Description
Bicycle groups on Saturday and Sunday mornings take up entire lanes on Beach Dr. and North Shore Dr. Cars have no choice but to travel behind them. Can't pass them. Police do nothing about this. They only respond to complaints that are happening in real time. Bicyclists thumb their noses at the law that states they stay in a single file. Instead they ride side by side next to other bicyclists.
30 Comments
Garry (Registered User)
Wong (Registered User)
Susan (Registered User)
Garry (Registered User)
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
Florida law REQUIRES that drivers maintain a MINIMUM of 3 feet clearance when passing bicycles. If drivers follow this 3 foot clearance requirement then they often have to pull into the opposite lane in order to pass cyclists. Now imagine that your annoying group of 20 - 25 riders were instead all in a single file, on North Shore Drive, along Coffee Pot, let’s say. Then a driver like you comes up from behind, and in your privileged impatience you start to pass the long line of single file cyclists. But you have to pull into the opposite lane to maintain the 3 foot clearance. Then a car comes from the other direction and you’re only halfway past the long line of 25 riders. Now you are forced to pull back into your lane, which is relatively narrow up by Coffee Pot, and now you are NOT at least 3 feet away from the cyclists; in fact you are now squeezing the cyclists toward the granite curb as you try not to get hit by the on-coming car. The cyclists start to wobble in the narrow space remaining between your too-close passenger door and the curb; the cyclists are all hoping like hell that no one goes down, which instantly causes all the following cyclists into a very difficult and dangerous position.
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
Florida law REQUIRES that drivers maintain a MINIMUM of 3 feet clearance when passing bicycles. If drivers follow this 3 foot clearance requirement then they often have to pull into the opposite lane in order to pass cyclists. Now imagine that your annoying group of 20 - 25 riders were instead all in a single file, on North Shore Drive, along Coffee Pot, let’s say. Then a driver like you comes up from behind, and in your privileged impatience you start to pass the long line of single file cyclists. But you have to pull into the opposite lane to maintain the 3 foot clearance. Then a car comes from the other direction and you’re only halfway past the long line of 25 riders....
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
Laurie (Registered User)
"FBA offers an authoritative source on Florida Bicycle Laws at FLBikeLaw.org
As of 2011, the lane position and bike lane law include an exception for avoiding a potentially unsafe condition. This is significant in that it allows bicyclists to anticipate dynamic conditions which have the potential to make a bike lane or far right lane position unsafe."
I do believe, that if TG and his/her friends were ticketed and fought it in court, that the situation s/he describes above certainly falls into this category.
Susan (Registered User)
Garry (Registered User)
Susan (Registered User)
Garry (Registered User)
Susan (Registered User)
Garry (Registered User)
LuG (Registered User)
Closed Customer Support (Verified Official)
Update from Transportation Management: When there is a marked bike lane, the law directs bicyclists to use it. However, it is important to note that the applicable Florida Statute (316.2065) has many exceptions for when bicyclists may be legally riding outside the bike lane. The two segments of roadway mentioned here have bike lanes on only one side, which means motorists should expect bicyclists riding in the regular travel lanes when proceeding in the direction without bike lanes. The bike lanes that are out there are within the “door zone” of parked cars, so motorists should expect to see a bicyclist leave the bike lane when passing parked cars, which they are doing legally and for their own safety. Also, that same statute specifically allows bicyclists to ride two-abreast within a single lane.
For Beach Drive to the south of 7th Ave N, there are no bike lanes at all. To encourage bicyclists to avoid the busy sidewalks, there are supplemental roadway markings called Shared Lane Markings, signs indicating that “Bikes May Use Full Lane,” and a low posted speed of 20 mph to discourage speeding in the pedestrian-first environment.
Overall, bicycles are considered vehicles under Florida law and a person riding a bicycle has the same right to use the roadway as a person driving a motor vehicle. The City specifically encourages and welcomes bicyclists on our streets for the health of our citizens, for keeping parking spaces open for those that need to drive, and for the economic boost they provide to local businesses. Lastly, Saturday and Sunday mornings are not commute hours and a little patience goes a long way.
Customer Support (Verified Official)
Jay (Registered User)
TG @ O.N.E. St. Pete (Registered User)
Bob (Registered User)
Reopened Susan (Registered User)
Closed Customer Support (Verified Official)
Customer Support (Verified Official)
Customer Support (Verified Official)
This issue has been marked as a duplicate of issue 4902015.
Issue 4902015 has already been closed and archived.
Please follow the link to view details on the resolution
of issue 4902015.