Group Bike Ride to Marlins Park Encourages Baseball Fans to Ditch Their Cars

Since the moment El Tremenda Mierda first lit up in victory, Miamians have been bemoaning the parking fiasco surrounding Marlins Park. Five thousand parking spots for a 37,000-seat stadium makes for a major math problem.

But perhaps the park's planners had a little more in mind than a bumper to bumper chain of gas-guzzling, exhaust-spewing cars leading the way to center field.

They did, after all, build a whole lot of bike racks.

And in the name of putting those racks to good use, non-profit advocacy group the Green Mobility Network has planned a Bike to the Ballpark event to promote alternative means of transportation for Marlins fans.

The group, which promotes safer biking, running, and walking in Miami, hopes that the event will motivate people to forgo their vehicles and take to two-wheeled transportation instead.

"I know that the Marlins caught a lot of criticism in the beginning when the park opened with only a few thousand parking spaces, but in that regard it is probably ahead of its time," says Eli Stiers, board member. "Stadiums and other large public venues that are built in dense, urban areas work best when they are accessed by public transportation arteries."

"One of the things the Marlins tried to do to remedy this was build bike racks to accommodate bicyclists. Unfortunately, they are rarely used and some that might otherwise ride to the games may not even know about the bike racks, because they're located in the garages," he adds.

"We saw a natural opportunity to help promote bicycling in the community by organizing this Bike to the Ballpark event."