INTERVIEW: Local Miami Springs residents Maria Font and Jennifer Gonzalez joined MiamiSprings.com on the Circle and they have this totally crazy idea. They want to make accessing Circle Park safe by adding crosswalks. Crazy right?
Okay, I guess what’s truly crazy is that it’s 2018 and we still don’t have a safe and easy way to access the circle for everyone. Adults, children, and the physically impaired.
VIDEO:
In an interview with MiamiSprings.com, Maria Font stated the following regarding the Circle: “It needs to be accessible and traffic shouldn’t be a deterrent to walk in here [the Circle] and use this space. You shouldn’t have to J-Walk in here to enjoy it.”
Font and Gonzalez have two goals and a wish:
- Add a crosswalk (ideally by the yield sign near Starbucks) to allow safe access to the Miami Springs Circle.
- Add native pollinator plant gardens to promote butterfly growth and pollinating insects
As for the wish, Jennifer Gonzalez stated:
“The dream is…[to connect the circle to the Curtiss Parkway bike path]…a wonderful walking path leading residents to the downtown hub in a SAFE way.”
HOW TO HELP:
If you’d like to help Maria and Jennifer make the Circle more accessible, please click here to visit their Public Space Challenge page and click like like and comment to help them win the contest. If they win the contest, they will be awarded grant money to help make the crosswalks to the circle a reality.
HERE’S WHAT THEY POSTED ON PUBLICSPACECHALLENGE.COM:
MY IDEA TO IMPROVE THIS PLACE…
Miami Springs is a beautiful city with a tight knit group of residents who are proud of our Tree City USA status, & love walking & biking the paths. But one of the main parks in our wonderful city is completely inaccessible. At the entrance to our city is “The Circle,” a huge, 4 lane roundabout with 7 exits. The park located in the center of the roundabout has beautiful trees & a large gazebo but is largely unoccupied by residents as there are no safe ways to travel to the park. Not one crosswalk exists to the park, so residents must illegally jay-walk through 4 lanes of traffic to access it. We propose two crosswalks to the park, as well as a beautiful butterfly garden to attract residents who have long considered the park “off limits”.
SO THAT PEOPLE COULD…
Adding crosswalks to “The Circle” will make Miami Springs’ downtown safe for pedestrians and will promote a healthy lifestyle by enabling walkability. Additionally, adding butterfly plants along existing walkways within The Circle and surrounding the gazebo will create pollinator habitats that beautify the area, and reinforce our Tree City and “Preserve America City” environmental endeavors. Finally, creating safe access to The Circle and beautifying it with pollinator gardens will promote gathering in the hub of our downtown, boosting local business in an area surrounded by neighborhood mom and pop shops. We believe this solution will benefit the community, local business and the environment—a win on all fronts.
