Chris Hamilton

Bike, walk, transit and streets for people build happy, prosperous, healthy & green cities.

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Eighty-five million photos. The most photographed corner in Florida. The Mount Rushmore of Key West.

So how did we end up with a design that pleases nobody — not the engineer who drafted it, not the neighborhood that asked for it, not the visitors lined up in traffic to get the shot?

The City Commission paused this project on May 7. June 4 is the chance to get it right.

In our story at the link, "Key West's Mount Rushmore Deserves a Real Plaza, Not a Street With an Appendage," we walk through what the residents put on the record in 2021, the great plaza the City designed with them, how it got rolled back, where the project stands now, and what we should do on June 4: https://t.co/w7B3pAHKaj

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

150 new apartments at our downtown Seaport. Yay!
220 parking spaces. Why?

The City just approved The Lofts at Trumbo. 150 deed-restricted apartments for teachers and school staff in the middle of our historic downtown. A housing win for workers. And a win for a more vibrant, locals-focused downtown.

But homes this central shouldn't be this car-dependent. The project needs more bike parking and more and better transit. That's the missing transportation half of affordability done right. Only then will the new residents be able to go car-lite or car-free and really reduce their expenses.

Join us in exploring how and why in our story “The Lofts at Trumbo: A Win for Workers and Our Downtown – Here’s How To Make It Even Better” here: https://t.co/TBNgiqWgA4

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Housing Plus Transportation: The Affordability Math Nobody’s Doing

Why the second-biggest bill in your household budget is the affordability lever our local governments can actually pull:

It's not the gas. It's the $13,596 a year the typical Key West household spends on transportation. In Monroe County, $15,209. That's 56% and 58% of a household's expenses when combined with housing.

👇 Learn how Key West and Monroe can address the transportation half of affordability here: https://t.co/FGl9xt7aEH

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Here's a number that should stop you in your tracks...

Less than half of one percent of The Florida Keys and Key West residents use public transit to get to work.

Not because they don't want to. Because a bus that comes every 90 to 120 minutes — and stops running before many dinner shifts end — isn't something you can build your workday around.

So everyone drives. And in the Florida Keys, where gas prices are among the highest in Florida, that forced car ownership adds up fast.

It isn't just fuel costs. Add Florida's highest-in-the-nation auto insurance rates, a car payment, maintenance, and parking — and you're looking at $800 to $1,000 a month in transportation costs. On top of Keys housing. On top of everything else.

A monthly Keys bus pass? $75.

Now ask yourself: what could your household do with the money saved if not every adult needed a car just to get to work?

Better transit isn't just a transportation argument. It's an affordability argument. It's a housing argument. It's an argument about whether working people can actually afford to live and work in the Florida Keys.

Read the full story at the link.
https://t.co/YCbRgSjwo7

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

The Lower Keys Shuttle: From Workhorse to Racehorse

One road. Fifty miles. Here's the case for transforming the bus into a transit spine worthy of our community. Imagine 30-minute service from 4am to 2 am, 7 days a week instead of the current 90-120 minute waits. A game changer for workers, tourists and residents alike. Here's how: https://t.co/YCbRgSjwo7

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Healthy Alternatives to the Rejected Downtown Parking Garage

Our historic downtown is the economic engine of Key West — the golden goose. It sets us apart from every car-choked, strip-mall-dominated place on the Florida mainland. Here's 7 things that should happen instead of a garage:

https://t.co/LepgsP1ESw

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

✈️ Another Month, Another Milestone at Key West International Airport — and some people think that's bad news. They're wrong. Here's why.

With a record-breaking February and 306,904 passengers already through the doors in the first two months of 2026, our little airport keeps growing. But here's what the skeptics are missing: the visitors who fly directly to Key West are fundamentally different from those who drive here. They spend more, stay longer, explore more, and engage with everything that makes this island special.

In our latest Streets for People story we dig into the data, make the case for why airport growth is good for our golden goose — historic downtown Key West — and explore what we should be doing to build on this trend.
They're not just passengers. They're exactly the kind of visitors Key West needs. 🌴
https://t.co/ewfpsbsvGj

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Key West has the good bones to become the Paris of small cities. All it would take is our leaders to double down on our natural assets and invest in bike infrastructure instead of always bowing to car-convenience. When will they ever learn we aren't suburban Boca Del Vista on the Florida mainland but a tiny island with a historic grid that begs to be different.

[Bloomberg @business]

Outgoing Mayor Anne Hidalgo championed a car-free agenda, leaving Paris greener, cleaner and better for walking and biking. Take a journey through the city to see how it's changed. Read more: https://t.co/samymfPM40

📷️: Getty Images

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Could the Duval Loop and Fixed Routes Be Returning to Key West Streets?

And Could the Lower Keys Shuttle and Workforce Express Finally Get Better Service?

Our story at the link looks at what the new routes would do, what they would cost, how the City might pay for them, where Monroe County and workers beyond Key West fit in, why this matters even if you never ride the bus, and what happens next: https://t.co/uMhGd58b2N

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

KEY WEST ADOPTS ROADMAP TO ZERO TRAFFIC DEATHS

297 fatal and serious injury crashes. 29 deaths. 4x the state average.

That's Key West's traffic safety record from 2018-2024. The City just adopted a plan to fix that and get to zero deaths by 2035.

Here's some of the 36 projects and 23 policies in it:
· $650,000 for North Roosevelt improvements
· $350,000 Triangle redesign
· Island-wide crosswalk and signal upgrades
· New enforcement on illegal e-motos
· Protected bike lanes as standard and raised crosswalks

Here's what it will take:
· Budget allocation starting THIS summer
· Federal grant applications
· Political will to change speeds, enforce rules, fund projects

Read our full breakdown we explore why Key West's streets are uniquely dangerous, what the data reveals about where and how crashes occur, how the community helped shape the plan, what specific improvements are coming, and what needs to happen next to turn this roadmap into reality: https://t.co/hxesNZxyIF

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

@MomentumMag You forgot Key West, FL

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Key West?

[Urban Cycling Institute 🚲  @fietsprofessor]

When in 2007 the mayor of #Ljubljana proposed to close 12 hectares of its city center to private cars, just 40% of residents approved.

A decade later, no less than 97% were against reopening to motor traffic: “None of us can really imagine cars ever staging a comeback”.

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

WHY DOWNTOWN KEY WEST TRANSPORTATION MATTERS

Our historic core is Key West's economic engine - where locals gather, tourists explore, and small businesses thrive. Duval Street isn't just another commercial district. It's what sets us apart from every car-choked, strip-mall-dominated place on the Florida mainland.

But that special quality is fragile.

If we let downtown become dominated by cars - by traffic congestion, parking lots, and the endless hunt for spaces - we lose what makes it work. We become just another drive-through destination.

The question isn't "do we need more parking? The question is: "How do we keep downtown thriving as the walkable, bikeable, human-scaled place that is our competitive advantage?"

In our story "City Pumps Brakes on Downtown Garage - Now It’s Time for Real Transportation Solutions" we provide 7 ways to make this happen: https://t.co/PMtJELCD18

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

City Pumps Brakes on Downtown Garage - Now It’s Time for Real Transportation Solutions

With the garage paused, now what? This was never really about 85 new parking spaces. It's about something bigger: How do we keep downtown Key West thriving as the walkable, bikeable place that makes us special and not just another Florida mainland car-centric place?

We already know how. We just need to commit to it.

Seven solutions that actually work (none of them involve building more parking) at the link⬇️ https://t.co/PMtJELCD18

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Interview with U.S.1 Evening Edition’s Nick Wright and Friends of Car-Free Key West's Chris Hamilton on why the City of Key West has failed to make the case for a new downtown garage...

Listen here: https://t.co/l0pnq8d9kX

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

After growing up with the @washingtonpost in my house, carrying it around in my backpack to school and then work on the subway for 30 years and then digitally subscribing when I moved to Key West, today I canceled my subscription because they canceled Sports and gutted the Opinions I cared. I'm sad and angry.

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

A Solution in Search of a Problem: Why the Simonton/Angela Street Garage Doesn’t Add Up

We examine why the "meets the City's four‑strategic-goals" argument doesn’t hold up. We explore the missing data including a parking demand study, inventory of existing parking supply and the overall transportation context. We also highlight the concerns raised by residents. In earlier articles we left open the possibility that a well‑justified garage could be a win‑win for Key West. But after this meeting, it’s clear a convincing case hasn't been made. This project should not move forward until it does.
https://t.co/nuoTIrB618

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Does a Stock Island Garage Make More Sense Than One Downtown?

The city already has a full blown study that says yes because it addresses congestion and affordable housing better. Why aren't we talking about this?
Story here:
https://t.co/JEo6lnBMwO

[Chris Hamilton @ChrisRHamilton]

Should Key West Be Building Another Downtown Parking Garage?

With roughly 10,000+ parking spots already in the historic district, is more parking the answer? We explore the gap between the perceived need for more parking and the reality. We dive into the pros and cons of the project— and if it’s built, what things need to be included so that Old Town functions better for everyone, not just those in cars.
Get the full story here: https://t.co/TuZ3HkFObb