Is there a way to get the word out to the Lance Armstrong wannabees that they should ride their bikes on the bike path instead of on the nonexistant shoulder of 30A?
I think it's wonderful that they are out exercising and enjoying the great weather, but my pet peeve is a line of cars waiting to pass a biker ....... when there is a beautifully maintained and empty path just feet away.
Safety issue too - there are some quality and distracted drivers around here who have enough trouble keeping it between the lines and avoiding clipping other cars, let alone a biker they may not see or be aware of.
There are a bunch of reasons that I've heard as to why they don't use the path - skinny tires (BS as I think the path is better than the road in some places), don't want to interfere w/ walkers or slower bikers etc. but I think part of it is that in other areas bike riders aren't supposed to ride on the sidewalk/path. One guy on the road was yelling at other bikers on the path that they were supposed to ride on the road until a friend corrected him.
Replies
172
Beach Fanatic
The best one is a tag on the front of a Porsche, right below the Porsche emblem, which reads, "Porsche." I bet they pay and extra $25 for that one.
"Awesome! Totally awesome!" - Spicoli
Beach Fanatic
This is your opinion, not proven fact, based on some link you found somewhere. you were the one that reopened this tangent.
I didn't bring up the environmental tangent, beemn did. I just said he was wrong. And it wasn't my opinion or a link I found somewhere. Here is the source.
"Peter Huber is a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and a columnist for Forbes. An MIT-trained engineer and a Harvard law graduate, Mr. Huber taught engineering at MIT. He served as a law clerk to the then appellate judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg and to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. He is the author of Hard Green: Saving the Environment from the Environmentalists (Basic Books, 2000). His articles have appeared in scholarly journals (including the Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal), magazines (The New Republic, Science, and Regulation) and many newspapers."
He writes for New Republic and clerked for Ginsberg, so aside from the fact that he's an MIT engineer, he's not exactly a Hannity regular.
needs to get out more
While I agree that bikes in the street can be annoying, get over it! You forget that bicycles are environmentally friendly alternative TRANSPORTATION! Not toys! Some of use ride instead of drive. One day you will have to become one of us, or lard out at home. We are going places not just playing. I ride the path and cars not looking are the problem! Get off your D**m cell phone and drive!
yes beemn stated the word 'environmental' while discussing his primary form of transportation...
Beemn, bikes are worse for the environment than SUVs, cars and trucks.
you, then brought up this sideways theory that you beat to within an inch of it's life in another thread. then you referenced the food vs. fuel, blah and indicated that potatovixen post in the other thread. so, i attribute the worthless tangent to you.
I didn't bring up the environmental tangent, beemn did. I just said he was wrong. And it wasn't my opinion or a link I found somewhere. Here is the source....
Darlene is my middle name, not my nickname
Everytime this subject comes up I am amazed by the vehicle operators pointing out all the traffic violations of cyclists. Puhhhh.......LEASE :roll: :roll: :roll: ..... Like they never come to a rolling stop, always role at the speed limit, allow 3' when passing a bike, drive back to their condo / house after leaving the Red Bar / Sea Bar / 331 or Grayton Beach tea time only blowing a .08 :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: Give Me A Freaking Break :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
Dear Mr. RiverOtter,
Thank you for letting me respond to this post. I have to agree with you 100%!
Also, I must say that the tight little biker shorts and shirts do make it alot easier for ME, to slow down and WATCH out for the bikers out there. Now, Mr. Otter, that does not mean that you will ever catch my fat arse in any of them, but on those hot, tanned, serious bikers out there, I think they are eye candy. I for one never actually notice all the stuff that is written on them, because that is not what I am looking at mind you.
Now, dear Mr. RiverOtter ride on ride on!!!!!! ;-)
Sincerely,
Darlene
Edited
quirty
I think all of us with SoWal stickers on our cars are guilty too.:roll:
And those of us with Sowal tattoos on our backsides.
As for the rest of this thread, I'll let you know what I think when my head stops spinning.
SoWal Insider
Dear Mr. RiverOtter,
Thank you for letting me respond to this post. I have to agree with you 100%!
Also, I must say that the tight little biker shorts and shirts do make it alot easier for ME, to slow down and WATCH out for the bikers out there. Now, Mr. Otter, that does not mean that you will ever catch my fat arse in any of them, but on those hot, tanned, serious bikers out there, I think they are eye candy. I for one never actually notice all the stuff that is written on them, because that is not what I am looking at mind you.
Now, dear Mr. RiverOtter ride on ride on!!!!!! ;-)
Sincerely,
Darlene
Darlene! :funn: You've made me re-think my position on riding vs. watching. 
got any pics?
Dear Mr. RiverOtter,
Thank you for letting me respond to this post. I have to agree with you 100%!
Also, I must say that the tight little biker shorts and shirts do make it alot easier for ME, to slow down and WATCH out for the bikers out there. Now, Mr. Otter, that does not mean that you will ever catch my fat arse in any of them, but on those hot, tanned, serious bikers out there, I think they are eye candy. I for one never actually notice all the stuff that is written on them, because that is not what I am looking at mind you.
Now, dear Mr. RiverOtter ride on ride on!!!!!! ;-)
Sincerely,
Darlene
....................................................
SoWal ExpertAuthor
Okay, I can see the logic of the arguments of bikers being in the road 'cuz of tires, others on the path etc.
Can I at least get agreement that riding 3 across in the road when there is traffic going both ways and another biker going the other way is just plain rude?
Can I at least get agreement that riding 3 across in the road when there is traffic going both ways and another biker going the other way is just plain rude?
SoWal Expert
Okay, I can see the logic of the arguments of bikers being in the road 'cuz of tires, others on the path etc.Yes, and I probably have as many complaints against people driving autos as bicycle operators.
Can I at least get agreement that riding 3 across in the road when there is traffic going both ways and another biker going the other way is just plain rude?
Beach Lover
Yes I think that would be rude, but do you know why they were riding that way? It is often the case that the car operators are rude to the biker, cutting very close while leaning on the horn, etc. Often the only defense when the road is too narrow for a car to safely pass, is for the cyclist to ride left and block that area. That may have been the case here. Remember even the smallest worm becomes a big man behind the wheel of his hummer!
SoWal ExpertAuthor
For the second morning in a row they were riding 3 across and it appeared the sole reason was so they could chat. Didn't see any sign of rude car drivers, hear any horns etc.
I've definitely been seeing some quality driving lately...........never knew a stop sign was such a confusing thing
I've definitely been seeing some quality driving lately...........never knew a stop sign was such a confusing thing
Beach Fanatic
Ok - I have a new reason to encourage bikers NOT to ride on 30-A but head up to 98:
(And I never realized this before this thread and I started paying attention)
There is no shoulder on most of 30-A
There is a 3'+ shoulder on both sides of 98.
-And the 98 shoulders are marked as bike lanes!! Very few cross streets. The cars can easily move into the inside lane to pass!!
Ride your bikes on 98. If you want to ride along Scenic 30-A, there is no excuse not to slow down , and enjoy the ride on the bike path.
(And I never realized this before this thread and I started paying attention)
There is no shoulder on most of 30-A
There is a 3'+ shoulder on both sides of 98.
-And the 98 shoulders are marked as bike lanes!! Very few cross streets. The cars can easily move into the inside lane to pass!!
Ride your bikes on 98. If you want to ride along Scenic 30-A, there is no excuse not to slow down , and enjoy the ride on the bike path.
Beach Fanatic
For the second morning in a row they were riding 3 across and it appeared the sole reason was so they could chat. Didn't see any sign of rude car drivers, hear any horns etc.
I've definitely been seeing some quality driving lately...........never knew a stop sign was such a confusing thing
State law says bicyclists aren't supposed to be more than two abreast. I hate it when those kinds of riders do things like that which make it harder for the rest of us.
As for the stop sign, it could be worse. Hardly anyone south of the bridge understands you're supposed to yield to cars already a traffic circle, which makes going through the ones on the backside of Destin Commons or by Home Depot unfortunately interesting.
SoWal ExpertAuthor
As for the stop sign, it could be worse. Hardly anyone south of the bridge understands you're supposed to yield to cars already a traffic circle, which makes going through the ones on the backside of Destin Commons or by Home Depot unfortunately interesting.
Wait until they install the 395/30A roundabout!
SoWal Guide
Ok - I have a new reason to encourage bikers NOT to ride on 30-A but head up to 98:
(And I never realized this before this thread and I started paying attention)
There is no shoulder on most of 30-A
There is a 3'+ shoulder on both sides of 98.
-And the 98 shoulders are marked as bike lanes!! Very few cross streets. The cars can easily move into the inside lane to pass!!
Ride your bikes on 98. If you want to ride along Scenic 30-A, there is no excuse not to slow down , and enjoy the ride on the bike path.
Uncle Timmy makes perfect sense. 30A is too dangerous, and I would not allow my child to ride on the road, nor would I do it myself - even if we were serious bikers. Not because of anything other than I don't want to be killed by some car who doesn't see me or isn't paying attention. And that is what happens. And I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often here because you know how tourists drive when they don't know where the heck they are going, they have had a few, etc. I wish SJ and RO would find a safer place to haul their OMBs, but if they wish to risk their lives on 30A, then of course they should have that right, but I will not like it.
SoWal ExpertAuthor
There is no shoulder on most of 30-A
There is a 3'+ shoulder on both sides of 98.
That's why one of my sugeestions for the scenic corridor was that they add a 3' shoulder to the road instead of the nonexistent current one. Room for bikers who can't/don't ride on the path and traffic.
I think the traffic speed on 98 is a bit high for bikers, but I also don't ride my bike in the road on 30A for that same reason........
SoWal Guide
you wouldn't catch me on 30A or 98. I think the bike path is also dangerous for biking, with driveways, cars turning in and out, etc. certainly a less crowded stretch of highway is preferrable for many bikers. I like riding in my neighborhood - but I'm not a serious biker.
hmmmm......can't remember
I'll bite. A road bike traveling at 20 mph on 30A in a 25 mph speedlimit is riding beside autos breaking speed limits, but still only traveling at let's say 35 mph.
Compare that risk to the cyclist riding at 20mph on Hwy 98 with the autos and 18 wheeler's traveling at speeds of 75 mph. I think there is much more risk for riding on hwy 98 as compared to the lower speeds on 30A. Also, traffic on 30A is traveling through communities such as Seaside, WaterColor, Rosemary, etc, where the drivers must drive more slowly as they look out for pedistrians.
But if a car leaves Atlanta at 6:50 AM EDT going 75 miles an hour on 85 South, and another one leaves Pensacola on I-10 going 70 miles an hour at 8:30 AM CDT, what time will it be when both drivers have to stop and buy a 20-ounce Coke?
TOO MANY NUMBERS!
Can I still run on the bike path?
got any pics?
Can I at least get agreement that riding 3 across in the road when there is traffic going both ways and another biker going the other way is just plain rude?
Yes, very rude
got any pics?
you wouldn't catch me on 30A or 98. I think the bike path is also dangerous for biking, with driveways, cars turning in and out, etc. .
I'd rather take my chances on 30A because of your reasons above. The bike path is dangerous at anything more than cruiser bike speeds and even that is hairy in Seagrove and Seacrest.
got any pics?
Yes I think that would be rude, but do you know why they were riding that way? It is often the case that the car operators are rude to the biker, cutting very close while leaning on the horn, etc. Often the only defense when the road is too narrow for a car to safely pass, is for the cyclist to ride left and block that area. That may have been the case here. Remember even the smallest worm becomes a big man behind the wheel of his hummer!
Finally another biker
SoWal Guide
I'd rather take my chances on 30A because of your reasons above. The bike path is dangerous at anything more than cruiser bike speeds and even that is hairy in Seagrove and Seacrest.
I do understand and agree. except I want you to ride someplace else. I know drivers can be rude, but those aren't the ones that are gonna run you over - they do notice you and that is a good thing. its the ones who never saw ya to start with.
I've been scared to death more than once when I didn't see a biker til the last second, coming round the bend just as I'm turning onto 30A...
and, this just happened yesterday. Biker on 30A, a small flatbed truck goes way around to avoid him and I had to slam on breaks and go off the road to keep being hit head on by that dang truck! he was headed straight for me! there was just no room for us all. no one was going too fast, there was not enough road. fortunately, I saw it coming and didn't panic.
cute biker butts are definitely a plus though.
Edited
SoWal ExpertAuthor
We can argue about this all day, but in car (let alone SUV) vs. bike, I know who the smart money is on!
I don't WANT to hit a bike rider (or power walker, or runner, or those morons who push their baby carriage into traffic while they are hidden from view by cars), but often I can't see them, despite actively looking for them.
When I ride my bike, I assume that every car has no clue I'm there (especially during the season) and am especially cautious in certain areas where I know I'm hard to see.
While I'm sure incidents do occur, I've yet to see someone be rude to a bike rider who is following the rules of the road.
I don't WANT to hit a bike rider (or power walker, or runner, or those morons who push their baby carriage into traffic while they are hidden from view by cars), but often I can't see them, despite actively looking for them.
When I ride my bike, I assume that every car has no clue I'm there (especially during the season) and am especially cautious in certain areas where I know I'm hard to see.
While I'm sure incidents do occur, I've yet to see someone be rude to a bike rider who is following the rules of the road.
SoWal Guide
good words scooterbug.
SoWal Insider
Many moons ago, whilst in semi-attendance at UF, I had the misfortune of not seeing a biker and the resulting collision. I was driving up the hill, turning left at the old field house, when the next thing I knew, handlebars came through my windshield with a rider in fllight over my hood. It was well into dusk, with the street lights on. The biker was hauling down the hill with no light, and I never saw him coming. He actually inflicted much more damage to my Toyota, even though his bike looked like a pretzel. I'll never forget the hostile crowd around me accusing me of recklessness. Sometimes I think, bikers have to go the extra mile to be courteous and highly visible. The whole thing of bikers blowing through stop signs so as to not break momentum is not well thought out. It's what I watch for on 30A when the biker is up on the main road surface. I wish the tension between bikers and car operators could be eliminated. Then I could rant about Harley owners.
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