Florida town reacts to bicycle tragedy by building bike trails

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When two girls, aged 11 and 10, on bicycles were struck and killed by a van driver in October 1987, the people of Davie resolved to make the small south Florida city safer for bicyclists.

By the end of the year the town council budgeted $150,000 for its first bike trail. Within six months work began on a 3-mile bike trail adjacent to the street where the girls were killed.

Twenty-two years later, Davie boasts a network of 135 miles of bike paths and horse trails that connect the two dozen parks in the town with a population of 90,000.

Saved lives

The mother of one of the girls told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper:

“I really do think that it has saved lives, and kept a lot of kids from being hurt.”

Last Saturday, the town commemorated the 20th anniversary of the first bike path with a 6.5-mile bike ride dedicated to the girls, Hilary and Brooke. It started at the 5-foot tall brick and bronze marker erected where the two were hit. It reads:

“Hilary Hedges and Brooke Hodges Memorial Bike Path: Dedicated to the citizens of the Town of Davie in memory of Brooke and Hilary, whose deaths brought an awareness of the need for safe bicycle paths.”


Remarkable

When you consider the reputation of Florida among bicyclists, the feat of building so many bike trails in the town is remarkable.

The 35-square mile town lies in the sprawling Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area, recently scored as the third worst for pedestrians in the US. Meanwhile, Florida led the nation in bicycle deaths in 2008, with 125. The bike deaths per population — 6.82 per 1 million — was the second highest in the US.

Bonnie Stafiej, the town's special projects director, told the Sun-Sentinel that it's probably one of the most envied trail systems in the state of Florida.

A Davie trail map and description of 10 trails can be found at the Town of Davie website.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/11/20/florida-town-reacts-to-bicycle-tragedy-by-building-bike-trails/

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