A Department Bulletin to Help Officers Understand Cyclist Safety and Lane Use
The following text was created for the Orlando Police Department Bulletin. This was an initiative by Officer Bill Edgar, a member of our officer advisory panel. If you would like to duplicate it for distribution in your department, please contact us and we will send you the text and illustrations.
(Page 1)
It may not look right because you don’t see it very often, but this is legal and it’s the safest position for a bicycle driver
But don’t cyclists have to ride as far right as practicable?
316.2065(5)(a)(3) states that a cyclist does NOT have to stay right: “When reasonably necessary to avoid any condition, including, but not limited to, a fixed or moving object, parked or moving vehicle, bicycle, pedestrian, animal, surface hazard, or substandard-width lane, that makes it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge. For the purposes of this subsection, a “substandard-width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and another vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.”
FDOT has determined that 14ft is the minimum width which allows most motor vehicles to pass cyclists within the travel lane. (See second page for diagram.)
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. read more…
Question
Jayeson asked: 316.2065 (5) has an exception for making left turns but not for continuing straight/avoiding right turn lanes. This would seem to imply that a cyclist must move into a right turn lane which would then require taking the right turn. A common example is where a narrow road widens and then forms two lanes at traffic lights, with one lane for right turns and one for straight through and left turns. read more…
Recently, a cyclist was cited for violation of the “keep right” provisions of FS 316.2065-Bicycle Regulations. It was upheld in traffic court. read more…
Question
Melissa asked: A person riding on a bike in the middle of a two lane county road makes a left turn but does not signal. The automobile driver sees the person on the bike in the right lane and goes into left lane to pass the person on bike. The person on the bike without signaling goes into the right front side of automobile. If the person on the bike fails to signal, what law would this be under in the state of Florida? read more…
Question
James asked: Is it legal to ride a bike with a small motor on the roads in Florida? read more…
Question
Tim asked: Are cyclists required to pay tolls while passing through a toll both? read more…
Question
Ron also asked: And to further the rights of a shoulder-traveling cyclist, a vehicle in the oncoming lane of a two-lane road should not overtake another vehicle in the oncoming lane if there is bicycle traffic in the opposite direction if that cycling traffic is in the zone required to effect the pass. Even if the cyclist is on the shoulder, correct?
I have encountered such a situation on a State Road, and it gives one cause for serious concern! read more…
Question
Ron asked: Does the 3-foot rule apply to vehicles overtaking cyclists that are traveling on the shoulder, outside of the lane edge line? read more…
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 the cyclist required to come to a stop at a stop sign or red light when making a right turn? read more…
Question
Jayne asked: I was always under the impression that registering a bicycle was to help you find it if stolen (serial number would be on this registration), but not a requirement to ride one. I was told recently that it was the law by a police officer in Daytona Beach that every bike has to be registered. Children ride bikes and parents should know this rule if it is in fact a law. read more…
