BikeWalkLee Column ‘Go Coastal’
The News-Press, March 10, 2022
by Ken Gooderham
 |
Image: flhsmv.gov
|
You’re cruising along on a Southwest Florida roadway behind the wheel of your car without a care in the world (OK, that may be a little unlikely, but you get the idea). Suddenly, ahead on your right, you see a bevy of bicyclists riding along on the edge of the road. What do you do?
First, be calm. They’re not here to hurt you. They have as much right to be on the road as you do and, properly negotiated, everyone can proceed apace without any untoward outcomes.
As the driver of a motor vehicle, there are a couple of things you should be looking for when sharing the road with a cyclist:
● How wide is the lane you’re both driving in, both now and in the immediate distance.
If there’s room for both of you – and to allow the required three feet between you and the cyclist – then you can proceed with caution in passing the cyclist. (Rule of thumb is a driving lane of 14 feet in width gives everyone the room they need.)
If the lane is narrower than that, then you either need to be able to veer into the oncoming lane safely to pass the cyclist or wait until it’s safe to pass otherwise. Savvy cyclists may “take the lane” (meaning ride more toward the center of the lane) if they can see issues ahead, as a way to warn motorists that conditions which they can see (but the driver might not be able to) could make it unsafe to pass right now.
Another factor that can come into play here is whether there is any shoulder (or riding room of any kind) along the road. Some of our local roadways have sufficient shoulders to allow safe cycling outside the traffic lane… of course allowing for debris, low-hanging vegetation, garbage cans, etc. Cyclists may ride along these shoulders to allow better movement of traffic… but don’t rely on that, since a cyclist may need to rejoin the traffic lane to avoid some other hazard (as mentioned above) that drivers are unable to see as readily.
Then there are those roads where you have the white lane line, a significant dropoff to rocks and dirt, then an even more significant drop to a roadside swale (or worse). There’s no room to ride – or even walk – except on the road itself. So everyone needs to learn to share there.
● How much other traffic there is, both quantity and quality.
If traffic on the road in general is light and consistent, it will be easy to pass a cyclist (or even a group of them) without much ado. If the traffic is heavier, with lots of trucks (harder to see around and less nimble in general) and intersections or other access points (think driveways and other places where vehicles may pull into the flow of traffic), both drivers and cyclists will need to be more watchful and wary.
Speed, of course, also comes into play… both in terms of how fast traffic decisions will need to be made (or evasive actions will need to be taken) and the disparity in velocity between motor vehicle and cyclist (on a bicycle, you notice a big difference in getting passed by a vehicle going 30 mph vs. one going 60 mph).
Another factor can be the nature of the traffic… by which I mean whether everyone knows what they are doing (say, on one’s morning commute along a very familiar route) vs. when everyone is not on the same page traffic-wise… which means varying speeds (as people look for street names or building numbers), erratic actions (think left-hand turns from the right-hand lane) and other behaviors that are both unpredictable and unnerving (and therefore unsafe).
● What kind of cyclist are you working with.
Are they skilled road riders able to keep up a steady and impressive pace with a solid command of their bicycle? Then they should be skilled in riding in traffic, prone to predictability and poise, and reliable in their riding. Or are they weavers and wonderers, too busy looking at the sights and too unfamiliar with both the bike and the road to be relying upon? Then drivers should give them a wide berth and assume their road skills are suspect (if they exist at all).
And if there are kids in the bike mix, then drivers really need to beware, and assume that they have neither the bike experience nor the attention span to ride with any reliability until the young pedalers prove otherwise. (Often they will, since even the more clueless young cyclist understands that playing in traffic is a dangerous endeavor – so if they are out there, they may have an idea what they are doing.)
What responsibilities do cyclists have in traffic? Plenty.
They need to know (and obey) the rules of the road. They need to be responsible and predictable cyclists, stopping and signaling and sharing as required. They need to be alert and aware essentially at all times – not just for what they are doing, but for what all the (bigger and faster) vehicles around them are doing.
Good, experienced cyclists know that riding with traffic (and like traffic) is the safest approach. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always mean it’s safe – as the rash of recent bike/ped injuries and fatalities in our area will attest.
Bottom line, motor vehicle drivers should have the burden of responsibility when sharing the road with cyclists (should, but not always will, in the eyes of law enforcement, alas). That means:
- Cyclists have the right to be on the road just like you – which means they should obey the laws the same way you have to.
- You must give cyclists three feet of space between your vehicle and theirs when passing… it’s the law, but it’s also smart.
- Everyone on the road must operate their vehicle in the safest possible manner… but cyclists pay a much higher price than motor vehicles when safety is short-circuited.
Royal Palm Challenge Saturday
Speaking of cycling, the 24th annual Royal Palm Challenge is this Saturday, with rides of 12, 40 and 62 miles leaving from the Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers starting at 7:45 a.m. Full support, plenty of food and swag, and a good excuse to spend a little time downtown after you’re done. Details and registration at
caloosariders.org.
●●●
EVENTS
Still
a few opportunities to take advantage of our cooler weather and get in a
race or two before the temps start to rise… with some longer distance
events on the calendar as well. Cyclists: The Royal Palm Challenge is
approaching, and March is typically excellent biking weather.
FORT MYERS TRACK CLUB (ftmyerstrackclub.com):
- Scope for Hope 5K & 2 Mile Walk, Saturday, March 26, Jaycee Park, Cape Coral.
- Lovers Key Turtle Trot 5K, Saturday, May 14, 8 a.m., Lovers Key Park, Fort Myers Beach.
GC RUNNERS (gcrunner.org):
- 10K Run for Music, Saturday, April 19, 7:30 a.m., Pelican Bay, Naples
- Tropicool 5K, Saturday, May 14, downtown Naples.
ELITE EVENTS (runeliteevents.com):
- Punta Gorda Half Marathon & 5K, Saturday, March 12, 6:30 a.m., Lashley Park.
- Paradise Coast Half Marathon, Sunday, April 24, North Collier Regional Park, Naples.
OTHER RUNS
- Yo! Taco Shrimp 5K Run, Saturday, March 12, presented by Cypress Lake Athletics, Doc Fords, Fort Myers Beach (active.com).
- Average Joe 5K Run (you finish in the middle of the pack to win it), Sunday, April 10, North Collier Regional Park, Naples (active.com).
OTHER RIDES
- Royal
Palm Challenge, Saturday, March 12, from the Collaboratory, downtown
Fort Myers. Rides of 12, 40 and 62 miles with rest stops and full support.
- Broken 100 ride, Sunday, March 27, from Winn Dixie at Colonial Blvd. and Treeline Ave., Fort Myers.
- Costco/CRBC Golisano Children's Hospital Benefit Ride, Saturday, April 2. 40-mile fund-raiser, a no-drop ride to Naples from the Gulf Coast Town Center Costco. $25 minimum donation.
The Caloosa Riders are offering member rides, but some are open to
non-members (and it wouldn’t hurt you to join the club); check their
ride calendar (caloosariders.org) for a description of the distance and
speed, and to see if the ride is open to all.
SW Florida Critical
Mass is offering their usual slate of family-friendly rides. Check out their line-up
online (www.meetup.com/Biking-SWFL/events/) for details and times (and to make sure the ride is still rolling).
- SW
Florida Critical Mass ride, first Friday of the month. A
family-friendly slow night ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike
lights required. Helmet and lights required, meet in the parking lot at
2180 West First Street, Fort Myers.
- Sanibel Critical Mass night
ride, second Saturday of the month. Gathers at Jerry’s Shopping Center,
1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended.
- NE
Lee Critical Mass ride, third Friday of the month. Gather in the Winn
Dixie parking lot on Palm Beach Blvd. about five miles east of the
Interstate; gather at 7 p.m. and roll at 7:30 p.m. for a slow ride
through Fort Myers Shores.
- Cape Coral Critical Mass ride, fourth
Friday of the month. Gather at the Southwest Florida Military Museum
parking lot at 4820 Leonard Street for a family-friendly night ride
through the Cape; helmets and lights required.
- Saturday Morning
Slow Roll, fourth Saturday of the month. Meet-up at 2160 McGregor Blvd.,
Fort Myers. Recommended for inexperienced/young riders. Distance is 6
miles, includes group ride instruction.
TRIATHLONS
- 2022 Sarasota Bradenton Triathlon Festival (sprint), Saturday-Sunday, March 12-13, Nathan Benderson Park, Sarasota (srqtrifest.com/).
- Escape from Fort Desoto Triathlon, sprint tri, duathlon, aquabike, Saturday, April 16, Fort Desoto Park, St. Petersburg.
- St. Anthony’s Triathlon, Olympic and sprint, St. Petersburg, Sunday, May 1, 2022(satriathlon.com/).
- Heartland Triathlon, sprint and Olympic tri, duathlon and aquabike, Sunday, June 5, Sebring (heartlandtri.com/).
- Siesta Key Sirens & Merman Triathlon, Sunday, June 26, Siesta Key (run941.com/).
TELL US ABOUT YOUR RIDE
Have a favorite route you like to bike,
or a unique walk you’d like to share with
others? Tell us about it at
info@bikewalklee.org, and maybe we can feature
it in an upcoming column.
# # #
Ken Gooderham writes
this on behalf of BikeWalkLee, a
community coalition raising public
awareness and advocating for complete
streets in Lee County — streets that
are designed, built, operated and
maintained for safe and convenient travel
for all users: pedestrians,
bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders
of all ages and abilities.
Information, statistics and background
online at bikewalklee.blogspot.com.
