Archive of questions, answers about Florida bicycle laws and law enforcement
A bike path is a roadway upon which motorized vehicles may not proceed. It is not a sidewalk and is physically separated from the roadway. Bicyclists are not required to use a bike path even if it is adjacent to the roadway. There are few provisions in the statutes that apply to bike paths, and many are considered multi-use paths for pedestrians and bicyclists. They may be regulated by the jurisdictions through which they pass.
Question Pam asked: If there is a bike path, can bikers still ride on the street on Sanibel Island, Fl Answer Lacking a local ordinance to the contrary, operators of human powered vehicles have the same rights and duties as …
Question Will asked: Living in central Florida give me the chance to ride some of the best Rail Trails in the USA. So many bike friendly towns in FL have wonderful signage to protect bike riders at marked crosswalks. Sanibel …
Question Dennis asked: I’m 62 and haven’t ridden a bike for years. Can you tell me if I need a helmet by law? Other basic laws? I will carry the bike to a park on bike rack to a park, …
Question HarryB asked: STOP signs are common traffic control devices facing people on shared-use paths that run parallel to the road and are located within the highway’s right-of-way. Contrary to conventional wisdom, I believe that their installation defies state law, …
Question Diana asked: I have a pretty unique situation. I was on a multipurpose sidewalk bike riding with all my safety equipment, i hand signal a right turn and as i was turning i was hit by another cyclist at …
Question Dylan asked: What do I say when a police officer tells me that I must stay within 12 inches of the curb?
Question Karl asked: Should a bicyclist obey the vehicle traffic control signals or the pedestrian control signals at intersections when riding on a shared use path that parallels a roadway? There are numerous shared use paths in Florida that are …
Question Patric asked: I am aware of right of way laws for cyclists vs pedestrians on sidewalks and they make perfect sense to me. I always yield to pedestrians there. I often ride the Commodore Trail in Miami, a marked …
Question Harry asked: Does the manager of a shared-use path (managed by the DEP) have the authority to permit the public to drive motorized vehicles on it? F.S. § 316.1995 seems to be very clear that no one may drive …
Question Harry asked: How can it be legal for a DOT to install a traffic control device, which some people are incapable of obeying? FDOT is redesigning a road crossing on a rural shared-use path because it installed traffic signals …