By The Star Staff
Seeking to promote the sport of road cycling in parts of the capital city, District 3 (San Juan) Rep. José “Cheito” Hernández Concepción proposed on Tuesday the creation of a bike lane in areas of the Venus Gardens, Villa Andalucía and Park Gardens urbanizations.
“Road cycling is booming throughout Puerto Rico. The metropolitan area is no exception,” the New Progressive Party lawmaker said. “San Juan, due to its topography and high number of miles of road, offers a unique setting for the practice of this sporting/recreational discipline. In our Representative District we have a particular area, with elevation where many cyclists already use them [streets] for running. Our proposal is to create a bike path, like the one that exists in Old San Juan, between the urbanizations of Venus Gardens, Villa Andalucía and Park Gardens.”
Hernández Concepción will be summoning personnel from the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP), the Highways and Transportation Authority, as well as the Traffic Safety Commission, the Municipality of San Juan and cyclist groups to a meeting to outline the parameters for the purpose of delineating the new bike lane.
“Guys know about the bike lane in Old San Juan, which is made up of a demarcated lane with an extension of 3.1 kilometers and which runs through historic areas of the capital city. This unique road, under the administration of the DTOP, is the model that we are going to use to create a safe road network for the people of San Juan in our District,” the legislator added. “The area that we are going to create stands out for high inclines, which are used by cyclists to develop resistance, as well as ‘flat’ sectors for speed. That is why many use it and an exclusive lane is needed for this practice.”
“Comrade [Rep.] Víctor Parés is doing something similar in his district, as is the spokesman of our delegation, Carlos ‘Johnny’ Méndez at the old Roosevelt Roads base in Ceiba,” Hernández Concepción said. “The sport of cycling is growing exponentially and we want to give these enthusiasts an exclusive avenue for their enjoyment.”
The lawmaker said the new route will also have lighting for use at night, among other security systems.
Sen. Keren Riquelme Cabrera has also been working on the development of bike lanes around the island.