Is it safe to ride a bicycle on the multi-modal paths?
 

I would really like to purchase a bicycle (either conventional or e-bike), but after living here for almost one year, I’ve seen way too many close-calls between cyclists and golf carts on the multi-modal paths. I think it would stress me out, vs being a relaxing, enjoyable ride on the paths, trying to dodge golf carts, or worry about them passing me on blind corners.

Maybe I’m over-thinking this, and it’s not as big a safety concern as I’m envisioning it to be. Would be interested to hear what cyclists have to say about their comfort and safety level when riding on the paths.

Dave and Brenda did a video titled "Peddling the Villages." Jerry and Linda did some titled "Cruising the Villages on E Bikes."They take you on a ride with them through the trails. I think these will help you decide.

Just wear a helmet and practice defensive riding. Golf carts will pass you on blind corners and have no problems getting people out of their way to make that tee time. I can't count how many times I've witnessed close calls as well. Look just what happened with the poor fellow down your way. They'll never find the golf cart driver that hit him. No traceable means to identify him or the cart. I personally would not ride a bicycle on any of the multi modal paths.:22yikes:

You have two options first you can ride the roads doing 16 miles an hour while cars drive 30 to 60 miles an hour,(that on Meggison)

Or one can ride the internal streets your neighborhood feel a little safer, especially early in the morning, and on the weekends.

I also strongly suggest you wear a GoPro, that way if there should be any incidents, it can be recorded.

Plus later in the day you can review those who live in your neighborhood that drive like a crazy person.

I did the internal streets thing and I'm telling you that is not safe either. Every day I had at lease one very close call and some days multiple times. You really have to be defensive on a bike around here and have a rear view mirror or two, people are on their cell phones, driving in the wrong lanes when turning onto another street, don't look when coming out of their driveways, and golf cars are the worst offenders of all.

I have ridden a Catrike for 6 or so years on the multi-modal paths and feel safe doing so. I get passed at least once per ride (I am not a slow rider) and I have been cut off on the multi-modal paths by carts racing to beat me to the path splitting, passing me on blind curves, as well as a couple of knuckleheads passing me as I approached a downward sloping path to reach the tunnel system under both Morse and Buena Blvd. I have even had a car squeeze by me on my right on Old Mill road heading out to the circle. Having said that, I naturally ride very defensively and make frequent use of my mirrors, so I assume every single driver is going to do something stupid and try to put myself in the best position possible when stupid does what stupid will do. My biggest peeve would be the people walking WITH traffic flow on the multi-modal paths, especially those two or three abreast, or those with ear phones on who can’t hear me or see my LED lights coming.

Perhaps you might rent a bike for a week or 2 before investing in an expensive bike and see what your risk tolerance level is out there.

That GoPro tip is a great idea.

Actually at our age in not safe to ride bicycle like lot of other activities including walking if you don’t pay attention and take precautions. But, can’t be hermit so get out and enjoy.

I have a 21 speed men's bike I am getting ready to sell, probably has a total of 500 miles on it. It is dusty, and needs a rear tube, unless I get a chance to replace it.

Twice a day we have group of 10-20 bike groups ride our neighborhood no issues except two residents that live in the neighborhood who truly believes they should be the only driver anywhere, because and I quote “this is the way I drove back home, and you need to get our of my way”

Have been riding in 4 neighborhoods since 2010, never had any incidents or even a close call. Maybe farther south they have the “I own the road (car or cart) get off my road :crap2:

I only ride on the street ,years ago I started out on those paths , after a certain amount of golf carts passing inches away from me I stopped .No place is perfect and that includes driving in your own car and . we shouldn’t expect it to be ,but the villages roadways are the safest place I’ve ever ridden .FYI age doesn’t matter ( I’m 85 ) just be aware of your surroundings and you’ll be fine

I would not ride on the MMPs myself. IMO, there are too many places where the curbs don't give you an "out" should a golf cart put the squeeze on you.
I wouldn't ride anywhere in TV. Too many poor drivers. Some drive too fast, some are just clueless as to the boundaries of their car. Some are just old and slow. Some are in a hurry, and drive too fast for the roads, and for their own reflexes.

Not all, of course, but it only takes one.

I prefer the residential streets when possible.

When biking the MMP's, as a cart approaches just slow down and let the carts pass as quick as possible. Especially if on an ebike that does 20mph.

Yeah! They can play the video at the funeral.

Look. Every activity has certain inherent dangers. Many times those dangers increase due to age, physical condition, population density, etc. You wanna ride, by golly you ride! Just be as safe as you can. It's your life. Live it as you like, but be aware. Be VERY aware!

The key, Michael, is to 'take your lane'. Ride the MMP like you are in a cart. This way carts will not try to share your lane. Second, use an ebike. At a top speed of 28 mph you can pick up speed at the blind corners, leaving the carts behind. Generally I don't recommend by this but there are times when it is necessary. It's usually easier to let them pass.

Hypocrisy is a funny thing.

When I was on marathon training runs many cyclists would pass me within inches pretending they were Lance Armstrong. Usually pelotons of these wanna-be's. So, when I started "taking the lane" by extending my elbows and arms as they approached, all of a sudden they would get all upset with me. Some even stopped to try to pick fights. Of course, they had trouble unclipping their ballerina shoes from their pedals, but try thet did.

So, taking the lane is very cyclist popular - when THEY are the ones taking the lane. They don't seem to like it much when others do it to them in order to protect my safety. Cyclists are correct, they suffer the most when colliding with cars or golf carts. However, pedestrians suffer the most when colliding with cyclists zipping around at 25+mph especially with their mass and that of their bike. So who is most entitled to take the lane?

Sadly, I'm thinking the e-bike is the only way to go on MMP. Otherwise, you can't keep up with the golf carts going 20 MPH+ especially on inclines.

And while they have the right, bikes on roads like Morse and Buena Vista are nuts. The can put on their tombstone "I had the right" but that will be cold comfort to your relatives.

At least with a go-pro their death may not go unpunished, while not much of a comfort for the family, at least there could be a usable pic to present to law enforcement.

In our old neighborhood we had a lovely gentleman who walked with his wife everyday. She had serious dementia, but enjoyed looking at the flowers.

He had a GoPro mounted on the walker. About once a month he would post, on the neighborhood site, pic of a car or cart that acted unsafe near them.

Made some take notice, few knew who was posting the pics, and thought what a good idea.

Sometimes some need to be reminded that a golf cart is not a toy, and the injury you may cause, will hopefully not let you sleep at night.

Younger people using cell phones, nothing to do with owning the road and they are just as dangerous if not more dangerous than drunk drivers.

Our kids use GoPro, 20 plus miles on a cellphone video isn’t great on the battery, plus too much storage. But a cell is a cheaper way to go for quick rides.

No, it is definitely NOT safe to ride a bike on a multi-modal path.

We only ride our bikes on one of the walking-biking paths south of Route 44.

I guess you have read about the person who was recently killed on the MMP in Chitty Chatty.

Let me tell you my family’s experience with riding in TV. My mother and aunt were both born in Central Europe and went everywhere, including on highways, with their bicycle - their only mode of transportation. When my aunt came to the Villages in 1992 District 1 she tried to go grocery shopping as usual with her bicycle but found it too dangerous. Then she tried to use her bicycle for recreation (I am not sure if there were any cycling clubs back then) but found it too dangerous. Finally, she took her bike to the Chula Vista recreation parking lot and rode around very early in the morning before going swimming.

My mother had a seasonal home in the Historic area. She also tried recreational bike riding but ended up parking lot riding really early in the morning. My brother in his 30’s had several Giant brand (Tour de France -type) bikes at home up north and brought one here to ride around. He rode it only for one day and then left the bike for mom to ride. But it hung up on the wall for years till it got rusty. ($3000 - what a waste!)

Bicycling is a great way to stay active in The Villages. You can enjoy riding the Multi Modal Paths, but just watch out for some of the golf carts, especially the ones that will pass you on blind curves. Get front and rear high powered lights and a rear mirror on your bike. People try to scare you to death about walking or cycling on the MMP’s, but remember most people commenting on forums don’t exercise so take their advice with a grain of salt. I choose to ride on the roads on bike club rides in groups of ten and that seems to offer high visibility and a margin of safety. You might want to consider joining a Villages bike club. Most people driving cars and golf carts are nice out there. You just have to watch out for that rare angry or careless driver. Get out and enjoy The Villages! It is beautiful.

My friends and I have been riding bicycles on public roads since we were 5-6. No bike lanes and No helmets and we survived. Maybe it was because we were street-smart. Today I ride with a helmet and go-pro camera rear view mirrors and take nothing for granted.
What's lacking generally is COMMON COURTESY between bicycles, pedestrians and golf carts on mmp’s

As a longtime cyclist, TV is the safest place I've riden. In Virginia we were riding with vehicular traffic on busy roads. On the bike paths there, (no golf carts) there were plenty of near-misses and collisions. Wear a helmet, get lights on your bike for the low light times of day and be careful out there! The benefits outweigh the risks. Exercise is hugely important for our health!

Weather permitting, I bike every afternoon on the streets of my neighborhood to get the mail and get exercise. Never had a problem there. Internal streets are the safest ride IMO. At the other end of the spectrum are the MMPs on Buena Vista and Morse Blvd. Especially on the half-circles around the gates. I never got hit but once I was forced to bail out into the brush ( knee high shubery ). That's life in the big city. Guy actually stopped to tell me that he knew an athletic guy like myself would have no problem bailing out, or he wouldn't have cut me off. OK.

I think you are jesting about TV being safest, I can’t imagine where you may have been riding before. But if you ride with a group, do believe it is much safer and also if you stay on the neighborhood streets (for the most part).

We ride for exercise on the neighborhood streets throughout the various Villages surrounding our home and periodically trailer our bikes south of 44 to ride the pathways that don’t allow golf carts. We only ride on Morse, Buena Vista, or the MMP’s when using our bikes for transportation and it’s absolutely necessary to get to a specific destination, but not for recreation.

i feel it’s best to join a bike group and travel with them in groups, biking by yourself on a path you share with elderly drivers is dangerous, and I use pedal bike The villages is a great place, but it values golf carts over biking by a wide margin

Ride on the side streets stay off the MMP’s

You think a bike has issues - try walking! I walk against "traffic" - including on walking paths - because bicycles have hit me three times (I do not weave side to side). Each time was when people walking with traffic refused to move to the correct side. Now I stop and wait or if the grass is dry I move there.

I’ve been riding for about a year on first a conventional bike and now an e-bike. I stick to MMP as much as possible and am very comfortable with my safety. I’ve never had a problem, but I try to stay aware of my surroundings. Get a bike, you will love it. I would love to have a non-competitive group to ride with but have not found one.

Tricycle way to go
 

If interest is in exercise as well as exploration I might suggest a tricycle as an alternative which may be safer. Not the recumbent variety but the good old fashion upright adult delivery vehicle variety. Might even put a bell on the handle and a basket as well. Don’t laugh. Very stable and golf carts won’t be able to nudge you off the path. Just a thought

Oh yeah, add a go pro to the handle bar as well. Good advice from the other commentators

I only ride on the street. It's quite safe in the historical section, not sure about other areas.

Bike riding in The Villages is safer than riding in cities and on busy country roads on average.

In the southern areas —
We prefer bicycle riding on the roads and little on MMPs because we feel safer from golf carts and, without an e-bike, sharp turns and steep slopes around the tunnels are relatively dangerous compared to roads overall. We mostly avoid riding on Morse and Buena Vista when very busy with auto traffic and will often ride nearby (wider) MMPs instead. Generally, MMPs in the southern area are ‘better’ for cyclists than in northern areas because of no curbs and greater width. Generally, riding during mornings hours rather than mid-day and afternoons is safer because of lesser traffic. The walking-only paths (not MMPs) can be stressful for bike riding when busy with walkers including kids and dogs; riding these paths early often works.

Always wear a good helmet. Always. Bright clothing (e.g., neon vest) and flashing bicycle lights — front and rear — are safer. Invest in such safety equipment. Visit a local bike shop, look around, and talk with one of the workers. The Trek store on SR 301 north of SR 44 is a good place to start. Trek Bicycle Wildwood | Trek Bicycle Wildwood

When first riding a bike, consider riding with a bicycle club in their slower or new-rider groups. You will learn many things from others, and get social and practical support. You will learn better local routes for cycling from experienced riders compared to learning routes on your own.

Sumter Landing Bicycle Club is one club. SLBC - Sumter Landing Bicycle Club

Bike riding ‘off-season’ is less stressful than ‘in-season’ — other than the heat.

Bike riding is good exercise and fun for most people.

Cycling in the villages
 

Michael. It really depends on how much you value cycling and your life. As an avid cyclist putting in 15k miles a year I have seen to many bike accidents and friends getting terribly injured. All it takes is one bad bike accident and your life is put on hold or even over. So is it worth it? Remember here there are lots of old people who make bad decisions. So you must ride very very defensively. Is it worth it? If you do ride outside look at Cycliq front and rear cameras for your bike so you can record everything. Great products they have. Or you can be like me and I ride inside for the most part on a smart trainer ( wahoo kicker) and the platform called (Zwift) and you ride with people from all over the world and pro bike riders. Ride alone, in a group, time trials, etc. you need an iPad , iPhone or pc. It works on all platforms. You can text to all while riding so you can creat friendships. I was in Kentucky with a large group of people I ride with in Zwift. About 30 of us from all over the USA and Canada converged there during the century ride there this past summer. So it is the safe option if you want to ride a bike. You just don’t get the wind rain Sun and fun of being outside.

I would use an e-bike if using the mvp s. With the traffic jams coming out of tunnels and then making hard turns up hill an e-bike gives you better mobility when cart drivers are so impatient (especially from Oct to March).

Benefit of an e-bike is you have best of both worlds. You can pedal OR "gun it". Definitely get a go pro.

A woman got hit in DeLuna a couple years ago now with witnesses, one a friend of mine. The car driver attempted to leave the scene. Once police arrived the driver got a "free pass" by the police while driving without insurance. He got to take his car and go on home. The woman was taken to the hospital. No punishment for the driver and no claim for the victim against him.

In that case it was a "It's not what you know its who you know" moment so a go pro would have held the police accountable to the victim and no favors.

I would also think about what your desired goals are for riding. Leisure and/or group activity. There are some e-bike riders on group rides so it is not an impossibility to use one with some of the cycling groups that do allow them (I have a friend who is a rider that speaks of e-bikes on some of his rides).

The first question I ask myself is "Why did I come here?" I know it seems like a silly question, it's not. Once upon a time I was an very good athlete, I rode bikes, ran in the Melrose games , even had a Professional Baseball contract offer. All those things were than, not today. I didn't come to The Villages for yesterday I came here for my Today's and God willing my Tomorrows. I broke a wrist in 3 places at age 23 and it cost me 4 or 5 weeks in healing, if I did that today age 73, it might well be 4 or 5 months of rehab. During the past 50 years I'll be darned but I did (despite my better judgement) actually physically age. Mind you that I have a different personal view and will quickly suggest "I'm a young 73". If I believe that, I'm also very foolish and I'm only fooling myself. I can remember my Mother and Father reminding of this fact when I was young, funny how they knew. I'm here because I couldn't find a better place in this big beautiful country to retire in and hopefully live out my days enjoying the sometimes limited fruits of life that The Villages help make possible. Today I don't need to fall off a bike through no issue of my own. People make mistakes, I've learned that and something else I need not plan my own mistakes The Villages is full of people who can do that for me....God Bless and have a great day.

I ride in the neighborhoods and limit the amount of time on the street as much as possible. I have had many close calls wirh cars passing me with only a foot of clearance. I stopped riding on the MMPs when a cart passed me on a path where the lanes separated with a median. Scared the crap out of me. No paths, limited street time, all neighborhood roads. I treasure my bike time, so give it a try, but have mirrors and be mindful.

Wear a helmet and pay attention to what is around you. Always assume that cars and carts can not see you. If you are not comfortable riding a bike then don’t.