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Bicycles on major roads
Do other residents in The Villages, like me, find it EXTREMELY dangerous that bicycles going maybe 10 MPH on major roads like Buena Vista/morse is crazy. Yesterday two lay down bikes going around turn abouts almost got hit. You cannot see these things. This is death waiting to happen.
Make these bicyclist us the modale paths is they cannot go the speed limit! I do not mind bike clubs that use higher speeds in large groups is a problem. Your POV?: :cus:pepper2: |
I'm from PA where everything shares the roads....bikes, farm equipment, horse and buggy's, skateboarders etc. I personally have no problem sharing the road and always slow down and give wide berths to those riding or running. Accidents happen, golf carts get hit, bikers fall over. This is a golf cart community, it's a community where activity is encouraged and enjoyment of the land is appreciated. People who ride bikes at speed are better off on the roads then the MMP's.....those that take leisurely rides are usually on the MMP's. Oh yeah, I think cars should be banned or rerouthed and this should become a true golf cart/bike/runners/walkers community.....<jk>
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Driving around the Villages you really need to pay attention all the time! There are golf carts, people walking, bicycles and crazy car drivers. If you are not driving defensively sooner or later you will end up involved in an incident. As for the bikes on main roads like it or not it is totally legal or just be careful.
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Lay down bikes are called recumbents.
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A recumbent bike on a main road? Whether it is legal or not -- nutz!
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Drive carefully. Drive like everyone else is stupid. Drive patiently, and drive with so much caution you will all be alive at the end of March, when the crowding is less. PLEASE. |
They have the right to be on the roads. That does not mean it is safe to do so.
With so many older drivers, people in a hurry going no where fast, crazy drivers etc. You just have to think to yourself. I am not going to be one of then. I will slow down and look around at all times. Feeling bad that someone is taking a chance on riding a very low recumbent bike is notable. Alas you can't change every person to drive smart. |
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Nutz(sic)...not at all! I ride recumbents all the time. As a matter of fact I just finished a ride this morning with the Sumter Landing Bike Club. I was the only recumbent in the group. I ride a trike with bright lighting and a 6 foot flag. I ride very defensively and have been doing so for the past 6 years. I have never so much as had a close call. The only time I feel I am at a disadvantage, compared to an upright bike, is in the roundabouts. I use particular caution when riding in these. I have had well meaning drivers, on rare occasion, yell at me to get off the road, or even the cart paths (which I, also, ride), and that they can't see me, even as they are looking straight at me. My belief is that it is not so much a matter of not being seen, but the other drivers just not wanting me, in particular, or any other cyclists in their way, for that matter. As far as safety goes, compared to an upright bike, my trike is far safer. I never wobble, I don't need to balance, and I stop at stop signs, in part, because I don't need to put my feet down when I stop. Also, if I were to run into something, I would be thrown feet first, rather than head first, as on an upright, and I have a lower height to fall from. Also, if I hit a slippery patch on the road, I never fall, even if a wheel loses traction, while an upright will likely wipe out. The greatest threat to cyclists safety, in my opinion, is unsafe riding by cyclists themselves, regardless of the type of bike they ride. |
Chazz, you have more "guts" than most of us! Ride on!
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Bicycles on major roads
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Yesterday, while driving my car on Rio Grande where the car and diamond lanes could not be narrower or tighter to start with, it was cloudy and not good visibility. I was headed toward 441 and as I came into a tree shaded area, I got a glimpse of a slow, wobbling bicyclist who could barely be seen in his clothing that could have been literal camouflage: Dark army green shirt, and the rest was dark grey-colored clothing, the exact colors of the pavement and winter half-dormant grass, trees and bushes. With the cloudiness and dusk-like conditions, he was an unsteady, hidden accident waiting to happen. If people don't care about themselves and are going to toy and gamble with their own safety on foot or bike, they could at least have some consideration for others and use a couple of bright, high neon flags and a neon or white shirt! This guy looked like he intended to blend in with the scenery so others would never seen him. |
Just a few thoughts
Bicycles are found on main roads, country roads and city roads all around the country and they have every right to be there. Our complaining isn't going to change it, so we need to change our behavior toward them. I mean no disrespect to any one, but we must all respect anyone we come upon, whether pedestrian, cyclist or auto, and be mindful of everyone's safety. Everywhere - not just in The Villages.
My biggest problem with cyclists is unexpected behavior - their motive is known only to them. That said, I accept their right to be there. I never trust that any bicycle will do what it appears they plan to do and give them a wide berth. Experienced cyclists will probably sneer at that, but we have a large number of very inexperienced people out on the road and, heaven help me, I can't tell the difference. (Don't even get me started on those who ride without helmets.) Cars and carts do have a serious (and no doubt universal) problem with speeding. Have you ever set your cruise control at 35 mph going down Morse or Buena Vista? Try driving 30 mph in the upper section of Morse and see what happens. I drive that route daily, usually a couple mph over the speed limit myself, and invariably have someone riding my bumper like I was tying up the fast lane on I-75. Yes, many of us have jobs, doctors appointments, and what have you. We all have emergencies from time to time, but if you find yourself speeding more often than not, then you have a scheduling problem. Driving the speed limit and sharing the road has nothing to do with being retired and everything to do with being sensible and doing the right thing. Will that solve everything? Of course not. Do it anyway. |
They may have a right to be on the road, but... they don't have a right to be stupid. Saw a recumbent out at 6 am this morning, no lights or reflectors (except the silly little flag) and the rider chatting on his cell phone as he blew thru the stop sign. Hope his life insurance is paid up.
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I've only been riding "road bikes" for 8 years not counting as a kid, but have owned and driven motorcycles for over 40 years so I do have some experience sharing the road with cars. Many of the posts on this thread and the one that ran a couple weeks ago remind me of the old guy that used to sit out on his porch at night to see if he could catch us kids cutting across his lawn. Rolling stops is a big one mentioned. I paid very close attention during a couple hundred miles of riding and never saw a car come to a complete stop at a right hand turn unless something was coming or someone stopped in front of them. I saw many continue to go after light has changed red. I have to disagree with my fellow bicycle club member about bike riders being the problem. My advice for those driving cars and come onto a bicycle, even one going slow is try easing your foot off the gas slightly until you can safely pull to the left a little and pass. In all fairness I ride many miles on Morse and Buane Vista and the overwhelming percentage of drivers do share the road and I don't believe I've ever made anyone late for an important engagement.
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The thing is....
Here's the thing
I drive a car; and I ride one of those crazy low bikes and a really fast one. I've been riding for over 35 years all over the world; logging 3000-4000 miles a year. There are good bikers and there are good car drives; there are also bad ones of both, Some disturbingly bad. My personal goal is to be a good one of both. On my bike that means bright lights, predictable behavior; avoiding dangerous areas when feasible etc etc. Cops always complement my lights and visibility. The cops that know me have come to my defense when harassed by bad motorists; I like to think I've earn that protection by doing thing the right way. In my car; I don't use my cell phone, yes like everyone else I use to for years; now I just don't do it I have learned. I'm always amazed at the number of people on their phone 2 seconds after pulling out of the drive way. Not me, I pay attention and I drive to the best of my abilities. If I screw up on my bike I put myself in harms way; and in most cases just me unless I'm a complete moron. If I screw up in my car I put everyone else at risk think 99 car pile up in Michigan. You can't stop stupid behavior of others; but you can avoid it yourself. That's really the best approach to go for. If you hit a bike because the rider was truly at fault then it's their fault. If you hit one because you were careless and at fault; you have to live with the fact that the biker probably will not.... Sadly everyone assumes the biker was at fault; and many of us our working hard to make sure that becomes less and less true. |
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I bike where it is safest and appreciate the paths. When I bike BV I'm checking my mirror and hoping the driver behind me is having a good day. That stresses me out and ruins my ride.
Of course if you don't wear a helmet ....................................... |
i think and do ride my bike in subdivisions internal street roads.......I think a pleasure ride, waving at people, browsing home lawns and decorations is much more relaxing then riding a bike with cars going 35 and even 45 miles per hour speeding by me....
I just don't get the reasoning for bikes to be on main road unless thats the drivers only means of transportation. It would scare the crap out of me...... |
I am sorry but learn to share the road and pay attention is the best advice given.
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It's legal for me to ride my bike on a main road like Buena Vista, no question. But for me, it wouldn't be at all relaxing or enjoyable. Therefore I wouldn't do it. |
It is one thing to ride your bike like kstew does. (That would be my way to ride too.)
But It's quite another to be riding as a sport, for speed and exercise. Those types need to be on the roads like BV and Morse and not endangering walkers and carters on the mm paths. It's legal for them to be there, and the rest of us just have to deal safely with them. Even if it's not the wisest choice in some people's opinion, it is their legal choice. |
If bicycling on the roads is so dangerous and frightens people so much why aren't they afraid to ride in their golf carts? Most have no seat belts and go 20 mph in narrow lanes, sometimes right next to cars going 35 mph. There have been 15 golf cart deaths in The Villages in the last 4 years and for some reason everyone keeps talking about bicyclists riding on Buena Vista Blvd. Where is your fear of riding in a golf cart without seat belts? Falling out of a golf cart and suffering an impact to the head can result in a fatality. No serious bicyclist would consider riding at 20 mph without a helmet, yet people careen around corners here in their golf carts with no seat belts in a vehicle that was not designed to go over 13 mph and is prone to roll overs.
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It seems to me that there are a lot less recumbent bikes around than there were 3 or 4 years ago. I used to see several every time I drove through TV, but now I rarely see them. Has anyone else noticed that? Makes me wonder if many of the recumbent bike riders just felt too vulnerable. And if so, that is a shame, because it looks like a very good form of exercise.
If we, as car/cart drivers, are paying proper attention, we should be looking for the flags (not at all silly, btw) on recumbent bikes, as well as watching for walkers, runners, scooters, motorcycles...and every other form of conveyance here. Some people don't do their due diligence when it comes to protecting themselves, but that doesn't relieve the rest of us of the responsibility of our own due diligence. The "active lifestyle" is a large part of what makes TV what it is. Personally, I really enjoy seeing folks out walking, running and riding bikes. That is a big part of the vibrancy of this community. And that is what newcomers and visitors notice the most. And, btw, it is also a major reason why our homes are so valuable. It doesn't matter the road, path or method of conveyance, there will always be people who are irritated by what someone else does. I just wish that everyone, regardless of what they are driving or riding would reign in their "irritation" when they encounter others who they feel are going too slow or going too fast or not following all of the laws. Think about how laying on your horn or yelling might startle someone and make them react in a way that could cause an accident. Or how passing them too fast or too close might result in a tragedy. Try to pretend that the stranger who is currently irritating you is actually a visiting friend or family member of yours, and treat them as you would want your loved ones to be treated. |
According to the 2012 National Survey on Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behaviors, nearly a third of all injuries are caused when bicyclists are struck by cars.
Six most Frequent Sources of Injury Percent Hit by car 29 Fell 17 Roadway/walkway not in good repair 13 Rider error/not paying attention 13 Crashed/collision 7 Dog ran out 4 Struck by golf cart doesn't even warrant a mention. The paths are in excellent repair. I have been chased down by dogs over the years but not much more then a bark in TV. |
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Although I can't provide figures, I would say that there are many more recumbent riders (more trikes than 2-wheelers) in my view, than at any time here in the past. As a matter of fact, the Sumter Landing Bike Club just recognized their increasing popularity by adding a recumbent trike group ride out of Barnes & Nobles on Mondays. I have had the pleasure of riding with that group a few times, and they practice safe riding principles. |
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I wouldn't expect golf carts to be a significant factor in a national survey. The Villages is not very representative of the nation, from a golf cart point of view.
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Sorry Chazz, I'm in total agreement with Wanda. Since you already ride a recumbent bike, you will always defend riding it. A lighted bike during daylight is meaningless. A 6' flag may be noticed, but maybe not if someone can't see to what it's attached. Wobbling has nothing to do with what she is speaking about, nor does balance, etc. There is no provision for you to be riding a bike on Buena Vista or Morse. You have no business riding that bike around the circles, where cars don't know their a$$ from their elbow in driving around them. You may know what you are doing, but drivers don't! You belong on the modal paths but you obviously don't like that idea and I'm sure you have reasons/excuses for not using them. You've been riding your bike footloose and fancy free for six years? Consider yourself lucky to still be among us! |
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I found the accident report about the biker who was struck by a golf cart.
click here Read the golf cart accident reports. Much more then I imagined. |
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DING DING DING !!!!! we have a winner! |
I am sorry to hear about your wife and daughter. I believe the biggest threat to cyclists is getting clipped from behind by either a car or golf cart. In another thread, which was mercifully ended by the moderator yesterday, the driver of a golf cart was apparently read the riot act by two cyclists he/she probably passed with very little clearance. Cyclists need to be given a wide berth because the consequences of an accident can be severe.
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