Whenever I read about Florida bicycling issues, I get the sense that it's two miles forward and one mile backward for bicyclists there.
Such is the case recently for the state where 125 bicyclists were killed in traffic crashes in 2008, the most of any state in the US.
One step forward
The image at left is part of a presentation prepared for the Orlando Police Department Bulletin by Officer Bill Edgar. It addresses the question of whether bicyclists should ride as far to the right as possible. Here's a quote from the text:
“FDOT has determined that 14ft is the minimum width which allows most motor vehicles to pass cyclists within the travel lane. …
“The lane pictured above is 13ft wide. Most of the lanes in Orlando are 10-12ft wide. Bicycle drivers are not required to keep right, and are encouraged, for their safety, to occupy enough lane that motorists recognize they must change lanes to pass. By riding this way, cyclists can avoid road hazards, operate more predictably, encourage overtaking motorists to pass safely and discourage common motorist mistakes that result in crashes.”
I stumbled across the information at the website Florida Bicycle Law, a Toolkit for Law Enforcement. A project of the Florida Bicycle Association, it's updated frequently with explanations for police officers about bike lanes, making left turns, the 3-foot passing requirement and more.
Another step forward
The South Florida Bike Coalition, the Florida Department of Transportation and the zMotion cycling team for Zimmerman Advertising has collaborated to install 17 “share the road”-type signs on Route A1A between Boca Raton and Manalapan.
One set of signs reads: “Motorists — Shall Give Three Feet Clearance” below an illustration of a car passing a bicycle. Another set of signs shows two cyclists riding side by side. It reads: “Bicyclist — No More Than Two Abreast.”
The next phase of the program calls for erecting signs throughout Miami-Dade County.
One step backward
The Florida state legislature passed a law that enables local governments to require that bicyclists ride only in bicycle lanes on roads where those lanes are installed.
The law allows bicyclists to veer out of the bike lanes when they're littered with glass or debris, but that's kind of a fine print point that bicycle advocates are afraid won't make much of an impression of police officers or the hostile motoring public.
Also, how will bicyclists remain in the bike lane and make a left turn? Will they face getting a ticket?
After initially demanding that Gov. Bill Crist veto the legislation, the North Florida Bicycle Club is dropping its opposition to the new law because the bicycle lane section is just one aspect of the law. Another section, according to the Florida Times-Union, requires that someone convicted of multiple DUIs have an ignition interlock system installed on their car before being allowed to drive again.
Jeff Hohlstein told the Times-Union:
“It will do no good to further poke sticks in the eyes of the bill's sponsors, so I am pulling the veto campaign from our website. With a little good luck and some hard work by (the Florida Bicycle Association), these restrictions should not last long.”
So, if Gov. Crist signs the bill, it looks like Florida bicyclists will have to put up with a ridiculous provision in a law for a while.
Two miles forward and one mile backward.
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