You don't have to agree with me about enjoying the ride but I do expect you to respect the law and the law says that cyclists and street legal golf carts have the same rights to the roads as automobiles and you are required, by law, to share the road. This is not a debatable issue, it is not my definition - it is the law.

Under your assumptions, cars should not be allowed on the roads because they might collide with a truck and the physics would be in the truck's favor. A large number of daily activities carry risk. Your job is to follow the law to minimize the risk to everyone you share the road with. You worry about what you do and I will worry about what I do.

Actually you are wrong. You might want to read the law before making such statements. Cyclists have the same rights as automobiles. They do not have a minimum speed. You are required, by law, to pass slower moving vehicles in a safe and lawful manner. It doesn't matter if they are a car, cyclist, or street legal golf cart.

No, you missed the point. He is not the problem. He is exercising his legal right to use the roads. It is your job to follow the law. If you disagree with the law then work to change it. In the mean time, follow the law.

bingo! that's exactly what I did.

tuccillo
Excellent posts but you will never sway closed minds. I will continue to drive my bicycle and street legal cart safely and legally on the roads in The Villages.
Thank You for your efforts!

While in my early twenties I purchased my first new car, a 1966 VW bug. Although it was easy to find a parking place in D.C. when I was on I-95 or highways I was intimidated and bullied by much larger cars and vehicles which did not always yield the right of way in compliance with traffic laws. As soon as I could afford it I purchased a larger vehicle for my own personal safety. I still follow that policy. I would rather be safe than right but dead, injured or crippled for life!

As I see it, there are roads, and there are cart paths????? There are cars and golf carts!! A car can go 100mph and a golf cart can go 25mph. (legal) Cars ride on roads, and golf carts ride on golf courses & cart paths. I think we should have helicopters to ride around The Villages. I'll let our Villager friends make their "common sense" decision.

I know you all agree on one thing....You Can't Fix Stupid....

It seems very odd that a bicyclist can ride in the road without tags/taxes or insurance... where a street legal cart cannot. Why not a 'street legal' bicycle with a license plate and head and tail lights?
Do the bicycles have speed laws to follow? Golf carts seems way safer on the road than a bicycle. Notice I did not say the cart was safe, and FYI, I do not own a street legal cart. I just think the laws are a bit squirrely and favor bicycles. They can ride on cart paths OR highways, and golf carts cannot, unless you spend the money to make it street legal. When bikes have a safer road to travel on, like cart paths, why in their right mind would they get on the road with cars and trucks. Everyone always talks about street legal carts being death mobiles, but they seldom say how incredibly dangerous a bicycle on a street is. I am sure many of you will disagree with my thinking, but IMHO the rules need changing!

Its a federal regulation.

If you plow into the back of one of these you will get a traffic citation.

While I would not take the risk myself with a street legal cart I do understand that if I plow into one of these vehicles on the road the reason for that accident will be my poor driving skill at the time. Slow down, be alert, save a life!

In fact, special lanes have been provided for pedestrians and vehicles other than cars. If such accomodations were available to provide separation from trucks, I would use them. Pedestrians , carts and bikes have no protection incorporated into the vehicle. I am not refering to laws but to risk - benefir calculations. The law is on your side and rightly so - Physics and human behavior(misbehavior) is not.

This question about tags/taxes for bicycles keeping coming up every other month or so. I have two cars and own a house - I pay plenty of taxes to maintain the roads, and bicycles don't damage the road.

Many cyclists prefer the roads because they are safer than the cart paths. Unless you are a serious rider you wouldn't understand why.

The laws do not favor bicycles. The law is actually quite specific - bicycles must follow the same rules of the roads as cars. Think of bicycles as slow moving cars.