Quote:
Originally Posted by texas bob
If I ride to the extreme right, cars think they can zip by me and they can ignore the 3 foot rule. Cars are supposed to stay at least 3 feet away. When cars are getting to close to me, I will move into the middle of the lane and it forces the cars to slow down or pass in the other lane. It is safer for all. Florida law says if the lane is less than 11 feet wide, if a biker feels threatened or uncomfortable they have the right to take the entire lane. This applies to all the roads in the villages. Let's get along and share the road! Why is everyone in such a rush - enjoy life. As you approach a rotary, the speed limit is 20 mph. A great many of folks seem to ignore this. Texas Bob.
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The law, Florida 316.2065(5), does not require bicyclists to ride to the furthest right possible. It requires the furthest right
practicable (safe). There are exceptions to this and the one that applies most frequently in TV involves undersized lanes (i.e. under 14' wide, per FDOT engineering guidelines). In this case, the lane is too narrow for some motor vehicles to share the lane with a bicyclist and still allow the required 3 foot clearance. Therefore, the bicyclist is permitted to take the lane, as it is safer to do so. Most of the lanes in TV are undersized. Unfortunately, most drivers and bicyclists are not aware of this. The result is that most bicyclists, fearing the ire of angry drivers, ride too far to the right, inviting motor vehicles to unsafely pass them. The few bicyclists who correctly take the lane, invite the angry response of motor vehiclists who, wrongly, interpret bicyclists riding position as "do they think they own the road", instead of that they are riding safely.