Bike riding
 

New to the villages....are the golf cart roadways shared with bike riders? If so what are the rules of the road....if not what is the best and safest way to bike ride?

You can legally ride on the multimodal paths (i.e. golf cart roadways). The cart riders will decide how much they are willing to share the road with you.

No rules, to my knowledge.

The new areas south of Route 44 have beautiful walking/riding paths that DO NOT ALLOW golf carts.

Other than that, put your bike on a carrier and drive to one of the many bike paths nearby. We went to Gemini Springs last week and had a great ride. I understand there are nice trails around Lake Apopka. There is a long bike trail going thru Inverness and the part we saw was beautiful. A lot of the old railroad grades have been converted into bike paths.

What are typically referred to as "Cart Paths" are actually "Multi-Modal Paths". And by that, it means those paved paths through The Villages are there for the use of most everything except cars (although you occasionally see one on the path as well). Therefore the paths are to be shared by walkers, joggers, bike riders, roller bladers, AND golf carts. And for the most part, the rules of the road on the Multi-Modal paths are the same as on the streets and roads. That means typically other than walkers who should walk facing traffic, the direction of travel is on the right side of the path. And the other rule of thumb, like on the streets and roads, is don't run over someone. Since the carts travel a lot faster than most of these other travel methods, there is some danger but that is true on the streets and roads as well. So, to answer your question, YES the "golf cart roadways ARE shared with bike riders" That is why a lot of serious bike riders choose to ride on the streets, including Morse Blvd and Buena Vista Blvd. They trust car drivers a lot more than they trust golf cart drivers.

This is one of the many videos about Florida biking. I love living in Florida.

General Van Fleet Bike Trail - Cycling in Central Florida - YouTube

I prefer to ride through neighborhood streets, much less traffic and more relaxing than looking over your shoulder constantly.

On the multi-modal paths/trails ride your bike as you would on the road...tada! That's it. If you expect to be treated as you would on the road then use signals and stop at stop signs(many bicyclists do not).

Scooters that are road legal you will see on the multi-modal trails, but legally they aren't allowed.

Bicycles(per Florida law)are allowed on sidewalks, but pedestrians have the right of way on sidewalks.

To all you walkers...if there is a sidewalk present(right or left side of the roadway)you must use it per Florida law. So if you hear someone holler to get on the walk now you know why. :-)

I ride a hybrid bike on the multi-modal paths. I like to have my safety in my own hands as much as possible. I don’t feel that way on Morse or Buena Vista, where my life is the hands of every car driving by at 40+/- mph.

On the path, I keep an eye out for carts. I can take my hybrid into the grass if needed for safety, especially if approaching or within the divided narrow sections. Appreciation is shown by most approaching cart drivers. That measure and typical standard bicycle safety measures will keep you very safe…and in control of your own safety…on the MMP’s. :)

i was driving my golf cart to brown wood to day and stop to go over the street and a bike did not want to stop and hit the back of our cart

"serious" is not the descriptor I would use.

There are a fair amount of bike haters on this forum, while not the norm you will find oblivious walkers and many cart drivers who are unaware of how fast a cyclist can ride. For these reason I recommend a bike bell as well as a loud warning device for the carts/cars such as this one Mega Horn - Bike Horn 105db : Police Bike Store also available on Amazon.

Totally agree, de. :)

Well, There big sign that says share. IMO this don’t mean you can walk 2, 3, 4 abreast when traffic coming. If you do you are hogging the path you are obligated to share. You fall into single file for safety reason till traffic clears. And you don’t walk down the middle of the path like the lady was dong today with headsets on. That’s not sharing the path that hogging it and safety issue wearing headsets.

When a walker on you’re side of path in cart YOU have to yield to oncoming carts before you pass. Why you’re lane blocked and to pass safely you have to go out wide into the other lane.

don’t see big problem with biker’s on the shared path except some don’t stop at intersections or pull out to pass when traffic coming towards them.

IMO it’s the walkers that think the whole path is their And few WILL NOT budge. I think those few are looking for law suit or just won’t have no activity going on up stairs?

Tailgater or drafting?

Same here.

Be careful, human beings are not super bright.

From my observations, one rule of the road for bikers is that they are NOT allowed to obey stop signs!

BIKING in TV
 

I have been a semi serious to serious biker for many years up north, and all I can say, my friend, is be very careful biking down here in TV. There are LOTS of folks on medication, sight and hearing impaired, etc., including many drivers who have not driven in decades, until their spouse has passed. You NEED a bright headlight as well as a bright taillight.
I was almost killed by a driver who did not see me, she seemed to be on some sort of meds., or maybe drunk, I don't know. There seems to be some drivers down here that do not like bikers.
Ride defensibly, and BE CAREFUL!

The Villages Multi-Modal Path Information & Guide.
 

Here is the link:
Multi-Modal Path Information and Safety

Welcome to the Villages, where bicyclists run stop signs, pull out in front of you, and ride down the middle of the lane. They do however complain that drivers must comply with the rules of the road because they dont.

It seems that observation applies to golf carts and cars too! :ohdear:

I guarantee you that motorists come to a complete stop no more than cyclists. Beware of what you ask for. Would you really like to be behind a group of 20 cyclists who each stop in turn at a stop sign?

Thanks for responding to my original post...but i am still confused...what is the policy when riding on the street and you are competing with the the golf carts on the golf cart part of the roadway....do they go around the bike rider? Since the golf carts go faster than most bikers what happens when a golf cart comes up behind a biker on the roadway

I don't know the answers to your questions. We only rode once on a multi-modal path and did not enjoy the experience.

I suggest you take your bike out, ride on a multi-modal path if you have the courage, and find out for yourself.

In the meantime, today we are putting our bikes on our carrier, driving to St. Catherine, and riding to our hearts content like we did last Sunday. Hopefully we will see some armadillos.

I drive a car, drive a golf cart AND RIDE A BIKE. The rules of the road? Truth, read the posts actually nicer than I was expecting. Rules of the road assumes two things that people know what they are, which is a reach. Perhaps more important and more of a reach, that they know the rules and will follow the rules.

No place is safe for cyclists
 

I was riding on a neighborhood street recently when a driver coming towards me turned left towards her driveway right in front of me. She saw me at the last second and stopped, leaving me just a few feet to squeeze by. I couldn’t come to a complete stop without going over my handlebars, so I was lucky she finally saw me. I had a bright blinking headlight and very colorful clothes, so there was no excuse for her not seeing me.

The safest places to ride are the dedicated trails like the rails-to-trails paths. There are no safe places to ride in TV. There are a LOT of cyclist haters here too and they can be very aggressive. The motorists hate us on THEIR roads like Morse and BV. The cart riders and walkers hate us on THEIR MMPs. I’ve had more close calls on the MMPs than I have had on the roads. Even the diamond lanes aren’t safe. One of our club members was run over in a diamond lane.

For those who think cyclists are stupid or foolish for riding on Morse and BV, who do you think has a better idea of what is safe? Someone who rides almost every day or someone who rarely or never does?

It’s just like riding in a car. If you approach someone slower than you in the diamond lane, you pull into the car lane when it is safe to do so and pass. That applies to carts passing slower carts or cyclists and cyclists passing slower cyclists or even carts. I occasionally pass carts on my bike when I have a tail wind and/or a downward slope to assist me.

A few weeks ago I saw two kids skate boarding on the multimodal paths. Is that legal on those paths? They whizzed by me and scared the you know what out of me.

AGREE..
:ohdear::popcorn::popcorn:

It is imperative all cyclists have a mirror to see what or who is approaching from the rear. Many times I’ve been made aware of poor drivers approaching

Morgan and Moran :1rotfl:

And if you exchange the two word highlighted above, it is even more prevalent. In my <3 years of actual experience here in TV, I have seen dozens of bicyclists roll through stop signs and probably at least a couple thousand car/cart drivers doing so. That would include a dozen or more golf cart drivers who have looked me square in the eye & then ran, or pulled out from, a stop sign directly in front of me while riding my bike on a through street. These anti-bike rants are so one-sided...

To OP: I only ride on neighborhood streets as I feel there is way too much traffic on either multi-modal paths or shared roadways.

I’m one of those that rides every day…on the MMPs. And riding with the normal cautions I described earlier, I definitely feel safer…and much more in control of my own safety…on the MMOs.

Your sarcastic question implying one group of riders is so superior to another comes across as very elitist imo.

lol. Could that be because the cyclist had never seen a cart come to a stop to cross the street and was caught by surprise? :) Unless there is traffic, almost no one stops to cross the street, whether it’s a car, cart, or bike.

As someone who never rode on the highways until last year, I mistakenly thought the MMPs would be safer. Once I started riding with the club, I realized I was wrong. It was NOT a sarcastic question. Seriously, wouldn’t you expect someone who has done both would have a better idea of what is safer than someone who has not. What is elitist about that?

Yes, the multi-modal paths are shared BUT the paths on the golf courses are for golfers only

Fair enough. But we will have to agree to disagree.

I have ridden both. A lot. I will never feel as safe with fast moving automobiles buzzing by me fully relying on them for my safety. I avoid that on the MMPs and am much more in control of my own safety. For me, nothing overrides that.

New to the villages...how do I find these paths you suggest?

As I've posted before. Legal makes a likely false assumption that others know the law and more important will follow it.

The term accident is at best misleading. Over 90% of,"accidents," are avoidable.

Communication, by e-mail by posts, the same thing, has limits. To be honest communication has limits. It is sadly, reality, that people assume they are right and anyone that doesn't agree with them is wrong.

Perhaps, my current mood.

Multi-Purpose Trails
 

I moved to the Villages mainly for the multi-purpose paths. I was hit by a car at 50 mph and 7 operations later bike riding is my only pain-free exercise. I own a very heavy stand-up bike and can no longer lift it to put it in or on my car. I ride several times a week and try to stay close to the right side of the path. I wave at the carts to pass me not to hold them up but here are a few things that scare me: a cart that beeps its horn when behind me, carts that take wide turns on the curves as they are going full speed, passing me so close I can reach out and touch them (written law gives 3' when passing). The Villages a beautiful place to ride, let's all enjoy our surrounding together and safely.