Rep. Méndez proposes bike path for former Ceiba base
By The Star Staff
The New Progressive Party minority leader in the island House of Representatives, Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez, proposed the creation of a bike path within the grounds of the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in the eastern municipality of Ceiba.
The veteran lawmaker also promoted the creation of a bicycle lane in the section of highway PR-3 from Río Grande to Fajardo, as well as the PR-187 from Loíza to Río Grande, along with safety signage and the creation of an accident prevention and road safety media campaign for cyclists.
“The safety of people who practice cycling is important to us, and for this reason, after a meeting with several cycling groups, we have decided to promote the creation of a bike lane in the Roosevelt Roads area, a unique area for road cyclists to exercise in a safe environment,” said the District 36 representative (Río Grande, Luquillo, Fajardo, Ceiba, Vieques and Culebra).
“I have a friend who practiced the discipline of cycling and unfortunately he was run over, so we are going to establish the parameters for safe cycling in Puerto Rico, particularly in the eastern part of the island where this discipline has turned into a boom,” Méndez said. “We are going to call a meeting with the mayor of the municipality of Ceiba, Samuel ‘Samy’ Rivera, the executive director of the Port Authority, Joel Pizá, and the cyclist groups to outline the parameters of this bike path at the Ceiba base, which also includes signage.”
The former House speaker’s remarks in the lower chamber were made during a meeting to which he had invited members of the Puerto Rico Cycling Association, Stick Sports, and cyclists Angie Herrero, Pedro Ortiz, Glenda Liz Oquendo and José “Joe” Urbina, among others. Also present were Highways and Transportation Authority (ACT by its Spanish initials) Executive Director Edwin González Montalvo and staff from the Traffic Safety Commission.
The minority leader asked the ACT chief for a work plan for the cycling safety signage on the aforementioned sections of road, in which projects for bicycle lane safety zones in those sectors would also be outlined.
“Next week we are going to make a work plan for the signage, according to your initiative,” González said. “We are going to work with the entrance of the [former] naval base to see how a program of safety signs for cyclists in that area can be developed in anticipation of what is to be done at the base.”