Ride of Silence honors cyclists killed on local roads, raises awareness for safety measures

MIAMI - May is National Bike Month-- a time to promote safety for cyclists.

The Rickenbacker Causeway is a favorite spot for cyclists to ride in South Florida, but it can also be dangerous.

And Wednesday, riders took to the streets there from Crandon Park to raise awareness for the annual Ride of Silence.

"On this very day all around the world people are riding their bikes to commemorate cyclists who have been killed in crashes on public roadways," said Sue Kawalerski with Bike305.

Jeishy Zerpa was there in memory of her husband Juan Carlos Martinez

"I'm glad that we're still honoring him and talking about him, but I'm sad that I'm here without him," she said.

Martinez was killed in a head-on crash with a police car in 2021.

Now his wife is committed to the mission of making streets safer for cyclist.

"(We need) awareness and accountability for people to be more responsible when they're driving and coming across cyclists on the road," Zerpa said.

Jeanette Haivyl Lopez also knows the pain of losing a loved one on the road.

Her ex-husband Yaudy Vera was killed last year while riding his bike along the Rickenbacker Causeway.

"Two lives were lost," Haivyl Lopez said. "Several families were damaged and hurt. Not only mine, but hers and many others. And we want to make sure that this doesn't happen again."

She's pleased with the improvements made so far to make it easier and safer for cars and bikes to share the road, but says more work needs to be done to ensure her family's loss, and the loss of so many others, won't  be in vain.

"As I said to my boys, he's here with us in a different way. And he will always be protecting us," she said.

Haivyl Lopez says she also wants to see more consequences for drivers involved and at-fault in these crashes.

She says she feels as though her family has not gotten justice.