Pedestrians in Bike Lanes

Question

Susan asked: I ride my bike early in the morning prior to and around daylight. There is a male pedestrian who insists on using the bike lane rather than the sidewalk. Who has the right of way?

Answer

Bicycle lanes are part of the roadway and intended for the use of vehicles. Pedestrians are required to use the shoulder or if present, the sidewalk.

A bike lane must be marked as such to be part of the roadway. An unmarked paved shoulder is not a bike lane and not part of the roadway.

There are numerous posts on this topic under the tag “Bike Lanes” in the tag cloud. This is one:

http://flbikelaw.org/2010/02/can-pedestrians-use-bicycle-lanes/