomed to bicycle traffic coming from both directions, don’t look both ways, as evidenced by two bicycle deaths last year.

City staff tells us that as part of a plan to repave N. Roosevelt Boulevard in the near future, FDOT officials are doing a “safety audit” to study things they can do to make the highway safer while they are redoing the street. We understand this is in a draft form and will be shared with the public after it has been vetted. Green paint, raised sidewalks and mirrors where there are driveways? Signage? Consolidated driveways? Wider sidewalks in some places? Separation for e-bikes? A 25 or even 20 MPH limit? We don’t know what all the solutions could be, but we do know that FDOT, the City and the property owners need to fix things.

An alternative is to make it easier to cross the highway and get people onto the very safe Crosstown Greenway (Duck, Staples, Von Phister, South). But this adds more than a mile to the commute, the Triangle is a nightmare for bikes and there’s no safe crossing at Duck Avenue so, perhaps making N. Roosevelt Boulevard safer should be the priority. Especially as FDOT has already nixed a light at Duck Avenue.

3 – We Need to Spend Real Money and Educate Visitors to Slow Down and Be Careful Because Key West Is Different Than the Mainland

Educating the over million people who visit Key West each year, 77% of whom arrive by car, to watch out for and cede the way to bikes and pedestrians should be more of a priority. Most of these folks come from car-centric places where they aren’t used to sharing streets with so many bicycles, e-vehicles, and people. Nor are they used to our tiny, crowded streets. If we can spend $350,000 annually on marketing the Historic Seaport using an advertising vendor, by all means, we should hire a marketing firm and market a car-free experience to visitors AND provide a safety campaign aimed at those that drive, educating them that Key West is different, and cars don’t rule. The City spends virtually no money on this. Nor does the TDC. Nor does the County. During this summer’s budget season, we should tell our commissioners at every level to put some money where their mouths are because they all talk about education as a good thing but never put anything behind it. If they spend some real dollars, we’ll all be safer for it.

4 – More Bike Parking at the Work End

Having a safe and reliable place to park your bicycle makes it more likely you’ll use it. So just like having good parking at their new Garden View home is a good thing, so is great parking on the work, shop and play end. On Duval and adjacent streets, we’ve observed full bike racks and bikes parked on trees, streetlights, building and signposts and fences. As we documented two weeks ago the City has started to put in more racks around downtown. But it isn’t enough, it isn’t consistent, it needs to be in the streets – not on the sidewalks and it needs to happen more quickly. Again, the ask to commissioners is to put up more dollars. We only spend $45K a year on bike parking, much of which is replacing worn out racks. Imagine what spending $200K annually for a while could do?

When We Make It Easier to Bike and Take the Bus, We All Win

Having a safe and reliable place to park your bicycle at home, work, shopping, and play and having a safe and connected network of trails that can get people quickly from Stock Island to downtown make it easier and thus more likely more of us will use a bike to get around instead of driving a car. Free and frequent bus service make it easier and more likely people can rely on transit for work, shopping, and play. For our strapped workforce, going car-free can also save lots of money on the high cost of owning a car. More people going car-free helps all of us fight traffic and parking congestion, improves our environment, makes us healthier and happier and it is more prosperous for downtown Mom and Pop Shops too. It makes our little island more like the paradise it should be. We all win when we make it easier and safer to bike and take the bus.

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