Bicyclists
 

So you're on a multi-modal path. That's great. You should have a helmet on, but hey that won't affect me one way or another if you lose control or crash into a car at an intersection, so that's all good.

HOWEVER

if I'm behind you, in a golf cart, and the speed limit is 20, and I'm going at a reasonable pace of 16-18mph, then please let me pass you. You were going only around 9mph when I got close. I went to pass you and instead of letting me, you sped up to over 12mph. That meant it would take me a lot longer to pass you, and that's unsafe since it's a 2-way multi-modal and only enough room on it for 2 golf carts passing each other - not 2 golf carts and a bicycle.

It wouldn't have been TOO bad, if it was just as far as the stop sign.

But you went all the way from Buena Vista on the Camino Real path, all the way to Paige Place, refusing to allow me to pass you while you continued to speed up and slow down - almost as if you were daring me to go fast enough to succeed safely (which was not possible). You also rode your bike RIGHT THROUGH those stop signs. Every single one of them. On one, you didn't even slow down. You were going 12 mph right through it. That was the entry to one of the villages near the Savannah center.

Don't do that, guy. And wear a helmet if you value your safety because one of these days, the person behind you won't be me. It'll be someone who doesn't give a damn about anyone but his own convenience.

I'm not sure how a bicyclist is to "let" you pass them. If the multi-modal path is 2-lane, then you just pull out into the oncoming lane (assuming traffic allows) and pass them. If the multi-modal path is 1-lane (there are many areas where they split into two 1-lane paths), then there isn't room in that single lane for your golf cart, a bicyclist and the three feet of clearance that you are required to have by law to be able to pass them. Are you asking them to leave to path to allow you by? Usually, these single-lane sections are relatively short and even if a bicycle isn't going all that fast, you're surely not inconvenience by more than a minute or so. Are you in that much of a hurry?

By the way, the same thing is true for automobiles on roads. In areas where there is a single lane and no multi-modal (or "diamond") path, that lane isn't wide enough for a car or truck, a bicyclist and the minimum three feet of clearance. By law, the driver of the car or truck must yield to the bicyclist and not pass them until there is adequate room, which means either the road is back to two lanes or there is again a multi-model path or bicycle lane for the bicyclist to pull into.

And while there may be some jerks on bicycles who do actively slow down to frustrate drivers, they are in the minority I'm sure. If they are slowing down, it's usually because the road or path has changed inclination to become somewhat uphill. The differences may be so small as to be barely noticed in a motorized vehicle but on a vehicle powered by older human legs, it can definitely slow you down.

If I was on the bike, I would have slowed down and waived the golf cart to pass me, very easy to do.

I'll try to be more clear.

When I first spotted him ahead of me as I was approaching, he was going only around 9mph. At that speed it would've been easy and safe for me to pass him without worrying about being on the wrong side of the path, if oncoming traffic was approaching while I was already on the wrong side of the path.

Instead of allowing me to just get over to that side of the path and pass him - he sped up - t0 12mph. When you're only going 15-18mph in the first place, that 3mph jump in speed for the person in front of you is enough to make it MUCH more risky to try and pass.

He waited until I had already started accellerating (trying to get up to 20mph) and had moved over in preparation to pass him when he sped up.

There was no hill that he was speeding up to try and get over (which is what I and many other cyclists do when I'm getting near an incline). There was no one ahead of him that he might've been trying to catch up to. There was no reason for him to speed up, at that moment, except to prevent me from passing him.

If he had been going 15-18mph I wouldn't have tried. That's a reasonable speed for 20mph multimodal path. But he wasn't even going 10mph when I started trying to pass him. That was WHY I tried to pass him. And he was still going under 15 when he sped up.

When I gave up trying, he slowed down. So I started to speed up again (thinking maybe I could pass him afterall now that he slowed down again) - and he sped up. Except when it was time to go across the entrance to the village off El Camino behind the Savannah Center. He went straight through it without slowing down at the stop sign.

He was irresponsible, and he was trying to instigate - something. I don't know what. All it resulted in was me being annoyed that he was being rude and inconsiderate. Fortunately for him, I'm not some kind of yahoo with a road rage problem.

not sure what was happening in this instance , however in view of our current circumstances many more people are using the mullti modal paths including walkers, bikers and golf carts as people want to get out and go for a ride , a walk etc.. As an avid biker I have noticed many more riders out on the paths many who may have not been on a bike in a while. There are many hazards for bikers that many non riders may not be aware of. First there is usually a groove to the right side between the pavement and the concrete curbing and many times an additional groove exists where the landscappers edge . A bicycle moving to far to the right risks a fall if their tires enter this groove. In addition many times there are branches and palms the extend out into the path many times at face level. The split lanes are the most dangerous and there have been several serious incidents where golf carts have attempted to pass a biker on these narrow lanes and the cart has hit the left curb causing the cart to vear right and hit the biker. Carts should not attempt to pass bikers in these split lanes, they should wait until they reach a wider area. All this said, bikers should be aware of their surroundings ( have a mirror) and allow carts to pass when safe.

My rules of bike riding on a MMP...

* Ride a hybrid bike (NOT a road bike) so you can SAFELY go into the grass when necessary or desired;

* Check traffic behind you when approaching a divided (single lane in each direction) section. If carts approaching, adjust speed so they can get around you prior to divided section;

*When on full width busy section, stay centered in your lane until adequate open space in front for a pass. Then go to extreme right of your lane, making it obvious you are letting carts behind you pass;

*As appropriate on any MMP section, use your hybrid to go into the grass to let carts pass. You’ll be safe and the cart riders passing you will appreciate your actions.

Primary motivation for all these is self-preservation. The fact that it’s a courtesy to cart drivers is just a nice fringe benefit. :)

Does your golf cart have a very piercing horn like mine does? I would have laid on the horn until he stopped playing those games by speeding up and slowing down.

Me too. He’d be deaf by now if he isn’t already.

If you can’t pass a bike with your golf cart, you either need a new golf cart or you need to learn how to drive the one you have. Really? You couldn’t pass a bicycle??.??

Sorry but I disagree. I have been riding the MM path mentioned, several times a week for almost a year. I have a Cannondale road bike and I have never even begun to have a problem. I stay to the right of the path and let carts pass me on the left, of course when there are no other carts coming in the other direction. It is not necessary at all to ride up onto the grass to let carts pass. Doing so would be more dangerous as there could be tree debris, squirrels, etc., which could cause a bicyclist to lose their balance.

Unfortunately, there are inconsiderate and even arrogant cyclists out there. These few make it harder for the rest of us who actually try to cooperate with all other kinds of vehicles. They also seem to fuel the anti-biker sentiments too many drivers already have.

Truth to be told though, these attitudes and actions are definitely NOT restricted to cyclists.

WOW
I can see Cabin Fever is setting in on the Villages

The Admiral was passing thru the Pinellas gate, all of a suddenly a bicyclist passed her on the right & pulled directly in front of her-lucky she's a lady & doesn't drive like me--guarantee the horn on her car is way louder than the horn on a golf cart --to the rider wearing the green outfit--if you keep it up its going to be tough riding with one leg

Oh wow this one really got my attention. I have never seen a biker purposely keep a cart from passing? I ride my bike three or four times a week on the very path that you have mentioned. Anytime a golf cart comes up behind me, I get over to the right as far as I can, and I even stop peddling to sort of give them the signal that you need to just come on by me. In some cases even wave them past. This is what it is done by probably most of the bikers out there. Trust me, we don’t play games with golf carts or cars as we will lose. Now, what I can tell you for sure is there are golf carts out there that don’t like the bicycles being on that path. I have had a golf cart come right between myself and some walkers at probably 23 or 24 miles an hour, close enough that either of us could’ve reached out and touched the cart. They didn’t care that they were that close! Courtesy goes both ways. Another thing that I have found to be a bit dangerous is the fact that an electric cart can come up behind you and be right on top of you and you don’t even know it. It would be nice to give just a little beep as you’re approaching to let the bicyclist know you’re behind them. From what I’ve seen 99% of the time sharing the path is never a problem.

This wasn't a split lane. I wasn't suggesting that the cyclist move over. I was suggesting that he NOT SPEED UP whenever I tried to pass him.

Either go at a reasonable steady pace for a 20mph speed limit, or go slowly enough that people who WANT to go that steady pace can pass you.