Parking in Bike Lanes
Question Pat asked: Can motorists legally park in a designated bike lane?
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
Bike Lanes
Question Is there a law that requires a bicyclist to use a marked and signed bicycle lane? Are there any exceptions?
Undesignated Bike lanes
Question Ed asked: I found this on http://www.floridabicycle.org/rules/bikelaw.html : Paved shoulders — Where a curb is not present, the right-hand edge of a roadway is the line between the roadway and the shoulder. Since the definition of “roadway” excludes the …
Bike Lane Direction
Question Robin asked: What is the best way to deal with salmons? Those who are using the bike lane (on the road) riding in the opposite direction? I’m going a good 20 mph with heavy traffic on my left and …
Even More HB 971
Question Keri asked: FDOT recently restriped several blocks of 2 one-way roadways in downtown. Both streets have three lanes and now have bike lanes on the right side. For most of my trips on these streets, my destination must be …
More HB 971
We have received a number of inquiries about HB 971, which was the subject of a recent post on this site. They show the confusion that exists about the laws and the change in that bill.
Buses Stopped in Bike Lanes
Question Marie asked: While riding in the bike lane, the bus repeatedly passes me and pulls into the bike lane to stop. Today I asked the driver to please stay on the other side of the white line when she …
HB 971 – Bicycles and Bicycle Lanes
HB 971, which was signed recently, includes a requirement for bicyclists to use lanes marked for bicycle use under some circumstances when they are present. It will go into effect on September 1, 2010. The section of interest is a …
Pavement Ribbon?
Question Jeff asked: A ribbon of pavement exists to the right of the white stripe of the right-hand-most through traffic lane. It appears to have been designed and constructed to the specifications of a bicycle lane. However, there are no …
Bicycles on the Shoulder
Question Tim asked: It’s clear that if a cyclist is on the roadway they must operate as a vehicle and obey all traffic control devices. However, if a cyclist is traveling outside of the roadway, on a paved shoulder, is …