Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill14564
... and the bicyclists wish they would ban the carts and the carts wish they would ban the pedestrians..
|
lol. Isn't that the truth.
I don't own a golf cart but ride bike every day on the multi modal paths. I've learned some lessons for biking:
Helmet. I hate them but on a path shared with motorized vehicles it's kind of important.
Blinking LED lights on front and back of the bike, even in daylight.
Bike mirror. It's very helpful to know what's coming up behind you, especially with battery operated golf carts which are very quiet.
Stay in the center of the lane, don't move over to the right when a golf cart is approaching from behind. I find when I do that, they don't get all the way over into the other lane when they're passing me and I've had a number of incidents where they were way too close, like inches from my handlebars.
I never wave people past me. They need to figure out if it's safe to pass. I don't want to be responsible for waving someone past when it's not safe. I have enough to do just watching out for myself.
If someone insists on passing you on a blind corner, which is quite frequently, be prepared to slow down because if there is a cart coming, they're not gonna think of you when they swerve back into the lane.
It's good to have a bell to warn walkers you're coming, even if they're on the correct side of the path. I found sometimes they'll walk side-by-side and drift into your lane.
Always use arm signals when turning, even if there's no one around you. It forces you to get into the habit of using them. It seems kind of silly but you're letting everyone around you know your intentions. I'm even going to start pointing forward when I'm crossing roads on the paths. I had an incident a couple days ago where a lady on a golf cart didn't signal that she was gonna turn left onto the road that we were crossing. I assumed she was going straight back onto the path but she turned right in front of me at the last second when I was halfway across the road. I don't know what she was thinking, she looked right at me. I don't make assumptions anymore because I see a lot of people on golf carts not using their turn signals. I decided it's in my own best interest to tell them where I'm going, whether they signal or not.
With tunnels that allow for multidirectional turns when they come out, if you are on the path don't assume the people coming out of the tunnels are gonna stop. I almost got creamed by a golf cart that came flying out of a tunnel down by Lake Sumter Landing.
Stop at stop signs. The human brain is kind of funny, you might take a quick glance thinking it's clear then all of a sudden there's a car there. I'm not sure why sometimes you don't see stuff like that, especially when you're looking right at it, but it happens.