FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Cyclists, runners and walkers kept their social distance on A1A on Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, but Hollywood’s Broadwalk, usually teeming with cyclists and walkers, was closed completely.
In Fort Lauderdale, the city closed off northbound lanes to cars – the latest measure taken to allow for outdoor activity as portions of the state begin to reopen.
The closure to traffic, in place from Las Olas Boulevard to Sunrise Boulevard on A1A, is from sunrise until 7 p.m. Sunday night.
At Hollywood Beach, it was a different scene. Only police cars with lights flashing were on the Broadwalk to make sure that people stayed off the oceanfront promenade.
“In Hollywood, because the Broadwalk is immediately adjacent to the beach, it makes it challenging to open one, but not the other,” Raelin Storey, a spokesperson for the city of Hollywood said. Beaches in South Florida remain closed.
Carrie Becker, a Hollywood resident, liked Fort Lauderdale’s plan. “It would be nice to be able to ride your bike on the road safely without having to worry about the traffic either way.”
The city said they are working on a plan with the Florida Department of Transportation to implement something similar to Fort Lauderdale’s configuration.
With parks, trails and other open spaces shut down in recent weeks due to the pandemic, more bicyclists have been hitting the streets. In some cases, it has proven to be dangerous.
Hollywood police are still searching for the driver of a white pick up truck that struck and injured a cyclist on A1A, then took off.
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