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>

Share the road and pay attention!

I have to agree with what you say about the lay down bikes, very dangerous and should be driven on cart paths only. We have one that crosses 466 and I shudder every time I see it, because you just cannot see them. But, you cannot keep regular bikes off the road, it is their right to be there and you just have to use commonsense when driving with them.

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.

Thank you for your post. I no longer ride my bike but I always wonder why there are people who think they are the only ones entitled to use the road, multimodal paths, etc.

Lay down bikes are called recumbents.

A recumbent bike on a main road? Whether it is legal or not -- nutz!

I agree with perrjojo, I ALWAYS do...

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.

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!

Bicycles on major roads
 

Can't argue with that.

You hit the nail on the head with these two highlighted phrases.

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.