Cars rarely come to a complete stop at stop signs and golf carts don't always stop either. Bicycles need to get through intersections as quickly as possible for their own safety. Cars run people down. Look at the over 5,000 pedestrians killed each year. Golf carts are more dangerous than bicycles here in The Villages. I wouldn't think of riding my bike without a helmet because head injuries are greatly reduced if a rider wears a helmet. Golf cart drivers do 20-25 mph and most have no seat belts. Obviously no one wears a helmet, but seat belts would stop people from falling out and suffering a head injury. Golf carts in The Villages are a less safe activity than bicycling, in my opinion. Look at the 15 golf cart fatalities in just the last four years. I have ridden motorcycles and sports cars at high speeds, but I would never alter my cart to exceed 20 mph because these vehicles are inherently unstable. I had seat belts installed for my families safety and I try to drive as safely as possible. Lay off the bicyclists they harm no one. Sure they make you slow down and maybe you have to merge over to the other lane, but isn't this a retirement community where people are supposed to be out walking, cycling, etc.? Share the roads and paths.

:bigbow::bigbow::bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:

Rolling through stop signs when it is clear and safe to do so is a common practice with many cyclists, as it is with most cars and golf carts.

:beer3::bowdown: Enough Said,,

We were in a golf cart. Friend was driving and yes, more than 3 feet!

They were riding abreast.......

I responded to your post....more than 3 feet was given....I was not driving but a passenger. I was out all day so the response was slow, it was not indicating my friend gave less than 3 feet. There are always two sides to everything...I agree.....but regardless....road rage is not appropriate in any circumstance...........that includes bikers.....my OP was just a post to see if we could all start being a little kinder.

see the last post....I did respond. We were in a golf cart and she gave more than 3 feet. Didn't respond til now because we were out all day yesterday. There are always 2 sides to things, I agree but it does not mean that "road rage" is appropriate at any time. I was a passenger , there fore a witness and my friend did absolutely nothing wrong.

I agree the response given by the biker was rude and vulger to say the least.

That is not good bicycle riding. Riding side by side makes it difficult for people to pass. It looks like you came upon some very inconsiderate bicyclists. All people should try to be considerate whether they are walking, bicycling, riding a cart, or driving a car. Sorry you had to experience this lack of courtesy. Thanks for clarifying your experience.

Dawn Marie: I am sincerely pleased that you found paradise in Plantation and wish you every happiness.

However what I recollect from your posts when you lived here is that you had a preference to run on the diamond lanes even if a sidewalk was available. This created a dilemma for golf cart drivers who had to pull left into traffic because runners such as yourself refused to yield and step up on grass or a sidewalk. Its no wonder you prefer Plantations since runners and golf cart drivers do not share the same road.

To the rest of the posters here. I have said and will restate many of the complaints pertaining to this topic are a result of poor planning and design by the developers. One poster asked if the OP gave the bicyclist 3 feet when they passed. Is there anyone out there that believes 3 feet of passing width exists on multi-modal paths? It is the same with many narrow streets and in that Dawn Marie is correct. Multi modal users are all competing for the same SPACE

I question whether the multimodal paths are wide enough two accommodate 2 cyclists riding abreast, a golf cart, plus 3 feet of clearance. A golf cart is about 4 feet wide, bike handlebars are typically a foot and half, plus when riding abreast you may have 1-2 feet between bikes. They probably weren't riding on the extreme edge of the path - perhaps they were in a foot. They were probably taking up 4-5 feet total. I assume you didn't run off the cart path onto the grass when you passed. The multimodal paths are typically around 10 feet wide, if I recall correctly. The numbers don't add up - the path would have needed to be 11-12 feet wide to accommodate what you described. Based on these assumptions, you may have actually passed them with only 1-2 feet of clearance. If it was 1 foot of clearance, that would probably elicit the response you experienced. Cyclists need to be given a wide berth because accidents can be fatal.

Come on people, let us acknowledge what most likely happened here.

1) Apparently two cyclists were riding abreast. This is not the ideal situation but I don't believe this is actually prohibited.
2) They were most likely passed with very little clearance based on the typical width of the multimodal path, the width of a golf cart, and the width of bikes.
3) The cyclists vented their anger. Fine, they used strong language - get over it. People call this "rude and vulger [sic]". However, these are only words and cannot be equated with what was most likely a dangerous action: overtaking and passing the cyclists with little clearance. Apparently this action is not considered "rude and vulger [sic]". It is the responsibility of the overtaking vehicle to pass in a safe and responsible manner. Does anyone seriously believe that is what happened here? The fact that the cyclists were probably being discourteous does not justify them being "buzzed" by a golf cart.

Let the flaming begin ...

That makes no sense at all. A golf cart going the other way would be able to pass without any problem and we had to get in that lane to pass. Sorry, but I'm not looking to argue , just asking all of us to be kinder. No matter what the issue....ROAD RAGE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! You weren't there and just because you are a biker does not mean you know what happened. I will tell you there were more than 3 feet. Everyone sees things differently. Can't we all just get along and stop hitting and cursing others out.

The issue is how much clearance you gave them when you passed them from behind. Based on widths of the paths, bikes, and golf carts, it is most likely you passed them with little clearance from behind. As a long time cyclist, I can tell you that there are few things that will elicit a stronger reaction from cyclists then nearly clipping them from behind. The cyclists were reacting to something you did and it is most likely nearly clipping them. You may believe you passed them with more than 3 feet of clearance but the width of the multimodal path indicated otherwise - the numbers don't add up. What you most likely did in passing them with little clearance can be considered "road rage" also. I see this frequently - cyclists are slowing people down and they responds by passing them closely and then cutting in front of them as soon as possible. Don't try to make the cyclists out to be the bad guys here. You were tooling around in a 600-1000 lb golf cart and it is your responsibility when overtaking to do so in a safe manner. To assume the cyclists lit into you for no reason defies logic.