The passing of HB 971 generates press

There has been plenty of press about the passing of HB 971 including this article in the Orlando Sentinel. FBA board vice president Mighk Wilson was quoted: “Bike lanes might not be all that we thought they were cracked up to be,” said Mighk Wilson, a smart-growth planner and bike advocate at MetroPlan Orlando.

Wilson said he thinks riding in the midst of traffic is safer than bike lanes or the side of the road because bicyclists are more visible to motorists. Bike lanes, he said, often run too close to parking spaces, making riders vulnerable to people who open their car doors without looking.

He also contends that drivers who are turning often fail to see bikers because they are too far off to the side.

Wilson said he would like to launch a study looking at the effectiveness of bike lanes, specifically whether they lead to fewer accidents between motorists and cyclists. He doubts they are safer, and he would not miss the lanes if they were gone.

“It’s not that you would take the width [of the road] away, just the stripes,” said Wilson, who regularly commutes to work by bike.