2010 Florida Bicycle/Pedestrian Law Enforcement Guides are available
Florida Bicycle/Pedestrian Law Enforcement Guides reflecting 2010 statute changes are now available, including the mandatory bike lane law effective September 1. This handy booklet updated annually to reflect statute changes has been distributed to nearly 100,000 individuals since 2001. You can download a copy or request copies for you and your friends by contacting FBA.
New text includes:
Roadway position [§316.2065(5)]
A person operating a bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic under the conditions existing must ride in the lane marked for bicycle use or, if no lane is marked for bicycle use, as close as practicable [safe] to the roadway’s right-hand curb or edge, except under any of the following situations:
* when passing another vehicle
* when preparing for a left turn
* when reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including (but not limited to), a fixed or moving object, parked or moving vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or surface hazard
* when a lane is too narrow for a bicycle and another vehicle to travel safely side by side.
A cyclist operating on a one-way street with two or more marked traffic lanes may ride as close to the left-hand edge of the roadway as practicable.
Visit the website to review a complete description of the Bike Lane Law and to download a copy of the guide.
CyclingSavvy full course schedule for the first week in October in Orlando
| October 2, 2010 | ||
| 8:00 am | to | 11:00 am |
| October 7, 2010 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
| October 9, 2010 | ||
| 9:00 am | to | 12:30 pm |
CyclingSavvy full course schedule for the first week in October
We will give you the tools to use a bike for transportation, without stress or fear, anywhere you choose. Sessions have been scheduled for the complete CyclingSavvy course:
Train Your Bike
Saturday, 10/2 from 8-11am
at the Orlando Arena
Truth & Techniques
Thursday, 10/7 from 6-9pm
Florida Dept of Law Enforcement, Orlando Regional Operations Center
500 West Robinson St, Training Room A
Orlando
Tour of Orlando
Saturday 10/9 from 9am – 12:30pm
Starts in Colonialtown, loops through downtown Orlando
To learn more about the course and to sign-up, go here.
Empowerment for Unlimited Travel
CyclingSavvy full course schedule for the first week in October
We will give you the tools to use a bike for transportation, without stress or fear, anywhere you choose. Sessions have been scheduled for the complete CyclingSavvy course:
Train Your Bike
Saturday, 10/2 from 8-11am
at the Orlando Arena
Truth & Techniques
Thursday, 10/7 from 6-9pm
Location TBA
Tour of Orlando
Saturday 10/9 from 9am – 12:30pm
Starts in Colonialtown, loops through downtown.
To learn more about the course and to sign-up, go here.
Congratulations Charlotte County Health Dept as the first Florida Bicycle Friendly Business
The League of American Bicyclists is announcing 63 new Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFB) and eight renewing BFBs today, September 23 at Interbike in Las Vegas during the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) Industry Breakfast. Charlotte County Health Department is the first Florida business to be recognized for this designation. This round of awards was especially noteworthy because of the number of awardees and because “we’re seeing a growing relationship between Bicycle Friendly Communities and BFBs,”said Andy Clarke, president of the League. “Typically what is good for businesses is good for communities, in terms of bicycling.” We are proud to award three local governments the BFB designation – Bloomington City Hall, Ind.; Arlington County Government, Va.; and the City of Fayetteville, Ark.
Charlotte County received a bronze designation under the leadership of Kathleen Drake and Eric Stockley.
“BFBs are innovative businesses that demonstrate their commitment to encouraging healthy lifestyles, creating more affordable transportation, and leading the way in sustainable business practices and environmental stewardship,” said Andy Clarke, League President.
To learn more about building a Bicycle Friendly America, visit www.bikeleague.org.
TRAFFIC SKILLS 101 November 6, 2010, Jacksonville, FL
| November 6, 2010 | ||
| 7:45 am | to | 4:15 pm |
Cycling is inherently safe. Based on crash data in “Freedom from Fear,” by expert vehicular cyclist Mighk Wilson; for comparable time periods of activity, travel by bicycle produces 2.1 times less fatalities than travel by auto. In Orlando, only 8% of cyclist-injury crashes between cyclists and motorists involved a legally-operating roadway cyclist. The rest involved sidewalk cyclists and those violating the rules of the road. Learning to avoid virtually all of these crashes is what this course is about! Learn more. Registration is open through Tuesday, November 2nd. To request a registration package, click to contact Jeff Hohlstein at (904) 291-8664 or email him at Jeff@FBAfirstcoast.org
If a Motorist doesn’t see you, he can’t avoid you
Motorists look for danger in the roadway. That ‘danger’ typically comes from other motor vehicles, not from bicyclists. People tend to “see” only what they are looking for, not what is necessarily within their field of view. ‘Danger’ to a motorist appears in the form of an obstruction in their lane or from a vehicle that may oppose them in an intersection and this danger comes from predictable places. As motorists we train ourselves to be keenly aware of these places.
Studies of people on cell phones have shown that they tend to tunnel-vision down to the lane that they’re in even further narrowing their focus.
A major precept of vehicular cycling is to be visible and predictable to motorists. We wear bright colored jerseys and light ourselves up to that end, but does that really mean that we are visible? I think not. We are only visible if we are also where the motorist is looking for danger.
In a through traffic lane, the danger is an obstruction in the lane, such as a cyclist clearly planted in the lane. For instance, 2-3 feet left of the white line. An approaching motorist will see and register the cyclist as an obstruction and make a conscious decision to slow and when it’s safe, go around. By going around, the motorist makes a conscious decision to make a full or partial lane change and unconsciously gives the cyclist the three feet or more clearance that Florida State Law provides for.
A cyclist sitting on or close to the white line (we call them gutter bunnies) poses no danger to a motorist and therefore, requires no decision process. The cyclist may not even register on the motorist’s mind as something to be avoided. They’re not “in the lane,” so they can probably be passed without a lane change. The cyclist has a different perspective. “That @%&?@ just dusted me off!”
Florida law requires a cyclist to ride right or in a bicycle lane only when riding slower than the prevailing traffic. When approaching a stop sign or red traffic light, the prevailing traffic is slowing to bicycle speed. How many times have we ourselves, or seen fellow cyclists slide up to the right of and alongside motor vehicles at the intersection? This is a dangerous practice because it puts the cyclist in the driver’s blind zone and invites a right hook when the light turns green.
A better place would be directly behind the last car in the queue that you can safely snuggle in behind, in the through traffic lane. The motorists behind you will clearly see you.
As you transit the intersection in the through lane, you’ll be in plain sight to opposing cars turning left, rather than hidden from their view by cars traveling with you and to your left in the traffic lane. For motorists entering the intersection from your right and wanting to turn right on red, you will be observed more easily because you’ll right square in their ‘danger zone.’ They will give you the right of way. As you clear the intersection, you can safely move over to the right.
On a one-way road with multiple lanes in Florida, which may be assumed to be traffic lanes in one direction, with some kind of barrier to the opposing lanes (such as an island or a two-way left turn lane), bicyclists who are planning a left turn are allowed to move to the left-hand side as far as practical, of the left lane. When you do this, you’ll find that the traffic flows around you to the right, just as it did previously to the left, when you were near the right-hand side of the road. Again, this puts you in a position where motorists will observe and avoid you.
Fig. 1: 103rd Street, Jacksonville, noon rush hour. What do you see?So how soon do you move? Think about what you do in your car. As you approach your left turn intersection, you ease on over to the left through lane in anticipation of turning into the left turn lane, or turning left at the intersection. The strategy on a bicycle is very much similar. But you have to look for the traffic holes.
“Urban streets, controlled by traffic lights, no matter how busy, have these traffic holes.”
Look at Figure 1. What do you see? Most Traffic Skills 101 students see a busy urban road. I see a half-empty road. Figures 2 and 3 were snapped within moments of Figure 1. Figure 2 looks forward past the stopped traffic and Figure 3 looks back. Notice that the westbound
Fig. 2: Look at all the available road space in front of the stopped cars.lane in Figure 2 is pretty clear. The whole road is clear in Figure 3.
Motor vehicles move in pods from light to light. Between the pods are these stretches of empty road that can last for from 30 to 90 seconds.
It’s in these traffic holes that cyclists may safely and easily cross lanes in the road. So as you approach your intersection, when a traffic hole appears, take advantage of it. Even if it means peddling in the left lane for an extra 100-200 feet.
The cyclist who fully understands the concept of traffic holes will be able to navigate urban roads much more confidently and safely than one who doesn’t.
Fig. 3: Open road in both directionsThese concepts are hard to master outside of a learning environment because of the ‘fear factor’ associated with putting one’s body directly in front of a motor vehicle. We teach the concepts in Traffic Skills 101 and then we go out on the road and practice them. Students leave the class with confidence to practice vehicular cycling as a way of life. In a survey of TS 101 students taken three months to a year after they graduated, 77% regularly used the lane positioning that they learned in class. 82% regularly used the scanning and signaling techniques and over 29% credited emergency maneuvers learned in the parking lot drills with protecting them in an emergency situation.
For more information on the next Jacksonville Traffic Skills 101 course, please click here.
advocacy bike culture safety traffic justice trails Uncategorized
by Laura
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Speak up for Florida’s cyclists, pedestrians and trail users!
Just as Florida’s cyclists, pedestrians, and recreational trail users are making headway in terms of how much is spent to improve conditions, we now face the real possibility of a significant hit in funding.
A provision of a $26 billion Federal Jobs Bill includes $6.7 billion in rescissions, of which $2.2 billion will come from transportation funds. The fact that there is no requirement for equity when determining where cuts come from has resulted in Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) proposing a formula that will result in a significantly disproportional impact on funds for non-motorized projects in our state.
Specifically, $24.7 million from Transportation Enhancement (TE) funds and $3 million from Recreational Trails Program (RTP), figures that represent approximately one-third of monies that would be used for non-motorized projects since Florida historically under-utilizes funds that are available for bike/ped/trails improvements. As compared to a 0.1% overall cut to traditional road projects, this decision by FDOT can only be deemed reprehensible.
Please speak up for TE and RTP to Governor Crist, gubernatorial candidates Alex Sink and Rick Scott, Florida State Transportation Development Administrator Brad Thoburn and FDOT Assistant Secretary for Intermodal Systems Development Debbie Hunt.
Florida’s office of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has made it easy for you to speak up.
Just click on this link and you can send a letter in less than 30 seconds!.
FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS
Need help deciding who to support in the upcoming gubernatorial race November 2? Due to incomplete results, we were unable to post prior to the primaries, and we still have not heard from Rick Scott’s campaign, but below are the results from Bud Chiles (who may be dropping out of the race) and Alex Sink. Though Sink did not complete the questionnaire, her campaign provided her transportation plan.
Bud Chiles
1. How would you describe the benefits of making Florida a better place to bike and walk? Creating a safe environment for exercise and recreation, making our cities and towns safer for children to play in, increasing access to those with disabilities… there are so many reasons to make this happen.
2. In April 2010, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released a policy directive (attached) that states, “Every transportation agency, including DOT, has the responsibility to improve conditions and opportunities for walking and bicycling and to integrate walking and bicycling into their transportation systems”.
Question: How would your administration embrace this policy here in Florida? I believe Florida needs to do the same. We’ve got the weather – we need to create the infrastructure to encourage walking and bicycling in Florida. And state government should lead the way in that.
3. All across the U.S., in communities large and small, there is a strong and growing movement to make our communities more livable and sustainable. This movement embraces complete streets that give people more transportation choices; mixed use developments that co-locate jobs, homes and businesses in closer proximity; and transit-oriented development that promotes economic vitality. Though Federal resources are being dedicated to this effort, Florida is not competitive in attracting grants due to lags in transportation innovation and leadership.
Question: What do you think would be required for Florida to shift to this new paradigm? How, as Governor, would you move the state in this direction? One big opportunity is the regional rail system, which is using federal funding to address Florida’s transportation issues. We need to expand this system, but we also need better local transportation systems. As Governor, I intend to put the full weight of state government behind investing in renewable resources, sustainability and conservation measures that will bring green jobs to Florida and make our state a greener place to live and work.
4. For more than two decades, Florida has had the dubious distinction of being the state with the highest pedestrian and bicyclist fatality rates in the nation. One in ten pedestrian fatalities occurs in Florida. One in six bicyclist fatalities occurs here.
Question: As Governor, what priority will you give to pedestrian and cyclist safety? Will you commit to reducing the fatality rates by 40% by the end of your first term? Absolutely. As a father with a visually impaired child who must rely on pedestrian ways and public transportation, I fully understand how far Florida has to go in making its streets safe for walkers and bicyclers. I will commit to ensure that our transportation systems are safe for all methods of transport.
5. Despite the fact that Florida is the worst state in the nation for bike/ped safety, funding to address the danger has not matched the danger. For example, safety funding received by FL from the federal government has been reprogrammed to fund road projects.
Question: Would you support targeting federal highway safety funds to the users that are most at risk on a proportional basis (e.g., currently bike/ped fatalities make up 22% of all traffic fatalities in FL so they would receive 22% of the federal highway safety funds)? How would you hold state agency leaders and managers accountable for achieving results? I do believe more funding needs to be allocated for these safety issues, and will make sure state agencies with expertise in these areas are responsible for real benchmarks.
6. What is your vision of how Florida’s economic base should change and what role does biking, walking, transit have in that vision? How would you support the revitalization of Florida communities? Florida needs to move towards a sustainable economy – one that preserves the natural environment that makes our state such an attractive place to live, work and play.
7. Other states have shown the economic benefits of bicycle tourism.
Question: What programs and activities would your administration undertake to better promote bicycling as an integral part of Florida’s tourism sector? When my children were young, we would take trips to Key West and rent bicycles for the week. It was one of our favorite family vacations. Bicycling has minimal effect on our environment and provides great opportunities for recreation. I believe we can encourage more bicycle tourism through focused messaging on Florida’s tourism websites and other venues.
8. In 2008, Florida enacted the HB 697 which requires state and local agencies to develop plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation emissions contribute 46% of the greenhouse gas emissions in Florida (compared to 33% nationally); with 66% of these emissions in Florida coming from cars.
Question: What policy initiatives do you support to reduce energy use and GHG emissions in Florida’s transportation? What roles do bicycling and walking have in meeting these goals? I think we should encourage businesses to offer incentives to workers who take public transportation or bicycle to work. And I think that state government should lead in this area by doing the same for state employees.
9. Childhood obesity is a clear and present danger to the future health and economic well-being of Florida. Programs like Safe Routes to Schools encourage children to incorporate more physical activity into their daily habits.
Question: How would you support this program? What would you do to ensure that the built environment promotes more physical activity to address the growing problem of obesity? This is obviously a huge problem for Florida’s children. I want to encourage after-school activities that will get kids outside. This is the first I’ve heard of the Safe Routes to Schools program, but I will definitely find out more about this effort to encourage children to get active.
10. As the 2009 AARP report, “Planning Complete Streets for an Aging America”, stated, over the coming decades the number of older Americans is expected to increase from 12% of the total population in 2005, and by 2025, these numbers are projected to double, with one in five Americans being 65 or older. Half of all no-drivers age 65 and over stay home on a given day because they lack transportation, which lessens their independence and quality of life.
Question: As Governor, what would you do to plan for an aging Florida, as it relates to transportation? Our communities need more reliable public transportation. As Governor, I will work to build partnerships in communities to address the needs of aging Floridians so that there are adequate transportation means for the future.
11. Last year, the Florida Department of Transportation initiated the State’s 2060 Transportation Plan but excluded many aspects of the transportation community, including the bike/ped community, from the steering committee charged with managing the plan development and making recommendations to the Governor and Legislature.
Question: As Governor, what steps will you take to ensure that representatives from all modes of transportation and all kinds of users will be included in transportation planning processes? A plan for Florida’s transportation future will only be successful if there is a true coalition of interest groups moving forward. I will fight for access to be given to a broad range of voices so we can be sure that the needs of all Floridians are being served.
******************************************************
Alex Sink
I wanted to let you know that our campaign policy is that we do not complete written questionnaires. This is true regardless of the organization. I realize that your organization does not do endorsements and is primarily seeking to educate your members and voters – a good thing! Visit our website for Alex’s transportation and education policies, as well as those on ethics, economic development, government accountability, and energy. Collectively, I think these will give your members a well-rounded perspective as to Alex’s position on key issues of interest.
Donna O’Neal
Alex Sink Campaign
Click on the “click here to read the full plan” link for bike/ped information. Below are excerpts brought to our attention by Deborah Carenno, Hillsborough County Bike/Ped Coordinator.
As Governor, Alex Sink will:
Incorporate more trails, bicycle paths, bike lanes and pedestrian facilities into transportation planning. Bicycling or walking to work and as leisure activities not only reduce congestion but provide numerous health and environmental benefits. The FDOT reports that 66 percent of our state highway system has bicycle lanes or paths. Studies also show more people are bicycling and walking than ever before. Alex believes in developing more bike and pedestrian friendly facilities and will ensure representation of these interests on the FDOT’s leadership planning committees, including the Strategic Intermodal System planning group. Florida is known for its award-winning Greenways and Trails program. Alex will support these “active transportation” programs and work to ensure that rail and transit facilities are easily accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians.
Improving Safety
As Governor, Alex also will seek to expand the percentage of federal safety funds that FDOT spends on bicycle and pedestrian safety programs. Bicycle and pedestrian fatalities represent 21.4% of all Florida traffic deaths yet less than 5% — about $4 million — of federal highway safety funding is spent on bike and pedestrian safety for the entire state. Even a modest increase could help boost safety outreach efforts.
Alex Sink Campaign additional analysis provided by Bike/Walk Lee here .
Act now to stop indiscriminate use of rumble strips!
Contact Florida Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Kopelousos and ask to stop causing hazards for cyclists!
Take action HERE for a template to contact Secretary Kopelousos by mail or email.
In recent months states around the country have undertaken extensive rumbling activities and more are slated to occur. In numerous instances this activity has resulted in the indiscriminant rumbling of secondary roads that have a narrow shoulder or often times no shoulder effectively posing additional potential safety hazards for both cyclists and motorists.
Cyclists and motorists share a desire for safer roadways. We welcome things like wide and smooth paved shoulders that benefit both motorists and cyclists Though all roadway users benefit from the safety and convenience of improved shoulders, many transportation agencies are increasing the use of rumble strips – raised or grooved patterns in a road’s shoulder designed to alert drivers with noise and vibrations that they are drifting off the roadway- creating undue hazard to cyclists.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) guidance has been developed to accommodate the safety needs of bicyclists, with several states adopting this or improved guidance as a matter of policy. Despite this, many states continue to indiscriminately rumble on roads without a run-off-the-road crash history; without adequate shoulder space or recovery area; and on roadways frequented by cyclists. This is even happening in states that have developed good rumbling policies.
We are asking that you contact your state transportation official immediately to urge them to halt any plans to indiscriminately rumble our shared roadways. If the state does not have a policy of bicycle-tolerable rumble strip design they should adopt one with FHWA guidance as a minimum.
Personalize your message- let your transportation officials aware of any popular riding routes that have been lost to rumbles!
Contact Information should you decide to not use the template:
Stephanie C. Kopelousos
Secretary of Transportation
605 Suwannee Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450
Telephone: 850-414-5205; Fax: 850-414-5201
stephanie.kopelousos@dot.state.fl.us
ProBike/ProWalk Florida Conference sessions available online
If you were unable to attend the 2010 ProBike/ProWalk Florida conference in Lakeland, you can still take advantage of the terrific sessions. And for those of you who did and had to make tough choices regarding which sessions to attend, now you can enjoy all of them. All sessions are available to download by visiting the site.