Bike Lanes Required?
Question Antonio asked: I live in Sunny Isle and noticed that on A1A between Miami Beach and Golden Beach only Sunny Isles has no bike lanes. Why? I was told by a police officer that the reason for this is …
Category: Bike Lanes
[caption id="attachment_2064" align="alignright" width="262"]
To meet the statute language “a lane marked for bicycle use,” the lane must have this stencil in it.[/caption]
To meet the statute language “a lane marked for bicycle use,” the lane must have this stencil in it.[/caption]
A bicycle lane is a part of the roadway intended to provide bicyclists with a more “comfortable” experience. Feeling safe does not equate to being safe. Research into the relative safety of bike lanes and shared lanes is inconclusive. The Federal Highway Administration does not have a crash reduction factor for bicycle lanes. Bicycle lanes are intended as “preferential use” lanes, not mandatory use lanes (although Florida statute 316.2065(5) now makes their use mandatory, with exceptions for unsafe conditions and situations).
In order to meet the statutory language, the paved area in question must be marked with a bicycle symbol and a directional arrow. There are numerous spaces on area roads that do not meet minimum width standards and other characteristics of correct bike lane design. Bicyclists are permitted to use such spaces, but are not required to. The width of the adjacent lane then determines whether or not the bicyclist is required to share that lane.
The minimum standard width for a bicycle lane is five feet from the lane stripe to the curb face, and a minimum of four feet of asphalt beyond the gutter pan. For state roadways with design speeds 50 mph and higher, the minimum width is 6.5 feet.
— Enforcement for Bicyclist Safety, a publication for law enforcement by MetroPlan Orlando. read online | download pdf
Door Zone Bike Lanes
Question Bernie asked: A motorist parks properly on A1A next to a bike path. He exits the car on the driver’s side which is next to the bike path. As he exits opening the door a cyclist goes into the …
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?
Motorcycle in the Bike Lane
Question Kirby in MN asked: My head is spinning looking into the very ambiguous Florida bike /bike lane statutes. Maybe you could find this quicker with your experience with FL statutes. If I was a Florida cop and saw a …
Car Doors
Question William asked: Recently I parked in a private lot next to the sidewalk. I opened my car door into the sidewalk to exit the car and a bicyclist appeared out of nowhere and collided with the door. This did …
Pedestrians in a Bike lane
Question Joe asked: While riding with traffic, single file, I often encounter walkers/joggers coming toward me, against the flow of traffic. Question is, who has the “right of way”?
Cycling on the Paved Shoulder
Question Evan asked: On this page, http://flbikelaw.org/2012/05/walking-on-a-one-way-street/, you seem to agree that it is legal, but not recommended, to ride against traffic if on the shoulder. Does this include the paved portion outside the white line?
Three Foot Law and Bike Lanes?
Question Dean asked: Is a motor vehicle still required to give 3 feet to a cyclist if the cyclist and vehicle are in their own lanes? I many cases, I see the cyclist in the center of his dedicated lane …
Sidewalks and Bike Lanes
Question Aimee asked: I am aware that in Orange County, Florida riding the sidewalks is acceptable, but are the bike riders required to ride with the flow of traffic? And is it required to use the bike lanes, if they …
Unsafe Bicycle Facilities
Question Herman asked: Where I live we have several bike lanes that are routed to the right of not only right turn only lanes, but also to the right of combined thru/right turn lanes. As well as being in the …