Florida is not pedestrian friendly

Today is Groundhog Day, just as it has been every day. I do not remember exactly what I wrote the first time I wrote this post today. However, you never saw it, and will probably not remember this post either. For those of you who are A.LtERNativE_Reality challenged, I am euphemistically referring to the existential theme of the motion picture.

Florida is not pedestrian friendly. Sidewalks start and stop in the middle of nowhere. The sidewalks along my road were removed months ago to make the road wider. The remaining dirt sides of the road are blocked with signs that say, “sidewalk closed�. Needless to say, there are no sidewalks, no bike lanes, no street lights, no fences, and no dividers on the Lake Mary Blvd. Bridge over the I-4 expressway. There are no dividers between the turn off lanes and the continuing road. Cars often suddenly turn to cross over the painted lines, before it’s too late to catch the off-ramp. There is much sand, and poor paving on the sides of the main road. Cars travel at 55 mph or faster. There are no lights, and dark at night.

I fell off my bike on the I-4 bridge 1/21/06. Patti was near by to thwart off 6 Fire-Fighters, 2 Police Officers, 2 fire trucks, 2 Law Enforcement Vehicles, and an ambulance. They were threatening to either Baker Act me, or ask that I voluntarily give up my rights, and go to a medical facility.

On 9/27/05, I had to walk in the busy street, since there were geysers along the sidewalk. This is ironic since I could be hit by a car in the street, and have to be rushed to the hospital emergency room. In my area, they keep removing sidewalks altogether. If you are a pedestrian in central Florida, you have to climb over fences, down trenches, up hills, and through bushes to get anywhere.

When the Wendy’s manager saw that I was outside, standing, and not in a motorized vehicle, he looked incredulous at my criminal activity. How dare I violate the civil rules of society? He did not even want to allow the driver to give the food to me. My kind is not welcome there. The total cost for 9/27/06 is now at least $511.00. I just paid yet another $133 bill (same amount) on 1/13/06.

I fell off my bike there, on the I-4 overpass, two weeks ago. It took me a few minutes to realize that my head was over the traffic line, and in danger of being run over by a car or truck. I now know not to ride a bike with flat tires, without my helmet, gloves, and especially after not having driven a bike in months. It took 9 minutes from my home to where I fell. I had wanted to see how long it would take me to drive to my employer. I estimate it would have been a total of 14 minutes. I walked home for the first time today! Convergys is less than one mile from my house.

Home and Convergys

By taxi: 1.7 miles and 9 minutes
By car: 1.5 miles and 14 minutes
By bike: 1.2 miles and 14 minutes
By feet: 1.1 miles and 30 minutes
As the crow flies: 0.9 mile and 6 minutes

My car is broken. It is a 1999 Ford Escort with 67K miles. The ABS needs repair. There is a guardrail dent along its side. The estimate is $800 to repair. My choices are the following:

1) Give my car away for free to the buyer of its elaborate audio system. This will save me a whole bunch of money on my car insurance.
2) Walk or bike to and from work every day.
3) Ask Patti to give me a ride to and from work when it rains or hotter than 115 degrees outside.
4) Pay Brian to give me a lift to and from work every day.
5) Find a roommate who works at Convergys
6) Share my home with Patti for $111.11 with permission to use her car occasionally.
7) Put my audio system into Patti’s car, and sell my car.
8) Pay for the repair of my car, and drive it for the next 33 years. (I put 1000 miles on it per year).
9) Buy a brand new hybrid car with GPS.

Pedestrians save way too much money on car insurance. What say you? I'd like to know.