Bicycles on Limited Access Highways
Question
Miguel asked: Hello, I was wondering if it was possible in Florida for bicyclists like myself to use the freeways, expressways and interstate highways. Is it legal for us to do this? And what tips or rules must we follow?
Answer
Bicycles are prohibited from limited access highways unless signs are posted allowing them.
s. 316.091 – Limited Access Facilities; Interstate Highways; Use Restricted
(2)Except as provided herein, no person shall operate upon a limited access facility any bicycle, motor-driven cycle, animal-drawn vehicle, or any other vehicle which by its design or condition is incompatible with the safe and expedient movement of traffic.
(3)No person shall ride any animal upon any portion of a limited access facility.
(4)No person shall operate a bicycle or other human-powered vehicle on the roadway or along the shoulder of a limited access highway, including bridges, unless official signs and a designated, marked bicycle lane are present at the entrance of the section of highway indicating that such use is permitted pursuant to a pilot program of the Department of Transportation.
Since these restrictions sometimes place onerous conditions on cyclists, the FBA was successful in getting legislation to study the matter. A two-year pilot program is being conducted to determine whether bicycles can safely use certain limited access highways.
(6)The Department of Transportation shall establish a 2-year pilot program, in three separate urban areas, in which it shall erect signs and designate marked bicycle lanes indicating highway approaches and bridge segments of limited access highways as open to use by operators of bicycles and other human-powered vehicles
The pilot program is running on the Pineda Causeway, Lehman Causeway, and I don’t know where the third is.
A few roads may seem to be limited access (which is actually not clearly defined by law, given that many surface roads have restricted access from adjacent properties) yet allow bikes. For example, the Osceola Parkway is a toll road across northern Osceola Parkway that allows bikes to use it for free. In general, if it has an Interstate shield or toll Florida shield, you can’t use it. Otherwise there’s enough gray area that it’s probably OK if no signs are posted.
The limited access pilot program had two projects in Miami-Dade County (as well as the one in Brevard); the other Miami-Dade project was on the Julia Tuttle Causeway. The study of “Operational analysis of shared lane markings and green bike lanes on roadways with speeds greater than 35 mph” posted at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/research-center/Completed_Proj/Summary_RD/FDOT-BDK82-977-04-rpt.pdf includes an analysis of cyclist and motorist behavior at the three pilot project sites.
Interesting. The law specifically says “three separate urban areas”. I’m also not sure that the Lehman or Tuttle satisfies this:
“The limited access highway approaches and bridge segments chosen must cross a river, lake, bay, inlet, or surface water where no street or highway crossing the water body is available for use within 2 miles of the entrance to the limited access facility measured along the shortest public right-of-way.”
Either way, these make sense as locations. Presumably the Buckman Bridge didn’t have local support?
I noticed that too. Discussion of the pilot project is summarized in meeting materials of the FDOT-led Florida Bicycle and Pedestrian Partnership Council posted at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/policy/bikeped/meetings/ . The summary of the Nov 2012 meeting included in the May 2013 meeting materials indicates that nine bridges had been identified as candidates, doesn’t explain why three candidate sites in only two “separate urban areas” were selected for implementation. Maybe the “report of its findings and recommendations” that FDOT is required to submit to the Governor and Legislature in 2015 will explain.