Share the road

[perrjojo]

A great video by the State of Florida
Cyclists and Roadway Use - YouTube

[l2ridehd]

Yes a good video. I only wish the cyclists in The Villages followed those rules that those in the video do. Maybe than the vehicles would as well.

I have never seen such an "I own the road" mindset any where. They break every law out there. They never stop at stop signs or red lights, they don't follow the road or multi modal paths correctly, it is no wonder they have issues. More than once I have heard the "coming through" yell by the pack of cyclists as they expect everyone else to get out of there way. As this video points out, share the road goes both ways.

Just 15 minutes ago on Baily Trail, a biker was going from the road onto the golf cart path toward Sumter landing. Instead of following the golf cart crossing, they cut across the road before the island, rode up the wrong lane on Baily Trail and turned left onto the cart path. A cart coming off the path had to stop suddenly and the biker yelled at him.

I ride bicycles and motorcycles and I know there are a lot of idiots out there who fail to respect their space, but here it seems to go way to far in the other direction. Let the flaming begin.

[rubicon]

And if you are driving a car and they hit you chances are you the auto driver will get cited and perhaps sued. This all leads me to wondering why if the cops here cite cars and carts then why not bikes?

[perrjojo]

I'm sorry only 126 people have read this. I think it would help cyclist and auto drivers to respect each other more. Maybe if the title had been sex and the road. Lol

[redwitch]

I used to be a serious bike rider. I've ridden the streets of San Francisco, NYC, halfway up Mount Kilimanjaro and many other places. I tried riding a bike here once. Never again. Too many people here seem to resent bikes, even when all laws are being followed. To ride a bike on the golf cart paths is to seriously put your life at risk.

And I agree too many cyclists here are under the illusion they own the road, especially when riding on packs.

Wish all folks would understand that sharing the road is not all that onerous and can actually be enjoyable.

[Chazz]

A great video by the State of Florida
Cyclists and Roadway Use - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqvgr-cH_A8)

Thanks for posting this great and informative video! I had seen it about a week ago and forwarded it to the Sumter Landing Bike Club, with the request that they share it with the local sheriffs offices. Don't know if they did. Several of the principles discussed in the video are, I believe, not widely understood by local law enforcement.

I considered posting it here, but didn't because I thought few readers would actually view the entire video as a learning opportunity, and some would simply use it as an entree into diatribes of the usual biases. The primary point of the video is for both cyclists and motorists to be educated for safe and lawful coexistence, and for law enforcement to be knowledgeable of the applicable laws.

[Chazz]

And if you are driving a car and they hit you chances are you the auto driver will get cited and perhaps sued. This all leads me to wondering why if the cops here cite cars and carts then why not bikes?

Cyclists breaking the laws should get cited for their infractions, if law officers observe them. This is all too rare, and should be more aggressively pursued by them. As far as motorists getting cited for hitting cyclists, most of those accidents that I have seen in our news outlets usually claim that the motorist violated a specific law. If one breaks the law, and causes serious property damage and bodily injury, one should expect serious consequences to follow.

[buggyone]

I really would be amazed sometime to see a group of cyclists all riding together all come to a complete stop at a stop sign instead of all blowing through it at full speed.

[Chazz]

I really would be amazed sometime to see a group of cyclists all riding together all come to a complete stop at a stop sign instead of all blowing through it at full speed.

If you were riding with me and my non-Villages recumbent bike club, today on the Withlacoochee State Trail, you would have been amazed, repeatedly. We are very safety conscious. However, I agree with you that it is too common to see groups of cyclists blow through stop signs. The Villages bike clubs emphasize safety in their bylaws, so I suspect that these groups are probably not sanctioned, and may not even be Villagers.

[Down Sized]

bump

[Chief X]

For anyone to say, "cyclists here are..this or that.." makes little to no sense to me. Be realistic. As an avid runner, I can't even begin to tell you how everyday i watch golf carts and cars roll through stop signs as if to say, "that law is not for me". The reality is simply that there are good drivers, good bikers, good runners, good walkers and of course, bad in each category also. To label a group as a whole, is not very open minded. I've had many near misses while running, and was hit on my bike a couple of years ago near El Cortez. The thing is, I run, I bike, and..I drive a car. I don't feel an entitlement to any of these modes of transporting my body from one place to another. Apparently many feel quite differently. Wake up.

[mickey100]

For anyone to say, "cyclists here are..this or that.." makes little to no sense to me. Be realistic. As an avid runner, I can't even begin to tell you how everyday i watch golf carts and cars roll through stop signs as if to say, "that law is not for me". The reality is simply that there are good drivers, good bikers, good runners, good walkers and of course, bad in each category also. To label a group as a whole, is not very open minded. I've had many near misses while running, and was hit on my bike a couple of years ago near El Cortez. The thing is, I run, I bike, and..I drive a car. I don't feel an entitlement to any of these modes of transporting my body from one place to another. Apparently many feel quite differently. Wake up.

Great post.

[perrjojo]

For anyone to say, "cyclists here are..this or that.." makes little to no sense to me. Be realistic. As an avid runner, I can't even begin to tell you how everyday i watch golf carts and cars roll through stop signs as if to say, "that law is not for me". The reality is simply that there are good drivers, good bikers, good runners, good walkers and of course, bad in each category also. To label a group as a whole, is not very open minded. I've had many near misses while running, and was hit on my bike a couple of years ago near El Cortez. The thing is, I run, I bike, and..I drive a car. I don't feel an entitlement to any of these modes of transporting my body from one place to another. Apparently many feel quite differently. Wake up.

Thank you for this post. Of course there are bad cyclist just as there are bad drivers. I have never ridden my bike in TV but have been an avid cyclist in the past. THE MAIN THING I GOT FROM THE VIDEO IS THAT CYCLIST HAVE JUST AS MUCH RIGHT TO THE ROAD AS VEHICLES. Why do so many think they have no right to be on the road? Of course they can aggravate you and maybe slow you down but so do walkers, runners and OTHER DRIVERS. Again, SHARE THE ROAD....IT'S THE LAW! What part of this is so hard to understand?

[Chazz]

Thank you for this post. Of course there are bad cyclist just as there are bad drivers. I have never ridden my bike in TV but have been an avid cyclist in the past. THE MAIN THING I GOT FROM THE VIDEO IS THAT CYCLIST HAVE JUST AS MUCH RIGHT TO THE ROAD AS VEHICLES. Why do so many think they have no right to be on the road? Of course they can aggravate you and maybe slow you down but so do walkers, runners and OTHER DRIVERS. Again, SHARE THE ROAD....IT'S THE LAW! What part of this is so hard to understand?

Again, a very good post! Thank you!

Unfortunately, many people have a very low tolerance for anyone, other than themselves, being on the road. To justify their feelings/beliefs, they broadly condemn the other types of road users as being irresponsible.

[Barefoot]

For anyone to say, "cyclists here are..this or that.." makes little to no sense to me. Be realistic. As an avid runner, I can't even begin to tell you how everyday i watch golf carts and cars roll through stop signs as if to say, "that law is not for me". The reality is simply that there are good drivers, good bikers, good runners, good walkers and of course, bad in each category also. To label a group as a whole, is not very open minded. I've had many near misses while running, and was hit on my bike a couple of years ago near El Cortez. The thing is, I run, I bike, and..I drive a car. I don't feel an entitlement to any of these modes of transporting my body from one place to another. Apparently many feel quite differently. Wake up.

We all need to hear from someone like Chief X about where "the rubber meets the road". Thanks for posting.

[biker1]

The group I ride with doesn't blow through stop signs at full speed. I am not saying that it doesn't happen but I think that is the exception and not the rule. However, I can assure you that cyclists are not interested in being hit by cars and try to avoid situations where collisions are more likely to happen. You will see instances of "Idaho stops" where stop signs are considered yield signs and cyclists will roll through them if it is clear and safe to do so. Rolling through them is typically done at 5 mph. The reason for this is that it is actually safer to roll through a stop sign if it is clear than unclip from the pedals, stop, and then start up again and have to reclip back in. Where it is not safe to do so, you will see groups of riders come to complete stops and then continue when it is clear. By the way, I have had drivers yell at me to get off the road (which I am entitled to ride on) and flip me the bird for doing nothing but riding along minding my own business. While I have never been hit, I have had numerous close calls where I have been passed and nearly side swiped off the road on curves with a double solid line. I have been riding with people who were forced into the curb and crashed. If you are looking to keep score on egregious behavior, I can assure you that cars are well in the lead.


I really would be amazed sometime to see a group of cyclists all riding together all come to a complete stop at a stop sign instead of all blowing through it at full speed.

[Chazz]

The group I ride with doesn't blow through stop signs at full speed. I am not saying that it doesn't happen but I think that is the exception and not the rule. However, I can assure you that cyclists are not interested in being hit by cars and try to avoid situations where collisions are more likely to happen. You will see instances of "Idaho stops" where stop signs are considered yield signs and cyclists will roll through them if it is clear and safe to do so. Rolling through them is typically done at 5 mph. The reason for this is that it is actually safer to roll through a stop sign if it is clear than unclip from the pedals, stop, and then start up again and have to reclip back in. Where it is not safe to do so, you will see groups of riders come to complete stops and then continue when it is clear. By the way, I have had drivers yell at me to get off the road (which I am entitled to ride on) and flip me the bird for doing nothing but riding along minding my own business. While I have never been hit, I have had numerous close calls where I have been passed and nearly side swiped off the road on curves with a double solid line. I have been riding with people who were forced into the curb and crashed. If you are looking to keep score on egregious behavior, I can assure you that cars are well in the lead.

Thanks, Biker1! I wish that the "Idaho stop" were the law here in Florida. Unfortunately, it is not in any other state than Idaho, to my knowledge.

[dbussone]

Thanks, Biker1! I wish that the "Idaho stop" were the law here in Florida. Unfortunately, it is not in any other state than Idaho, to my knowledge.


It's also called a California or rolling stop. NC approved it a few years ago, and we widely practiced it in TN and FL.