Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl
There are a lot of people riding bicycles here in The Villages. Some are returning to the sport and some are down and out serious cyclists. They are all making me VERY nervous.
They do not go as fast as cars and I like to give them a wide berth when I pass them which means that if there is a lot of traffic and oncoming cars I am holding up traffic. (SORRY....I am afraid they might swerve or fall in front of my car)
Today I was driving over to SeaBreeze to photograph the neat cabanas there for a painting and I was behind two not so serious cylists, I say that because they were riding upright and not bent over and they were, well, older, maybe as old as me. They did not look behind them when it was time to merge with traffic and then they went around the circle,(!!??) narrowly missing some cars. (or the cars narrowly missing them) They went into the inside lane and then exited the right lane in the traffic circle...and the cars were nearly stopped trying to avoid them which they did. Thank heavens.
Are they supposed to stay on or in the multi-modal paths, thus going under the street instead of the turn around???
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Hi Gracie,
I think it would be more dangerous for bicyclists to use the cart tunnels simply because if a cart rounds quickly into the tunnel without seeing the cyclist the cart driver would have very little room to maneuver to avoid hitting the cyclist.
I realize that many bicyclists don't, but they are supposed to follow the rules of the road.
That would include using turn (hand) signals before turning, stopping at stop signs, not weaving from lane to lane, not changing lanes inside the roundabouts and using the appropriate roundabout lane. They are also required to wear helmets.
For any occassional cyclists out there who might not know:
In roundabout, cyclists should enter in the right lane after yielding and exit from the right lane to make a right turn or to go straight and enter in the left lane after yielding and exit from the left lane to make a left or 270-degree turn. Cars should stagger for cyclists just as the would for other cars inside the roundabouts. Both cyclists and motorists should use turn signals before exiting the roundabouts, but I rarely see anyone do this!
To make a left turn not in a roundabout, a bicyclist should a) use a hand signal; b) look behind before moving from golf cart lane to car lane and wait before switching lanes if traffic is coming from behind; c) move to the inside of the lane (still using turn signal); and d) wait for any oncoming traffic before making the left turn.
Since we all know that many cyclists-- and many motorists for that matter-- will not obey the traffic laws, we need to be extra vigilant.
I used to be an avid cyclists and I hate when cyclists fail to follow safety rules and common sense! Not all bicyclists are a danger to themselves and others, but sadly, many are.