[Oldragbagger]

Originally Posted by VApeople

That is an odd sentence.

You say that "one person carelessly putting someone else’s life at risk is one too many", and then you say that "we have encountered a few".

Well, if you have "encountered a few" of these careless people, then that means you should not be riding your bikes where you are now.

Maybe try going on some of the biking trails that have replaced the old unused railroad lines. I think you can ride uninterrupted for a long way on the trail south of us near the town of Mabel.

The availability of the paths are the primary reason we moved to The Villages, so that we could ride out our front door and have access to paths that would not require us riding on the roads with cars, and also didn’t require us loading our bikes up and driving somewhere. We ride every day. Some people come for the golf, some for the entertainment. We came for the cycling. We are not the only ones. I have heard from many other cyclists who moved here for the same reason. They are called multi-modal paths (not cart paths) for a reason. And why does it make more sense for us to ride someplace else than it does for carts to exercise a bit of common sense by not trying to pass another vehicle/person in a blind curve, whether it’s a bike, a walker, or another cart.

[TrapX]

Replace the words "bicycles" with "motorcycle".
Replace the words "golf carts" with "automobile".
Replace the word "paths" with "roads".
Same exact things happen daily to motorcyclists. Oddly, most people blame the motorcyclist. Stereotypical "it's not my fault" or "blame the other thing" comments abound.
Bottom line, look out for yourself. Be defensive so. You don't want on your tombstone "but I had the right of way!"

[mike234]

you are absolutely right. and for every aggravating cyclist you encounter, and every left lane driver you encounter, there is one waiting ahead for you to encounter....I just do what I have to do, and not even give it a second thought....

[PersonOfInterest]

The MM paths seem to be a dangerous place to ride a bicycle or to walk. Since Bicycles can ride on the streets I wonder why so many bicyclists ride the MM paths. Wouldn't it be easier to ride the streets where all you have to deal with are the vehicles rather than carts and pedestrians? Same thing for walkers. In the south there are dedicated walking paths. It would seem easier to walk the walking paths where you don't have to deal with carts.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by mike234

you are absolutely right. and for every aggravating cyclist you encounter, and every left lane driver you encounter, there is one waiting ahead for you to encounter....I just do what I have to do, and not even give it a second thought....

So true.
Overall, I have found cyclists to be generally courteous and safety minded, and there is no question they would get the short end of the stick in any accident.

That being said, there are SOME cyclists, NOT ALL, NOT A MAJORITY, but SOME that have this "holier than thou attitude". They believe everything that they and their fellow cyclists do is right, and everything that pedestrians, cart and car drivers is wrong. They feel they are the self appointed guardians of the roads and MMPs, and want to cram THEIR VERSION of the rules of the road down everyone else's throat. They put dash cams on their bikes in the hopes of catching someone doing something wrong. They know every little law that applies to how other vehicles have to behave in regard to cyclists, and then go willy-nilly blowing through stop and yield signs, both individually and in packs, forcing other vehicles to jam on their brakes. They claim it is "inconvenient" to stop because of toe clips. What if every vehicle on the road just blew through stop signs? What if cars and trucks decided it was "inconvenient to stop? Answer---demolition derby, so why does this MINORITY of cyclists think they are so special that they can ignore traffic laws while demanding everyone else obey every letter of them. If you blow your horn you get a one-finger salute because in their own narrow view of the roads THEY are always right and YOU are always wrong.

I make this rant only because 3 times in the last 2 weeks, a pack of cyclists blew through the yield signs entering a RB as if they were one entity and I had to brake and/or switch lanes rapidly to avoid them. Just because they are @h0l3s doesn't mean they should get a death sentence.

But to the overwhelming majority of cyclists, serious or recreational, who are courteous and not militant, I'm sorry these few give you a bad rep. Happy Trails.

[admiral72]

This is not a situation that only happens on paths. It has happened many times when I was riding on the roads and the car behind wanted to pass when there was an oncoming car meeting us. I consider this the most dangerous situation I encounter on a regular basis. The cars will always try and miss each other and the bike is at risk.

The cardinal rule for everyone is that you must always use common sense. The other applicable rule is any vehicle overtaking (attempting to pass) must keep out the way of the one being overtaken.

The key is controlling the vehicle behind you. You cannot control the vehicle that is oncoming. Sometimes I pull out to prevent the pass which is risky and sometimes angers the vehicle attempting to pass but has always worked for me. I get a honk about 25% of the time.

The other thing to do is just pull over and stop and let the car, cart or cyclist pass. It only takes a few seconds.

The same thing can happen when I am overtaking a cyclist. If I cannot see a clear path for a safe pass. I will slow down behind the bike I am overtaking a say I am waiting for a safe place to pass. I do this to make my intentions clear. Some cyclists become nervous when someone is sitting in behind them and, if they start looking around, it could be dangerous. Your bike or cart generally steers in the direction you are looking.

Hope this helps. At all times: Avoid the RISK of a collision.

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by Oldragbagger

And why does it make more sense for us to ride someplace else than it does for carts to exercise a bit of common sense by not trying to pass another vehicle/person in a blind curve, whether it’s a bike, a walker, or another cart.

Because you know that you can't count on cart drivers "to exercise a bit of common sense by not trying to pass another vehicle/person in a blind curve".

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

The MM paths seem to be a dangerous place to ride a bicycle or to walk.

In the south there are dedicated walking paths. It would seem easier to walk the walking paths where you don't have to deal with carts.

How was a person as intelligent as you ever allowed to join this discussion group? No problem, though. In time, you will probably degenerate to our level.

[Steve]

When this situation occurs you might consider slowing down in order for the cart driver to make the pass more quickly. I do that in my car. If somebody tries to pass on a two-lane road and there is oncoming traffic and I get the sense this is going to be close I back off rather than force this driver, who is either in a hurry or made a serious error in judgement, room to get around me and back into his lane as soon as possible. It sure beats a three-car smash-up.

Let's face it. Driving is a team sport. And the teammates are you and any other driver on the road.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by admiral72

This is not a situation that only happens on paths. It has happened many times when I was riding on the roads and the car behind wanted to pass when there was an oncoming car meeting us. I consider this the most dangerous situation I encounter on a regular basis. The cars will always try and miss each other and the bike is at risk.

The cardinal rule for everyone is that you must always use common sense. The other applicable rule is any vehicle overtaking (attempting to pass) must keep out the way of the one being overtaken.

The key is controlling the vehicle behind you. You cannot control the vehicle that is oncoming. Sometimes I pull out to prevent the pass which is risky and sometimes angers the vehicle attempting to pass but has always worked for me. I get a honk about 25% of the time.

The other thing to do is just pull over and stop and let the car, cart or cyclist pass. It only takes a few seconds.

The same thing can happen when I am overtaking a cyclist. If I cannot see a clear path for a safe pass. I will slow down behind the bike I am overtaking a say I am waiting for a safe place to pass. I do this to make my intentions clear. Some cyclists become nervous when someone is sitting in behind them and, if they start looking around, it could be dangerous. Your bike or cart generally steers in the direction you are looking.

Hope this helps. At all times: Avoid the RISK of a collision.

And that is EXACTLY the attitude I was referring to in a minority of cyclists.

WHO do YOU think YOU are to "control" me. YOU do not get to "control" me. I am responsible for my actions, and YOU are not. I don't give a rat's furry arse that YOU think YOU get to control my actions, YOU DO NOT. And when YOU pull some crap like you described, YOU wonder why a motorist gets p1$$3d off????? I suggest if YOU feel your safety is dependent upon YOU controlling the actions of another, either ride somewhere alone, or go to North Korea and take the place of the "dear leader" so YOU can dictate to everyone else.

PS:. By "you", I am not specifically referring to the poster I quoted, but to the entire minority of militant cyclists who think their excrement smells sweet.

End of rant

[Stanajudy]

Just a thought, when you are riding on the multimodal path and you are aware of a cart behind you that is itching to pass, PULL OVER a and let him pass. It is not worth the risk of staying on the path!

[Oldragbagger]

Originally Posted by Stanajudy

Just a thought, when you are riding on the multimodal path and you are aware of a cart behind you that is itching to pass, PULL OVER a and let him pass. It is not worth the risk of staying on the path!

Some of the time those blind curves occur in places where there is no place to pull over, such as near tunnels, on bridges, places like BV Blvd where you are sometimes between a wall and another wall.

We often do either slow down or even pull over for carts, especially when we are approaching an area where the path splits and we know the cart driver will not have an opportunity to get around us for awhile. We really do try to be as courteous and safe as we can be. We know we have a responsibility to share the road and look out for, not only ourselves, but everyone else. As I said in my original post, the overwhelming majority of the cart drivers we encounter are safe, courteous, and friendly. (And I agree with others who said that bike riders can be a PIA too. We see those riders that blow through stop signs, through crossings, and in and out of tunnels without even a glance. It makes us as crazy as it makes everyone else.) We try to encourage friendliness with other trail users with a wave, a smile, or a hello. I was only addressing one particular situation, just with the hope that maybe someone who does that and hasn’t given it any thought just might, give it some thought, in the future. It was not my intention to create a bikes vs carts fight. We drive a cart on the paths too so we are often on the other side of it.

[fcgiii]

Originally Posted by Garywt

Just like there are bad car drives, there are bad cart drivers as well. One needs to imagine if it would be a solid line or dashed line and drive accordingly. When I pass a bike I need to see a clear path that gives me time to pass safely. I pull completely into the other lane to give the biker plenty of space. The same thing for when we are traveling on a street and come up to a bike. Doesn’t hurt anyone is we are “stuck” behind a bike for an extra 100 yards or so. Be safe.

And bad bikers too. My wife and I were walking on a walking path and a biker came up behind us, no ringing of the bell or any other warning. My wife unknowingly moved into his path and he struck her, knocking her down and him off his bike. He scrambled back up and biked away. No apology, no checking to see if she was all right.

[BobnBev]

Originally Posted by fcgiii

And bad bikers too. My wife and I were walking on a walking path and a biker came up behind us, no ringing of the bell or any other warning. My wife unknowingly moved into his path and he struck her, knocking her down and him off his bike. He scrambled back up and biked away. No apology, no checking to see if she was all right.

Exactly the reason you are supposed to walk facing oncoming traffic.

[Oldragbagger]

Originally Posted by fcgiii

And bad bikers too. My wife and I were walking on a walking path and a biker came up behind us, no ringing of the bell or any other warning. My wife unknowingly moved into his path and he struck her, knocking her down and him off his bike. He scrambled back up and biked away. No apology, no checking to see if she was all right.

That’s absolutely horrible. Shame on him. I hope she is alright.

[golfnut]

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

The MM paths seem to be a dangerous place to ride a bicycle or to walk. Since Bicycles can ride on the streets I wonder why so many bicyclists ride the MM paths. Wouldn't it be easier to ride the streets where all you have to deal with are the vehicles rather than carts and pedestrians? Same thing for walkers. In the south there are dedicated walking paths. It would seem easier to walk the walking paths where you don't have to deal with carts.

Okay so I'm supposed to ride my bicycle in the street and potentially get hit by a 5,000 LB car rather than a 1,000 LB cart, I hadn't thought about it like that, makes a lot of sense. As far as walking paths I don't live in the south so what am I supposed to do?